Why former boss and Wigan manager Paul Cook heaped praise on Portsmouth during coronavirus shutdown

That’s because the former Blues boss knows the club is run ‘meticulously well’.

The English game is on a shutdown until April 30, although it’s expected that date will be prolonged as the Covid-19 outbreak worsens. Pompey quartet James Bolton, Andy Cannon, Haji Mnoga and Sean Raggett have so far tested positive.

As a result, the suspension uncertainty among some Football League clubs who run on a hand-to-mouth basis.

The EFL responded by giving every League One side their basic payment fee of £252,200 in advance, rather than staggering it over the course of the next few months, while further loans of up to £182,800 are available.

Chief executive Mark Catlin has already stated Pompey are in ‘a position to withstand a period of financial instability’.

And because of how Catlin, chief operating officer Tony Brown and the rest of the backroom team work, it’s why Cook believes the Blues will be fine.

Speaking on Sky Sports' The Debate, Pompey’s League Two 2017 title-winning manager said: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to manage two clubs in Portsmouth and Accrington.

‘If you look at those two clubs today, for example, they’re both fantastic football clubs for different reasons.

‘Portsmouth have had the injection of Michael Eisner's money coming in and it’s a fantastically well-run club, an unbelievable fan base.

‘Mark Catlin, Tony Brown and lads like that run that club meticulously well so Portsmouth will be strong.

‘That’s nothing to do with the fact they’re going to take 60,000-70,000 fans to Wembley (in the Leasing.com Trophy final)

‘Accrington in the same division, Andy Holt runs that club equally as fantastically well but they don’t have the same sort of revenue options.

'Somewhere along the we’ve got to make sure these clubs are satisfied or with the intention going forward they're going to be fine.’