Shell-shocked Portsmouth skipper issues apology to Fratton faithful after QPR humiliation
Pompey are now seven matches without a win after their 6-1 Loftus Road hammering
Marlon Pack apologised to the Pompey faithful and insisted: We deserved that reaction.
John Mousinho’s men produced a dreadful performance befitting a team destined for relegation as QPR hammered them 6-1 on an abject afternoon.
The game was effectively over after 28 minutes, with the dreadful Blues trailing 3-0 as Loftus Road basked in a goal glut at the expense of their struggling visitors.
There were chants of ‘We’re going down with the Wednesday’ and ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ long before the first half ended, as sections of the 1,760 travelling support made their feelings known.
Unsurprisingly, it was an ugly reception after the final whistle as Pompey’s players made their way over to the away end to applaud their fans.
The Blues’ captain afterwards issued an apology on behalf of the players - and admitted they fully deserved the criticism which came their way.
Pack told The News: ‘There were moments we couldn’t control, there is a bit of naivety in the team at times, especially being away from home, but I think it’s a hard one to digest right now straight after the game, when it feels a lot worse.
‘The supporter response was justified, completely justified, and we have to take that. The lads already know what it means to them as a football club, they pay their hard-earned money, they travel in numbers home and away.
‘Our supporters deserve more than that. We have a lot of making up to do, we apologise to the fans.
‘They follow us through thick and thin and probably had an understanding that we haven’t been too far away - with today being the final straw and having that buffer with the fans.
‘They were rightly vindicated in their reaction and it hurts to see it like that, the boys are hurting a lot and we have to get back to being hard to beat.
‘This was actually a realisation that we are in a relegation battle.’
John Swift scored what proved to be their consolation in the 38th minute with Paul Smyth (two), Ratan Kolli (two) and Richard Kone (two) the QPR scorers.
The Blues have taken one point from their last six matches, losing five of them, to plummet down the Championship table at a time when others have suddenly discovered momentum.
There is now a much-needed international break, with Mousinho’s men next in action on Good Friday at Norwich (April 3).
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