Premier League chief Richard Scudamore denies the competition is in crisis.

Despite Portsmouth's cash woes, Scudamore is optimistic about the Premiership.

"It depends on whether you are optimistic about football or pessimistic,'' Scudamore told the Telegraph. "Those of us closest to it remain eternally optimistic, even though, much like your own children, you see some of the faults as well.

"People can say, 'Look what happened to Charlton and Southampton' [who fell off the elite radar] but look also what happened to Leeds and Newcastle. There is renaissance to these clubs.

"Look at my league: a Burnley, a Stoke. I have to go back to my childhood to remember when they were competing for anything. At any point in time on this great game of snakes and ladders, some are climbing up and some are sliding down but I don't think the snakes are getting bigger.''

Scudamore felt fans were simply becoming more impatient.

"Football is no different to where society is headed. The public are just very intolerant of their team not doing very well. That's led to owner intolerance and therefore the lifespan of managers is getting shorter on average. There's short-termism.'