Ben Haim hits out at administrator costs

Tal Ben Haim didn’t stop at the entrance to Pompey’s Eastleigh training ground and take a copy of the letter from members of the SOS Pompey group.

About ten die-hard Blues fans arrived at the training base in a bid to plead with the players to help administrator Trevor Birch stop the club going into liquidation.

Striker Dave Kitson initially refused the letter and drove into the car park because he believed the fans were members of the media.

As Kitson got out of his car safely inside the training ground car park, he was seen to goad the supporters by putting his hand to his ear.

One of the supporters shouted at him: ‘Cheers Dave. You don’t even have the decency to stop and take a letter’.

While others shouted: ‘Ignorance is bliss’.

Of the five players who arrived for training this morning, the other three - Greg Halford, Erik Huseklepp and David Norris - stopped and took the letter.

Kitson told members of the Pompey SOS delegation that he hadn’t stopped because he believed the fans, who had pinned up banners on the gates of the training ground entrance, were journalists.

Ben Haim has yet to accept a copy of the letter.

Ben Haim is on £36,000 a week and has been named by Mr Birch as being a major part of the problem, but he said the club needs to talk directly to the players.

He said: ‘We sign our contracts with good faith and we want to play football.

‘They have to talk with us and not the press.

‘I’ve lost a lot of money, but it’s not about the figures. It’s over £2.5m net but I’m prepared to lose more, I’m prepared to help the club and lose more money.

‘On the other hand, the administrator’s fee is not less than what I earn. Nobody talks about that, so I prefer to lose more but he has to cut his fees as well.’