Up for grabs: Yet Portsmouth's puzzling January signing won't be returning to Fratton Park
The January window recruit was signed to solve the Blues’ goal problem, but scored once in 15 games
It was the most damning moment of Jacob Brown’s ill-fated stint, a devastating statement on an underwhelming Fratton Park impact.
Despite hugely encouraging points against Norwich and Oxford United given the circumstances, John Mousinho’s men headed to the Riverside Stadium having failed to win in eight matches.
Battling for their Championship lives, the head coach opted to recall fit-again Thomas Waddingham to his squad at Middlesbrough. Surprisingly, the Australian’s first involvement in seven-and-a-half months was at the expense of a January deadline-day signing.
Brown, a Premier League scorer as recently as 2023-24, had been identified by Pompey’s recruitment team as a talented player to galvanize the goal-shy attack of a struggling side, injecting creativity and a greater penalty area threat.
Almost 10 weeks later, the 28-year-old had been left out of the Blues’ squad, despite the player having no injury concerns. Admittedly, he still accompanied the team on that gruelling journey, albeit as 21st man.
‘Jacob hasn’t done anything wrong’
‘We just look at the bench to get the balance of who you want to bring on - and what I saw was a situation where Tom would probably come on ahead of him.
‘Everyone is different, the players we have in the squad, the players we have on the bench. I think they’ve got different qualities and we just have to weigh that up.’
Brown featured in all five remaining games after that, including starting the season finale against Birmingham, as they secured their Championship status with two fixtures to spare.
However, what unfolded at Middlesbrough represented a crushing verdict on his time with the Blues. Now a free agent following his Luton release, don’t anticipate a permanent return.
One goal in 15 appearances for Pompey
In mitigation, the former Stoke man cannot be faulted for effort or endeavour, this was no Tyler Walker. Committed and a willing runner, when called upon he clearly gave his all to the cause.
What’s more, his 15 outings consisted of just five starts, of which four were at centre-forward. Incidentally, his sole goal arrived while operating as the number 10 against Swansea in a 2-1 loss.
For a player pinpointed as a potential goal-scoring savour in the battle to avoid a League One return, undoubtedly there was a lack of trust in Brown from Mousinho, even in times of desperation.
During a window in which Pompey scoured the transfer market for a new centre-forward to challenge a struggling Colby Bishop, the Luton man represented a late contingency plan.
Lined up for a switch to Barnsley, having fallen out of favour at Kenilworth Road following a lengthy spell injured - to the extent he couldn’t even get into their League One squad - the Blues intervened.
‘He has a real point to prove and we thought it would be a good bit of recruitment. Certainly in his 69 minutes against Preston, I felt he gave us a different dimension in our attacking play.
‘He led the line really well, I thought he was aggressive and mobile and different to what we’ve got. We wanted to strengthen in that position and what Jacob does is give us something a bit different.’
Four starts in the centre-forward role
Ultimately, of Brown’s four starts at centre-forward, two arrived when Bishop was unavailable through injury. He also totalled just 53 minutes in seven games after the QPR debacle during a critical period in their survival, then started against Birmingham in Bishop’s absence.
In truth, it represents a curious signing and, similarly, Brown’s underuse was hardly befitting a player purported to be the cutting edge the Blues so desperately craved in order to remain in the Championship.
Indeed, the jury remains out as to whether he is even a centre-forward or rather a flexible attacker more effective in the three positions behind.
What is absolutely certain, however, is this was another move which hugely disappointed - and don’t expect Pompey to seek a permanent return.
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