[2_Kuhl]

He's desperate to come back and play for Pompey, and I see he's been made available by Newcastle.

He's 32 now, released too early by Clotterball, but what a signing he would be to raise the spirits.

He's allegedly on 45k a week at the Toon, so may have to reduce his wage demands somewhat.

Never say never though eh?

[Bluebob]

Yeah by about 40k per week. Would be a great signing though.

[BigSmokeBlue]

Fat chance of Ritchie returning home this season. He will more than likely end up at one of the newly promoted Prem clubs or Chump club aiming for promotion. Plus the fact at 32, he doesn’t fit Cowley’s preferred targets of young up and coming players under the age of 23.

The only way he could possibly play for us next season if he were loaned to us by his new club.

[firqdays]

... someone needs to win Lotto fast ....

[scumslayer]

People think he will sign for us, lmao

[Pompeyg100]

People think he will sign for us, lmao

And they’ll be slagging the Eisners off when he doesn’t.

Mason Mount is a Pompey boy, why aren’t we even trying to sign him? Eisners are useless.

[Hammie]

not desperate enough to take a 90% pay cut I guess

[Roybatty]

A more realistic target would be marlon pack

[firqdays]

IRONY aside the cold logic suggests that two 'Pompey boys' are VERY key members of their respective teams:

Mason at Chelsea - (lost the "ski" now ) ........

..... and JWP at we know where - arguably ( just) keeping them up !

[scumslayer]

We have been absolutely shit at developing players for over 50 years. The ones that come through are miracles, we lose far more to Spurs, Chelsea and Scum.

Mason Mount hurts the most. If we made the investment into youth when we were promoted, winning the FA Cup, he might have turned out for us and earned us a huge wedge in recent years.

[bluetagagain]

No he wouldn’t have, his dad was always going to take him to prem club

[scumslayer]

We were one at that time!!! He joined them in 2005

[DeepBlue]

We were one at that time!!! He joined them in 2005

Makes me glad we didn't get him then. There is something seriously wrong with setting up your youth scheme to take on 6 year olds - it shouldn't be allowed.

[Pangus]

Back to the original Ritchie discussion, I'm personally disappointed that the club has not made any sort of attempt to bring him in, as seems likely as nothing further has been reported. I would have thought that someone of his ability and experience would hae been extremley useful as an 'old head' in midfield. 
This sort of opportunity to bring in such a player, with the added bonus that he really wants to come and might be amenable to a reasonable financial package.
It seems to me like a 'staring a gift horse in the mouth' situation.

[Rick Pumpkin]

Back to the original Ritchie discussion, I'm personally disappointed that the club has not made any sort of attempt to bring him in, as seems likely as nothing further has been reported. I would have thought that someone of his ability and experience would hae been extremley useful as an 'old head' in midfield. 
This sort of opportunity to bring in such a player, with the added bonus that he really wants to come and might be amenable to a reasonable financial package.
It seems to me like a 'staring a gift horse in the mouth' situation.

Out of interest what do you think he'd want to earn as an 'old head' at Pompey?  Let's be serious here for a minute, Pompey's limit is going to be at best £6k a week and he is hardly going to want to drop down the divisions for that much is he?  He'll end up somewhere like Norwich or West Brom - decent sized clubs that'll be able to give him a last good pay day.

[Tomsk]

Do people really think there's a chance he'd come here (now), there's not a hope in hell of that happening?

[DeepBlue]

I'd have thought the least he would accept is 50% of what he is on now, which a championship club may be able to afford. It is still four times more than we can afford, so however keen he is to return here 'one day', that day is certainly not now.  Maybe in two or three years as he nears retirement he might be affordable in a player/coach type role. 

But no way should we break the finances just because a player has said he would to come back one day.