Rose: Loyalty will give Pompey the edge

The Blues midfielder feels continuity will provide the opportunity to shine in the third tier next season.

Pompey have signalled their intent to retain the current squad after dramatically storming to the League Two title on the final day last weekend.

And Paul Cook has been preaching a message of showing faith in the players who delivered for him this campaign.

Despite that, skipper Michael Doyle has departed for Coventry City after an ever-present run in the league.

And player-of-the-season Enda Stevens looks set to move to the Championship, with Sheffield United offering the Irishman a contract Pompey can’t match.

Rose has been lifted by the club’s policy of sticking with the players who earned success, however.

He said: ‘It’s reassuring as a player to hear that. Sometimes when you have mass changes it doesn’t always work out.

‘This time last year, the gaffer pretty much made mass changes.

‘I’m not sure of the exact number but it seemed like there was around 10 out and 10 in.

‘Sometimes you need to do that but when the club is on the up, it’s not always what is needed.

‘So it’s reassuring to know a manager has faith in his players he has at the club.

‘I’m not sure if the expectation will be as intense in League One but we’ll certainly be a big team in there.

‘As long as we can keep the nucleus of this squad together and maybe add three or four to that in key areas, we can do well.

‘There’s no reason that with backing to strengthen in key areas we can’t have another push if not go all the way.

‘I know it’s easy to say that now but there’s certainly a positive energy around the whole club as the moment.

‘Smaller teams than us have done it.

‘You only have to look at the likes of Burton who’ve done it on a smaller budget.

‘They have shown if you can keep the squad together and add one or two more that it can happen.’

Rose has one year remaining of his deal after signing last summer and explained he’s settled in the area.

He said: ‘I’ve moved my wife and three kids down. They are all settled at school.

‘As long as she’s happy and settled, along with the children, I’m good.

‘We have no intentions of moving out of the area.

‘I lived too far away to commute before. I could have done it where I stay over two or three nights a week.

‘But we did that at Northampton and we want to be together as a family.

‘Where it was such a big club it was worth making the move to be in such a nice area of the country.

‘I feel happy here and settled.’