Heat, sweat and feng shui: Inside Portsmouth’s Ireland training camp
The News have been invited into Pompey’s pre-season training camp in Ireland this week. Here’s what was seen as the heat, intensity and banter increases ahead of a third Championship campaign.
The conversation among Pompey staff had turned to sun cream and the various methods of application.
John Mousinho’s Portuguese heritage allowed for a relatively low sun protection factor while others, including sporting director Rich Hughes, sought refuge from the morning Irish heat under a gazebo.
The demands as relentless and unforgiving as the quips traded
It was a sensible vantage point to assess a session set up with a sense of pride by Mousinho’s No2, Jon Harley, who was keen to accept any plaudits for his efforts.
A pat on the back wasn’t the correct course of action when it came to coach Ed Denton, however, whose sweat-soaked training top told of his toil after joining in with a drill focussing on defensive patterns of play.
The fact Denton would've emerged drier from standing under a shower speaks to the levels these players are operating at, even when things had to be dialled down after a week of high-intensity work across the Irish Sea.
Standards had been set the previous day by skipper Marlon Pack, who made a mockery of his veteran status in the distance running.
It was new young gun Eoin Kenny who’d caught the eye setting the pace, as the second of Pompey’s summer signings showed he meant business following his arrival from Dundalk.
Pack timed his kick to perfection, however, to come through late and cross the line first. ‘Tell that to the people who say I can’t run,’ smiled the squad’s leader, when reflecting on his efforts.
In a week where Kenny has gained his maiden insight into the standards he must now meet, the levels have increased significantly for Pompey ahead of a busy beginning to their pre-season fixture schedule next week.
The demands have been as relentless and unforgiving as the quips traded back and forth, though the banter quality has been more variable than that witnessed in the passing drills.
The BBC’s Andy Moon ploughing through a sharing bag of crisps at 10.30am was noted by the players. ‘It’s just some food to keep me going between breakfast and lunch,’ Moon offered as an explanation for his dietary habits. 'They call that brunch,’ came Hughes’ deadpan response to guffaws.
The humour arrived in more slapstick form via the unnamed players who opted to ransack the media team’s lodge, employing their very own application of feng shui through their furniture placement.
A padel tennis tournament is set to offer some a departure from the work being put in, but the competitive instincts innate in this group won’t be far from the surface.
It's that and the anticipation at what lies ahead for recruitment which dominates, as Pompey’s players' moods echo supporters relishing the raised bar for transfer spending.
It was Josh Murphy who was keen to point to the level of those already in the building, however, highlighting a sturdy foundation on which ambitions can be built.
It’s echoed by the harmony now established in this squad which will greet newcomers, a unity required as this group aim higher for the Championship challenges ahead.