Gaffer: We're Portsmouth, we shouldn't boo individuals like at Bristol City - we're the best in the world at getting behind them
Gaffer For A Day, Paul Fletcher, aged 29 from Fratton, assess Pompey’s 3-0 defeat at Bristol City...
What did you make of the team changes?
I thought John Mousinho would rotate, but I didn’t think he would drop arguably our three best players.
Maybe drop Callum Lang and play Josh Murphy, or the other way around, but don’t drop both. If they’re tired and it’s needed then fair enough, but it then showed the lack of depth in the squad.
Paddy Lane again looked slow and not a Championship player, the players don’t look good enough to rotate. I am a big fan of Owen Moxon, he came on against Watford and did brilliantly, but on Sunday nobody wanted to make a forward pass.


I don’t agree with those changes, but he’s the head coach. After listening to Mousinho’s interview, I thought he was going to at least apologise. He’s the best man for the job, but he got it wrong against Bristol City - and I think deep down he knows that.
Any players deserve praise?
Terry Devlin is my man of the match, just because he stuck at it. Others were half-hearted, we were second to any ball, and he was the only one that gave a bit of heart and cared.
I saw 11 players who look like they’ve never met each other, making Sunday League errors. A lot of people are going to say Sammy Silvera was rubbish and Marlon Pack was rubbish, but we win and we lose as a team. We have to realise that no-one in that team really stood out or pushed them forward.
As long as the fans get behind the team and don’t pick on individual players then hopefully we can get three points against Swansea, which we need now.
How did you view the Silvera reaction from fans?
I hate talking about it and I know people will probably slate me for saying this, but we are Portsmouth Football Club, we don’t sing like that to players.
I feel sorry for the lad, I really do. He had a stinker after not playing for a long time, but get behind the boy. Don’t boo him off and sing to take him off, it was so, so wrong.
We had a bit of a chat on our supporters’ coach afterwards and the older boys all agreed - we are Pompey, so why are we doing that to a player?
Fair enough, he deserved to be taken off, but don’t sing ‘Send him back’. Deep down he knows he didn’t have a great game.
It’s embarrassing for him as a player and a bit embarrassing for us as fans because, when the chips are down, Pompey fans are the best in the world at getting behind players.
What do you want from the transfer window?
We have good defenders, but they aren’t fit, so I want to see another centre-half. Pack isn’t quite quick enough.
We also need a bit of pace going forward, Paddy Lane was flying last season, he doesn't seem as quick this year. We need someone who can move the ball, run and do something.
I’d say we have to recruit 5-6 players, which is going to be a tough recruitment job. We must do it right because we now have half a season to pick up the points required to stay in the Championship.
And the way it’s looking, we’re only going to be able to stay up through our home record.
Nicolas Schmid - 4
Terry Devlin - 5
Marlon Pack - 3
Ryley Towler - 4
Connor Ogilvie - 4
Andre Dozzell - 4
Owen Moxon - 4
Matt Ritchie - 4
Paddy Lane - 3
Sammy Silvera - 3
Colby Bishop - 5
