Portsmouth players asked to defer wages as club make 30 cost-cutting redundancies

Six days after being placed into administration Portsmouth have made been forced to make 30 redundancies, including three members of the board.

None of the playing stuff were among the job cuts, but they have been asked to defer their wages.

The Championship outfit declared bankruptcy for the second time, in three years, last week and have appealed to the players to help in their efforts to keep the club running long enough to find someone to take over the financially beleaguered side.

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Trevor Birch, administrator at Portsmouth, claimed that the financial situation was much worse than he had expected and, as a result, will have to look to make drastic changes within the club’s infrastructure.

"Additionally, we are asking certain employees to defer wages on an ongoing basis and are asking several members of staff to move from a full-time to a part-time role," Birch said.

"These measures are painful for everyone involved with the club, but they are essential for Portsmouth's survival, which is our main objective."

With a 10-point deduction enforced on their league standing, Birch outlined the reasons why the club have entered these troubles.

"To put it bluntly, Portsmouth Football Club has a Premier League cost base but only Championship income,” Birch explained.

“This is not a sustainable situation and one that needs to be addressed urgently if the club is to continue to exist.

"As things stand, there is a serious risk the club could run out of cash within the next couple of months.

"I recognise that this is not the news that anyone wants to hear but burying our heads in the sand will not help anyone. Today's redundancies will make a difference to the club's financial position but there are sure to be further challenges ahead of us.

"Portsmouth's survival depends on us being able to find a buyer for the club before the money runs out."