Things are rosy at Portsmouth Football Club. According to a source well-placed inside the club, everyone is wandering along with meaningful smiles on their faces, smelling of roses. David James and Glen Johnson regularly have little chats about their respective afros, and apparently Mr Redknapp has been seen on more than one occasion skipping across the training pitch.

Consider this a complete example of laurel-resting. I've often said, if we're not supposed to rest on our laurels, then why are they so damn comfortable? But still, I know it's dangerous. It just feels so bloomin' good at the moment to be a Pompey fan.

-Pushing for fifth place? Check.
-FA Cup final against Championship side (though no complacency please)? Check.
-Manager turning down a bigger job thus proving his loyalty once and for all? Check.
-Signing one of the hottest (in terms of footballing ability) strikers in the land? Check.
-Chelsea's goalkeeper? Cech.

All in all, things are a bit nice.

BUT! What is this dirty grey cloud on the horizon? And not just one, but two??

Not to worry anyone that was living in a little Pompey bubble, but things need to change sharpish if the whole thing isn't about to burst soon and get that weird stingy mist in your eyes (you know the kind...the one you get when you blow a really big bubble and then it pops near your face. Unpleasant).

Pompey just published losses of £23 million for the last season. That's not even as much as they spent on transfers, so essentially the club was just about running even before buying the key personnel that have enabled such a wonderful season. Obviously a win in the FA Cup, a high placed finish and (possibly) UEFA Cup football will help boost the coffers no end, but the likelihood is more faces will be brought in over the summer.

Although I don't know the ins and outs of the financial process, I would assume there are a number of one-off costs, relating to setting up the Academy, the training ground and elements of the new stadium will have contributed greatly to the process. Matchday revenues are not what they could be as well, as the capacity just isn't there. People may say it's not full every week, but there is the simple rule of thumb that says if there are more seats, more bums will want to be sitting there.

Build it, and they will come essentially.

Also, the little drizzle after the storm mentioned above...the little matter of the FA Cup Final ticketing situation. More the FA's problem than Pompey's, the allocation of 25,000 is a travesty for the real fans. I know the Cup is about footballing as a whole, but there are serious holes in the strategy.

In fairness to Pompey, there's not a lot they can do, and they have listened to the needs of the fans after the debacle of the ticketing arrangements for the semi-final. (I was going to post on that, but I was actually too enraged to type anything coherently).

So, to sum up: Things are good, the future is scary. Sounds about the right time for things to begin crashing around the ears really.

Gareth Beavis
www.pompey-fans.com