Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric has assured fans that manager Harry Redknapp is staying after yesterday's win at Wigan Athletic assured their Premiership status for next season.
The three points, combined with Birmingham's goalless draw at home to Newcastle, means Portsmouth stay in the top flight, with the Blues and West Brom condemned to the Coca-Cola Championship.
Redknapp is almost certain to be given the freedom of the city following this latest heroic effort which he believes eclipses that of two years ago when Portsmouth took 21 points from their final 10 games to stay up.
On this occasion, the south coast club have grabbed 20 from their last nine matches to overhaul the Blues and the Baggies.
But a question mark surrounds Redknapp's future as he only signed a short-term contract when he rejoined Portsmouth earlier this season.
Mandaric, though, is ready to sit down with Redknapp to keep him at Fratton Park, confirming: "This is big, this is huge.
"It's easy to say now we expected it, but we have worked hard for this.
"We told the supporters all along not to panic, that we would do it because we had the quality to stay up.
"In my seven years at Portsmouth football club this has to be the most emotional moment in terms of achieving something for a lot of reasons.
"One of those was in brining Harry back. A lot of people questioned that at the time, and it was a bold decision.
"But I knew that Harry was the only man to do what he has done here, and I am so delighted and happy for him.
"We didn't want to get involved in speaking about a new contract because we just wanted to focus on staying up and Harry understood that.
"But as far as I'm concerned, I think its now going to be a formality."
The three points, combined with Birmingham's goalless draw at home to Newcastle, means Portsmouth stay in the top flight, with the Blues and West Brom condemned to the Coca-Cola Championship.
Redknapp is almost certain to be given the freedom of the city following this latest heroic effort which he believes eclipses that of two years ago when Portsmouth took 21 points from their final 10 games to stay up.
On this occasion, the south coast club have grabbed 20 from their last nine matches to overhaul the Blues and the Baggies.
But a question mark surrounds Redknapp's future as he only signed a short-term contract when he rejoined Portsmouth earlier this season.
Mandaric, though, is ready to sit down with Redknapp to keep him at Fratton Park, confirming: "This is big, this is huge.
"It's easy to say now we expected it, but we have worked hard for this.
"We told the supporters all along not to panic, that we would do it because we had the quality to stay up.
"In my seven years at Portsmouth football club this has to be the most emotional moment in terms of achieving something for a lot of reasons.
"One of those was in brining Harry back. A lot of people questioned that at the time, and it was a bold decision.
"But I knew that Harry was the only man to do what he has done here, and I am so delighted and happy for him.
"We didn't want to get involved in speaking about a new contract because we just wanted to focus on staying up and Harry understood that.
"But as far as I'm concerned, I think its now going to be a formality."
