EISNER: I WILL NOT DO STUPID THINGS
NEW Portsmouth owner Michael Eisner believes the fairytale ending to last season helped sway his decision to buy the south coast club.
Eisner and his son Eric attended Fratton Park on the final day of the season as Pompey were made to wait until after the final whistle of their 6-1 mauling of Cheltenham before promotion could be confirmed.
Eisner and his son were particularly drawn to the support for the League Two champions when deciding to purchase the club.
He said: “My family and I are thrilled to take on this incredible responsibility as stewards of a football club with such a rich heritage.
“We have come to know the Pompey community in recent months and we are extremely impressed by their passion, dedication and love for their club.”
Eric Eisner added: “The football club wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the against-the-odds commitment of Pompey supporters, who came together and saved this club. This is, and will always be, your team.”
Fans will hope the running of the club will match the rhetoric from the Eisners, after a remarkable decline in fortunes since lifting the FA Cup in 2008.
The 75-year-old American businessman was the chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Corporation from 1984-2005 and has vowed the club will be run in a dispassionate way.
“I am advocating intelligent management, that’s all – and particularly intelligent ownership,” the businessman revealed.
“Don’t do stupid things which you see happening, not just in English football but everywhere because an owner’s identity is with winning. It is all about who they are.
“I’ve had enough success, I don’t want to be a loser, but I don’t have to throw everything at being a winner.”