Who would miss the point in Pompey wind-up?

If Portsmouth Football Club is wound up before the end of the season, a very real possibility according to experts, then all their fixtures and results will be null and void, all the points they have won and lost would be scrubbed off and teams in and around the drop zone would all slide down a place.

Pompey would be no more, living on only in memory. But, far from them sinking without trace, the south coast side's swansong would be to have a significant bearing on every single aspect of this season's final Premier League standings.

This would obviously be a disaster but would have a varied effect on every team and reactions will no doubt differ depending on circumstances.

At the time of writing, West Ham lie four points above the relegation zone but would slide towards the bottom three if Portsmouth meet their maker. With this in mind, Hammers owner David Gold has offered the club a financial lifeline in a bid to keep his own side unaffected, claiming he wants to see the struggling side "down, but not bust."

You would imagine that most of the other teams battling the drop would agree with Mr Gold. Some teams at the top end, however, may not be so sympathetic to the cause.

In the event of club closure, Manchester United would have to hand back the 6 points won against Pompey, not to mention a goal difference of eight.

And that's a mouth-watering prospect for rivals Chelsea. The league leaders would only lose three points and a goal difference of one and - even though it would leave them one less fixture - it would all but hand the Blues the title.

With such an opportunity to break the Red Devil's three-year grasp on the Premier League trophy, you can hardly see Chelsea shedding a tear for Pompey.

Then there's the tightly contested fight for fourth spot and Liverpool, after a season dogged by doubts and dirt, will be on tenterhooks as Pompey's demise would see their three rivals fall down around them.

Man City currently lie fourth but would lose six points along with Aston Villa. Spurs would lose three but Liverpool, who registered a 2-0 loss at Fratton Park in December, would merely improve their goal difference, leaving them well in the driving seat for a Champions League place.

The best Portsmouth can hope for is relegation to the Championship. It is a shame that, so early in the season, they have become a statistical playtoy as the press accumulate and speculate at their expense.

Worse still, if West Ham continue their good form - they have lost only one of their last six in the league - then David Gold's kind offer may be swiped from the table and, regardless what anyone stands to lose or gain from the situation, if Portsmouth fold before the end of the season they would leave behind a horrible, horrible mess.

Will off-pitch soap operas soil otherwise special season?

The football world has conjured its fair share of controversy since I last put finger to keyboard on the subject. Over the summer there were high-profile, and high stakes, moves for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez and the 2009-2010 season has so far seen Liverpool in disarray consequently sparking a wide-open fight for fourth spot.

It is off the pitch, though, that 2010 looks to excel and it is this that has made me think I really need to keep this blog updated, having already missed numerous shocking and scandalous stories.

Firstly there was, and still is, Portsmouth. A club savaged by previous misdealings and sadly a side set to reap the punishment of an ill-advised wage structure.

Today is the last day of the transfer window and, with Younes Kaboul now returning to Tottenham for £5million, they may have safeguarded their immediate future as a club but their Premier League expiration date looks certain to be this coming May.

What have they got to show for all the strife? A short golden age and a replica FA Cup in the trophy cabinet. Admittedly, these are dreams that some clubs in modern-day football may never realise, so whether it was worth it can only be determined by how far they eventually fall.

More recently, Owen Coyle reminded the world that, in the Premier League at least, it seems loyalty is a dish best thrown in the face of those that worship you. He ditched Burnley's Premier League adventure at a vital stage. With the honeymoon period over, the Clarets needed to dig a big set of heels into the turf to halt their slide towards the precipice.

Instead they've had the pitch pulled from under them. What Burnley need now is their fans to look to what they have and concentrate on a season they are still very much involved with, when many initially predicted they would be dead and buried by this stage.

On an international level, the African Cup of Nations made headlines when the Togo team bus came under siege from gunmen. Players were shot, the driver killed, terrible trauma followed mass hysteria and how do the Confederation of African Football (CAF) react? They have sanctioned the Togo team for pulling out of the tournament by banning them from the next two competitions. Cue a rather large lawsuit that African football can surely do without in the run up to the World Cup in South Africa this Summer.

Then there's John Terry. A court injunction which prohibited the printing of details of his recent affair was lifted on Friday afternoon and opened the floodgates for a wave of headlines to wash away the England captain's reputation.

Pressure is growing in today's tabloids for Terry to stand down as England captain and save manager Fabio Capello from having to get involved and make a big decision. Then would come the inevitable debate over who should take over and that would mean shifting the focus back to on-the-pitch performances.

Many will say it is too soon for Wayne Rooney to be given the England armband. They're probably right but the artful destroyer is in the form of his life having just hit his Premier League century. If the England captaincy is on his wish list, you would not bet against him.