STORY OF A LIVING, BREATHING UNDERDOG

New owner Eisner plots Disney fairytale for Pompey

AS the boss of Disney, Michael Eisner made Hollywood movies about the triumph of the sporting underdog.

Now the American businessman is writing his own story at Portsmouth – and reckons he could already make a film about the “unbelievable” recent history of the League One club.

Eisner was the groundbreaking TV executive who introduced Monday Night Football to the NFL in 1970 and then ran Disney for 21 years.

His company made feelgood cinema classic such as Cool Runnings, The Mighty Ducks and Angels in the Outfield.

“All my sports films had one consistent theme: the triumph of the underdog over seemingly insurmountable odds,” said the 75-year-old American.

“This is a story we have told time and again in fiction. At Pompey, we hope to get it right in fact. They are a living, breathing underdog story.

“When I passed through the turnstiles at Fratton Park, I felt a little like when I first stepped through the gates of Walt Disney

Studios. I felt a little like the sense of excitement between the two places.”

But credibility would be stretched by Pompey’s true tale of winning the 2008 FA Cup then going bust – and the dossier of dodgy characters then involved. Now they are back in League One with an ambit ious new owner.

“It’s an unbelievable story,” Eisner said. “The story going down is an unbelievable story, the story coming back is an unbelievable story. “When the club got in trouble, with four strange owners – so the bar was pretty low for me – and the fans bought the team. Some day we will make a movie about that process.” Eisner, who usually watches Pompey games from his home in Los Angeles, will be at Priestfield tomorrow for the clash with Gillingham to cheer on Kenny Jackett’s side.

And he wants the former Millwall and Wolves manager (left) to stay and be the leading man.

“There is an 18-month average for managers, I think that is insane,” said the Pompey owner.

“The manager we have at the Anaheim Angels has been there 18 years now.

“If you have a manager who is on life-support from the day he arrives, what kind of confidence can he have in leading a team?

“It would be my hope that Kenny will be there for a decade. I’ve told him that. I tried to make a deal to do that – that is kind of unheard of here.

“I just think continuity and teamwork has to exist off the pitch as well as on the pitch.”

ON THE RISE Portsmouth’s Brett Pitman scores against Fleetwood NEW SCRIPT Eisner hopes to take underdogs Pompey back to the top

“I think I should have scored at least one, but it’s coming and I’m confident I’ll score this season. “I’m a goal-scorer, it’s what I want to do to help the team. The goals will come. “I’m pleased to be back. It’s frustrating when you get injured,...