Business as usual for under-fire Kenny Jackett with no fresh discussions with Portsmouth owners

Kenny Jackett revealed he hasn’t heard from Pompey’s owners for a week as it’s business as usual at Fratton Park.
Kenny Jackett, left, with Michael Eisner    Picture: Joe PeplerKenny Jackett, left, with Michael Eisner    Picture: Joe Pepler
Kenny Jackett, left, with Michael Eisner Picture: Joe Pepler

Supporter pressure has ramped up on the under-fire boss following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon.

The Blues are now 18th in League One – one point off the relegation zone and eight points adrift of the play-offs, following an awful start to the League One season.

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However, there has been no suggestion of crisis talks held within Fratton Park corridors.

A relaxed Jackett admitted owners Tornante have not been in touch since Pompey’s latest setback.

Meanwhile, chief executive Mark Catlin is presently out of the country on a pre-planned trip with his wife, scheduled to return after Saturday’s visit to Bristol Rovers.

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In the meantime, focus is fixed on a return to winning ways against Lincoln on Tuesday evening.

Jackett said: ‘Obviously we are not where we want to be.

‘In terms of amount of contact, it has been similar with the people that are on the board in this country and the ones in America. It has been a similar routine.

‘Mark (Catlin) will phone on a Saturday and sometimes on a Sunday, if he is in the country or not, that does tend to be the case.

‘The situation with the board of directors over in America is they come over on quite a regular basis, the last games they saw were Southampton and Bolton.

‘The last time I heard from them was a week ago.

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‘They're disappointed with the results, like we all are, and looking forward to trying to do better and, if possible, climbing that league.

‘Results aren’t where we want them to be, but my focus is obviously Lincoln and Bristol Rovers. I feel if we can get our game right we can win, we can win on a consistent basis.’

Pompey have won three of their past 16 league fixtures, a poor run stretching into the end of last season.

Yet Jackett remains encouraged at aspects of Saturday’s performance, regardless of the last-gasp Kingsmeadow defeat courtesy of Terell Thomas’ header.

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And Pompey’s boss pinpoints victories as the most persuasive way to win back supporter belief.

He added: ‘There are points and parts of Saturday we got right, we have to try to build on that promise, because there was some promise.

‘We must build on that and put on a performance that actually gets us over the line.

‘All you can do is win your next game and series of games. Focus doing that and being accurate, open and encouraging to the players to give them the platform to do their best.’