Owner Michael Eisner has been in Pompey this week as part of his latest planned visit from the United States.
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Pompey chairman Michael Eisner has reiterated his love for Fratton Park during his latest visit to the south coast.
The 83-year-old is in the middle of a planned trip to PO4 from his LA base and was in attendance for Wednesday’s stalemate with Wrexham.
The American businessman has been full of admiration for the Blues’ famous old home throughout his eight years at the helm.
Eisner once again lavished praise on the ‘Old Girl’, which has a capacity of 20,927, after a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek to watch Spurs’ Champions League clash with Copenhagen.
The state-of-the art arena, which opened in 2019, holds more than 62,000 supporters and is classed as one of the most modern in world football.
The Blues’ chairman has spent more than £20m redeveloping Pompey’s home, which included work in rebuilding the South Stand, Milton End re-profiling the North Stand lower and the creating of the fan zone.
Although it has come at a cost, for Eisner it’s been a labour of love and has taken pride on the significant work undertaken at PO4.
And during his latest visit to England, his visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium reaffirmed his vision of maintaining Fratton Park’s unique and historic feel.
Michael Eisner’s love affair of Fratton Park.
Speaking on Pompey+ ahead of Wednesday’s draw with Wrexham, he said: ‘I love being back here. Fratton Park is fantastic.
‘I went to the Tottenham game (Spurs v Copenhagen) on Tuesday night, which is a great stadium, very effective, the food and all but it doesn’t have the fabulous feeling of history, beauty and uniqueness. So I’m very happy to be back here.
‘It feels like eight minutes (having been Pompey chairman for eight years). When we win it’s a standout moment but when we lose it ruins the weekend.’
I think we’ve had some great moments and all of the work we’ve done behind the scenes which we don’t talk about very much has been fun to renovate this great stadium and to bring it back to a contemporary usage.
‘To rebuild this stand (South Stand) and the Milton End, all those things add up to a great experience.
‘One thing I enjoy doing off the pitch is making it a great experience. The fan zone just makes it exciting to be here and we’re still working on that.’
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Pompey’s work on Hilsea training base
Although there has been significant work done at Fratton Park, Eisner and Tornante have splashed the cash in improving facilities at the Blues’ Hilsea training base.
And the chairman has explained the importance of an improved working environment for players and coaching staff.
‘It’s unbelievably important. Yes the number one thing is to win - but I believe if you have an environment that is pleasant even if you lose is not the end of the world.’