derry

Remind me someone, didn't they win everything last year? Sorry, realise now, they were relegated.

Possibly but will HMRC prove that they can't fund administration with current income.

Near Caen?

No but it may well be that there will be objections to his appointment from HMRC and other creditors who also were shafted last time and have joined up with HMRC.

In Admin they have to be solvent. The funding has to cover everything. The players will have to leave voluntarily, re negotiate their contracts or if they don't the the administration is going straight down the kazy. This administration could have problems, HMRC will cause problems initially and will have learned from the last time.

They won't get it. It will go to pay the salaries owed.

The FA will pay any football debts first, 2 months wages due. They may see none of it.

If they end up losing it's £49m that HMRC wil be owed. Goodbye to a CVA.

.....

The bank accounts are frozen. The WUP is on Monday, Monies are usually given out by the FA to protect football creditors. If this money is used to pay January wages then another £800k is triggered in tax due. Even if there is money in the account February wages are nearly due. even more tax. If the PP payment was paid on schedule on 1st March. CSI would still have had to contribute considerable funds over Christmas. As this didn't happen it appears that the cashflow isn't there to pay the debts and show solvency. If HMRC get a result in the football creditors verdict due this week the football side of things could grind to a halt, and in any event unless outside funds are forthcoming administration can't happen. Liquidation is a real option.

No1 Terry Paine, 800+ for Southampton in three divisions and England World Cup winners medal. Nobody can match that. others - John Sydenham, 400+, Steve Mills, Steve Moran, Graham Baker, Derek Reeves, Ted Drake, Don Roper, Bill Ellerington

It could be a very interesting week coming up. The High Court is going to rule this week on the football creditors rule. That could put the cat well and truly at the pigeons's throat if that goes to HMRC. Administration will mean a whole new scenario for the players, clubs, transfer fees owed, ticketing etc. If it happens there will be a lot more liquidations as the football fraternity won't wear losing money.

If Chanrai has paid money for salaries into the frozen bank accounts there could be a problem for PFC as there is no way HMRC will unfreeze the accounts before a court case unless they receive the money. If the salaries are paid there will be another £800k due. Looks insolvable.

Chaplow is a long way off match fitness Bill, He looked like he had lead boots the other night, he just needs the time to get fit. Puncheon is now a decent player but Guly played his part except for the odd poor touch. I'd keep it as it is but the central midfield wasn't great today.

Decent performance right from the back. Davis either played it quick or kicked to Lambert, The full backs were good but the two centre backs dominated, They are a pair and it looked good. Guly was decent, Lallana back buzzing took his goal well. Up front Sharp was a class act, not the quickest but really sharp playing on the shoulders of the defenders and so aware of not drifting offside. Lambert was my MOM for his all round touch and control. I've left the central midfield until last on purpose. Cork worked hard and was at his best towards the end. Schneiderlin had loads of possession but just so negative sideways and backwards. He gave away several needless fouls. After half time Barclay for about twenty five minutes won every loose ball but Burnley were disappointing for me. They passed a bit but the end product was a lofted ball into our box mostly gobbled up by the defenders. A really good result, kept possession quite well were lucky with the second goal but should have had more as several easy close range chances weren't converted. We had a much higher tempo which we lost a little and backed off a bit at the start of the second half but picked up the pace and were comfortable at the end.

I wish Colin, Quiz night at the golf club, with JH and wife. It's right opposite the end of the slip road off the A326 onto the A36 off JCT 2 M27.

I don't get people on here talking about Falque. IMO if he is in the team we are in lots of trouble. On the evidence of the other night Reeves is well ahead of him. Falque had to be taken off after his display in the first half of his debut because he wasn't up to it on the night. I will say he showed nothing to me that we need that could lead to any of Lallana, Puncheon, Guly, DeRidder Hammond, Cork, Schneiderlin, Reeves being left out.

HMRC and PFC.

Passed by on the way home about 2230 last night, looked like it was open for business. They put lights on the gateway. I just can't see where the parking complaints come from. There is a bloody great layby opposite that used to be used by lorries to park up but one end has been blocked off. There was only one van there and that was moving out. There is an industrial area about a hundred yards down and apart from the farm behind the layby there is nowhere within a couple of hundred yards. Can't see that they are doing any harm. I've often passed by on my way home on a Friday night at that time and I've never seen any cars around, even when the layby was full of container lorries.

They are meeting on Friday, the last working day prior to the court hearing. Isn't Monday the deadline day for the next tranche of tax that can be added to the WUP, due on December's wages? January's wages haven't been paid but will have to be then the tax is due on about 20th March? If Pompey can't pay the back tax, pay the wages but don't settle the tax I can't see HMRC buying that. This is just ticking the political boxes so that the politicians are sidelined. In other words enough rope being paid out to hang them properly.

We have some new options now, Sharp on the shoulder with Puncheon, a much better footballer after a year of exposure to Premier league players in training. Lee brings incisive running but needs quick ball to put him in. DeRidder getting used to us with Reeves looking like he isn't far from a breakthrough. He could be the attacking playmaker we have lacked.

There are too many superlatives used prematurely for Martin. He is a learner, nothing more, he has done his best, effective at times solid in the air with some disastrous positional misjudgements. His play out from the back is a long way short of competent and he needs to get more competent with his left foot which is just a swinger. Since the two centre backs in front of him were injured we have been short of decent cover which has bitten us in the ********. The passing game starts at the back but invariably with Martin it goes back to the goalkeeper to be punted long.

Up to the Bristol game we were flying with crisp pass and move, high tempo pressing without the ball. We were creating chances and getting in on the end of them. Then Chaplow was injured, it wasn't missing Chaplow but our change to the team dynamics that slowed everything down. Playing the three midfielders together was a disaster and despite getting out of jail v Hull bringing DeRidder on at half time and winning a losing game we continued for about six more games to play that midfield. getting slower and slower and poor results. Then we picked up injuries to both centre backs and Lambert suspended which stifled any recovery. Now we have lost our advantage and practically wasted fifteen games. Luckily for us we now have a full squad plus reinforcements. We now need to get back to that high tempo nut crunching game and as we go get the fast pass and move game going. If we do that we could well accelerate again. Birmingham was significant for me and I could see the seeds of a revival, not from the chances created but the raised tempo. Not only have the midfield been slow. the goalkeeper and the defenders have also been painful in their pedestrian tempo. It is not a case of being found out. it is a case of discontinuing a winning formula with a terrible team selection leading to a loss of momentum then suffering from injuries prolonging the agony. I hope we can put this behind us and get back on track on Saturday by tearing into Burnley, then WH.