Portsmouth Get Rid Of their Manager

[Bender]

Portsmouth manager Paul Hart has left the club with immediate effect, BBC Sport understands.
Just been announced

[Shaggy]

Poor Harty...feel really sorry for him. On a hiding to nothing there.

[Bender]

That's one messed up club

[Bender]

Sky Sports News understands Portsmouth manager Paul Hart has left the club with immediate effect.

The Pompey boss has faced persistent speculation regarding his future all season and it is now reported that Sunday's defeat at Stoke was the final straw.

Portsmouth have won only two league games this season, leaving the South Coast club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.

That run of form has only increased pressure on Hart, who has been forced to wrestle with boardroom changes, uncertainty over the ownership of the club and financial difficulties.

The former Nottingham Forest boss performed wonders in keeping Portsmouth in the top flight last season when appointed on a temporary basis, but his time now appears to have run out.

Avram Grant, appointed as director of football earlier in the season, will likely be installed as the favourite to succeed Hart.

[javier_monsterano]

Arvam will sort them out.

[The Erectile Banana]

Pompey are going down this season.

I'd put my house on it.

Sad.

[Rich]

Thing is you look at Portsmouth's support and they aren't a Premiership team - Championship at best.

They've pretty much done a Leeds just not quite at the same scale.

[Exiled_red]

Poor Harty...feel really sorry for him. On a hiding to nothing there.

[Liverpel]

Avram Grant will be among the candidates discussed by Portsmouth tomorrow as the Premier League's bottom club begin their search for a new manager after sacking Paul Hart tonight, with Darren Ferguson emerging as the bookmakers' favourite.

Hart was dismissed after a dire start to the season, which has left Portsmouth with only seven points from 13 games. Grant, the club's director of football, would appear ideally placed to take over, though he does not yet have his work permit.

Mark Jacob, an executive director and the lawyer of Portsmouth's owner, Ali al-Faraj, said there were no candidates lined up and that he would be at Fratton Park tomorrow for talks with the chief executive, Peter Storrie. Asked about Grant, Jacob said: "Whether he is offered the job or not is another matter; that is something the board is going to be discussing."

The Guardian understands that Grant is in Germany and was not consulted over the sacking or sounded out over whether he would like the job. Israeli is keen to return to management in the Premier League, following his time in charge at Chelsea during the 2007-08 season.

A series of bets was placed on Ferguson /tonight but Jacob said of Sir Alex Ferguson's son, who left Peterborough United this month: "He's a new one on me." Jacob refused to discuss other prospective replacements after Alan Curbishley, the former Charlton Athletic manager, was suggested. "It's not even been discussed at board level as yet," he said. Pressed on the profile of the club's ideal replacement, Jacob said: "We want to act in the long-term interests. Unfortunately too many clubs make short-term appointments which they think will get them out of a hole."

[-V-]

What a circus. He had no chance, all his best players sold off in the summer and he got left with ****e. He had no chance.

Although it was a bit worrying when at the start of the season Hart admitted he wasn't sure if 17th place would be enough to keep pompey up

[Bender]

ssn saying grant does not want the job

[The Erectile Banana]

Darren Ferguson is heavy favourite to get the job just in time to roll over to Whiskey Nose Snr. this weekend.

[Shaggy]

Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant has been appointed Portsmouth manager following the departure of Paul Hart.

The 54-year-old Israeli was already at the club in his second spell working as director of football, having previously worked there alongside Harry Redknapp.

He will take charge for Saturday's home game against Manchester United in his directorial role before changing his status with the Football Association.

Full story to follow

[Harv]

surprise surprise

[Bender]

surprise surprise

Hello Cilla