Burnley manager, Brian Laws, has blasted talk of Portsmouth being allowed to sell their players outside of the transfer window.

Pompey have asked to sell players early in order to cure their mounting debts but Laws says that allowing them to do so would be a move backwards in football.

He does have a point because it has been Portsmouth’s own reckless handling through third parties that has led to them being in the current situation. Effectively letting them break the rules would set a standard and offer a ray of hope to many other clubs who have been spending money they do not have.

Laws said: “We all work within rules and regulations. That is the way the Football League or Premier League has worked for hundreds of years. Why should we have to change that for one particular club who are finding it very difficult with their finances?”

“Whilst we have every sympathy with a football club that has difficulties, the only ones they should be looking at are themselves. They should be looking in a mirror to find the answer. They got themselves into it, (they should) get themselves out of it.”

“I would hate to think the Premier League would allow them such a ridiculous thing beyond the transfer window. Allowing them to get a player out of the door, get some money and finances in, and then he goes and scores a goal against us that could be the goal that takes us down – that’s ridiculous.”

“I would think 100 per cent of the Premier League would be saying the same, so I don’t think they would get much support from the Premier League clubs.”

The problem for Portsmouth is being able to pay the interest on their spiralling debts to keep the club afloat. They constantly need money in order to stop the club being dissolved but as Laws has said, they got themselves into the situation.

There are many clubs in the Premier League who have to operate on a shoestring budget and scrap and save to make sure they can get by and not crank up any huge debts.

This is a very simple black and white way to look at this situation. If the matter is put out on the table and input is asked for from different clubs, the matter will be rejected out of hand.

If Pompey are granted an exception to normal rules then it would create a gap through which other financially troubled clubs would look to escape in the future.

It is for this reason that the matter will almost certainly not go any further than mere speculation. If Pompey were hoping for a bit of charity and a chance to be let off the hook then they will almost certainly have to go and find it elsewhere.

Laws has made the point that many smaller clubs in the Premier League are thinking. If the bandwagon starts to roll then it will be swamped immediately.