Lawrence: Pompey are worth buying

The skipper has never been shy in voicing his opinions on some of the off-the-field problems at Fratton Park.

But Lawrence believes the latest chapter in Pompey’s long battle with financial disaster is not as worrying as last year, when the club faced the threat of liquidation.

And while he’s concerned after owners Convers Sports Initiatives were plunged into administration, Lawrence feels the Blues are now an attractive proposition as the club seek new backers once again.

Lawrence, who is currently out with an ankle injury, said: ‘We’ve been here before, haven’t we?

‘We seem to get ourselves sorted and then something else comes out of the fire.

‘But I’m not as worried as last time.

‘The club is in nowhere near as much debt as it was and it’s a more attractive club to buy now than it was before.

‘I just hope it gets sorted because the lads just want to play football.

‘We need results and we don’t need this sort of thing happening all the time.’

Lawrence, who was with the rest of the Pompey players on their annual visit to Queen Alexandra Hospital, also spoke of his sympathy for Blues fans who have seen their club threatened again just a year after it narrowly escaped being wound up.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder said: ‘Without me trying to suck up to them, I feel so sorry for the supporters because it must be a nightmare for them.

‘It’s just one thing after another for them – their team gets relegated, nearly go bust, then gets bought by someone who then gets arrested and the owners go into administration.

‘It’s a kick in the guts for them every few months and you can’t blame some of them for thinking “I’ve had enough of this”.’

With new boss Michael Appleton getting to grips with his job, Lawrence insists the players can do their bit by giving their all as they wait for things to be more settled behind the scenes.

Lawrence added: ‘It’s so hard for the new manager coming in and then all this happens.

‘It’s hard for the players but it’s frustrating for everyone and most disappointing for the fans.

‘As long as we keep focused when we play, that’s all we can do but I was glad to see us get another result against Coventry.

‘It could have been 6-2 because we missed chances again but we won the game and that was the main thing because we needed points.’

The 29-year-old is hopeful he will be ready to return to the squad for this weekend’s trip to Burnley, despite suffering a minor setback.

Lawrence said: ‘It’s getting there.

‘I trained on Friday because I’m so eager to get back but I rolled the ankle again a little bit and stretched the ligament, which put me back another few days.

‘I’m going for some injections on it later on this week so hopefully I can train and I will be available for the weekend.’