Portsmouth boss’ forceful response as faithful air frustration at SEVENTH campaign in League One

The Blues boss is adamant he can’t afford to get wrapped up in angst among the Fratton faithful at a SEVENTH successive season in League One.

Mousinho underlined his empathy with supporters who’ve made their feelings known at the club’s position, as their place in the third tier was officially confirmed next season last weekend. And the head coach knows that means he will be facing expectations to deliver success now, amid the club’s plans for sustainable development.

But Mousinho made it clear he intends to maintain laser focus on the areas he feels he needs to impact in the months ahead.

He said: ‘I completely understand everything around that (frustration among fans), but that’s really not what I need to focus on - otherwise you get lost in everything.

‘I knew that coming into the job. I knew that, as much time as everyone would like, I’ve been here three months and people want promotion. I get it and I understand it. I’m not surprised by it and it’s something I have to deal with - and we have to deal with that as a football club.’

This season has witnessed some toxic scenes with fans furious at a stalled campaign under Danny Cowley, with frustrations boiling over in games against MK Dons and Charlton in particular. Demands will be high again moving forward, but Mousinho feels the likes of sporting director Rich Hughes and chief executive Andy Cullen can maintain a balance and focus on Pompey’s targets.

Mousinho added: ‘Thankfully, I think we have some really level-headed people at the football club in terms of the structure and executive. That just makes me really sure that we know what we need to do and the timescale we need to do it.

‘Of course you want to see progress and of course people are disappointed we’re not in the play-offs and we haven’t gone up this year, there’s no doubt about that. But we need to keep focussing on the long-term targets and we’ll be fine.’