Danny Cowley's blueprint to chase the January transfer demons away from Portsmouth

And the Blues boss has defined how he intends to put those demons to bed when transfer business begins in the new year.

The memory of being top at Christmas in two of the past three seasons, and then failing to capitalise on that position hangs over the club.

Failing to bring in the players who could sustain that charge successfully was a significant factor in those failures to reach the Championship.

And in discussions with staff and fans, Cowley can feel the uncertainty those memories have created.

He said: ‘The challenge and the aim is to make January much more productive than it perhaps has been in recent years.

‘The years we were top here, having lived it at Lincoln in our second season in League Two, it’s what could stop us getting promoted? Then you have to recruit towards that.

‘For us this season, it’s what can help us to get the team to continually improve?

‘We want to keep improving this season, but we also want to make sure that come the summer we’re in a much better position than we were last summer.

‘Then if we need, say, six maximum of eight, we can really hone in on what we need because we already have the spine of the team together.’

Cowley isn’t afflicted with the same concerns many associated with Pompey feel when it comes to January recruitment.

The former Lincoln and Huddersfield boss pointed to a sound recruitment record at this time of year, when discussing the transfer window.

The 43-year-old is clear on the process required to get things right, when it comes the business of signing players.

He added: ‘You have to know what you are and know what you want.

‘You have to have complete clarity over how you want to play, then you have to have complete clarity over how each position on the pitch has to play to get to your game idea. Then you have to act accordingly.

‘It filters. The players we have available to us for the finances we have available, along with the ones who can fit it with how we want to play - there’s very few of them.

‘So we have to target those and find out they are good people who will fit in with the group.’

Pompey boss Danny Cowley has detailed how he’s well prepared to deal with the uncertainty of football postponements

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