Finally Portsmouth possess a strategy to get out of League One - and they need one after three years of miserable failure

The purpose of the imaginative social media post was to highlight Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s remarkable record against Anderlecht.

No draws, no defeats and seven victories – or, if you prefer, 007.

Burgess departed for his Belgian adventure in July 2020, having already agreed a Fratton Park exit ahead of a subsequent League One play-off defeat to Oxford United.

Curiously, Kenny Jackett named the centre-half as captain for the Kassam Stadium second leg, a man not usually influenced by sentimental weakness and pesky emotion.

Still, within 72 hours of a penalty shoot-out loss signifying semi-final heartbreak for consecutive seasons, the former Middlesbrough man was heading to Folkestone’s Eurotunnel to catch a double-deck shuttle to Calais.

In the ensuing years, Burgess has won the Belgian First Division A, finished Belgian Pro League runners-up, triumphed in the Jules Pappaert Cup, featured in the Champions League, reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League and included in the 2020-21 Team Of The Season.

And in the same period Pompey haven’t even reached the League One play-offs.

It’s a sobering statistic which highlights the Blues’ consistent failure to establish themselves in the top six, now stretching to three successive seasons.

Jackett and then Danny Cowley paid the price for overseeing declining fortunes of a club which previously established themselves as regular promotion candidates during times now regarded as halcyon.

In life post-Burgess, Pompey’s highest League One finishing position has been eighth, while the only talent sold for significant money was Marcus Harness – and even that was at a loss compared to the initial July 2019 outlay.

The closest the Blues have come to a play-off return was in 2020-21, when a final-day defeat to Accrington at Fratton Park dumped them out of the top six at the death.

Otherwise, there can be no cries of foul, no hard-luck story, no miscarriages of justice, no Darren Cann’s flag, no off-side Ormondroyd, no Solomon-Otabor, no winter player.

Pompey have simply not been good enough for the last three League One seasons and, ultimately, finished precisely where they have deserved.

Yet there were heartening indications of a rallying during the second half of last term following John Mousinho’s appointment.

He inherited a side languishing in 15th and slipping worryingly towards the relegation zone, hauling them into eighth, while undefeated in the final 11 fixtures of the campaign.

Sadly the rookie head coach couldn’t perform miracles with his wing options, with a glaring lack of creativity and consistency in wide areas being a pivotal weakness. Truthfully, Colby Bishop scored 24 goals in spite of them rather than because of them.

Indeed, the additions of Anthony Scully, Gavin Whyte and unknown quantity Abu Kamara already appear to be a significant – and much-desired – upgrade on Reeco Hackett, Owen Dale and the long-term injured Ronan Curtis.

Nonetheless, it represented an encouraging entrance from Mousinho, albeit left with far too much to do with that group of players to drag them into the play-off positions.

Unquestionably it was a gamble from Andy Cullen and Rich Hughes to hand the head coach role to somebody without any managerial background and marginal coaching experience, yet their choice is refreshing.

Rather than focusing on the usual suspects wearily trawling club to club, they opted for a different direction, exploring outside the box in pursuit of the success which had eluded older heads in Jackett and Cowley.

It represents an alternative game plan, yet at least it is a game plan. Certainly after Hughes’ appointment in October 2022, the Blues are finally following a strategy which suggests they are in control of the situation.

That was impressively reflected by early transfer dealings, with nine signings in the opening 19 days of the summer window, of which four were purchased.

Whether the present total of 12 recruits possess the right calibre to reinvigorate a Pompey promotion challenge remains to be seen, nonetheless they are operating to a working plan rather than transfer whims of managers.

And while there has been a squad overhaul, what mustn’t be overlooked is the retention of two of last season’s best players – Colby Bishop and Joe Morrell. How vital they will prove in the season ahead.

Elsewhere, Will Norris provides Pompey with their first permanent keeper since Craig MacGillivray was puzzlingly jettisoned, Joe Rafferty and Zak Swanson are strong right-back options, the ever-dependable Connor Ogilvie is still around, while new skipper Marlon Pack and a fit Tom Lowery create a strong central midfield unit.

As previously mentioned, much is expected of Scully and Whyte from wide positions, particularly the former, who has a fine goal-scoring record from two eye-catching seasons with Lincoln.

Inevitably, some have doubts over Pompey’s promotion credentials, yet the key performers of a side which finished eighth last term remain at Fratton Park, with 12 new faces bolstering that strength.

Bristol Rovers kick-off the Blues’ seventh successive season in League One, long-term residency rightly met with rising anger from an ever-frustrated Fratton faithful.

May we all be celebrating Championship football at the end of it.