In 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup; in 2010, they were relegated from the Premier League. These things were connected: European qualification cost the club a load in bonuses, players were sold, and the owner, not necessarily the kind of bloke you’d want owning your football club, ceased funding it, after which followed 15 largely miserable years. Pompey now sit fourth-bottom of the Championship. I’d be amazed, though, if there’s a single fan not comfortable with these consequences. Of course, they’d like things to be different, but they’ll be reliving about that day at Wembley and the consequent European campaign until the day they die; it’s worth a lot more than a few more top-division, mid-table finishes.
