The grim truth: Why Portsmouth's Premier League fantasy is heading for League One reality
Pompey are back in the Championship relegation zone for the first time since January as concerns deepen
Even Abdul the Steward was struggling to dredge up any semblance of positivity as Pompey plunged into the Championship relegation zone.
‘Cheer up everybody, Christmas is coming’ was his comfort-blanket handed out to glum-faced supporters streaming through the Fratton End gate. An admirable attempt, but this was understandably a tough crowd.
A dismal 1-0 defeat to Bristol City had plunged John Mousinho’s strugglers into the bottom three for the first time since mid-January.
If that sobering statistic wasn’t depressing enough, there are another four fixtures to stomach before the delights of the festive season truly kicks in. The wretched flipside to the ever-sunny Abdul’s coin toss.
On Saturday, the Fratton faithful made their feelings abundantly clear, with patience finally snapping as the players embarked on their time-honoured tradition of applauding the home support after the final whistle.
10 defeats in 19 matches this season
The gesture largely wasn’t reciprocated, with boos hurled back in response by a Fratton End fuming at another lacklustre showing and a 10th defeat in 19 matches in all competitions this season.
The likelihood is a Canaries side under new management and savouring a first win in 14 matches on Saturday will comfortably get out of trouble. The worry is the Blues will not.
Only Sheffield Wednesday have a worse goal difference, only Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer. And Sheffield Wednesday’s only win? Against Pompey.
Chairman Michael Eisner last week startlingly declared an ambition for the Blues to return to the Premier League. It was ill-judged and unrealistic. Sometimes telling the fans what you think they want to hear can create entirely the opposite reaction.
Certainly with this playing squad, the current funding levels, and a recruitment model still to get off first base, Pompey are nowhere near achieving such lofty aspirations. Nor should they be paraded as contenders.
It seems an age ago, but around this time last season a haul of seven points from a possible nine, coinciding with Colby Bishop’s Preston return ahead of schedule following heart surgery, generated much-needed belief Pompey could haul themselves off the foot of the table.
As it turned out, during a remarkable second half to the campaign, constructed upon the indomitable Fortress Fratton, Mousinho’s men would stay up with two matches to spare.
The head coach overachieved by winning the League One title in his first full season. He overachieved by claiming 16th spot in his maiden Championship campaign. So is he underachieving with this current squad? Not a chance.
Far more summer signing misses than hits
Last summer, Freddie Potts and Rob Atkinson returned to their parent clubs, while Matt Ritchie’s bust-up with Mousinho curtailed his Fratton Park career in an untimely fashion. They have still to be replaced by players of sufficient quality.
And therein lies the problem. Of those 11 players recruited last summer, of which seven involved transfer fees, just one can consider himself a worthy first-team regular - Adrian Segecic.
In the repeated injury absence of Conor Shaughnessy, Josh Knight has been offered the opportunity to impress, yet still hasn’t stamped his authority in the centre of defence alongside arguably the Blues’ best player so far in Regan Poole.
Indeed, of the summer additions, only Segecic, Josef Bursik and maybe Minhyeok Yang can be considered as successes. Even then, one is a back-up keeper and the latter chiefly only fired during an impressive three-week period in October.
Puzzlingly, Conor Chaplin and John Swift have still to fire. Which is particularly frustrating considering their natural talent and high-calibre performances with other clubs at Championship level.
Meanwhile, Luke Le Roux hasn’t made a squad since rightly being hauled off at half-time at Hull, Mark Kosznovszky clearly possesses good technique and excellent work-rate but doesn’t appear to have an effective position, while the hugely disappointing Florian Bianchini hasn’t featured since a surprise two-game recall.
As for Makenzie Kirk, the 21-year-old striker who plundered goals against East Kilbride, Raith Rovers and Elgin City in the Scottish League Cup for St Johnstone at the start of the season, it is a ridiculously tough ask to expect him to instantly adapt to Championship football.
Colby Bishop’s struggles
Certainly Pompey are desperate for a starting alternative to Colby Bishop. The sole competition at present is Kirk, with the 20-year-old Thomas Waddingham’s Blues career continuing to be devastated by injury.
Armed with hindsight, some are demanding Bishop should have been replaced in the summer. Yet, having been a pivotal figure in survival and finishing as top scorer, including a hat-trick at Norwich, there weren’t too many doubting his Championship credentials at the time.
Of course, since then the former Accrington man has netted merely once, is without a goal in 15 matches, and his form has disappeared, leaving a shell of a striker unrecognisable from the Magic Man who led the goal charts for three successive seasons.
In any other position, a player suffering such a predicament would be withdrawn from the starting XI and challenged to regain confidence and belief before returning. Pompey’s problem is there’s no natural replacement, sparking selection by default.
By not signing an experienced striking challenger to Bishop in the summer, the Blues were gambling that their first-choice forward would not collect serious injury. They never banked on his form evaporating instead.
Incidentally, Christian Saydee has not scored since August and is currently 10 games without a goal for a Wigan side presently placed 16th in League One. Fellow summer departee Kusini Yengi is earmarked to be swiftly moved on by Aberdeen next month.
There remains cause for hope, however. Rich Hughes’ January transfer windows have generally been excellent since his October 2022 arrival, arguably the source of his best work over the years.
Except this time around, more than a little tinkering is required. This is a team on its knees and clearly demonstrating insufficient quality to remain in the Championship. Significant financing rather than bargain hunting could be imperative.
Meanwhile, Mousinho has switched systems and rotated personnel, while pinning his hopes on key players returning from injury, but glaring problems still stubbornly exist. Changing the manager won’t miraculously transform Pompey’s fortunes.
As ever, a manager in this position has to accept criticism, two wins in 14 matches cannot be shrugged off on account of comfortably being the Blues’ best boss since either side of Harry Redknapp.
Mousinho absolutely proved himself as a Championship head coach last season. Indeed, in the summer there was a genuine fear he may be snapped up by a more ambitious club better equipped for promotion. Now he is struggling - as are the team.
The January transfer window will make or break Pompey’s Championship residency. Forget a Merry Christmas, unless it’s a Happy New Year then League One beckons.
Your Next Pompey Read: Rich Hughes details Pompey's 'busy' January transfer plans amid growing relegation concerns