I was in the away end at Loftus Road for Portsmouth’s 6-1 defeat to QPR and this is what I saw as Fratton faithful snapped
Pompey were hit for six as they were humiliated by mid-table QPR.
‘League One again…’ was the chant of choice as 1,760 disappointed members of the Fratton faithful exited Loftus Road on Saturday as the prospect of third-tier football became a grim reality.
It was a Saturday afternoon where supporters once again descended on the capital full of optimism and hope that John Mousinho’s men could put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone ahead of the final international break of the season.
Following outstanding displays against Charlton Athletic and Millwall just one month ago, there was strong belief his troops could conjure up repeat success and make it three wins from their London trips.
But what proceeded was a catastrophic implosion on the pitch by Pompey, with that win at The Den on February 21 now firmly a distant memory.
Although a party-like atmosphere ensued against the Lions just four weeks ago as survival seemed almost certain, five defeats and just one draw in the six matches that have followed has seen the mood on the south coast drastically turn.
With the Blues 3-0 down within just 29 minutes at Loftus Road, tensions were high in the away end as supporters watched helplessly as their side were battered by a 12th-placed QPR side, who had lost five of their previous seven games going into the contest.
That was enough for some supporters, who had seen enough within half an hour, while others directed their frustrations to Mousinho, the Eisners and the players.
‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’, ‘We’re going down with the Wednesday’ and ‘We want our money back’ were just some of the chants directed towards the pitch as the Rs ran riot and eventually hit Pompey for six.
Murmurs of ‘We want Eisners out’ were also briefly chanted for the first time by small sections of the 1,760 supporters as their patience began to run thin with the Blues’ recent recruitment.
I - like so many others - have travelled up and down the country backing the club we love through thick and thin, and I’m still - even now - struggling to remember an away end as volatile and as angry in recent years as the one seen at Loftus Road over the weekend.
Away from home, supporters have notoriously given their whole-hearted backing to the team and the players. That’s what makes Saturday so surprising, but also highlights the gravity of Pompey’s current situation.
Ebou Adams was inconsolable at full-time, while Mousinho apologised to the travelling Fratton faithful alongside skipper Marlon Pack, who could only stand and watch the fans he once stood shoulder to shoulder with direct their disgruntlement.
With players’ confidence shot, and growing anger amongst supporters, the international break has come at a brilliant time for everyone at PO4.
Now is the time for the club to reset and go again for the final eight matches, with the all-important run-in set to determine the futures of so many on the south coast in the coming months.
The Blues still crucially remain above the relegation zone, and with key games against relegation rivals Leicester City and Oxford United to come, all is not written off just yet.
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