Grant: a sad day for football

AVRAM GRANT reflected on a “sad day for football” after confirmation of Portsmouth’s nine-point deduction for going into administration all but relegated the club from the Premier League – and revealed he would meet the players today before deciding how best to tackle the remainder of the season.

Administrator Andrew Andronikou confirmed Portsmouth would not appeal against the ruling, formally imposed after HM Revenue and Customs dropped their challenge to the club going into administration. The deduction virtually guarantees Pompey – FA Cup winners in 2008 – will be playing in the Championship next season, as they have just 10 points, 14 points behind second-from-bottom Hull whom they face tomorrow.

By then, Grant will have gauged the mood in the squad, which still has an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley to look forward to, but which may lack motivation for what are essentially meaningless matches.

Indeed, Grant refused to rule out fielding weakened sides should he feel the players are not fully focused.

Grant said: “Even though the writing was on the wall a long time ago, this is a sad day. It is also sad for the Premier League this has happened for the first time in its history to the best league in the world.

“A football decision has not been decided on the pitch, it has been decided in an office somewhere, and that is wrong. What is Portsmouth? The people now, or before? That is the question”.

Grant intends to give the players, such as England goalkeeper David James, the chance to air their views after todays training session.

“I cannot tell you anything about the future. I will talk with the players about it tomorrow, and we will make a decision, and go from there,” said the Portsmouth manager.

Andronikou claims former chief executive Peter Storrie, who is still acting as an advisor for the club, must bear part of the blame for the crisis that has engulfed the club. Grant, though, maintained: “In the time that I worked with Peter, he was 100% professional and tried to do everything to save the club. What happened in the past, I do not know.”