Portsmouth boss Avram Grant insists his players are focused on beating Burnley despite a pay delay.
Pompey boss claims pride will drive his stars on against Clarets
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant insists his players are focused on beating Burnley despite a pay delay.
The Pompey playing staff have been told that they must wait another week before receiving their November wages, the second time this season they have faced such a situation.
The ongoing financial troubles at Fratton Park have meant that players were paid 25 per cent of their salary on Friday, but must wait another seven days before being credited with the remaining 75 per cent.
Grant, who has also recently stepped into the managerial hot-seat following Paul Hart's sacking, could well do without the off-field turmoil as Portsmouth continue to languish at the foot of the Premier League table.
He faces a crunch clash with Burnley this weekend, who have struggled on the road this season, and the former Chelsea coach is adamant that his troops will be ready for the game regardless of the untimely distractions.
He said: "Even if they are not happy about this situation, they are professional. They know we need to win and they don't want to stay at the bottom of the league.
"They are proud players and no sportsman would want to be in this position - with money or without."
Grant added: "Everybody isn't happy about this - not us, not the owner and not the players. But we have a game tomorrow and we need to concentrate on the game.
"When the players were informed about this, they were not happy. But they were very focused on the game in training and they know what is important. That's winning the games and we are thinking about this."
Optimistic
Israeli tactician Grant insists he has no regrets about accepting the Portsmouth post, despite his job being made increasingly difficult, and claims he is determined to be a success at Fratton Park.
He said: "If there is one thing I don't like to answer, it's 'if'. 'What will happen if? What will happen if?' I deal in reality, not if.
"I never regret things I've done and I intend to do my job. I'm a football man and I'm trying to deal with the football problems - that's what's important."
Grant is also confident that Pompey owner Ali Al-Faraj will make funds available for fresh faces during the January transfer window.
"What I know is that they (the owners) want to make the team stronger in January and for this, you need money," he added.
"We have a game on Saturday. We will have to take this situation day by day to see what happens.
"I prefer to stay optimistic. In January, we can buy players or loan players. I'm thinking about Saturday for now though - January is a long time away."
