'No short-term decisions' - Mark Catlin addresses Kenny Jackett's Portsmouth future

The Blues manager has come under increased fire from supporters following play-off semi-final elimination at the hands of Oxford United.

However, his position at Pompey’s helm remains unaffected ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

Pompey’s chief executive today addressed the issue of Jackett’s future in the club’s ‘Ask Mark Catlin’ feature, taking questions submitted by fans.

And he once again voiced his support for the manager appointed in June 2017.

He told the club: ‘I have said this for seven years now, even in League Two when there were massive outcries to get Paul Cook out of the club. Absolutely horrendous, on a match day it was terrible here at times, we have to remember that.

‘We stuck to our principles and have arrived at a place where we have just missed out for two seasons on automatic promotion and that is considered, rightly so, to not be great for us because we want to make the Championship.

‘But we want to make the Championship when we are in a position to do it under the right conditions and, as I have often said, that will not be fast enough for some people.

‘Some people want to try to short circuit that by making what we would consider to be short-term decisions that, in our opinion, will not benefit the football club long term.

‘All I can go on is the facts of the performance of the manager. Other people have a different opinion and we do respect that, but, ultimately, it is myself under the guidance of the board which makes the final decisions.

‘It’s great to listen to various opinions from a broad spectrum of Pompey fans.

‘Ultimately, as any business, it’s not a popularity contest, at times we are going to make unpopular decisions, but we have to continue to do what we believe is right for the football club.’

During his interview with the club, Catlin also stressed Pompey’s desire to maintain self-sustainability.

It’s a model which has been adhered to since emerging out of administration in April 2013.

He added: ‘On all the key barometers on how you judge a football club, including league position, the club has continued to rise, all self-sustainably.

‘That's our model, that is the strategy, that was the plan under fan ownership, it’s the plan under Tornate ownership.

‘Yes there are going to be storms along the way. We will not be blown off course, we stick to our principles, stick to our beliefs, ultimately we will get to the Championship or the Premier League in the future when we are ready to do so.

‘If we don’t do it one particular year or two years or three years, it’s about as long as the club continues to move in the right direction on and off the pitch, because they are linked. We will stick to that strategy, we won’t be blown off course.’

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