You've got to both feel for and admire Pompey supporters.

The way they've stood by Portsmouth throughout years of turmoil, relegation, bankruptcy is truly admirable and there are many fans up and down the country that wish them best for the future.

But the truth is this. The club never recovered from the financial difficulties experienced back in 2009 and from there, things went downhill quicker than ever expected.

Under manager Paul Cook, things are looking bright and Pompey have made a good start to the season. They've claimed eleven points from their first six games and sit fourth in the table.

Now owned by the Pompey Supporters Trust, things are now heading in the right direction at Fratton Park. But in order to keep things on track, lessons must be learned and measures put into place to avoid such downturns happening again.

That's why we're opening the vault to take a look at some of the mistakes Portsmouth have made over the past few seasons.

Football League World author Hayden Atkins takes us through THREE errors that have been made in the last five years...

Administration round two

As has been well documented, Pompey have suffered a really turbulent six years or so which has seen them placed in administration twice.

The second time came in February 2012 after a Europe-wide arrest warrant was issued for Portsmouth owner Vladimir Antonov.

Millions were owed to dozens of outlets from players, administrators, Revenue and Customs and for general trade.

The club were extremely close to being wound up but somehow survived, something some Pompey fans still struggle to come to terms with today.

The club shot down to League Two and even teetered on the edge of relegation there for a couple of seasons but thankfully are now being run more stably.

The darkest hour in their history and arguably the biggest mistake in the history of the club. Could anything have been done? Probably not- it was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Losing Adam Webster this summer

Moving away from financial difficulties and back towards matters on the pitch, losing Adam Webster to Ipswich Town will be a massive loss for Pompey this season.

He featured over 35 times last season in all competitions and despite being just 21-years-old, he showed maturity beyond his years at times and really shone as Pompey finished sixth in the league.

Portsmouth fans will wish him all the best for the future I'm sure but they could have really done with keeping hold of Webster, who was sold for a mere £800,000- not much in today's transfer market at all.

Managerial merry-go-round

Since Michael Appleton took over in the winter of 2011, Pompey are now on their fifth manager in as many years.

The off-the-field troubles were seriously affecting Pompey's progress on the pitch and before you knew it, Appleton, Guy Whittingham, Richie Barker and Andy Awford had all been and gone.

But with former Chesterfield boss Paul Cook now at the helm, things are looking a little more stable.

He's guided them to a decent start this campaign and there's real hope he can bring back the fans to Fratton Park and get the team playing good football.

Now there is a little more stability, Pompey will hope to stick with Cook and his philosophies rather than changing the manager each season.

The managerial merry-go-round didn't help matters when things were tough enough already.