History of Portsmouth F.C.

Early years (1898–1911)

Football was played in the city of Portsmouth from the 1850s, being popular with sailors and dockers. The current club was founded in 1898 with John Brickwood, owner of the local brewery, as chairman and Frank Brettell as the club's first manager. A common myth is that the club's first goalkeeper was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While Conan Doyle did play as AC Smith for the amateur side Portsmouth AFC, a precursor of the modern club that flourished from 1884 to 1896, the first goalkeeper of the professional era was Matt Reilly, who previously played for the successful Royal Artillery team.

The club's first league match was played at Chatham Town on 2 September 1899 (a 1–0 victory), followed three days later by the first match at Fratton Park against local rivals Southampton, won 2–0 with goals from Dan Cunliffe (formerly with Liverpool) and Harold Clarke (formerly with Everton). That first season was hugely successful, with the club winning 20 out of 28 league matches, earning them runners-up spot in the Southern League. The league was won for the first time in the 1901–02 season, by which time Brettell had been replaced by club captain Bob Blyth as manager.

The 1906–07 season was highlighted by the visit of Manchester United to Fratton Park in the FA Cup, which generated a record attendance of 24,329. A 2–2 draw meant a replay in Manchester, where Portsmouth recorded a famous 2–1 win. This record attendance, however, was surpassed two seasons later when Sheffield Wednesday visited Fratton for the second round of the new FA Cup.

The 1910–11 season saw Portsmouth relegated, but with the recruitment of Robert Brown as manager, the team were promoted the next season.

Climbing up the league (1919–1927)

League Football was suspended during World War I, but following the resumption of matches, Portsmouth won the Southern League for the second time. Continuing success saw them in the Third Division for the 1920–21 season. They finished 12th that year, but won the league in the 1923–24 season. The club continued to perform well in the Second Division, winning promotion by finishing second in the 1926–27 season, squeezing out Manchester City on goal average by a margin of just 0.006, thanks in large part to the 40 goals scored by Willie Haines. During the season, the club gained a record 9–1 win over Notts County.

Life at the top (1927–1939)

Portsmouth's debut season in the First Division was a struggle. The next season, they continued to falter, losing 10–0 to Leicester City, still a club record defeat. Despite their failings in the league, however, that season also saw Portsmouth reach the FA Cup final for the first time, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers.

Portsmouth managed to survive relegation, and their fortunes began to change. In the 1930–31 season the club finished fourth. The 1933–34 season saw Portsmouth again reach the FA Cup final, beating Manchester United, Bolton, Leicester and Birmingham City en route. Unfortunately, the club was again defeated in the final, this time to Manchester City.

Having established themselves in the top flight, the 1938–39 season saw Portsmouth reach their third FA Cup final. This time the club managed to defeat the favourited Wolverhampton Wanderers convincingly, 4–1. Bert Barlow scored twice while Cliff Parker and Jock Anderson completed the famous victory.

League football was again suspended due to World War II, (however they did reach the 1942 London War Cup Final, losing to Brentford at Wembley Stadium) meaning Pompey hold the unusual distinction of holding the FA Cup for the longest uninterrupted period, as the trophy was not contested again until the 1945–46 season. Nevertheless, with the Wartime Leagues in operation, Pompey signed various players of other clubs who happened to be serving in the Forces and stationed near Portsmouth, on a temporary basis. One such was Andy Black of Rangers, who on one notable occasion scored eight goals in a 16–1 thrashing of Clapton Orient.

Glory years (1946–1959)

League football resumed for the 1946–47 campaign. In Pompey's Golden Jubilee season of 1948–49, the club were tipped to be the first team of the 20th century to win the Football League and FA Cup double. Pompey, however, crashed out of the FA Cup in the semi-final against Leicester City, but made up for it by claiming the league title in spectacular fashion. That season also saw a record attendance of 51,385, a record which still stands to this day.

The 1948–49 team consisted of:

The club retained the title the following year, beating Aston Villa 5–1 on the last day of the season, and are thus one of only five English teams to have won back-to-back titles since World War II.

Pompey enjoyed a fourth-place finish in 1951–52, but in the summer of 1952 championship-winning manager Bob Jackson left for Hull City. The players who had featured in the club's recent successes were now ageing and the young players coming into the side were not of comparable quality. Although the team finished third in 1954–55, subsequent seasons saw Pompey struggle and they were relegated to the Second Division in 1959.

Life in the lower leagues (1961–1976)

Portsmouth went down to the Third Division in 1961 but were promoted back to the Second Division at the first time of asking under the guidance of George Smith.

Despite limited financial means, Smith maintained Portsmouth's second division status throughout the 1960s until moving upstairs to become general manager in April 1970. A cash injection that accompanied the arrival of John Deacon as chairman in 1972, failed to improve Pompey's league position. With Deacon unable to continue bankrolling the club on the same scale, Pompey were relegated to the Third Division in 1976.

Near oblivion (1976–1980)

In November 1976, the club found itself needing to raise £25,000 to pay off debts and so avoid bankruptcy. The money was raised from supporter contributions after a campaign led by the local newspaper The News.

With players having to be sold to ease the club's financial situation and no money available for replacements, Pompey were forced to rely on an untried manager, Ian St John, and inexperienced young players. Consequently, they were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1978.

During this period and throughout the 1980s, Portsmouth was one of a number of football clubs with a reputation for hooliganism. The most notorious gang was called the 6:57 Crew, a self-proclaimed "casual firm" of football hooligans whose name came from the fact that many supporters would catch the 6:57 train from nearby Fratton railway station to London for away games. The advent of all-seater stadia following the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 contributed to a decrease in organised football-related violence, and the 6:57 Crew was gradually reduced to nothing by the 1990s. Two books have been written about the 6:57 Crew, Rolling With The 6.57 Crew by Cass Pennant and Rob Silvester and Playing Up With Pompey By Bob Beech.

Bouncing back (1980–1988)

The club's fortunes began to turn around with the appointment of Frank Burrows as manager in 1979, and in his first season in charge Pompey won promotion back to the Third Division. They nearly won a second successive promotion the next year, but a mediocre finish in the 1981–82 season saw Burrows resign and take a coaching job at Sunderland instead. Bobby Campbell succeeded him and repeated Burrows' achievements by earning promotion – and this time the Division Three title – in his first season. The following season saw the club struggle to maintain any consistency in the league, and also saw the indignity of an FA Cup exit to rivals Southampton. While the club were never in serious danger of relegation, it was all enough to cost Bobby Campbell his job.

Under Alan Ball's management, Pompey narrowly missed winning promotion to the First Division twice before finally succeeding in 1986–87. However, they were unable to establish themselves back in the top flight and were relegated after just one season. The summer of 1988 saw Deacon sell the club to London-based businessman and former Queens Park Rangers chairman Jim Gregory.

Sleeping giant (1988–2002)

Alan Ball remained as Portsmouth manager until January 1989, curiously leaving the club when they were in the top six and still looking like good bets for promotion back to the First Division. Jim Gregory then appointed John Gregory (no relation) as Portsmouth's new manager, but their form in the final months of the 1988–89 season was disastrous and they slumped to 20th place in the final table. Gregory left during 1989–90 and Frank Burrows returned for a second spell. Initially, he was able to stabilize the club and secure a mid-table finish, but the 1990–91 season proved to be a poor one and Burrows was sacked in March 1991 with the club in serious danger of relegation. Some good form under caretaker manager Tony Barton was enough to secure safety for another season, although he declined to take up the job on a permanent basis owing to health concerns.

Jim Smith's arrival as manager in the summer of 1991, combined with the emergence of some good young players, sparked a revival in the team's fortunes and that year Pompey reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing on penalties to eventual winners Liverpool after a replay. The following season, Pompey missed out on promotion to the FA Premier League only by virtue of having scored one less goal than West Ham United.

Chairman Gregory now called in the money he had lent the club over preceding seasons, and so players were sold with little funds available to buy replacements. The team's form declined, and Smith was controversially sacked in March 1995 and replaced by Terry Fenwick. Relegation to Division Two was avoided on the last day of the 1995–96 season (on goal difference) when Pompey won away to Huddersfield Town while other results went the club's way.

In the summer of 1996, Terry Venables arrived at Pompey as a consultant, later taking over as chairman after buying the club for £1. The team enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1996–97, beating FA Premier League side Leeds United in the process, but finished seventh (just short of the qualifying places for the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League). The 1997–98 season saw Venables lose his popularity with the club's supporters, as he signed several Australian players, whose form was mostly disappointing, while his role as coach of the Australian national team meant he was frequently absent from Portsmouth. Meanwhile, the team's results were poor. Two-thirds of the way through the season, he and unpopular manager Fenwick left the club, Venables selling his shareholding back to Martin Gregory, son of former chairman Jim, while Alan Ball returned as manager. Relegation was again avoided on the last day of the season.

Pompey's centenary season, 1998–99, saw a serious financial crisis hit the club, and in December 1998, Portsmouth went into receivership. They avoided relegation again that season, and were then saved from closure by new chairman Milan Mandarić, who saved the club with a takeover deal in May 1999. The new chairman immediately started investing. Things did not get off to the best start under Mandarić, as Ball was sacked on 9 December 1999 with the club near the bottom of the table. Tony Pulis took over and steered the club to safety, but only lasted ten months at the helm after which he was put on gardening leave (and sacked not long afterwards) due to a poor relationship with Mandarić. Veteran player Steve Claridge stepped up to the manager's seat, and some initial success saw talk of promotion to the Premier League, only for a horrific run of defeats to set in after the new year, resulting in Claridge being dismissed as manager (but retained as a player) and being replaced in March 2001 by Chelsea assistant manager Graham Rix. Rix did not prove an entirely popular appointment, as he had been jailed for a sexual offence two years previously, and the club only survived on the last day of the season when they won their final game and Huddersfield Town lost theirs, keeping Portsmouth up at their expense.

Over the summer, former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp was appointed director of football, and most observers predicted that the minute results did not swing Rix's way, he would be sacked and replaced by Redknapp. Sure enough, after an early promotion charge degenerated into mid-table mediocrity and Pompey were knocked out of the FA Cup by Third Division side Leyton Orient, Rix lost his job in early 2002, with Redknapp taking over as predicted. Former manager Jim Smith was asked to team up with Redknapp, and while he initially turned the offer down to remain as assistant at Coventry City, he soon arrived at Portsmouth after a change of manager at Coventry saw almost all of the club's coaching staff being dismissed.

Pompey win the First Division

In Redknapp's first full season in charge, 2002–03, he brought in a number of experienced Premier League players, such as Steve Stone, Tim Sherwood and Paul Merson, and combined them with younger, up-and-coming talents such as Gary O'Neil and Matt Taylor. Pompey stormed the league, going top of the Division 1 table early in the autumn and then remaining at the summit for the rest of the season to comfortably beat their main promotion rivals Leicester City to the 2002–03 Division One championship and eventually win the title with a game to spare, despite a poor run of form in the closing stages of the season.

Premier League (2003–2010) and FA Cup success

During the summer, several other seasoned veterans, including Patrik Berger and Teddy Sheringham, joined the club on short-term contracts, to lead the team into their first stint in the Premier League. The club were tipped for immediate relegation and surprised many by staying up. During their six seasons, Pompey produced some surprise results, notably three home wins – including two in consecutive seasons – against Manchester United.

2003–04 season

In their FA Premier League-debuting 2003–04 season, Portsmouth had one of the best home records in the League, but poor away form restricted them to a 13th-place finish. Had they been able to match their impressive home form on their travels, then a top-half finish or even a European place could have been achieved. After producing a major shock at the start of the season when they defeated Aston Villa 2–1 in the very first Premier League match of the season, and then routed Bolton Wanderers 4–0 at Fratton Park in their third match, Pompey topped the league, becoming unlikely early season pace-setters. They were then comfortably in mid-table throughout the autumn, during which time they also scored a 1–0 victory over Liverpool and inflicted 6–1 victory at Fratton Park in November 2003 on Leeds, their heaviest ever loss in the Premier League.

Portsmouth had a 1–1 draw against Arsenal at Highbury, when Teddy Sheringham put Pompey ahead before half-time, before a foul on Arsenal's Robert Pirès earned them a penalty, which was converted. This signalled the start of a run of 11-straight games without victory for Pompey. There were suggestions, backed by evidence from video replays on the ITV's The Premiership, that Pirès may have dived for the penalty, although he has always vehemently maintained his innocence. Nevertheless, this draw marked the first of a horrendous run of results that left the team odds on to be relegated in mid-March.

However, a 1–0 win at home to rivals Southampton, followed by a first FA Premier League away win at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park, proved to be the catalyst for a run of form that included a famous 1–0 win over Manchester United in April, with Steve Stone (rejected by Sir Alex Ferguson on a bid to join United less than two years earlier) the scorer in Portsmouth's first win over United in nearly 60 years. This surprise win handed Portsmouth a relegation lifeline, as it lifted them out of the drop-zone for the first time since early February. A 2–1 away win over Leeds and a 1–1 draw at home to Fulham in their next two matches confirmed that Portsmouth would not be relegated in their first Premier League outing. The club signed off their impressive Premier League debut season with a 5–1 crushing of the season's League Cup winners Middlesbrough at Fratton Park on the final day of the season, 15 May.

2004–05 season

Despite their successful partnership, Milan Mandarić and Harry Redknapp clashed several times during their time together. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Mandarić was considering replacing some of the club's coaching staff, including Redknapp's assistant, Jim Smith. No changes took place, however, and after an uneasy start to the 2004–05 season, failing to win any of their first three matches, two consecutive home wins (4–3 over Fulham and 3–1 over Crystal Palace) started a steady run of form (including a famous 2–0 win over Manchester United at Fratton Park in October) that saw them remain comfortably in mid-table between August and December.

Despite the team's achievements on the pitch, however, behind the scenes all was not well. The two clashed again more seriously when Mandarić proposed appointing another director in November, with responsibility for the youth set-up at the club. Redknapp disapproved of the proposal, but Mandarić pressed ahead and appointed Velimir Zajec. Redknapp, along with his assistant Jim Smith, subsequently resigned with immediate effect on 23 November.

Zajec took over as manager, initially as caretaker, then on 20 December 2004 the club announced that he would manage the team for the remainder of the season. Their first game under Zajec was a 1–0 away win over Bolton in a hard-fought match where Portsmouth captain Arjan de Zeeuw and Bolton striker El Hadji Diouf had an on-pitch skirmish in the second-half that later prompted Diouf to spit in De Zeeuw's face. This victory lifted Portsmouth into the top half of the table for the first time since August. On 7 April 2005, however, after a poor run of results which saw Portsmouth fall away from as high as ninth place on Boxing Day to 15th position in the table by the end of March, Alain Perrin was appointed team manager, with Zajec reverting to his director's role.

After having looked in real danger of relegation for most of the second half of the season, Portsmouth's 4–1 victory at home to local rivals Southampton on 24 April brought the club close to securing Premier League survival which became virtually certain six days later when, although Pompey lost 2–0 at Manchester City, two clubs lower in the table also failed to win their matches, leaving Portsmouth needing only a single point from their two remaining games to make survival certain. A week later, the club made sure of their safety with a 1–1 home draw against Bolton in their penultimate game of the season. With relegation rivals Crystal Palace and Southampton drawing their match 2–2 on the same day, this result meant that, regardless of the result of their match on the final day, Portsmouth could not finish lower than 16th place (eventually their final position).

On 15 May, the final day of the season, Portsmouth's 2–0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion gave Albion survival and relegated Southampton, resulting in a carnival atmosphere at the end of the match which saw both sets of fans invade the pitch. The 2005–06 season thus saw Portsmouth play in a higher league than rivals Southampton for the first time since 1960.

Yakubu, Pompey's main goal threat for the past two-and-a-half seasons, was sold to Middlesbrough for £7.5 million and several other players were transferred as Alain Perrin began to stamp his authority on the club. After many years of waiting, plans emerged for a redevelopment of Fratton Park itself, the aim being to turn a dilapidated, old style league ground into a 21st-century, 30,000-capacity stadium. Off the field, changes also occurred with the departure of director of football Velimir Zajec, for personal reasons.

2005–06 season

Portsmouth continued to struggle in the 2005–06 season, winning just two games between August and November, a 1–0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park (courtesy of an own goal by Everton's Duncan Ferguson) and a 4–1 away win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. During a hard-fought 1–0 defeat to Bolton at Reebok Stadium in early October, Alain Perrin's continual harassment of the match officials saw him ordered away from the pitchside by the referee, an incident that landed Perrin in hot water with The Football Association (FA) and also led many pundits to believe his demise was now only a matter of time. The club's series of poor results (that set a record low number of points for a Portsmouth manager) continued into December 2005, at which time Milan Mandarić finally reached the end of his tether, sacking Perrin.

Former manager Harry Redknapp took charge again a couple of weeks later, leaving south coast rivals Southampton. The appointment made headlines on the sports pages of the UK press, with fans divided into strong pro and anti-Redknapp camps. Unusual betting patterns shortly before Redknapp left Southampton resulted in the club and Redknapp himself being investigated by the FA. After months of investigation, no charges followed. The return of Redknapp to the club lifted morale for Portsmouth, and in late December 2005 they finally scored their first victory at Fratton Park since April with a 1–0 success over relegation rivals West Brom, following it up with a 1–1 home draw against an in-form West Ham side. Those two games and a 1–1 draw against Fulham lifted Portsmouth from 19th to 16th in the table, but soon after Portsmouth fell back into the relegation zone.

In January 2006, Milan Mandarić confirmed he was to sell a stake in the club to Franco-Russian businessman Alexandre Gaydamak, and a cash injection of a reported £15 million enabled Portsmouth to purchase Benjani from French side Auxerre for a club record £4.1 million, as well as Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes and Noé Pamarot, in addition to Wayne Routledge and Andrés D'Alessandro on loan.

It appeared that this new cash injection, the return of Redknapp to the club and the arrival of several new players would be too little too late for Portsmouth, as at the beginning of March 2006 they were 12 points adrift from safety with ten matches left.

When their chief relegation rivals Birmingham City thrashed Portsmouth 5–0 – their heaviest defeat to date in the Premier League at the time, and also their sixth consecutive match without scoring a goal – Portsmouth looked certain to be relegated and the result also seemed to have put both Birmingham and West Brom out of Pompey's reach. Despite a valiant effort, the club were unable to repeat their home success against Manchester United for a third consecutive season, losing their tilt at Fratton Park 3–1.

A late equaliser by on-loan Azar Karadas in a 1–1 home draw against Bolton ended Portsmouth's run of seven defeats in a row and earned them a crucial point from a match that, had they lost, would have virtually ended any hopes of survival that season. However, it was not until a last-minute winning goal by Pedro Mendes at home to Manchester City two weeks later that a dramatic change in form and fortunes was sparked during March and April, which coincided with a loss of form for both Birmingham and West Brom. After gaining 17 points from 8 games, Portsmouth avoided relegation on 29 April when a win in the penultimate game of the season at Wigan Athletic, combined with Birmingham's failure to beat Newcastle United, put Portsmouth beyond the pursuit of the Premier League's bottom three sides.

On 19 July 2006, co-owner and club chairman Milan Mandarić transferred full ownership of the club over to Alexandre Gaydamak after a seven-year tenure that saw Portsmouth rise from the brink of liquidation into the top tier of domestic football. Mandarić remained at the club as non-executive chairman until 25 September before taking over Championship club Leicester City.

During the summer transfer window, England internationals Glen Johnson (on a one-season loan from Chelsea), David James and Sol Campbell were signed, as well as former under-21 midfielder David Thompson. Thompson, however, departed for Bolton in February 2007, but James and Campbell both stayed at Portsmouth. Veteran strikers Nwankwo Kanu and Andy Cole were brought in on short-term contracts, with midfielders Manuel Fernandes and Roudolphe Douala joining on loan. Serbian international midfielder Ognjen Koroman's loan from Russian club Terek Grozny was extended for a further season, although he left the club in January 2007. Pompey's most expensive signing of the transfer window was that of Croatia international Niko Kranjčar, who cost £3.5 million from Hajduk Split.

2006–07 season

Portsmouth made a strong start to the 2006–07 Premier League campaign without conceding any goals in their first five games and were briefly top of the League table. Two defeats in a row to Bolton (1–0 at home) and Tottenham Hotspur (2–1 at White Hart Lane) dented this record, but the team continued to make progress and build on their strong start so that at Christmas they still occupied fourth place (only a point behind third-placed Bolton). This prompted speculation that the club might emulate the achievements of former Premier League strugglers Bolton, Everton and Middlesbrough by qualifying for the UEFA Cup or even the UEFA Champions League, though Manchester United and Chelsea's excellent early-season form meant that neither Bolton and Portsmouth, nor any other Premier League sides, were considered serious title challengers by this stage. A run of poorer results after Christmas, however, moved Portsmouth down towards mid-table, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Nevertheless, Portsmouth could still take many positives from their 2006–07 campaign, not least the fact that they had never, at any stage of the season, looked to be in danger of relegation, largely due to their massive improvement in away game form compared with their three previous Premier League outings and also that their home form had remained consistently strong. Additionally, there were also many encouraging results for the club, including victories over Manchester United, Everton, Reading, Newcastle and Liverpool. By the end of the season, they had amassed 54 points from 38 games (their best-ever achievement in the Premier League and their most successful finish to a season in over five decades) and recovered from their mid-season slump to finish a respectable ninth in the final table, much higher than many pundits had predicted before the season started. Portsmouth, however, declined to participate in the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2007, preferring to honour a commitment they had made to play in the 2007 Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong with Liverpool, Fulham and South China AA between 24 and 27 July, dates which clashed with Intertoto ties.

On 21 May 2007, Canterbury of New Zealand announced a deal to make the kit for Portsmouth. This was the company's first venture into football.

2007–08 season: FA Cup glory

Portsmouth's progress continued into 2007–08, with the club enjoying their best season for over 50 years, starting on a good note after a 1–0 victory over Fulham and a penalty shootout win over Liverpool saw them clinch the Asia Trophy, prevailing 4–2 over Liverpool after the match had ended in a goalless draw. Two Premier League draws with newly promoted Derby County and reigning champions Manchester United preserved their unbeaten start to the season before they scored their first league victory with a 3–1 success over Bolton at Fratton Park on 18 August. After winning none of their next three games, Portsmouth dropped to 17th in the table, just above the relegation zone, but a 1–0 win over Blackburn at Ewood Park on 23 September secured them their first away win of the season and began a club record run of ten league games without defeat.

On 29 September 2007, Portsmouth beat Reading 7–4 at Fratton Park in the highest scoring match in Premier League history. This result lifted the South Coast club up to sixth place in the table at the start of October 2007. A 4–1 away win over on 3 November over Newcastle helped them climb to fourth, although a poor run of results around Christmas dropped them back to eight in the table by mid-January, four points adrift of a UEFA Cup slot. A consistent run of results followed after Christmas, lifting them to sixth in the table a month from the end of the season, but Portsmouth's failure to win any of their last four league games restricted them to an eighth-place finish. Nevertheless, this was their highest league placing for 53 years and, having scored 57 points from their 38 league games, set another new record for the club tipped as relegation certainties only two years earlier.

On 8 March 2008, Portsmouth reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in 16 years with a 1–0 away win over tournament favourites Manchester United in the quarter-final, their first victory at Old Trafford since 1957. Portsmouth earned a penalty from a professional foul by Tomasz Kuszczak, who was consequently sent off. As United had made all their substitutions, with Kuszczak being one of them after starter Edwin van der Sar's injury, centre-back Rio Ferdinand stepped into goal but could not prevent Sulley Muntari from scoring the penalty. The result saw them book a place in a fixture at Wembley Stadium for the first time since claiming the trophy back in 1939. A 1–0 victory over West Brom in their semi-final on 5 April 2008, the club's 110th birthday, saw Portsmouth into their first post-war FA Cup final.

On 17 May 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup after beating Cardiff City at Wembley with a 1–0 victory in the final, thus securing qualification for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. This was the first time that the club had ever qualified for a European competition, with the club's glory years occurring prior to the establishment of the European Cup.

2008–09 season: Financial crisis begins

Portsmouth began their 2008–09 season with a defeat to Manchester United in the 2008 FA Community Shield on 10 August 2008 at Wembley, losing 3–1 on penalties to the reigning Premier League champions after the match had ended 0–0. The Premier League season got off to a similarly poor start as they were convincingly beaten 4–0 in their first league match, away to Chelsea, while a hard-fought 1–0 defeat to Manchester United at Fratton Park in their second saw them drop to the foot of the table in the last week of August. The South Coast club, however, made amends for this poor start with a 3–0 away win against Everton which lifted them out of the drop zone at the start of September. On 21 September, Portsmouth suffered their heaviest defeat to date in the Premier League when they lost 6–0 away at Manchester City, but they remained 13th in the table. They eventually finished in 14th place, thanks to academy director Paul Hart stepping in as caretaker boss, seven points clear of the relegated clubs, despite the disruption brought by the departure of Harry Redknapp and the subsequent sacking of his successor, former assistant manager Tony Adams.

At the start of the 2008–09 season rumours began to fly around that Portsmouth were facing crippling debts due to their recent heavy spending and owner Alexandre Gaydamak was looking to sell the club. After Redknapp's departure many key players began to depart with Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe leaving in January. In May 2009, Sulaiman Al-Fahim had a takeover big accepted for the club. However, the takeover dragged on over the whole summer, and with no money being put into the club, the majority of the squad had to be sold, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and Sylvain Distin sold for big money fees. With no incomign players, meanwhile, Portsmouth quickly became favourites for relegation. Al-Fahim finally took the club over in August and a few players, such as Tommy Smith, Aruna Dindane and Jamie O'Hara, were brought it. However, there was constant speculation that Al-Fahim did not have enough money to run the club and manage the £70 million debt.

2009–10 season: the crisis worsens and relegation

This came to a head when Septembers wages were not paid on time, whereupon the club was once again taken over, this time by Saudi Arabian businessman Ali Al-Faraj. By this time, the team were, as expected, languishing at the bottom of the table, and Avram Grant was brought in as director of football. As poor results continued, however, Paul Hart was sacked and Grant took over as manager. Al-Faraj, however, did not seem to bring what was promised; he never attended Portsmouth matches and again club wages were not paid on time for all of December, January and February. Portsmouth were also issued with a winding up order due to unpaid taxes. Other problems arose, with the official club website closed due to the provider not being paid, Sol Campbell suing the club for unpaid image rights and the Premier League withholding Pompey's TV money and paying it to the clubs to whom money was owed. Portsmouth's relegation then saw Grant depart the club after being offered the manager position at West Ham. The following is the open letter from Grant published on Portsmouth's official club website:

"Portsmouth has given me a feeling of home away from home. I might be leaving Portsmouth physically, but you cannot take Portsmouth away from me and my heart. It's been both a difficult and complex year for us at the club, but, at the same time, it's been a wonderful and uplifting professional and personal experience. I have been inundated with letters and emails from fans. Many have brought tears to my eyes - and, take it from me, it takes a lot to do that.I will never forget you, the loyal fans of Pompey, who, without a doubt, helped me protect the team under such complex circumstances. There are very few teams in the world that have fans as passionate and devoted as you are. Seeing you all so proud with your heads held up high is the best reward I can receive."

Portsmouth in the Championship (2010–2012)

The 2010–11 season was Portsmouth's first season in The Championship after they were relegated from the Premier League during the 2009–10 season. Steve Cotterill was appointed Portsmouth manager on 18 June 2010, enduring a tough summer of player sales with little or no money available for replacements. On 22 October, Portsmouth issued a statement saying, "It appears likely that the club will now be closed down and liquidated by the administrators," but Pompey's creditor, Alexandre Gaydamak, announced the next day that he had reached an agreement that could save their future. It was revealed just hours later that Portsmouth had finally come out of administration and had been bought by Conver's Sports Initiatives headed by Vladamir Antonov. The future appeared secured and Portsmouth went on to finish in 16th position with 58 points and a goal difference of –7 from 15 wins, 13 draws and 18 losses, a solid finish considering that they had one of the smallest squads in the Championship.

Portsmouth in League One and Two (2012–present)

Appleton commented that he may lose up to 18 players of his current squad in the 2012 summer transfer window as the club adapted to life back in League One. On 4 May, Portsmouth defender Jason Pearce joined Leeds United for a fee around £500,000, being the first player to leave the club. Next to leave was trainee Joel Ward, who joined Crystal Palace for a fee around £400,000, which followed by Stephen Henderson joining West Ham and Kelvin Etuhu joining Barnsley. Soon, Hayden Mullins and Aaron Mokoena were both to leave Portsmouth and joined Birmingham City and Wits University respectively.

On 18 May 2012, Balram Chainrai's Portpin proposed terms for a CVA that would enable Portsmouth to come out of administration, providing creditors agree to the proposal. One of the proposed terms was reported to be an offer of 2p in the pound. Meanwhile, the Pompey Supporters Trust said they would be making a rival bid for the club, offering a better deal than 2p in the pound to creditors in their CVA proposal, which was later approved.

On 25 June 2012, Portsmouth's creditors announced that they favoured Balram Chainrai's proposal over the Pompey Supporters Trust's. Chainrai had 28 days to make good on the proposal and start the process of bringing the club out of administration. If Chainrai took Portsmouth over, the PST could do a deal with him directly to buy the club. Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said Portsmouth's players needed to reach a compromise on wages to save the club. Among those players who were high-earning players were Tal Ben Haim (£36,000), Nwankwo Kanu (£10,000), Liam Lawrence, Hayden Mullins, Erik Huseklepp, Luke Varney, Greg Halford and David Norris. Instead, the club transfer listed the high-earning players in order to cut costs at Portsmouth.

Portsmouth were due to start the 2012–13 season on −10 points after being told by the Football League that they were allowed into League One with strict financial controls, which administrator Trevor Birch described as "unjustified", although this penalty has yet to be applied. Soon after the Football League's decision, Trevor Birch said Balram Chainrai's bid proposal was being withdrawn due to other imposed financial conditions. The Pompey Supporters Trust said its bid to buy Portsmouth was "ongoing" and had welcomed news that land surrounding Fratton Park could be up for sale.

On 25 July 2012, it was announced on Portsmouth's website that the club was likely to have no alternative but to close (possibly go defunct) on 10 August unless the remaining senior first-team players agreed to transfers or signed wage compromise deals. On 27 July, Halford was the first of those transfers to leave the club, joining Nottingham Forest. The second, meanwhile, was Erik Huseklepp, who moved to Norwegian side SK Brann on 28 July; the third was Dave Kitson, who left on 3 August; the fourth was Tal Ben Haim, who left on 9 August; and last to leave was Lawrence, who did so on 10 August. This meant that the club would now survive, allowing the takeover process to continue. Chainrai then cancelled his offer, leaving the PST's offer as the only one remaining. However, he re-submitted the bid on 23 August 2012 and on the next day the PST announced that it was on track to submit a business plan and revised offer.

On 18 October 2012, the administrators named the Pompey Supporters Trust as its preferred bidder after rumours that the Football League had raised concerns over Chanrai's bid. On 7 November 2012, it was confirmed that Michael Appleton would leave Portsmouth to become the manager of Blackpool, along with first-team coach Ashley Westwood. The club confirmed that Guy Whittingham would take over as caretaker manager. On 9 November, Chanrai halted his attempt to buy the club. Six days later, PST signed an agreement with PFK to buy the club. Portsmouth went on to be relegated from League One after going 23 games without a win, however The Football League still agreed to deduct the ten points from Portsmouth, despite them already being relegated.

Portsmouth were tipped for promotion by bookmakers in their first season in League Two, with Guy Whittingham given the first team job full-time but after a slow start to the season, Whittingham became increasingly unpopular. He was sacked on 25 November 2013 with Portsmouth just six points above the relegation zone. Andy Awford took the role of caretaker manager, earning a point against Hartlepool United in his first game, but the permanent job was given to Ritchie Barker, who took over a Portsmouth side in 17th place on 9 December. However, Portsmouth's form worsend under Barker and on 27 March 2014, he was sacked after just 20 games with the team just two points above the relegation zone. Awford once again stepped in as caretaker manager to be in charge of what was billed as "seven cup finals" to save the club. Portsmouth won five of them in a row and drew the other two, finishing 13th.

Andy Awford's impressive run of results earned him the role of Portsmouth's first-team manager for the 2014–15 season.

Major honours

Football League First Division i

FA Cup

Championship

League One

FA Community Shield

Other honours