By Andrew Warshaw
July 25 – One of the longest running debacles in English football could be close to a sad conclusion with the news that south-coast club Portsmouth are in grave danger of going out of business.
The 114-year-old club (pictured top) are likely to have “no alternative” but to close on August 10 unless senior players agree to transfers or wage cuts, according to joint administrator Trevor Birch.
“The facts are straightforward: the players have to leave and conclude compromise settlements,” Birch said.
The Fratton Park club are due to start their League One campaign a week later – on August 18.
The financially stricken club, which won the FA Cup as recently as 2008 (pictured below), were relegated to the third tier of the domestic game in May and unless the top earners among the playing staff take a pay cut there seems no way forward.
The club have a mere eight senior players on the books but their salaries are preventing a takeover.
“This is the end game for Pompey – in a couple of weeks it will be over,” SOS Pompey supporters group spokesman Bob Beech predicted earlier this week.
In June, former owners Portpin said they would take charge of the club once again – but on condition the wage bill was reduced through player sales and compromise agreements.
But Birch has so far been unable to achieve sufficient savings.
Only last weekend he warned Portsmouth were “two to three weeks away from closure”.
“Time is running out and unless I can see a greater probability of player sales and compromises being completed in the near term, the purchase will not go ahead and the club will have to close,” said Birch at the time.
“We have spoken to all of the club’s staff and players, and started a redundancy consultation period.
“I sincerely hope that we can complete the sale of the club and avoid the need for redundancies – and I will continue to do all I can to safeguard the future of the club.
“But I believe that staff need to be aware of the situation so that they have as much of an opportunity as possible to explore other options.
“This has been an incredibly difficult time for the staff, many of whom have loyally served the club for a number of years, and I recognise that it is extremely upsetting for them.”
SOS Pompey, vying with Portpin to take over the club, presented the senior players with a written plea at the entrance of the club’s training ground on Monday (July 23).
“Some players were excellent and stopped to listen to what we said, others as expected weren’t interested and drove straight on,” said Beech (pictured above, centre, alongside Birch, left).
“At the end of the day, they have contracts and they expect those contracts to be paid and that is not an unreasonable stance for them to take.
“But the well is dry and if they stay and keep their demands going then there will be no club and they will end up with nothing.”
Last February, Pompey made around 30 staff redundant including chief executive David Lampitt.
The Football League have already ruled that Pompey will start next season with a 10-point penalty, but Birch has warned that they are unlikely even to fulfil their first fixture as things stand.
“The truth is that the club is fighting for its life – the club is heading for liquidation,” he said.
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