Portsmouth may have spent recent years languishing in the lower leagues of English football but during the mid-00s, they were a Premier League club with lofty ambitions of building their own new stadium.
The south coast side was home to a number of iconic players including Sol Campbell, Lassana Diarra, Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch and Nwankwo Kanu during their most recent heyday.
After being promoted to the top flight in 2003, Pompey enjoyed a brilliant run of form in the FA Cup, lifting the infamous trophy in 2008 before returning to the final in 2010.
Advert
However, it all came crashing down during the 2008 global financial crisis, leaving the club in over £100 million worth of debt to clubs, agents, players and even former owners.
Following administration, Pompey were deducted 10 points and suffered relegation in 2010 and have never returned to the top flight since.
Now in League One after a brutal fight to stay in the EFL, one can still feel the glory once felt at Fratton Park.
Advert
But just a year before the financial crisis, the club released plans for a spectacular new stadium adjacent to the city’s iconic Spinnaker Tower.
Estimated to cost £600million, the new ground was supposed to rejuvenate the area, leading to 1500 new homes, restaurants, cafes and other leisure amenities.
Meanwhile, Fratton Park’s planned demolition would make way for a further 750 new homes, with work scheduled to get underway in 2008.
Incredible rendered images showed what the ship-like 36,000-seater arena could look like, with the club initially confident it could be finished by 2011.
Advert
Then-CEO Peter Storrie said at the time: "This will be the most spectacular stadium, set against the backdrop of the harbour and the English Channel befitting the club's history.
"The club will be playing a big part in the regeneration of the city and our fans will have the very best in terms of facilities and amenities as well as an excellent viewing experience.
Advert
“Portsmouth is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field."
Sadly, little over a year later, Gaydamak sold the club Sulaiman Al Fahim, triggering a number of ownership changes that plunged Portsmouth into deep, deep water.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Topics: Football, Portsmouth, Premier League, League One
Joe Adams