Photo by Kieran McManus/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Less than four years after winning the F.A. Cup, Portsmouth is in danger of not completing this Championship season, administrator Trevor Birch said.
The club, which entered administration last month and has dropped to second-to-last because of a concurring 10-point deduction, will not receive parachute payments from the Premier League, Birch said, leaving the club financially strapped. The payments instead will go to former owner Sacha Gaydamak.
"We had previously stated that there was a real danger of the club running out of cash before the end of the season," the club said on its website. "The risk of this happening increases substantially without the money from the football authorities. Unless something significant happens, there is a real possibility that we may not be able to fulfill the season's fixtures."
Here are some more stories to keep your Thursday rolling:
FOWLER SEEKING BLACKPOOL CONTRACT
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, the fourth-leading scorer in Premier League history, has joined Blackpool for training in hopes of earning a contract for the rest of the season.
Fowler last played in England with Blackburn in 2008 and has since spent time in Australia and Thailand. The Englishman had planned on playing in India this season before the new league was pushed back from its planned March 24 debut.
Blackpool is currently fourth in the Championship, positioned to be in a playoff for promotion to the Premier League.
ENGLAND IN NO RUSH TO NAME MANAGER
The England national team may end up waiting until mere days before the start of Euro 2012 to name its new manager, said Sir Trevor Brooking, one of the FA officials in charge of making the appointment.
"I think you could get somebody parachuted in a few days before it, though I'm sure there are some people in our group who don't want that," Brooking told The Independent. "We will take our time. I don't see anything happening soon."
England U-21 coach Stuart Pearce guided the Three Lions in their friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday but acknowledged he is not a long-term option for the senior national team.
AGGER SIDELINED WITH FRACTURED RIB
Liverpool centerback Daniel Agger will be out for "a few weeks" with a fractured rib suffered in the Carling Cup final, manager Kenny Dalglish said Thursday.
Agger was removed late in regulation during Liverpool's penalty kicks triumph over Cardiff City on Sunday. In addition, the club could be without captain Steven Gerrard this weekend after he injured his hamstring during England's friendly loss to the Netherlands on Wednesday.
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Are you disappointed to see Portsmouth's financial struggles? Can Fowler help Blackpool return to the Premier League? Should England delay naming its new manager?
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