Portsmouth's Tony Adams Must Be Expecting the Sack

On the day Portsmouth Football Club decided to take legal action against the Daily Express for alleging the south coast club were lining up Alan Curbishley to replace under-performing manager Tony Adams, one thing remains clear, Adams is surely favourite to be the next Barclays Premier League boss to be relieved of his duties.

Portsmouth refuted the newspaper's claims on the their website this morning and Alan Curbishley has also denied any knowledge of the story but none of this speculation will be doing anything for Adams' sleepless nights.

The former England and Arsenal defender has failed to live up to the standards set by predecessor Harry Redknapp before the latter jumped ship to Tottenham Hotspur, and has in reality seen the pressure increase on his position as Portsmouth manager from day one.

It is not usual for a club to threaten legal action as soon as they see a story in the press and the fact Pompey seem “edgy” probably relates to just how much pressure is currently on their chosen manager. The Daily Express is not a tabloid “gossip” newspaper and they may well just have got it wrong, this time.

His rise to Portsmouth boss

Adams started his managerial career at Wycombe Wanderers in November 2003 but failed to keep the club in League One and left the club a year after joining when it became clear he was not the man to take Wycombe straight back up.

After coaching spells with Feyenoord and Utrecht, Adams joined Portsmouth as Harry Redknapp’s assistant in 2006 and the pair enjoyed success, including the 2007-08 FA Cup.

The Arsenal legend was handed the Portsmouth job when Harry left for Spurs in 2008 but coaching players who signed for Harry has made Adams' first top flight job almost impossible.

A record of four wins in 21 games as Portsmouth boss has seen them crash out the FA Cup to Swansea and leaves Portsmouth one point off the relegation zone (two points off the bottom) with teams below them, including Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers, seemingly more capable of picking up points.

Liverpool’s visit to Fratton Park this weekend is unlikely to yield the win Pompey desperately need and even a draw against the title challengers could see them slip into the relegation zone come Sunday night.

Portsmouth haven’t won a league game since November so no wonder questions are being asked.

Is it a matter of “when” and not “if” Adams will be sacked?

The honest answer to that would be “when“, Pompey have lost Jermain Defoe and Lassana Diarra for a healthy profit but profits don’t keep you in the Premier League and neither I’m afraid does Jermaine Pennant, but Pompey fans will be hoping he puts one over Rafa Benitez this weekend.

That however looks very doubtful after last week’s horror show at Fulham saw Erik Nevland grab a brace in a 3-1 win for the home side. Portsmouth’s defending hit a new low with David James left scratching his head as to how one of last year's meanest defences could be performing so poorly?

Adams has failed to get from his players the bit extra Harry was capable of and despite being a great defender in his time, has watched his side defend terribly over the last few months with defender Sylvain Distin admitting they’ll be relegated on current form.

It is becoming apparent that Adams is not the man to turn Pompey around and Portsmouth’s fans know it.

The Portsmouth boss has spoken of his recent confrontations with fans over his tenure ship and seems to have been a little shaken by them, but in reality, it is only going to get worse and should Pompey be in the relegation zone or worse, propping up the league table after this weekends fixtures, then no one would be surprised to hear of a press conference at Fratton Park come Monday morning.

If not this Monday then next week, all I know is that Tony Adams won’t last the season.

After all, how long does a manager usually last after he receives the chairman’s dreaded vote of confidence?