Source: Daily_Mail
Portsmouth 2 Burnley 0: Secret of success - don't pay the players!
Portsmouth's players have had almost as many missed pay cheques as Barclays Premier League wins this season. [LNB]After only their third victory, manager Avram Grant jovially claimed that he had unearthed a masterplan to spearhead an unlikely escape from relegation. [LNB]Pompey's first win of the campaign, following seven successive defeats, came at Wolves in October after the players had not received their wages. [LNB] Home win: Pompey beat Burnley to earn a much-needed three points[LNB] Portsmouth 2 Burnley 0: Grant grateful to Hreidarsson and DindanePortsmouth owe £2m for sale of Diarra to Real with FIFA investigation pendingWest Ham 5 Burnley 3: Hair-raising for Zola, who relies on home comfortsPortsmouth secure loan to pay players wages It took until October 31 for a home victory - a 4-0 thrashing of Wigan - after 60 non-playing staff had not been paid. [LNB]Grant joked after the latest win, which followed another pay daydelay: 'Maybe this is the way forward. It is cheaper for the club andwe get three points.' [LNB]Portsmouth remain subject to a Premier League transfer embargo andthe fact that mysterious new owner Ali Al Faraj had to borrow moremoney to settle unpaid November wages suggests Grant won't be spendinghis way out of trouble in January. [LNB]The club are also said to owe an agent £2million for the sale ofLassana Diarra. Portsmouth match-winner Aruna Dindane was told he wouldnot play against Burnley because Pompey could not fulfil theiragreement to pay parent club Lens £4m to make his loan permanent oncehe had played 12 games. [LNB] Enlarge Bad day at the office: Aruna Dindane missed from the spot in the first-half of Saturday's lunch-time kick off[LNB][LNB]Only after frantic Friday night negotiating by chief executive PeterStorrie did the French club agree to turn a blind eye to the clause. [LNB]The saga clearly affected Dindane as he produced an awful first-halfdisplay, missing an open goal from six yards before putting a penaltyinto the arms of Burnley keeper Brian Jensen. [LNB]It looked as if those misses would prove costly until HermannHreidarsson steered the ball home from a tight angle after being fed bythe ageless Kanu 25 minutes from time. [LNB]Dindane could finally celebrate in the 84th minute when his back-post header from Jamie O'Hara's cross sealed a nervy victory. [LNB] Enlarge [LNB]With next weekend's trip to Sunderland followed by games againstChelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, Hreidarsson knows they cannot afford tofeel sorry for themselves. [LNB]WORLD CUP WATCH Aruruna Dindane may be a lively forward who gets into great positions but his wayward shooting will hardly strike fear into the Ivory Coast's opponents. His penalty miss was pitiful and, even though he got his fourth League goal of the season, he always seems to need a handful of chances before he hits the target. He is certainly no Didier Drogba. [LNB][LNB]Hreidarsson said: 'We can't complain too much. We're still getting paid for playing football in the Premier League. [LNB]'Don't feel too sorry for us as long as the club survives.' [LNB]Burnley manager Owen Coyle took a thinly disguised swipe at his opponents' mismanagement. [LNB]Coyle said: 'Pompey's budget is probably three times what ours is.When you enter into a contract and those salaries have been agreed thenthey should be paid and, if they are not, then it's up to the powersthat be.'[LNB] Portsmouth 2 Burnley 0: Grant grateful to Hreidarsson and DindanePortsmouth owe £2m for sale of Diarra to Real with FIFA investigation pendingWest Ham 5 Burnley 3: Hair-raising for Zola, who relies on home comfortsPortsmouth secure loan to pay players wages [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Owen Coyle, Jamie O'Hara, Brian Jensen, Peter Storrie, Didier Drogba
