Why Bristol City meeting Lincoln boss' release clause isn't such good news for Portsmouth after all

Usually the issue of Michael Skubala’s release clause would never be so well received by the Fratton fanbase.

However, amid uncertain times over John Mousinho’s ongoing Pompey future, such crumbs of comfort that Lincoln are strongly pursuing another candidate are inevitably gleefully embraced.

Yet while Bristol City can now officially hold talks with the Imps boss, in truth it doesn’t actually represent the good news story those of Blues persuasion may believe it to be.

Broken by BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Tuesday evening, an exclusive rightly garnering plenty of attention, there was one crucial detail - it happened last week.

‘We now know that formally Bristol City have triggered a release clause’

While the aforementioned release clause in Skubala’s contract was met by the Robins, enabling official talks over the vacant head coach role also linked with Mousuinho, establishing the timeframe is important.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire said: ‘Effectively between the end of the season, that game we did away at Port Vale, and that open-top bus parade, we now know that formally Bristol City have now triggered Michael Skubala’s release clause which then entitles them to be able to talk to Michael Skubala about potentially taking him as head coach or manager next season.

‘This is something football clubs have to go through, almost a due diligence, a process they have to go through, a bit like we had before with Danny and Nicky Cowley for example.

‘The first thing we should stress, it does not mean that Michael Skubala is leaving Lincoln City Football Club, anything but.

‘They have to go through a process to have the ability to turn around to Lincoln City and say we would like to talk to Michael Skubula. Written into Michael Skubala’s contract will be a release clause that says if you meet that valuation then you can have a talk to our head coach, it’s very normal practice.

‘We haven’t got much out of the football club on this but what they have confirmed to us yes there is a release clause, but also this is entirely normal.

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‘It is really worth reiterating, this does not mean necessarily that Michael Skubala is leaving the club, it just confirms that we now know that Bristol City have formalised this in some way by meeting this release clause.’

Skubala ruled out of Robins job on Monday

While clause was activated last week, it has been claimed those Bristol City talks with Skubala subsequently took place over that period. Certainly that is likely.

Taking that into account, on Monday, Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider announced Skubala was ‘set to stay in charge of League One champions Lincoln City despite interest from Bristol City’.

He added: ‘Skubala has defied the odds to lead Lincoln to promotion from the third tier, and sources have indicated that he remains committed to the project at the LNER Stadium’.

In terms of the timeframe, it has been established the release clause was met last week, with talks then subsequently taking place.

By Monday, Football Insider had exclusively broken the story that Skubala would be remaining with newly-promoted Lincoln.

If all that information is accurate - and there is absolutely no reason to suggest it isn’t - it appears that is one name which can be scrubbed off Bristol City’s head coach short-list. Certainly at this moment in time, unless there is a dramatic change of heart.

And for those Pompey fans fearing Mousinho’s departure for Ashton Gate, Skubala’s release clause isn’t quite the welcome news they initially believed it would be.

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