Appy: I want to hear from Football League
Michael Appleton
POMPEY’s boss has urged the Football League to clarify his squad options after the Blues lodged their intention to go into administration.
Michael Appleton wants to know whether he will be able to keep a competitive outfit to fight for the club’s place in the Championship.
Appleton currently has 18 senior players in his first-team options. The League ensured Pompey had 20 players in their squad when they were last in administration in 2010.
That was in an effort not to compromise the Championship’s integrity as a competition.
However, with Appleton not allowed to bring in new faces in recent weeks unless current players are moved on, he has called on League bosses to explain whether the situation will now change.
He said: ‘I’d like someone from the Football League to pick up the phone and tell me what the deal is.
‘I’d like to know, in terms of minimum players, what the number is to give us an opportunity to compete.
‘I’ve been told by various sources it’s a minimum of 20 players to be competitive.
‘Now I’d like the League to clarify that’s a definite.
‘If that is the case, I’d be able to use a couple of contacts to get us to that minimum of 20.
‘Why have a ruling of 20 to be competitive in the first place if not?’
Meanwhile, Appleton was looking to hear from chief executive David Lampitt or Convers Sports Initiatives administrator Andrew Andronikou over the £1m parachute payment advance Pompey were granted yesterday.
He said: ‘I haven’t been told anything. I’ve not had a chance to speak to directors or administrators.
‘It’d be nice if the money was to pay staff and players.
‘I’d like to think if it was anything concrete they’d give me a heads up. I’d like to think so, anyway.’
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Comments
There are 53 comments to this article
Page 1 of 4
BillyTheFish
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:50 AMEr Hello. The truth of the matter is WE CANT AFFORD THEM. Irrespective of how many senior players we are allowed to field, if weve spent beyond our means that our fault not the FL. When will people wake up and smell the rosies. If the only way we can get our budget back under control we will have to start off loading the high money earners and start playing academyyouth players. This season is all but over now, our results mean nothing, survival is the only concern. Hows it gonna look when we go tho the hearing having already overspent and then tell the judge weve just spent more.
In Dobbo We Trust
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 08:49 PMNo, i'm saying if we went to a casino and gambled money we had and lost then it wouldn't be a big problem. But if you go to a casino, tried to cheat the house and were found out you wouldn't be allowed near a casino for the forseeable future - the problem further compounded if you owed money to some shady characters. You wouldn't get a level playing field, no, infact you wouldn't get a playing field at all.
westendsaint
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 04:24 PMBLUESHIRT the club has broken just about every rule in the book in the way they have operated. It,s a bit rich expecting everyone else to cut them some slack now it,s all falling apart
blueshirt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 03:03 PMsorry dobbo, youre saying that, to continue your casino analogy, we've gambled with money we couldnt afford and lost, so therefore if we went back into the casino we shouldnt be allowed to gamble fairly, like all the other punters? so by losing, we forfeit the right to fair play in the future.......??
blueshirt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 03:00 PMpost 48.. the league's ruling is a minimum of 20 players, Appleton has said that with his contacts he can get another two players in, and we probably wouldnt need to find their wages. He is asking for official FL clarification on that point, because we were told we could only bring in a player if we released a player, we've released two, and have not been permitted to bring anyone else in.....so while everyone else has a minimum of 20, we are being effectively prevented by the Fl for complying with their ruling. I am not saying no one likes us boo-hoo, I am just saying we need clarification from the FL where we stand and whether we will be permitted to have a squad of 20, just like everyone else.The ruling on academy players is the FL's ruling, not mine, and the example of Oxlade-chamberlain is'nt really a fair one, he is an exceptional talent and not typical or properly representative of the academy players found at most championship clubs, is he? The fact that he commanded such a huge transfer fee supports that.........
where's wally
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:51 PMBlueshirt - you sir are like a stuck record. You keep harping on about having this minium of 20 players but please tell me how are you propose to pay for them? The club is broke and trading insolvent. Nobody likes us boo hoo hoo grow up you child. Also with regard Academy players you surely can't have your cake and eat it. If an academy player is good enough (Alex Oxlade Chamberlain for example) he should play. By your reckoning he shouldn't be allowed in the first team?
In Dobbo We Trust
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:23 PMSurely it's not much different than gambling at a casino - you have the players that play straight and steady who win some and lose some, those with obscene amounts of money that can afford to gamble and lose on the off-chance of a big win and then those who try to cheat the house, are caught and then lose everything. Surely we're not unlike the latter - we've chanced our arm and now shouldn't get the benefit of a level playing field. Top flight football is a sorry state of affairs and sadly a lot of it comes down to deep pockets, a will to gamble and very little relying on professional skill (particularly in the short term).
bluelagoon
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:13 PM44 Russian Chris is right, football's gone bonkers. There's no fair or unfair any more, just lots of greed and dirty tricks (on the field and off) and people trying to do the others down. It's nuts to think that ex-football clubs, now entertainment megalocentres, like Chelski or Mansour City won anything fairly, but as someone just said, who did? Nowadays you're just "lucky" if you don't get caught but if you go OTT like PFC you're bound to be pulled up sooner or later by the Great Justice System. If you're a celebrity you might still get let off by the jury but PFC isn't. So that's, er, it.
blueshirt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:04 PMdobbo, your point about well run clubs who cut their cloth accordingly is a fair one, but the problem is that it is only really valid if we were the only club to have lived beyond our means, most clubs try to gain advantage by whatever means they can, Pompey for years have competed against clubs spending beyond their budgets and paying wages they couldnt afford.......Would you believe that almost half of the current football league clubs have at some time or another been in administration? All I am saying is that the league wants its clubs to have available a minimum squad of 20 senior professionals.and at the same time they are effectively making it impossible for us to comply with that ruling.....that clearly is not fair and needs to be addressed and clarified......we are entitled to compete under the same rules as everyone else in the league, and we are entitled to be treated fairly in this regard by the FL if it wants its competition to be judged free of bias or favouritism
russian chris
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:47 PMJust think,if Chelsea,Man City,Liverpool lost their owners-with 100s of millions of debt, as well as many other lesser Prem sides that are struggling,how many clubs would we have left in the Leagues....this season alone with us,Plymouth,Darlington all in deep mire,and now Glas Rangers and Hearts,2 of Scotlands biggest teams.... footballs gone bonkers.
In Dobbo We Trust
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:40 PMOn the flip side, is it fair to the rest of the league to be in competition with a team that has lived beyond it's mean for a number of years, particularly against well run clubs who cut their cloth accordingly? Surely what goes around must come around and, as painful as it is, to have to pitch in players with little or no experience should be the price we pay for the manner in which we have competed over the past few years?
overtheill
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:25 PMMust agree with Farside 1 @37 all these "crooks and idiots" that have "ruined PFC" also happen to be international multi billionair business men.Even the most nieve fan has to admit they obviously must know what their doing and anFL fit and proper test is no hurdle to those people.It's not about loyalty it's all about money. Portsmouth is not the centre of the universe and not the most glamerous place to be but if theres a few bob to be made they'll be there.The same can be said for the entire prem and championship with a few exceptions like Reading
blueshirt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:24 PMFarside post 29............I draw your attention to sinking's post 30......To use your own system of Capital letters to make a point, I quote.....IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT FIRST YEAR PROFESSIONALS DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF 20 FOR A FIRST TEAM SQUAD...unquote. So even the Football league, for all its failings, accepts that academy players are not, and should not be considered to be, capable of making up the numbers with professional competency as you so blithely insist......... to sinking(post 30) than k you for the prompt research, much appreciated!!
Pompeymack
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:17 PMFarside , Pompey's previous owners have to take some of the blame for the clubs current financial plight. The Fa need to take a small amount of responsiblity for allowing a person who doesn't exist, a gunrunner, a fake shiek and bank fraudsters to own the club. CSI credentials were on the internet for all to see, rejcted by saab and turned doen in the uk for a banking licenses. The fans want nothing more than to support their local team without these hassles. PUP
blueshirt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:16 PMPost 33, that interesting. The FL says the FAPPt is a self certification thing, and its the clubs responsibility to decide if a prospective buyer is fit and proper? By their own admission they are making their test pointless and futile. So why do they insist on a prospective owner taking the damn test? do they act on its results? Would they block any possible deal if THEY felt the prospective buyer is not fit and proper? if they say its not their responsibility to enforce the damn thing, how can they enforce punishments based on it?Talk about having your cake and eating it..... they wont enforce or envigilate the FAPPT but they WILL punish anyone who falls foul of it later because its not been supervised properly.....
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