Chairman may be next to quit Pompey

PORTSMOUTH chairman Milan Mandaric has cast doubt over his own future at Fratton Park after fans’ hostile reaction to manager Harry Redknapp’s departure.

Although Redknapp insists the decision to resign was his alone, there has been speculation the former West Ham manager was so upset with former Panathinaikos director of football Velimir Zajec being recruited at the south coast club that he felt obliged to walk away from the job.

Computer millionaire Mandaric, who has poured a fortune into the club and is said to be paying his staff a combined e31.5m a year, is angered by such talk and will not disclose any possible replacement for the man who steered Pompey from near the foot of the old first division to midway in the Premiership in just 32 months.

Assistant manager Jim Smith has also confirmed his desire to leave despite Mandaric’s insistence that he felt The Bald Eagle had not left.

“As far as I’m concerned, Jim is still with Portsmouth,” added Mandaric.

While Smith seems likely to follow Redknapp out the door, he is thought to be still negotiating a severance package.

Smith, a former Portsmouth manager himself and now 64, says he has been revitalised by Redknapp’s reign at Pompey and would certainly consider following him into another job as number two.

But Redknapp, who is believed to have travelled to his holiday home in Spain with wife Sandra, has claimed Pompey did not pay up the remaining 18 months of his contract and it could be weeks or months before he is back in the game - a blow for Wolves, who are believed to have him top of their list to succeed Dave Jones.

Zajec faces the task of avoiding the team’s fourth Premiership defeat in a row at Bolton tomorrow - and then staying in the Carling Cup on Tuesday at Watford, who go into their Coca-Cola Championship game at West Ham at the weekend looking to extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches.

Zajec, who could be in the running for the permanent Pompey job despite ex-Southampton managers Gordon Strachan and Glenn Hoddle being installed as favourites, must decide whether to bring back experienced goalkeeper Shaka Hislop or stick with Jamie Ashdown, who made an outstanding league debut in the 3-1 defeat by Manchester City last Saturday.

Tough defender David Unsworth is serving a one-match ban after collecting five yellow cards. Lomana LuaLua will require a late fitness test on a groin injury to see if he can partner Ricardo Fuller up front. Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Diomansy Kamara are both out until Christmas with knee injuries.