'I was really missing football and bored': Danny Cowley on his Portsmouth 52-day gamble which paid dividends

Danny Cowley has spoken of the Pompey gamble which began with a 52-day job and has now reached a year.
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Under the title of interim head coach, Cowley was handed a 12-match audition to clinch the role permanently.

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Arriving with brother Nicky, the pair backed themselves to impress and secure a Fratton Park stay beyond their initial short-term deal.

After subsequently steering the Blues into eighth in League One, Cowley was appointed at the season's end in May 2021 – and challenged to overhaul a squad which had reached the end.

And this weekend he marks a year at the Pompey helm, with Wycombe visiting the south coast.

Cowley told The News: ‘It has been really full on, an incredible challenge, but great fun and a real privilege.

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‘I was really missing football and bored, so we came in for 12 games and 52 days.

Danny Cowley marks a year in the Pompey job this weekend - after initially handed 52 days to impress on a temporary basis. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImagesDanny Cowley marks a year in the Pompey job this weekend - after initially handed 52 days to impress on a temporary basis. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages
Danny Cowley marks a year in the Pompey job this weekend - after initially handed 52 days to impress on a temporary basis. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages

‘I always think we have 20,000 supporters who would give everything to manage Portsmouth Football Club for one day, so the opportunity to do it for 52 days was certainly something we were going to jump at.

‘Maybe other managers wouldn't have done it and come in on an interim basis, but we only see the opportunity in life.

‘We believe in our work ethic, we believe in our skill set, and we were going to attack it head on.

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‘When we came in, the team had been in a difficult period, they were on a poor run in the league and had just lost the Papa John’s Trophy final at Wembley.

‘Initially it was very much for us to galvanise the group, try to put in some energy, some enthusiasm, maybe some fresh ideas, and run with it.

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‘We picked up a group with a lot of players out of contract. We were in a similar position ourselves I suppose, but we aligned ourselves pretty quickly to take the job in hand.

‘We saw the opportunity to manage a football club which meant so much to so many people. I love football and Portsmouth people love football – we thought it would be a good fit.’

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Pompey are presently 10th, although the midweek 1-0 defeat at Plymouth leaves the play-offs looking increasingly distant.

Overall, he has managed the Blues for 57 matches, winning 25 of them and losing 20.

And Cowley is adamant the club is making progress under his tutelage.

He added: ‘Has it been as fast as we would have liked? No. Will I ever be happy? No, I will always want more. But we have made a lot of progress behind the scenes.

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‘We are trying to improve every provision that supports the first-team. We want to create an elite environment where there are no excuses for the players, where they are very well looked after.

‘That allows them to keep learning, keep improving and to perform consistently game in, game out at their best.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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