'Away with the fairies': Portsmouth boss John Mousinho delivers powerful Championship message
The Blues have taken 14 points from the last 18 available in the Championship
John Mousinho cannot tell you how many points Pompey are clear from the relegation zone. Likewise, he remains unaware of the tally difference between the play-offs.
For the Blues’ head coach, the present state of play with the Championship table is irrelevant - and certainly won’t be allowed to influence club mindsets.
A return of one defeat in 10 matches has positioned Pompey in 10th, with high-flying Swansea the latest to succumb during this remarkable - and entirely unexpected - run of results.
A gruelling schedule of eight games in 28 days had the potential to define the Blues’ season, particularly considering the calibre of opposition, with Southampton, Sheffield United, Norwich, Wolves, Millwall, Burnley and the Swans on the agenda.
On Saturday, Mousinho’s men will face promotion-chasing Stoke (12.30pm) for the final fixture before a two-week international break.
And with 22 points already secured, their highest at this stage of the season since returning to the Championship, the head coach is focussed on amassing more, rather than reflecting on possible safety.
‘There is no obsession with that at this stage’
Mousinho told The News: ‘I don’t know how far we are from the relegation zone. My mindset is very much points accumulation, trying to win as many games as possible, as quickly as possible, then going from there.
‘I’m also unsure about looking upwards. I think we are right up there, I’m not sure if it’s goal difference or a couple of points. Although the other week we flipped into the play-off places for a couple of hours, then the 3pm results came and we were back out.
‘There is no obsession with that at this stage of the season, it's something to look out for much closer to maybe the two-thirds mark of the season.
‘The Championship has a very easy way of biting you if you’re away with the fairies and all of a sudden think you’ve cracked it. We need to make sure we don’t think that way.
‘I remember the first season in the Championship and beating Leeds at home on the Sunday (March 2025). We were 10 points clear of the relegation zone. By Saturday, six days later, we were four points clear having lost to Plymouth and Preston - and had been dragged back into it.
‘The important message there is you have to make sure you take every game as it comes, try to win the next match. We are 14 games in, let’s have a discussion around the 30-game mark and see what the table looks like then.
‘There are plenty of sides through the years who’ve had very, very good starts and all of a sudden go through a patch where you lose a number of games. We will always make sure we don’t get carried away.’
12 points clear of the relegation zone
Reflecting on the Championship table, Pompey are presently 12 points clear of the relegation zone, while 15 points above second-from-bottom Derby.
Following West Ham’s 3-3 draw to Cardiff on Wednesday night, the Blues are now one point short of the Hammers in the final play-off position in eighth place.
And on Saturday they will host a Stoke side placed fourth in the table, having won eight of their last 11 in all competitions.
Mousinho added: ‘Ultimately, the goal this year is to move away from where we've been over the last couple of seasons and progress off the back of that.
‘We will keep focusing on that, we will keep making sure we try to win as many games as possible, we’ll keep putting points on the board if we can.
‘We have a very difficult end to a very difficult run on Saturday and, as soon as we get back off the international break, it’s Bolton away, West Ham at home and Wrexham away. None of those are easy games, they are all incredibly different.’
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