Close menu

Portsmouth relegation: Guy Whittingham remains positive

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments116

Portsmouth caretaker boss Guy Whittingham

Portsmouth caretaker-manager Guy Whittingham says the club have a positive future, despite suffering a second successive relegation.

Pompey are now bound for League Two having come down from the Championship.

Five years ago the club were FA Cup winners and in the Premier League, but they have been hit by financial issues.

"I'm glad to say we've come out the other side and everything is looking a lot more positive," Whittingham told BBC Radio Solent.

Portsmouth, who have been in administration since February 2012, are on the verge of a takeover by the Pompey Supporters' Trust (PST) following a complex legal battle with former owners Portpin.

Since winning the FA Cup in 2008 they have suffered three relegations in four seasons and have been in administration twice in three years.

But with the PST about to take control, and the club set to exit administration by Friday, Whittingham believes supporters should not be too despondent.

"It's been such a difficult time and the club unfortunately found itself where it was," he said.

"We tried, we remained competitive but ultimately it wasn't enough. I do think we've given everything we can given the circumstances."

During the summer the club were forced to sell every senior player and Whittingham has had to work under incredibly difficult conditions since taking over from ex-boss Michael Appleton in November.

And he says despite their relegation they are determined to end their troubled season on a high.

"No one knows what went on in December and January," he continued. "That was not pleasant to be around the football club but it was where we were and we got on with it.

"It's important that we remain competitive in our final two games - we want to win them.

"We will hopefully have our first home game on Saturday with everything sealed [the club out of administration] and with new owners, so we want to get off to a good start as far as that is concerned. Then we've got our last game of the season and everyone wants to win the last game of the season."

The chairman of the PST Ashley Brown admits relegation was "inevitable", after the Football League confirmed several months ago that Pompey faced another 10-point penalty when they came out of administration.

There has been some ambiguity as to when that penalty will be imposed, based on how competitive or otherwise the club are when they exit administration.

However, despite already being relegated, Brown believes the penalty will not be carried into next season.

"Relegation was inevitable," Brown told BBC Radio Solent. "We've been expecting it for quite a while.

"We knew the minus 10 points would be coming off so we've been relegated for a few weeks now.

"Our understanding and agreement with the Football League is that the 10-point deduction will be coming off this season regardless of the fact we are already relegated."

Brown added that it would be huge blow for the club to be hit with the penalty next season and said they would be in touch with the League in the coming days to clarify the situation.

"It would be devastating to have them taken off next season and have to start next season on minus 10," he added.

"We have our agreement with the League - they set us a number of conditions in order to keep our 'golden share' [League status] and one of those was to have a points deduction this season.

"Our chairman elect spoke to them two or three days ago and I'm sure our lawyers will be talking to them in the coming days."

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

116 comments

  • Comment posted by User0115111377, at 14:16 17 Apr 2013

    Bournemouth, Luton, Rochdale and Southampton were all punished the following season and they had new owners each time also...........so can't see that as an argument against not getting -10..........it's the fans that are short-changed...........but we love our clubs so bite the bullet pompey

  • Comment posted by userds5050, at 13:31 17 Apr 2013

    The whole point of a points deduction is it's meant to be a punishment. Where's the punishment in getting the -10 this season when they're already down? Leeds tried this trick a few years ago by going into admin at half time in a game they were losing which would relegate them. In the interest of sporting integrity the FL changed their rules and set a deadline for receiving deducion in that season

  • Comment posted by Plant_Smith, at 13:48 17 Apr 2013

    Good try Pompey but surely it is no penalty at all to get -10 points after the fact of relegation? What's the point of that? What the team needed to do was fight harder to stay up and take the penalty and then be relegated, not try to bamboozle the league into a comically empty gesture.

  • Comment posted by User0735737252, at 15:30 17 Apr 2013

    This saga really has gone on long enough & hopefully it will come to an end. It is disgraceful that other clubs have had the same fate & their points were taken off the following season. Pompey should have to take this deduction next season. There shouldn't be one rule for one club & one for another. I still cant see how they are going to financially survive in league 2, they will struggle.

  • Comment posted by User0493219659, at 15:43 17 Apr 2013

    As a Luton fan, I have been following this very carefully. It is well documented what happened to us. I believe Portsmouth have got off very softly for the amount of debt they amounted. Also the -10 hovering over them is basically for failing on a previous CVA, I also believe they didn't pay one single penny towards that CVA, this CVA was then bundled into a new CVA which as yet still not been pai

  • Comment posted by Scott, at 16:35 17 Apr 2013

    As a Saints fan, I've been asked several times recently about how happy I must be at Pompey's misfortune... and when I reply "no, not really" they think I'm a bit soft in the head.

    However, for any Saints fans to gloat means they have very short memories, and where's the fun in a "friendly" rivalry when you don't get to play each other?

  • Comment posted by BTripz, at 15:37 17 Apr 2013

    @Anoniemouse Pompey are not being punished twice for the same crime.

    The currently deferred 10pt deductions if for failing to service the CVA from the 2010 admin, not for going into admin in 2012.

    Now if someone at Pompey gets some remorse and decides to pay the full amount of the original CVA I'm sure the FL wouldn't impose the 10pt penalty.

  • Comment posted by Give us a song, at 16:56 17 Apr 2013

    We all know Pompey have the best fans in the world.
    That is why I am certain once the club is own by these fans, they will be falling over themselves to pay all the money the club owes charities, local businesses and you and I in the form of unpaid taxes.
    That's how good the fans are
    And they will volunteer to have their name removed from the FA cup in the spirit of Lance Armstrong.

  • Comment posted by User0548766460, at 21:49 17 Apr 2013

    The most ironic thing is that when Portsmouth won the cup 5 years ago, they beat Cardiff, of all teams, in the final.

    Last night Portsmouth were condemned to League 2, on the same night as Cardiff won promotion to the top flight.

  • Comment posted by Douglas, at 15:36 17 Apr 2013

    Clubs have been deducted points on points before I recall one club starting seventeen points behind at start of season. The point deduction is for this season and will be carried over otherwise it is no punishment.Leeds tried it coming out of administration to avoud points guess what had points deducted following season.

  • Comment posted by User0706984094, at 15:20 17 Apr 2013

    Don't know why the media are making out the Pompey Trust takeover is a done deal, it is not. Now they've come to the point where they need real money to complete the deal, not pledges and thats a whole different kettle of fish.

  • Comment posted by GlassHalfFull, at 19:48 17 Apr 2013

    What goes around comes around. Pompey are nothing but trouble, always have been. Passionate support spoilt but a significant section of vitriolic nasty section of supposed fans. Good riddance to you, we hope you never make it back up the leagues again

  • Comment posted by User0572302502, at 15:15 17 Apr 2013

    Going back to a previous BBC article it says....

    Portsmouth have been given special dispensation by the Football League to start the season on zero points despite being in administration.
    But Pompey will now be penalised as and when they exit administration.

    The normal rules are that if you are already relegated then the penalty is carried forward

  • Comment posted by Just a normal guy, at 16:06 17 Apr 2013

    @16 You are right that the Fit and Proper Persons rule let Pompey down but for that to work you need Fit and Proper persons running our football authorities - nuff said

  • Comment posted by User0440113268, at 18:59 17 Apr 2013

    I can understand some fans, but they don't know the truth of how awful the owners here have been over the last 5 years or so. Since Sacha withdrew funding we were bound to have had financial problems, and that is no different to any other club! Since then we were run by chancers and felons who bled the club dry. Punish them, not the new community owners, the fans, who have done nothing wrong!

  • Comment posted by VilleGrumpy, at 20:32 17 Apr 2013

    Our club became the unwitting pawns in a battle over money owed by Arcadi Gaydamak to some Far Eastern businessmen. When they couldn't get their money out of him they decided to try and extract it from an asset owned by his family. Yes of course we revelled in the success that Redknapp brought , who wouldn't , but we were firmly under the belief that we had a sugar daddy like Abramovich .

  • Comment posted by Stuart, at 19:14 17 Apr 2013

    @64

    Pull the other one. you all reveled in the success Redknapp brought you, I bet you were not bleating then. Portsmouth are been punished for breaking the rules and not some silly FA vendetta.The 'Fit and proper test' is the same for all businesses in this country., regardless of whether it's a sports team or any other so don't blame the FA.

  • Comment posted by Weallfollowunited, at 16:29 17 Apr 2013

    #34
    I think people did ask questions then but were slightly blinded by the success it was bringing. Looking back it was fairly obvious a 'small' club like Portsmouth were obviously doing something a bit strange to afford the wages they were paying.

  • Comment posted by U15568941, at 21:15 17 Apr 2013

    Welcome to the 2nd division, you can look forward to seeing 250 away fans every other week and lump it football.

  • Comment posted by User0361652613, at 16:23 17 Apr 2013

    A matter of perspective I suppose. From Portsmouth's point of view, considering that they are in freefall, up to their eyeballs in debt and in a complete mess, probably just escaping liquidation is a grand success.

Top Stories