Portsmouth's administrator Trevor Birch remains hopeful that the Championship outfit will not have to go into liquidation.
Administrator hopeful club can avoid liquidation
Portsmouth's administrator Trevor Birch remains hopeful that the Championship outfit will not have to go into liquidation.
Birch was appointed earlier this year after the club went into administration for a second time in two seasons.
Speaking at the Soccerex conference in Manchester on Thursday, he said he was in talks with two or three interested parties about selling Pompey.
Regarding liquidation, Birch said: "I don't think you can rule it out but I'm hopeful it won't come to that and there is enough interest from a buyer for there to be a solution.
"The fans have probably had their fill of people promising the earth and will be happy with a basic football club that is part of the community."
South Africa international Aaron Mokoena and Israel defender Tal Ben Haim are believed to be the top earners at the club and Birch said there had been no interest in the transfer window for those on "unsustainable" salaries.
Drastic restructuring
Asked if selling them is vital to achieving a sale, he said: "It will be, yes, there will need to be some drastic restructuring.
"There are a couple that are very unsustainable and a couple that are just unsustainable.
"There were no takers in the transfer window and the difficulty is the only people who have that money to spend are in the Premier League and the top of the Championship.
"It is not their fault, somebody has actually offered them the contracts in the first place. They have already made a reduction (in their salary) and we can't rule out we may have to go back to them at some stage in the future."
Birch also warned that the Championship has become "a scene of carnage" in financial terms as clubs pursue the dream of top-flight football.
He said: "The Premier League is one of the most successful exports we have but if you move down the leagues it becomes a bit of a catastrophe.
"The Championship is a scene of carnage with clubs pursuing the Holy Grail of promotion, losing between £5million and £10million a year and a third of them spending over 100% of turnover on wages.
"That's why the Championship are looking to bring in financial fair play rules.
"Crowds are down, sponsorship levels are down and clubs are suffering on corporate hospitality as well, down by 20-30% in certain areas, but if you are successful on the pitch you will be successful off the pitch as well."
Storrie desire
Meanwhile, Portsmouth's former chief executive Peter Storrie has expressed his desire to return to the club.
Having assumed the role in 2002, when Pompey were struggling in the second tier, Storrie played a part in guiding the club to the Premier League the following year.
In 2008 came the pinnacle of Portsmouth's success as they won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939. Within two years, however, they became the first Premier League club to enter administration.
Undeterred by the travails of his previous involvement at Fratton Park, Storrie is keen to go back.
"My wife would say never in 100 years but my heart tells me yes," said the 59-year-old.
"The criticism I've received hasn't been from all the supporters. I've had a lot of support from people who understand what happened.
"At the end of the day, you can only do what the owners ask you to do. I brought the club a lot of success."
