Storrie lost patience with Al-Fahim

Al-Fahim was in charge for just 43 days (GETTY IMAGES)

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie admits outgoing owner Sulaiman Al-Fahim's lack of urgency played its part in his exit from Fratton Park.

Ali-Fahim completed a deal to sell 90% of his shares to Saudi businessman Ali Al-Faraj for £2 earlier this week.

This was after Al-Fahim was unable to transfer the funds needed to pay the players and executive board's wages for September.

While Storrie says he enjoyed a cordial relationship with the club's previous owner, he admits he became increasingly frustrated by Al-Fahim's unhurried approach.

He said: "When he did the takeover deal on August 29, I said, 'we're going to have great difficulty completing things and getting players in by the transfer deadline'.

"He said, 'can't you get them to extend the deadline?'

"That gives you a bit of an idea of what he's like.

"He genuinely had, and still has, a regard for the club and genuinely thought he could bring all these things in. But he just thought he could keep putting things back and I know it's hard to understand, but that was how he thought.

"It was very difficult at times to get over to him that when salaries are due, they've got to be paid. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't used to that type of basis."

Al-Fahim's failure to fund the September wage bill prompted the club to release a statement last week, urging him to find a permanent financing solution for the club.

While it was unprecedented for a club to criticise its owner on the official website, Storrie felt it was the only way the executive board could push for the cash injection Pompey urgently needed.

He said: "The reason why we did it is because we have a legal responsibility to creditors and I felt we owed it to 300 or 400 staff, who work at the club and work very hard.

"We thought it was the only way we could get the message across in the strongest possible way."

He added: "I like Sulaiman and I think he had a genuine belief he could deliver. That was the problem - it was almost like a denial."

Storrie addressed the players in the dressing room following the club's first win of the season at Wolves last Saturday.

While the chief executive owns no stake in the club, he admits he felt somewhat responsible for them not receiving their cash.

He said: "You can't get much more serious than not being able to pay the players.

"I went and spoke to all the players in the dressing room and I apologised to them personally.

"I'm not the owner of the club, I'm the chief executive. But I felt personally responsible because they're a good bunch of guys."

New owner Al-Faraj is set to attend Portsmouth's clash with Tottenham at Fratton Park on October 17.

Like former owner Alexandre Gaydamak, Storrie said Al-Faraj would remain in the background.

The Saudi has promised substantial investment in the club, including a new training ground and raising Fratton Park's capacity to a possible 36,000, with the option of extra temporary seating for the the 2018 World Cup.

But Storrie hinted there will be no return to the big spending the club enjoyed under Harry Redknapp when the January transfer window opens.

He said: "I think they'll be very sensible in what they do and what they bring in. I think it's pretty obvious the areas we need to strengthen and I don't think we're talking about major changes.

"I think we're talking about three or four players. I don't think they'll go down the route of paying £20million for a player. It will be a very structured way forward."