The impending head coach appointment which shocked Portsmouth, surprised Oxford United and stunned football

Those at Oxford United were similarly surprised to discover John Mousinho’s destination.

In a Wednesday night phone call, Pompey sought permission to speak to United’s veteran defender, signalling the ramping up of their pursuit.

It rubber-stamped the Blues’ preference for Mousinho over Liam Manning and Ian Foster. Revealed by The News earlier today, it’s an unexpected decision which has shocked football.

Pompey’s covert approach during the 18-day process has been meticulously executed, a cloak-and-dagger operation overseen by Andy Cullen and Rich Hughes.

With all interviews conducted well away from prying eyes around Fratton Park and the training ground, while involving a small circle of trust, there were no loose lips.

Then again, few would have considered Mousinho a natural successor to Danny Cowley. Certainly he would have been on long odds – had the busy bookies heard of him.

No disrespect intended, yet the 36-year-old’s impending arrival represents a left-field choice. A bold decision or risky gamble, it depends on perception at this early stage.

As a player, his leadership credentials are impeccable. A former captain of Stevenage, Burton and Oxford, he is renowned for providing a powerful dressing-room presence across a career which also includes Wycombe and Preston.

With 550 appearances, two promotions and a lifetime serving in the lower divisions, the central defender is undoubtedly well-acquainted with League One’s challenges and charms.

As a head coach, however, he remains very much an unknown quantity and rightly regarded as a rookie.

Mousinho does possess his Uefa Pro Licence, a qualification a step higher than current Pompey caretaker boss Simon Bassey, while, at one stage, attended the same coaching course as the Cowleys.

At the Kassam Stadium, he was being eased into coaching responsibilities, with duties primarily focused on set-piece plays over the last two campaigns.

By all accounts, Mousinho was not merely restricted to that area, regularly assisting with other aspects of training sessions, in addition to helping from the match-day bench.

However, Leon Blackmore-Such and Craig Short are boss Karl Robinson’s main coaches for the team which are positioned 13th in the table.

Indeed, Mousinho’s playing career has been winding down for quite some time with the emphasis turning towards a coaching future.

That is reflected by just four League One starts in the last three years, totalling 30 appearances overall during that period.

This term he has featured eight times for Robinson’s side, his most recent outing coming in November in the FA Cup against Woking as an 84th-minute substitute.

He was last involved in a U’s squad as a player on Boxing Day, unused off the bench in a 3-0 defeat at high-flying Ipswich.

Then came the phone call which surprised Oxford United, with Mousinho subsequently not present for Thursday training, having been granted permission to hold Fratton Park talks.

Once confirmed, he deserves the Fratton faithful’s backing, respect and patience afforded every Pompey boss to have taken on a prestigious position.

A promising young coach has backed himself to wrestle with arguably the toughest job outside the Championship at present.

Granted, Mousinho represents a bolt from the blue – now let’s judge him on his future, not the past.