The Football League has confirmed that Pompey will still be deducted ten points if or when the club comes out of administration.
This is no real surprise, despite a few fans thinking that the Football League might reverse the decision if the Trust takes over. So, will the ten point deduction see Pompey relegated by default?
In short, the answer is no. After all, there are still 25 games to play and therefore 75 points available. Effectively Portsmouth only has 10 points when this deduction is finally confirmed. Given that 50 points almost certainly keeps you in League One,
Pompey would need another 40 from the remaining 75, so that could be ten wins, ten draws and only another five defeats from the remaining games to keep Fratton Park as a third tier stadium next season.
When put like that it seems like a tall order. Especially considering the amount of players that Pompey could lose in January. Recent form may have picked up slightly, but a small squad with no stability is going to find survival an extremely difficult task.
However, there may be help in the form of other teams also falling foul of the Football League's punishments.
Bury have just been handed a transfer embargo and despite the powers-that-be at the club claiming that all finances are OK, we've all heard such news before and we know better than anyone what usually follows when a transfer embargo is slapped on a football club.
Whilst the Shakers may well only have trouble in the short term, Coventry seem to be deep in the brown stuff as they can't afford to keep playing at the Ricoh Arena. There is a chance they may be forced out of their home and who knows what reprecussions that will bring?
In all honesty I personally hope that neither club faces such hardship but Bury's and Cov's situation is a reminder that Portsmouth isn't the only football club facing financial hardship.
I'm not bothered if Pompey end up relegated to League Two, it would be quite the adventure supporting a fan-owned club with some stability as it looks to climb the leagues from the bottom.
Of course, the football club has to stay alive and whilst the Football League was reminding us all about the impending penalty, they also re-iterated their desire to see Portsmouth win the upcoming court case and the fans to complete their pledges so the club can be run on a sound financial footing.
Whilst the court ruling may well go in Pompey's favour with independent valuations of Fratton Park falling far closer to the Trust's offer rather than Chainrai's demands, it remains to be seen if the funds to keep the club going can be raised at such a financially tight period of the year.
Source: Fratton Faithful
Source: FOOTYMAD
