Portsmouth legend Guy Whittingham: It looked like players weren't trying for Jackett and team spirit is lacking

And the Blues legend and former manager questioned the unity of the dressing room, after the hugely-disappointing defeat to the Latics continued the poor start to the season.

Kenny Jackett’s men’s performance completely lost its way from a promising early position at Fratton Park on Saturday.

Whittingham, in his role with BBC Radio Solent, pointed to the lack of cohesion and understanding in Pompey’s performance as cause for concern

While not being comfortable with questioning effort, the hall of famer admitted that’s how it came across from the players.

Whittingham told Solent Sport: ‘First and foremost, you have to say as a player you can’t let any disagreements you might have in the way you play, or the way the manager treats

you, affect your performance on the pitch.

‘You have to give 100 per cent all of the time. That’s what you are meant to do.

‘But added to that is a cohesion within the team and being willing to work for each other.

‘You’d think that would be there from this group of players who have been together a fair while now.

‘You wouldn’t expect that not to be there, but it didn’t look like it was there this afternoon.

‘Disjointed, definitely and the connections between the midfielder and strikers, full-backs and wide players just wasn’t there. Just wasn’t there at all.

‘They looked like a group of strangers playing a game of football, that’s how it looked.

‘There’s times when things don’t come off, but I certainly in my career don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a team who doesn't look like they’re trying to give their all.

‘I’m sure Portsmouth players were. Perhaps they look somewhere else to get some inspiration, and they’re looking to the sideline for some.

‘As an ex-player you don’t like to aim at the players and say they’re not trying and I’m sure they were - but that’s how it looked.

‘Whether they want a bit more guidance on the pitch might be the case.

‘I don’t think I can aim at the players, they stopped trying, but I didn’t see any encouragement for each other out there.

‘I saw lots of moaning going on, but I didn’t see it going the other way.’

Whittingham added there were signs evident the togetherness of the Pompey camp isn’t what it should be under Jackett.

He said: ‘People complain that’s the way Pompey play, and it is the way they play, buy when they play poorly it stands out more I suppose.

‘It was a poor performance.

‘Even at the end of the game all four of the Wigan subs who didn’t get on were out doing a run straightaway.

‘Portsmouth a couple came out with the fitness coach and then one more came out. It didn’t look like they were together.

‘I was just wonder if there’s a real team spirit there at the moment.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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