Administrator: "Portsmouth is an example of how not to conduct business"

March 17 – Portsmouth’s former chief executive Peter Storrie (pictured) must take some of the blame for the crisis the Premier League club finds itself in after its nine-point deduction for going into administration was confirmed today, it was claimed.

Storrie claimed the deduction was “terribly unfair” but Portsmouth’s administrator Andrew Andronikou said that he was partly responsible.

Andronikou told Press Association Sport: “At the moment Mr Storrie is assisting us.

“I felt it would help us if we had him around to assist us in certain aspects of the business but this is very much in the short term.

“He was a senior officer of the company and the company has failed so it goes without saying that yes he must bear a large part of the responsibility, absolutely.

“Portsmouth is an example of how not to conduct business in the world of football.

“If you overspend and don’t budget accordingly you cannot rely on money from the owner or the proprietor coming in to bridge the gap, and in that it’s no difference to any other business.

“I would also say that in the last few months that I believe he has exercised his judgement to try to save the club at all costs.”

Andronikou confirmed that Portsmouth would not appeal against the Premier League’s ruling, and are still in talks with league officials about ways in which the club can be helped.

The Premier League officially imposed the points deduction this morning after HM Revenue and Customs dropped their challenge to the club going into administration.

The deduction virtually guarantees relegation for Portsmouth, whose points total drops to just 10 points, 14 behind second-from-bottom Hull City.

The Premier League said in a statement: “Following the High Court’s decision that Portsmouth FC’s administration is valid the Premier League board convened to apply the League’s rules and policies in relation to a member club suffering an event of insolvency.

“As a result Portsmouth FC has been deducted nine points with immediate effect.”