History of Portsmouth F.C. place, thanks to academy director Paul Hart stepping in as caretaker boss, seven points clear of the relegated clubs, despite the disruption brought by the departure of Harry Redknapp and the subsequent sacking of his successor, former assistant manager Tony Adams. At the start of the 2008–09 season rumours began to fly around that Portsmouth were facing crippling debts due to their recent heavy spending and owner Alexandre Gaydamak was looking to sell the club. After Redknapp's departure many key players began to depart with Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe leaving in January. In May 2009, Sulaiman Al-Fahim had a
Tony Hart (theater) Irish neighborhood "militia" with music by David Braham, who would become their musical director and Harrigan's father in law. It became their signature piece, and they featured it in many of their slapstick skits and plays. In 1876, Harrigan took over the Comique himself, along with Hart and manager Martin Hanley. By 1878, with "The Mulligan Guard Picnic", Harrigan & Hart settled down on Broadway and performed in seventeen of their shows over the next seven years. Their most popular musical was the "Mulligan Guard's Ball" (1880). Though still broad and farcical, full of chaos and hilarity, these shows integrated