Gaffer: I'm not impressed - put Portsmouth players in their right positions

Gaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, aged 20 from Fratton, looks ahead to Pompey’s trip to Wycombe...
Gaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe PeplerGaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe Pepler
Gaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe Pepler

I’ve not been impressed by Kenny Jackett at all.

Realistically, how many good games have we played since winning at Norwich in the FA Cup? I have not gone home thinking “We've played really well today”.

In 2019 it has been pretty bad. I know we beat Bradford at home 5-1 in March, but they are nothing opposition. At this point we’ll be lucky to beat Bolton by two.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We’ve got Southampton on the way as well, I know people who think we’ll be turned over by four or five. I think it needs a change, it's not working with this manager at the moment.

At one point I wanted Paul Cook out, but I wish we had him now, he was brilliant.

For this match at Wycombe, we have to go 4-4-2 – and players need putting into their proper positions.

Tom Naylor is our best midfielder and is wasted at centre-back and while I love Christian Burgess, he is not a right-back, his crosses have a 4/20 success rate!

Gaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe PeplerGaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe Pepler
Gaffer for a Day, Ashley Arnell, from Fratton, wants Ellis Harrison to start against Wycombe. Picture: Joe Pepler
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ellis Harrison is a good player who really gets involved and needs to start, he also wins more in the air than John Marquis.

I was at the Norwich under-21s and Birmingham cup games which he started and he must be put into the team, not out wide either.

Ryan Williams can get good balls into the box and, although he is lacking match fitness, the more he plays the better he will become, particularly having had no pre-season.

As for Ross McCrorie, all the Rangers fans have been raving about him – which shows the gulf in class between their league and the Football League.

If he’s good over there, then anyone could play in their league, it seems.

Pompey: MacGillivray, Bolton, Burgess, Downing, Haunstrup, Williams, Close, Naylor, Curtis, Harrison, Marquis.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.