Storrie lost patience with Al-Fahim

While Storrie says he enjoyed a cordial relationship with the club's previous owner, who sold 90% of his shares in the Fratton Park club to Saudi businessman Ali Al-Faraj earlier this week, he admits he became increasingly frustrated by Al-Fahim's unhurried approach.

Storrie 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."

The former West Ham director added: "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."