The Passing of the “Legend”
We can only start this update by talking about the passing of Alan Knight MBE. Alan was far more than a legendary Portsmouth goalkeeper. He was a man who gave his all to this football club and city.
For more than two decades, he stood between the posts at Fratton Park, making 801 appearances for Portsmouth between 1978 and 2000 — a remarkable record that made him the goalkeeper with the most appearances for a single English club.
After retiring from professional football, he devoted himself to helping others. He became an ambassador for the club and a tireless supporter of community causes, particularly work involving young people, education, addiction recovery and mental health.
His willingness to speak honestly about his own struggles helped others to understand that asking for help is not a weakness, but an act of courage.
To read our full tribute, please visit our website or click below:
Rest In Peace – Alan Knight MBE – Pompey Supporters Trust
We are aware of the calls from supporters for a long-standing recognition of Alan Knight’s incredible legacy at the club. The club is also aware of those wishes, but we must all remember that it has only been a short time since Alan’s passing. Most importantly, his family must be given the time and space to grieve.
As the PST, we will play our part in ensuring that a suitable and fitting memorial is created to recognise Alan’s immense contribution to both the football club and the city of Portsmouth.
Of course, any such tribute must be done in full consultation with Alan’s family, and at the appropriate time.
For now, this is very much a “watch this space.”
Incident v Cardiff
We were contacted by a number of supporters on Saturday evening and Sunday morning regarding the incident involving a Cardiff player and a young supporter.
From a PST point of view, we had already contacted the club, via Andy Cullen, asking for his and the club’s observations of the incident itself, as well as how the club and its stewards had managed the situation.
As is so often the way in the modern world, social media had already acted as judge and jury over the whole incident. That was not our objective. Due process will determine the facts, but we wanted to establish that the club was looking after the welfare of the supporters involved.
We were very pleased to learn that the club had been proactive and had already identified the incident as a safeguarding issue, particularly as it involved a minor. Measures had already been put in place to check on the welfare of those involved.
For us, this was the most important thing in the first instance.
What happens next is something we will have to wait to see. The police are involved, and the club is also carrying out a full investigation into how the whole incident was managed.
We also have to remember that the club has access to far more extensive CCTV coverage than the short snippets that many of us have seen on social media. That footage, alongside the accounts of those involved and the wider investigation, will provide a much clearer picture of what actually happened.
When the results of the investigations are published, we will be as interested as everyone else in understanding the outcome and any potential learning points.
For now, we believe it is important to allow the appropriate processes to take their course, while keeping the welfare of those involved at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Q&A – 4th November
We’re delighted to announce that our popular annual exclusive members’ Q&A with the decision-makers at the club will be held on 4th November. In attendance will be Andy Cullen, John Mousinho and Richard Hughes.
This is an ideal opportunity for members to ask questions on a whole range of issues as we approach three months into the season, and to hear directly from those making the key decisions at the club. Put the date in your diary - more details will follow on how to secure your tickets.
Heritage and Advisory Board
We recently attended a meeting of the Heritage and Advisory Board (HAB), alongside representatives of former Presidents (previous high net shareholders during the PST ownership years), the three PST appointed members of the HAB - Ian Limb, Alan Scott and Simon Colebrook - along with representatives of the football club, the owners and officials of the Tornante Group.
The HAB was established as part of the sale of the club to Tornante and the Eisner family. An important condition of the transfer of the community shares was that the PST would retain a formal role in the future direction of the club. The HAB provides the mechanism through which that commitment is maintained.
The HAB is now firmly established and provides a regular and important forum for Tornante, club representatives, former Presidents and the PST to meet and discuss matters affecting the club and its supporters.
The discussions held through the HAB are confidential, and the PST respects that confidentiality. However, we can confirm that the PST and its representatives were comfortable with the discussions that took place.
The HAB remains an important part of the relationship between the PST, the club and its owners. The PST will continue to use this forum constructively and positively, ensuring that the supporters’ voice remains represented and that we continue to play a formal role in discussions concerning the future of the Club.
Website, X and Facebook
Don’t forget that regular updates, news and statements from the PST are shared across our social media channels. Please follow us on:
X - @PompeyTrust
Facebook - @PompeySupportersTrust
Website - www.pompeytrust.com
Why should you join the PST
We had an enquiry recently about why should someone join the PST. It is, as always, a good question. The first answer is simple: by joining the PST you become part of an organisation that once owned Portsmouth Football Club. As a result, the PST is fundamentally different from a traditional supporters’ club.
Why is it different?
Rather than reposting the whole reply here, we’ve put it on the website as an article, which you can find at:
Why join the PST ? - Pompey Supporters Trust
Have a read, and hopefully you’ll agree the £5 annual membership represents excellent value for money.
And Finally …
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust. We will continue to represent the interests of supporters, making sure your voice is heard, and keep you updated on the issues that matter to you.
Up the Blues! #PUP
The PST Board