Portsmouth were this afternoon officially issued with the winding up petition relating to £1.6 million in PAYE not paid to HMRC. Speaking at the weekend, Andrew Andronikou, joint-administrator for Pompey’s parent company Convers Sports Initiatives, said the situation could lead to player sales with the Blues having made two unsuccessful bids for Joel Ward (pictured) and Jason Pearce over the last 10 days.

We understand that talks have continued between the two clubs since the second bid — believed to be £1.6 million - was turned down yesterday and an increased offer is likely. Leicester continue to be linked with the duo, or in one report today just central defender Pearce.

The winding up petition means Pompey’s other creditors will now make contact with HMRC’s solicitors and will join them in going to court to ask for payment with a hearing set for February 20th.

Speaking to the Portsmouth News at the weekend, Andronikou, who continues to search for a new owner for the club after last week’s proposed takeover broke down, said the current situation isn’t likely to see Pompey go into administration: “Administration is not on the cards and it is the last thing we would consider. I can say that the club has not got significant debts, it has significant cash flow issues.”

HMRC said in a statement: “Ensuring tax is paid on time should be at the centre of a football club’s business strategy, just as it should be for any other enterprise.

“Any business that regards paying tax as an optional extra after other expenses are met, or that uses tax collected from employees or customers as working capital, is potentially heading for trouble.

“It is only fair to those clubs and to other taxpayers who do meet their obligations that HMRC enforces payment of tax debts owed — and if need be, issues a winding up petition or seeks to appoint an administrator.

“There is little HMRC can do for a business - be it a football club or not - whose viability is dependent either on not paying the UK taxes to which they are liable, or on special treatment not available to other customers with similar tax affairs.”

Portsmouth have issued a lengthy statement outlining their current position.

Photo: Action Images

paulnstar added 19:17 - Jan 24 we r signing nick owen of tv am not michael
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Pip50 added 19:19 - Jan 24 Why would Portsmouth convert flesh and blood assets to cash only to give it to the Revenue, when they can go into administration and pay 12p in the £ and keep the squad and make up the points deduction!!
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alfromcol added 19:35 - Jan 24 The focus in now on the signing of Pearce.
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itfchorry added 19:35 - Jan 24 Perhaps Clegg is going to respray Owen's horsebox
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jas0999 added 19:45 - Jan 24 Bottom line is it's 24 January - only one LOAN signing to show. Let's hope this works out otherwise PJ and Clegg should be fed to the wolves. Terrible management from two very poor individuals. GET THESE DEALS DONE.
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Kampo added 19:46 - Jan 24 As soon as we get an excepted offer (if we ever do) watch the other clubs move in. God, is any other club as rubbish at securing deals as us? As for the other 'story', we've got more chance of signing Nick Owen!
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Suffolk_n_Good added 19:47 - Jan 24 We should put Clegg in the horse box!!! lock the door, wheel it to Felixstowe port, & shove it off the quay!!!
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scottmdp added 19:50 - Jan 24 Reckon we should just get Curbs in to keep us up, then rebuild during the summer. Jewell out!!
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billlm added 19:54 - Jan 24 owen stopped at asda to get some beers were here in my lounge watching the cardiff game
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afrodids added 19:59 - Jan 24 Just get some fresh faces in before it is too l8. There is only a week left of the transfer window and as usual lots of speculation with little results. We should have gone for younger player's in beginning, I'd rather be 4th from bottom with youngsters who will improve than with a load of hasbeens looking for an easy end to their career. Coyb get it sorted or face the consequences! Relegation is real time to react!

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afrodids added 20:01 - Jan 24 Just get some fresh faces in before it is too l8. There is only a week left of the transfer window and as usual lots of speculation with little results. We should have gone for younger player's in beginning, I'd rather be 4th from bottom with youngsters who will improve than with a load of hasbeens looking for an easy end to their career. Coyb get it sorted or face the consequences! Relegation is real time to react!

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Sindre94 added 20:06 - Jan 24 http://www.ipswich.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=270283
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pickles110564 added 20:11 - Jan 24 Jas u should have said only one very poor signing so far. Like I have said before no perm signings means M.E. is not backing PJ. If he wanted he could have made offers to the pompey duo that nobody could reject to help stopping us from going down. Mind you we still will buy our season tickets whatever league we are in and they know it. Jewell OUT!
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fourth added 20:18 - Jan 24 Now is the time to sit across the table in a on-off meeting with the Administrators to offer a dutch auction. £1M now reducing by 100,000 per day
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dalianwasexciting added 20:25 - Jan 24 Dutch auction.....lol That is precisely where we should be looking, the Dutch league is decent, players are keen to come to England (or at least always were) and despite the recent years, our name as a club still resonates 30+ years on from the magic of Thijssen and Muhren. I believe there is value for money there, not sure that we should be paying over inflated prices in this country.

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Kampo added 20:27 - Jan 24 I've heard strong rumours that Owen is on his way. Apparently, according to my sources, we're also in for 4 other members of Glenn Hoddle's France 98 squad.
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slowerball added 20:36 - Jan 24 First the banks and now this... Seriously though: As a taxpayer - it is a disgrace that Pompey haven't paid HMRC what they owe. This affects not only our football club, it goes beyond football. Put simply, if we have offered what they owe HMRC, we should pay HMRC direct. It doesn't matter who the players are, where they play, whether the club want to sell or what they are worth. It doesn't matter in all honesty if the players even want to move - hard luck. If I owed tax and the asset I had that someone wanted for the amount I owed, say my car, I'd be told to sell my car. I cannot understand the special position football clubs seem to be in. If they owed players wages - then tough; they could get by and we have seen lots of folks made redundant without being paid what they re owed - but this is different. It is an absolute disgrace. Work and negotiations on this should be going on long into the night, with a deadline set - in fact two - one from us and one from HMRC. Shocking.

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northernblues added 20:43 - Jan 24 our defence has conceided almost twice as much as portsmouths, lets take their back four!
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captaincrunch added 20:51 - Jan 24 i dont want to state the obvious but it is not all about the back four. it is partly to do with how the whole team defends. you could have a premiership back four but with the wrong tactics you will still concede a lot of goals at this level. what this means is we have needed to adjust how the whole team plays. it is hard to judge to what extent this has already been done as it is a known problem and for long spells we do seem to hold it together in recent games. what we are all concerned about as supporters though is how we are finishing the games and what tactics we have for when we are winning or trying to hold on to an away point. our defenders aren't as bad as it seems, i believe the problem lies in the tactics we employ.

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eastcoastblue added 20:52 - Jan 24 according to todays papers we have upped the bid to £2m. heres hoping!!
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eastcoastblue added 20:54 - Jan 24 ...and according to bbc2 leicester have made a bid for cardiffs RB. they cant have every defender in the championship on their books surely?
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captaincrunch added 20:57 - Jan 24 eastcoastblue, in a value for money sense i think you are absolutely right. i think we should be paying more because if we go down we will wish that we did. lets not kid ourselves, there is no guarantee of getting back up straight away and even if we do it will be embarassing for a club such as ours. i know portsmouth are in dire financial trouble but i think we need to stop bidding under the value and just get them in for what they are worth. how can portsmouth refuse that?

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brendenward35 added 21:18 - Jan 24 latest from papers "Leicester will make a move for Cardiff defender Anthony Gerrard if they can sell either Matt Mills or Sean St Ledger" well looks like Sean St Ledger digging his heels in.
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MickMillsTash added 21:43 - Jan 24 In case anyone has forgotten we do not have a keeper- so get their goalie in on a 3 for 2 deal with Perace and Ward. Hayden Mullens is their player of the year so far - get him on loan and the bell ringer to liven up Chrurchmans- A NAP HAND Stick them all in a people carrier upto Portman Road with some spending money for Ginsters at Motorway Services.
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ClassyCranson added 22:05 - Jan 24 TWTD - The writer should amend the banner for the story as it is incorrect. It should say, "Pompey Winding Up Petition Confirmed as Talks Continue". They are subject a winding up petition and not a winding up order. A winding up order is far more serious than a winding up petition although obviously a winding up petition is still serious. In a winding up order scenario players automatically become free agents.

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