Peter Storrie interview: Ex-Portsmouth CEO opens up on time at Fratton Park
Pompey News is delighted to feature an exclusive interview by Cameron Gillon with former Portsmouth CEO Peter Storrie.
Portsmouth Football Club are synonymous with names such as Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric, and one man has opened up on his time during some of the glory days and despairing times at Fratton Park, Peter Storrie.
A fourth straight league defeat in the now-extinct Division One, a side filled with players with the calibre of Robert Prosinecki – deemed by many fans as a player that was far too good to play for the club – and a highly likely scenario that Portsmouth would be facing a third consecutive season fighting for their divisional status, as they experienced many subsequent times.
That was the night where former Pompey Chief Executive Peter Storrie’s spell at the club all started on a cold night in January at Fratton Park, as he sat down with club owner Milan Mandaric before the club hosted high-flying Wolves under the lights.
It became a meeting that would result in Storrie taking over Martin Murphy’s role and saw a reign lasting over an eight-year period.
“When Milan Mandaric wanted to talk to me about coming to Pompey, I came to meet him at a evening league match which in fact we lost, we had Wolves down at Fratton Park,” Storrie said.
“But the crowd never stopped supporting the club for the whole 90 minutes, it was great to watch and just be there, it was very clear that this club was a great opportunity to take.”
The initial interest in the club for Storrie stemmed from when he received a call from then-Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, with whom he had worked alongside at West Ham through the 1990s as Director of Football.
Storrie always valued Redknapp’s input, experience and ultimately his friendship when it came to making the move down south.
“Harry called me to say that Milan was looking for a CEO and I was looking forward to working with Harry again as we had done at West Ham.
“I was also aware of the history of the club and the location down south which also had an interest to me.”
Peter Storrie appointed at Portsmouth
Storrie would take over the role just weeks after meeting with Milan Mandaric. In his time at the club, Portsmouth achieved promotion to the Premier League by winning the First Division in the 2002-03 season, a FA Cup victory in 2008, playing in the UEFA Cup, six different managers at the club, a handful of infamous takeovers, two administrations and almost a liquidation of the club in 2010.
Storrie faced many difficult times and challenges at the club, but upon remembering which memory stood out for him in the better times, a few really stood out for him.
“Two really are quite obvious,” Storrie said.
“Winning the league trophy was a great season and fantastic scenes at the ground on the day we got promoted, but the big one was winning the FA Cup in 2008.
“I shall never forget the emotion that it meant to Pompey fans and the scene at Southsea Common on the Sunday – it was something very special that I will never forget.”
The FA Cup run in 2008 will stand out to the majority of the club’s fanbase as the best moment in its recent history. A run that saw Pompey see off Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford in a huge upset – a game that Storrie sees as Portsmouth’s best performance in his time.
“Very hard to give one highlight as there were so many, winning the FA Cup sixth round match at Old Trafford was pretty special. Winning the Cup final at Wembley was also high up on the list of course as well.
“There are many that I could name, but if I was to pick just one it would have to be [Paul] Merson, whose great performances every week helped us to win the league and get us into the Premier League. But it’s hard to pick just one as there were so many – we signed some fantastic players also that had an impact.”
David Beckham on loan from LA Galaxy? Thiago Motta playing as a trialist after his Barcelona departure, Freddie Kanoute being eyed by Redknapp from Tottenham, Brazilian winger Denilson given a trial in 2006. Once upon a time, the world’s most expensive player, when he signed for Real Betis for £21.5m.
Of course, all of those never came to fruition, but when Portsmouth were playing in Europe and were a solidified top-half Premier League side, they were linked with many recognised worldwide players.
“There were a few players that we nearly signed over the years who would have had a real impact for us, I think it would be unfair to name them individually, but we were close on a few that got away,” said Storrie.
Portsmouth saved from despair after Redknapp return
One of the tougher times for Storrie at the club was during the 2005-06 season. Portsmouth were on the cusp of relegation back to the Championship under the guidance of then-manager Alain Perrin.
Perrin had taken over the role at the club after Velimir Zajec’s brief stint as manager earlier in the season, which all unravelled from the infamous move from Harry Redknapp to local rivals Southampton.
With Portsmouth sitting comfortably at the bottom of the table, with no light at the end of the tunnel for their top-flight status, Redknapp rejoined the club for his second stint as manager in December 2005. In the weeks following, Redknapp had the January transfer window to revamp a side that was quite clearly not up to the standard required to stay in the division.
The acquisitions of the likes of Benjani Mwaruwari, Pedro Mendes, Sean Davis and Andres D’Alessandro helped bolster Portsmouth’s squad which resulted in the ‘great escape’ under Redknapp, with Portsmouth achieving 20 points in their last 10 games to finish 17th in the table – four points clear of the relegation zone.
“Harry was the best at what he did. When we brought him back to the club that season, I knew he would be the right man for the job to keep us up, despite the position we were in,” admitted Storrie.
It’s been nearly 15 years since Storrie departed Portsmouth Football Club, but he still has love for the club and keeps a watchful eye over their progression since his stint ended.
“I always follow Portsmouth and their results and I am really pleased that the club is back in the Championship – where I hope they can stay. The owner and board have done really well with the club over the last few years and I can only see them getting stronger and stronger.”
In other Portsmouth news, Jed Wallace reflects on his time at Pompey to whom he “owes his career”.
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