Sky Sports pundit believes 'big-name player' needed to take Portsmouth back to where they belong

That’s the verdict of former Aston Villa midfielder-cum-TV pundit Lee Hendrie, who believes Kenny Jackett ultimately paid the price for failing to take the Blues far enough during his near four-year stay at Fratton Park.

The club confirmed on Sunday morning that the former Millwall and Swansea boss had left his position at PO4 – less than 24 hours after the Papa John’s Trophy final defeat to League Two Salford on penalties.

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The move also came after Pompey dropped out of the play-off places following Ipswich’s 1-0 win at home to Plymouth.

In a statement released by the club, Blues chief executive Mark Catlin said the hunt for Jackett’s successor had already begun.

He also emphasised that the search would take ‘as short as possible’ as the Blues maintain a belief that promotion via the play-offs is still within their reach.

The News understands that former Barnsley and Hearts boss Daniel Stendel is high on the wanted list, while ex- Millwall and Cardiff boss Neil Harris could also be an option.

It remains to be seen if that’s a direction of travel Pompey will go down.

In the meantime, though, Hendrie believes the club and it’s ‘magnificent’ fans need a so-called big name to help fulfil expectation levels.

He also claims the Blues won’t be short of interested parties.

When asked if the now vacant managerial position would attract plenty of interest, the former England international said: ‘Yeah, I think it will, it’s a big club – there’s no doubt about it.

‘You look at the teams that have drifted into League One and how hard it is to get out of there – and obviously Kenny has found that a big problem.

‘I think it needs a big player to go in there, I really do.

‘I just feel like it’s one of those clubs that is classed as a Premier League outfit for me and it needs somebody big to take them over the line and get them back to where they belong.

‘The fan base is absolutely magnificent, I’ve played there many times and I think it’s down to the sheer frustration of the fans that they want to get back towards the top flight.

‘I think Kenny has done a magnificent job there, first and foremost, they were very consistent, but not quite got them over the line.

‘So I put it down to those circumstances, that they just haven’t gone (far enough) in the right direction and seriously got over the line to get back in towards the Championship and towards the Premier League where they belong, to be honest.’

Hendrie added a lack of momentum would not have helped Jackett's cause, with Pompey’s past seven league games producing just a solitary win.

That form has seen them fall to seventh in the table ahead of key games against Peterborough and Ipswich this week.

And with a top-six spot the minimal standard set for this campaign, it heightened the need for a much-needed shake-up.

The Sky Sports pundit said: ‘Losing to Salford, who are a league below, I think that was the final nail in it, just because, just like you say, momentum (is key to any promotion push).

‘I did the (Pompey) game midweek against Sunderland, and in comparison, Sunderland were streets ahead.

‘You just sensed they need an injection of something.

'They’re still in the mix of things with the play-offs so you just expect someone knew coming in can shake things up and give them half a chance of getting back into the Championship.’