Pompey pay up

Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric has backed down over his threat to withhold payment to his playing and coaching staff after a meeting with the players.

"The cheque to the bank that pays the wages is being released later this afternoon," said a club spokesman. "Contrary to any other reports it's the club's money and it's being paid as it would have been ordinarily."

Earlier, the Professional Footballers' Association had warned Mandaric there would be problems if he didn't pay.

"This is a serious issue - the players have got mortgages, full-time commitments, families - and they want the money that they're contracted to have and if not there will be problems," PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor told Sky Sports News.

PFA deputy chief executive Brendon Batson weighed in too, claiming: "The situation is as simple as the fact they can't do this - it's simply wrong. Legally, the players are tied to contracts and you can't simply break contractual agreements like this.

Taylor also attacked Mandaric for accusing Portmouth's players of not working hard enough.

"Players don't want to lose games, Portsmouth players don't want to lose, I haven't known a player yet who wanted to play badly and lose," he said.

"It's quite naive really, it's going back to the Dark Ages - if they lose then they're not working hard enough and they don't get any money but if they win then that's fine. If football was as easy as that it would be a simple game."

Graham Rix was also caught up in the row as he prepared his side for a crucial First Division game at Walsall tomorrow. But Rix had nothing but praise for his players for their professionalism and dedication during training today.

"The players are as good as gold. It's a big game for us and that's been the only thing on our mind today," he said.

"Our spirit is excellent and everything is concentrated towards the game tomorrow. We know it's a game that we need to win and that's all we're interested in. Everything else is being talked about by everyone else but not by us."

Mandaric, who has ploughed more than ?20m into the club in just under three years, took the decision to stop his ?700,000-a-month wage bill yesterday as in his view his under-performing players did not deserve to be paid.

"These players expect to go through the motions and not give anything like 100% and then to receive a huge wage packet. This will make them think, I hope," he said.

"Our supporters, who earn a tiny amount compared with them, travel all over the country to watch their team and see them lose game after game because they are not putting their backs into it."