Bottega Trunks

When Paul Merson was released by Aston Villa in the summer of 2002, he was 34 years old and facing the prospect of his career in the Premier League coming to an end. The club agreed to pay him £100,000 to leave, and Merson returned home devastated by the thought of leaving a club he loved. He was sitting on his sofa crying when the phone rang. It was Harry Redknapp. “I’m in charge at Pompey now, son.” Merson knew Portsmouth were in the First Division, but he didn’t know much about the team. So he asked him what they were like. “They’re f****** s***, son.” “They finish in the bottom half every year, they always have to win one of their last games to stay up.” “I’ve come in and I can’t believe how s*** they are.” Harry explained that he had got rid of most of the players and was putting together a new squad using free transfers. “Come down, I’ll make you captain and we’ll have a right f****** go.” Merson was living in Birmingham with his wife and young twins, and he had no intention of moving his family to Portsmouth for a two-year contract. But Harry had already thought of that. “Don’t work Mondays, don’t work Wednesdays and don’t work Fridays.” “Just make sure you turn it on for me when Saturday comes.” Merson was delighted with the arrangement, although Harry warned him that Portsmouth couldn’t afford to pay the wages he had been earning at Villa. “Well, that’s William Hill’s loss, not mine.” “Let them worry about that.” “Gaffer, I’ll sign.” When he arrived at the club, he quickly discovered that life in the First Division was rather different from what he had been used to at Aston Villa. At Villa, the players had almost everything done for them. At Portsmouth, Merson was expected to take his dirty training kit home and wash it himself. Eventually Kev the kitman offered the players a deal. For £50 a week, he would wash all their clothes, including their training gear and match shirts. But Merson thought £50 a week was a bit expensive. So he thought of a solution. When he signed for Portsmouth, Harry had included a clause in his contract entitling him to £250,000 if they won promotion to the Premier League. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do, mate.” “If you wash my kit for the rest of the season for nothing, I’ll give you ten grand if we go up.” Kev nearly bit his hand off. And Merson thought he had got himself a brilliant deal. But when the season started, things went rather better than he had expected. Portsmouth beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in their opening game at Fratton Park. However, the following week gave him a reminder of why Harry had been so concerned about the team. Portsmouth travelled to Crystal Palace and were absolutely battered in the first half. By half-time they were 2-0 down, and Merson was wondering whether he had made a terrible mistake. “What the f*** have I done coming here?” “Don’t tell me it’s one of them ones where we win one week and get battered the next…” Redknapp made three substitutions and changed the formation. He told Merson to play in a free role behind the strikers and sent the team back out. Portsmouth scored three times in the second half and won 3-2 with a last-minute winner. The results kept coming, and Portsmouth started climbing towards the top of the First Division. Which was fantastic news for the supporters. But it was even better news for Kev. “As the campaign got underway and the team went on a winning streak, he’d come into training every day with a smile on his face.” “He could smell his money.” Portsmouth went on to win the First Division title by six points and secured their place in the Premier League. Merson collected the £250,000 promotion bonus Harry had promised him. But there was somebody at the training ground who was also expecting a rather substantial payment. Kev. And Merson had to hand over the £10,000 he had promised him. “It was official: Pompey’s kit man was running the most expensive laundry in the world.” “The tragic thing was, I was his best customer.” #football