James' 'save of the season' snubbed by administrators

James' 'save of the season' snubbed by administrators - Exclusive

Published 22:45 11/03/10 By James Piercy

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David James offered to pay the wages of TWO training ground staff made redundant from Portsmouth – but was turned down by the crisis club's administrator.

Pompey training ground manager Tug Wilson, 64, and assistant kit-man Clarke 'Clarkey' Denford, 22 were both given the boot on Wednesday to cut costs.

Tug, who has been at the club eight-and-a-half years, and Clarkey each earn just £300-a-week.

Pompey's England keeper James, 39, wanted to dig into his own pocket to keep the popular pair on at the club's Eastleigh training ground but his request was rejected by Andrew Andronikou.

Manager Avram Grant also made a personal plea for Andronikou to retain Tug and Clarkey, among 85 employees who lost their job, but his attempt was also unsuccessful.

Former naval submariner Tug, who spent 28 years in the service before joining Pompey, said: “David is a good man and a work colleague and he was just trying to help us out.

“He is someone I have seen almost every day for the last four years and we get on well.

“People slag off players for earning so much money but they are talented athletes and are paid what they are offered. Most are good people just like David.

“I am very disappointed to have told I am no longer needed.

"In eight-and-a-half years I never received a pay rise, despite both Harry Redknapp and Avram Grant asking the club.

“I have worked around 60 hours-a-week and am owed a couple of thousand in overtime pay, which I doubt I will ever see.

“I am in no way a special case and there are younger people who have been fed false promises about how the business is apparently growing only to lose their jobs.”

Staff also reacted angrily to the news that chief executive Peter Storrie kept his job despite presiding over the club's financial running for the last eight years.

Storrie, who was not at Fratton Park when the redundancies were announced, has agreed a 40 per cent pay cut but still takes home a lucrative £10,000-a-week salary.

Tug added: “Peter Storrie was not even around to say goodbye, or thanks for our hard work.

“It seems strange because if anyone else in any other walk of life had failed as a chief executive they would fall on their sword.

“People just cannot understand how he has stayed on. I worked out I would have to work for 77 years to earn anything close to his salary - it is a joke.”

Andronikou insists there are "more than a dozen interested parties" in taking over Pompey but the club has taken the unusual step of advertising itself for sale in the Financial Times .

An advert placed in the paper earlier this week read: "Portsmouth Football Club For Sale. Hampshire, United Kingdom.

"Asking Price: Undisclosed. Sales revenue: Undisclosed. Net profit: Undisclosed. Fixtures value: Undisclosed. Stock value: Undisclosed."