‘The commitment I’m making’: Portsmouth boss’ big statement over future as he lays down Fratton vision
John Mousinho has outlined a long-term Pompey vision with him remaining at the Fratton helm
The Blues boss has admitted he can see himself staying put at PO4 for the long haul, after last week committing his future to the club.
Mousinho has signed an extension to his existing agreement which runs until 2028, with sporting director Rich Hughes also extending his terms.
It’s a huge shot in the arm for the Fratton faithful, with the two key pillars of Pompey’s title success rewarded for their efforts as the club secure their assets.
Mousinho has spoken of the opportunity to now build ‘something special’ at PO4, with the 37-year-old also embracing the city and living in Southsea.
And the head coach has spoken of the benefits of doing just that over a number of years with Pompey.
Mousinho said: ‘It's great to have (the feeling of commitment) from both sides. The message, I guess here from myself and the football club is that we both want to make this work long term.
‘I'd love nothing more than to be here for many, many more years and hopefully be successful as we go forward.
‘I think that it can be rare in football these days to get that longevity and that long-term commitment.
‘I'm not naive enough to think that if things go disastrously, we are just going to plough on with our heads down and ignore everything.
‘But I think it really sets a nice marker that we both want to go forward here - and we both want to make this a real success.
‘That's part of the commitment that I'm making to the football club as well.
‘You never know what's around the corner, but in signing the longer-term contract I’m showing I've loved my time here.
‘I've got a huge affinity for the football club. It always helps when you have a year like we did last year and you create so many amazing memories.
‘I walk around the city and engage with fans. People don't mind telling you how brilliant last year was, how much is changed their lives and changed the whole feel around the city. That's brilliant.
‘So I'd love, I honestly love nothing more than to keep that going.
‘We're trying to build things very, very sustainably and sensibly. I think the only way to do that is to try, as best you can to keep the personnel in place and do that together.
‘The model we operate at this club should be one that if, for whatever reason, the head coach isn’t here, then hopefully there's some continuity because of the sporting director. They have the structure in place, the right players for the football club in place.
‘That's always something I think the club aspire to, but I think it's even better if you can actually have both. If you can have the head coach, the sporting director, the players and the staff all building together, I think that's the best possible outcome.
‘Football clubs can definitely do it both ways, but I think some of the most successful football clubs over my lifetime have been ones that have worked together for a number of years and had a lot of success.’
Mousinho clearly has faith that he will be afforded the tools to allow Pompey to continue growing on the pitch, under the ownership of the Eisners.
But he acknowledged there are short-term issues to contend with, before the long-term vision can flourish.
Mousinho added: ‘That would be amazing if we can do that (build something special), but we've got games to win in the Championship first of all.
‘So we have got one eye on the future, but we’ve also got a task on our hands at the moment.
‘The biggest thing is that we did so well to get out of the league last year, so we have to make sure that doesn't go to waste.
‘We have to make sure that we consolidate in the Championship, because I think that brings a bit more stability to the football club.
‘I think the finances then start to change as you stay here for two, three to four years. Then you look beyond that, and I think everybody at the football club would like to look beyond the Championship at some point.
‘But we can't get ahead of ourselves, we have to make sure that we take care of the jobs in front of us first.’