Portsmouth players want to save club

Last updated : 24 July 2012 By Iron-Bru

Administrators claim the club will be liquidated before the start of the season next month if the senior players do not give up money they are owed as per their employment contracts. Under the controversial football creditors rule, they must be paid in full in any CVA for the club to come out of administration.

Striker Luke Varney is poised to join Leeds United, but Tal Ben Haim, David Kitson, Greg Halford, Erik Husekleep, Liam Lawrence, David Norrris and Nwanku Kanu remain under contract.

Some Pompey supporters attended training on Monday to give an open letter to players, urging them to "demonstrate that footballers aren't the shallow, selfish people portrayed in the press".

Taylor suggested that it was unfair for these eight players to be singled out publicly by administrator Trevor Birch.

"It's about everybody getting in the same room, the players, the club, the administrators, the potential new owners and deal with the situation rather than looking at it separately," told Sky Sports News.

"If not there's no transparency as to how serious the situation is. If this club is going to survive we need everybody to have something but not all that they are owed otherwise everybody's just going to get nothing."

Ben Haim, who is contracted to receive £36,000 a week, said he had already given up £2.5million and questioned why the the administration firm PKF were not offering to sacrifice some of the £650,000 fees they had built up from the club. He claimed the players were being kept in the dark by Birch.

"The administrator has to cut his fees. I have lost £2.5m net and I am prepared to lose more," he said.

"I signed a contract in good faith and I want to help the club survive, but the administrator has to talk to us."

Assuming the club survive to start the League One season, they will start the campaign bottom of the division on -10 points for entering the season in administration.