I'm hoping we don't have another winter of Portsmouth discontent

Pompey couldn't start 'winter time' with a win over Oxford / Picture: Joe Pepler

Something I’ve wittered on about for a good few seasons now is Pompey’s tendency to play much better in British Summer Time.

Compared to their record in Greenwich Mean Time, their BST stats make them world beaters.

If football were a summer game Pompey would be Champions League regulars. Well, perhaps.

One year I spent hours studying a decade’s results and compared GMT points per game with the BST equivalent. I produced the stats in a column and although I can’t now remember the detail, I know the difference between ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ performance was marked.

At no time has this been more obvious than in 2012-13, when Pompey – just relegated to League One and in their second administration in three years –didn’t, shall we say, have a wonderful winter.

In seven games before the clocks went back, Pompey won four and drew one. Their record from the start of GMT to the start of March? L L L L L L L D D D L L L L L L L L L D D L D.

Grim times - not helped, I should point out, by not having much in the petty cash tin at the end of each week.

That was an extreme example but there have been plenty of seasons when the Blues have started and ended in flying form but have trudged through winter gaining few points. The Great Escape season of 2005-06 is another.

So if Pompey’s form dips when dark evenings come around, what are we to expect from the months ahead?

A campaign that's brought too many away defeats and some pretty turgid displays at home could do without taking a turn for the worse.

Well, my point (late in the column even by my standards) is: Maybe this is when we reverse the trend. Twenty-game unbeaten run anyone?