Rules Are Rules. Unless You're Portsmouth.

[EastStandBlue]

When Portsmouth’s 4th owner of the season presumably won the club in a game of pass-the-financially-defunct-parcel, did nobody explain the basic rules of English football?

The news that Portsmouth have applied for extraordinary circumstances to the Premier League in order to sell their players outside of the transfer window isn’t exactly surprising considering the sense of impending financial doom surrounding the club, but the sheer arrogance of the move is brilliant.

Not content with requesting their relegation parachute payments a good six months ahead of schedule, Pompey officials presumably swaggered into Richard Scudamore’s office this morning, bearing a beleaguered and desperate expression, starting with: “Hey, Rich… You know that transfer window? how about we smash it because we’ve got no money…” Before turning into some form of Judge Dredd in blue shouting: “We are above the law!!”

It’s a move that is ironically both shocking and unsurprising at the same time.

We’ll ignore the subtle questions of ‘Who’s allowed to buy them, then?’ and ‘What about the other clubs who are skint?’, What is more pressing is exactly what situation do Portsmouth expect to be in within the coming months?

Requesting this kind of intervention from the Premier League will open the club to having to accept derisory offers for players worth far more. Every club will know too well that this is a last gasp move of sheer desperation, so any offer that closely resembles market value is likely to be accepted. So, why are Portsmouth officials willing to do this now instead of waiting till the window opens? The only sensible answer is that they might not last that long.

It’s akin to the signs of an impending apocalypse, first the players aren’t paid for months on end, then the HMRC come knocking and finally the club make farcical approaches to the League in order to grant them a way of raising a quick few million.

Portsmouth rushed to deliver their state of affairs to the high Court yesterday in a move that, according to them, put to bed with rumours they are about to go into administration. It doesn’t take a genius to read between the lines here, Portsmouth are facing a danger far greater than that...

 

[choggy]

....or alternatively just get rid of the transfer window altogether and go back to how it was before.

The whole point of a company going into administration is to protect itself against creditors while it restructures its finances yet football clubs that enter administration are in this unique position of not being allowed to sell some of their largest assets (i.e their players) to achieve this because of some arbitary rules placed upon them by football's governing bodies. It's just daft.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I agree with you to an extent... I do think that the transfer window has served it's purpose and is now more of a hinderance than a help, but financial advisors at Portsmouth would surely have seen the storm approaching and could have made steps inside the transfer window to take whatever measures were necessary.

During the window the word from within Portsmouth was that they were talking to potential investors about purchasing the club outright. Presumably, these talks have fallen down or these investors aren't prepared to service the level of debt until June...

 

[southend4ever]

I follow your posts @ http://findingjimmycorbett.footballunited.com/2010/02/

Pompey are a sinking (fast) ship

 

[BrettieAngell]

Portsmouth are clearly deep in the brown stuff I think they could actually go under!

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Indeed looks pretty grim for them unless the Prem League step in with some money or every rule in the book is bent, which could set a dangerous precedent.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Indeed looks pretty grim for them unless the Prem League step in with some money or every rule in the book is bent, which could set a dangerous precedent.

Yeah thats it, weren't they trying to trying to get next season's TV money upfront aswell?

 

[EastStandBlue]

Indeed looks pretty grim for them unless the Prem League step in with some money or every rule in the book is bent, which could set a dangerous precedent.

I can't for the life of me remember which club it was (Possibly Wrexham?), But I believe there's an instance where a club was supported for the final few weeks of the season by the Football League in order to keep them solvent. Obviously, if a club was to fold it would have massive repurcussions on the league table and it's in the League's best interests to retain the sincerity of the final standings. It's an entirely different story maintaining a Premiership club for 4 months than it is a League club for a few weeks, but you get the picture...

Interestingly, there's talk of a handful of Premier League clubs who expressed a willingless to help support Portsmouth until the end of the season. Unsurprisingly, one of those clubs is West Ham, who'll lose a massive and vital 5 points should they fold... Putting them right into the relegation quagmire.

Yeah thats it, weren't they trying to trying to get next season's TV money upfront aswell?

Don't think they could claim next season's TV money as they, quite clearly, won't be in the Premier League next season. My understanding is that they requested their parachute payments in advance.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I can't for the life of me remember which club it was (Possibly Wrexham?), But I believe there's an instance where a club was supported for the final few weeks of the season by the Football League in order to keep them solvent. Obviously, if a club was to fold it would have massive repurcussions on the league table and it's in the League's best interests to retain the sincerity of the final standings.

Interestingly, there's talk of a handful of Premier League clubs who expressed a willingless to help support Portsmouth until the end of the season. Unsurprisingly, one of those clubs is West Ham, who'll lose a massive and vital 5 points should they fold... Putting them right into the relegation quagmire.

What? West Ham are as ****ed up as Portsmouth are!! They will do anything to cling onto life in the Prem won''t they?

 

[EastStandBlue]

What? West Ham are as ****ed up as Portsmouth are!! They will do anything to cling onto life in the Prem won''t they?

Aye, but a short term loan of, say, £3m, is a damn sight more appeasible than a loss of £25m should they be relegated. Can't see how inter-club loans could be sanctioned, but it's an idea that's been mooted.

 

[MisterStubbs]

I say sod them. Why should the rules be bent for them? Rules are rules... if we got ourselfs into that posistion (which could well happen), if we asked for this, i bet the FA/UEFA/FIFA will just laugh and regret it without thinking about it.

Im sorry Portsmouth because i do feel for them and all the clubs supporters but it is no one elses fault but there own for getting into this posistion. As a football fan i would hate to see the club fold completely but there must surely be other ways of sorting this out without bending the rules?

 

[BrettieAngell]

Aye, but a short term loan of, say, £3m, is a damn sight more appeasible than a loss of £25m should they be relegated. Can't see how inter-club loans could be sanctioned, but it's an idea that's been mooted.

It is wrong on so many levels!

 

[BrettieAngell]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8522283.stm

 

[EastStandBlue]

While the Premier League will feel the pressure to bow to FIFA's advances, it's ultimately up to the other 19 clubs in the league as to whether this is granted. It probably will be, mind, which will set a dangerous precedent and, more than likely, the abolition of the transfer window in the next few years.

 

[BrettieAngell]

While the Premier League will feel the pressure to bow to FIFA's advances, it's ultimately up to the other 19 clubs in the league as to whether this is granted. It probably will be, mind, which will set a dangerous precedent and, more than likely, the abolition of the transfer window in the next few years.

Yeah this pretty much shows up how unfair the transfer window, especially to lower league clubs.

 

[markw]

I can't for the life of me remember which club it was (Possibly Wrexham?), But I believe there's an instance where a club was supported for the final few weeks of the season by the Football League in order to keep them solvent. Obviously, if a club was to fold it would have massive repurcussions on the league table and it's in the League's best interests to retain the sincerity of the final standings. It's an entirely different story maintaining a Premiership club for 4 months than it is a League club for a few weeks, but you get the picture...

Interestingly, there's talk of a handful of Premier League clubs who expressed a willingless to help support Portsmouth until the end of the season. Unsurprisingly, one of those clubs is West Ham, who'll lose a massive and vital 5 points should they fold... Putting them right into the relegation quagmire.
.

how will they lose 5 points? they have only played them twice??
3+3=6
3+1=4
???

 

[EastStandBlue]

how will they lose 5 points? they have only played them twice??
3+3=6
3+1=4
???

Ack, It's 4... Didn't notice the typo on my read through.

 

[markw]

Ack, It's 4... Didn't notice the typo on my read through.

haha s'all good :P i was confused

 

[southend4ever]

shocking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! poor post

 

[Thorpe Groyney]

Respect to Roy Keane today.

In his press conference at Ipswich, he was asked if he thinks Pompey should be allowed to sell players. He said "I don't like to see clubs like Portsmouth in trouble, but what about other teams? What about Southend? They've just had to get on with it and deal with it. They can't sell players. Why should Portsmouth be any different?"

He's gone up a notch or two in my estimation.