Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton is struggling to convince potential new players to come to Pompey who were relegated from the Championship last season. Pompey went into administration for the second time in three years in February with debts that have since been confirmed at £58million and under Football League rules the club is not allowed to sign new players until the club comes out of administration.

"I have to hope players will be willing to wait," Appleton told BBC Radio Solent. "But it is almost impossible to sell the club to players at the moment.

"I have to go and do the personal touch with every single player I think can help the football club, sell myself and the club to them, and then hope they will be willing to wait until the back end of the summer when hopefully we will be out of administration and able to do business.

"But there are a lot of clubs wanting players I want, so as well as a waiting game it's like a game of poker with agents and other clubs." Meanwhile, Portsmouth have received assurances from the Football League that they will not face a further points deduction if the club is still in administration when the 2012/13 season kicks off in August.

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