Former Portsmouth man once walked out on Championship loan spell after less than a month, it nearly ‘killed’ him

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Portsmouth is a lovely place, by all accounts, and according to Marko Futacs, it’s a lot nicer than spending time in Blackpool, even if you’re contractually obliged to do so.

Back in the late 2000s, Portsmouth enjoyed a glorious period of success, and the South Coast club even won the FA Cup in 2008.

Things went downhill for Pompey after that, though, with financial disaster leaving the club on the brink after relegation from the Premier League. They plummeted through the Football League after that, but they’re back in the Championship now, thankfully.

Still, their demise at the time had a negative impact on the career of Marko Futacs, who ended up leaving the club and being forced to endure a torrid loan spell as a result.

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Marko Futacs couldn’t stand living in Blackpool, it made him ‘miserable’

Speaking to The Portsmouth News, Futacs explained how his ill-fated loan spell at Blackpool back in 2012 simply had to come to an end almost immediately, as he couldn’t bear to live in the seaside town any longer.

He said: “Blackpool killed me. For me it was like winter time, it was very cold, it was raining 24 hours a day. I was there for one month, it was not good.

“When I played at the seaside at places like Pompey and Split in Croatia, I felt much better. You know the sun is shining, you can swim or drink coffee, it’s relaxing. Blackpool was miserable, always dark, always bad weather.”

Futacs took extreme measures to get out of the deal, though his solution was surprisingly simple, really. He added: “One day after a game I just left, I didn’t talk to anyone, not the coach, anyone. I just went back to Leicester.

“The next Monday, Leicester asked me what I was doing with them, I should still have been at Blackpool. I told them ‘I’m back, I don’t care. Just don’t put me in Blackpool again, please.’ They wanted to keep me longer, but I said no.”

By the sounds of it, Futacs’ living situation wasn’t ideal, but he did have one good day while he was there at least — the problem is, it had nothing to do with football.

“While there, I stayed inside the hotel inside the stadium. That is where I lived – in the ground. That also wasn’t much fun,” he said. “There was a big fun park, which was the only positive thing there. I went there once, on the roller-coaster and other rides. That was my happiest day of my month in Blackpool. Blackpool really killed me.”

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Marko Futacs’ career took a turn for the worse after leaving Portsmouth

The big Hungarian forward spent a year at Portsmouth between 2011-2012 before having to leave with the club in the midst of administration.

He went on to join Leicester City on a free transfer, but struggled to make an impact there, which led to his disastrous loan move to Blackpool.

Futacs would later move back to his native Hungary for a loan spell at Diosgyor, before travelling Europe and spending time at clubs like Mersin (Turkey), NK Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), and five more clubs in Hungary.

Suffice to say, Futacs is something of a journeyman, but he’s still going to this day, with the 35-year-old turning out for Balatonlelle in the lower leagues of Hungarian football.

The moral of the story: Never leave Portsmouth.