On the day Portsmouth Football Club decided to take legal action against the Daily Express for alleging the south coast club were lining up Alan Curbishley to replace underperforming manager Tony Adams, one thing remains clear, Adams is surely favourite to be the next Barclays Premier League boss to be relieved of his duties.

Portsmouth refuted the newspapers claims on the their website this morning and Alan Curbishley has also denied any knowledge of the story but none of this speculation will be doing anything for Adams sleepless nights.

The former England and Arsenal defender has failed to live up to the standards set by predecessor Harry Redknapp before the latter jumped ship to Tottenham Hotspur and has in reality seen the pressure increase on his position as Portsmouth manager from day one.

It is not usual for a club to threaten legal action as soon as they see a story in the press and the fact Pompey seem "edgy" probably relates to just how much pressure is currently on their chosen manager. The Daily Express is not a tabloid "gossip" newspaper and the may well just have got it wrong, this time.

His rise to Portsmouth boss