Unsung heroes

There has been a lot of praise flying around in the last few days. Quite rightly it's a magnificent time of celebration as our family comes together in unity and pride.

There have been two groups who have been absolutely critical to this who have been slightly underplayed.

The first is the magnificent Portsmouth City Council, officers, members and Cabinet. Frankly, without the far-sighted approach which saw the stadium hemmed in by planning restrictions it would no longer be there. They quietly went away and developed a planning brief that foiled any real thoughts of development. That forced people to approach the football club and the adjacent land as a football deal, which brought the whole thing under the scope of the football authorities.

Then there was the loan which effectively sealed the deal. They came under a lot of pressure not to do this from many quarters. They did it anyway. Without being party political, I can tell you that had Gerald Vernon-Jackson and Mike Hancock CBE MP been opposed to this loan it would not have happened. They fought to get it through and saved our club. Rightly, many have pointed to the sterling work of Penny Mordaunt MP and she was at the court in the morning offering support as ever which was hugely appreciated. We should throw politics out of the window and talk about friends. Mike, Gerald and Penny are friends of Portsmouth Football Club and we should never forget it, along with all the councillors of the cabinet who voted to ratify the decision of full council.

Never again should people float the myth that Portsmouth City Council has failed to support the club. Quite the opposite.

The other group of people are our High Net Worth backers. Some of them were again present at the court, making sure they attracted no publicity, not wanting to give any interviews, not wanting any of the credit.

My dealings with these guys has reaffirmed my faith in humanity. These guys are altruistic to an absolute fault. They don't want fame, glory, power, to hob-nob with players, they don't want statues or people singing their name. All they wanted was to have the club back in safe hands. They basked in the moment just like any other fan.

So many people contributed to this moment. The people who spent their last £10 on a Power to the People T shirt are exactly the same as the High Net Worth individuals. Same motives, same commitment, same passion. The people who fought the war for opinion on messageboards, twitter, Facebook, played an absolutely critical role in correcting misconceptions, explaining the process and pointing out the benefits.

The people who marched, the people who rang the Football League, PFA, they made a huge difference.

It's been a long long road. An enormous team effort got us here. It's been a life-affirming display as rich fans, poor fans, civic institutions, business, journalists and commentators have come together to get the right result for Pompey.

Thanks to everyone who has been so kind to me, it's literally impossible to thank everyone. Please also bear in mind that behind every word blogged was a large sum of money from some really great guys and a City Council that loves and appreciates its football club. They ask for no praise - but they deserve it as much as anyone.