'That excites me': Portsmouth boss John Mousinho addresses his difficult captaincy dilemma
Marlon Pack has been the Blues’ captain since January 2023
Pompey’s captaincy is up for grabs as John Mousinho searches for an on-pitch alternative to Marlon Pack.
The veteran midfielder is no longer assured of a regular starting spot, prompting the Blues to run the rule over other candidates to wear the armband during matches.
With Pack on the bench against PEC Zwolle last weekend, Josh Murphy was named as skipper, although had already been substituted when Thomas Waddingham claimed a last-minute winner.
Similarly, Regan Poole led the team in the first half against Farnborough and captained the Blues on occasions last season when Pack found himself on the bench.
Meanwhile, Matt Ritchie is now out of the equation as he seeks a Fratton Park exit, while Colby Bishop is currently sidelined with a groin issue.
And with the Championship season kicking off at Oxford United on Saturday, Mousinho is exploring his options.
Mousinho: Marlon has been absolutely outstanding as club captain
He told The News: ‘We have been working on a few things in pre-season with the various leaders we've got in the group and, for me, the captaincy is a really important part of the football club.
‘Marlon has been absolutely outstanding as club captain. Whenever he has been on the pitch he has been captain - and rightly so - he’s been amazing since he has been in the building.
‘I certainly think we have players in the building that, whether they wear the armband or not, will play in the same way and behave in the same way. That is a credit to a lot of those senior leaders.
‘Murph being captain last weekend was one thing I just wanted to do. Not experiment with by any means because anybody who wears that armband has to earn it - and Murph has definitely earned it.
‘I think we can look at a few different options this season and it’s up for grabs. That’s a reflection of the fact we’ve got some really good leaders on the football pitch.
‘I quite like that, I don’t think we need to be hard and fast about who we appoint, we can have some flexibility - and that excites me.’
In the absence of Bishop, Poole remains the most likely to wear the armband against Oxford on Saturday.
He and Conor Shaughnessy will begin the season as Mousinho’s preferred centre-half pairing, with injury having split them up as regular partners since November 2023.
Certainly the head coach has been impressed with Poole during pre-season after a frustrating last 18 months with injury and, as a consequence, form.
‘I have been very, very pleased’
He added: ‘Regan has done it pre-season and captained the side on a number of occasions last year.
‘I spoke to him before the PEC Zwolle match about what we were doing and he was absolutely fine with it, he understood what we were trying to achieve out of it.
‘Regan is one of those who will not change his persona on the pitch, regardless of whether he’s wearing the armband or not. I have been very, very pleased with how he has reported back for pre-season anyway.’