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Cameron Hatwell & Jack Chaundy

Mousinho: Fans still sceptical about tactics

Updated: Nov 15, 2023

Portsmouth's manager John Mousinho was appointed in January


John Mousinho post-match | Pompey 2-2 Charlton Athletic


There’s no doubt that Portsmouth FC has had a fantastic start to the season. The club’s manager, John Mousinho, and his new summer signings have played a key role in the club’s big turn-around in form this season.


But how do the people of Portsmouth feel about the club and the manager’s recent success? We went out, to test our interview skills, and get the voice of the people on this important question.


“If we don’t go up, he should be gone,” said Pompey John, who we interviewed just near our newsroom, on the corner of Ken’s kebabs and Speedy Pizza.


Pompey John told us that he’s been a season ticket holder for “donkeys yonks”. He was being cautiously optimistic, he said. However, he recognised that Pompey have experience of “fucking it up after Christmas”. He also acknowledged that the Blues are currently reliant on only a few players, some of whom are on loan, such as Alex Robertson from Manchester City.


We also interviewed Adrien, 57, who has lived in this lively city of Portsmouth for 20 years. Nonetheless, despite his love for the city, he is a born and bred Barrow A.F.C. fan. He told us that “Portsmouth are a big club who are ready to go up,” due to their “impressive” 26-game unbeaten run in the league.


He also had some wisdom on the loss in the FA Cup to Chesterfield. This was “not a big embarrassment” he reckoned as it stops Portsmouth from “getting too big for their boots”.


Adrien whose “heart is Barrow” said it’s “his dream for Barrow to get promoted and play Portsmouth at Fratton Park”, and that he’d “buy all his colleagues tickets” if that were to happen.


However, our two interviewees had a difference of opinion on Pompey manager John Mousinho. Pompey John argued that if Mousinho does not take the club into the Championship then he “should be gone”. This is despite the fact that Mousinho has a very impressive record since his arrival.


Pompey John was quite animated on how he doesn’t like Mousinho’s “tippy tappy, crab football” – a reference to playing too defensively at the back of the pitch.


Adrien however, didn’t seem to mind the crab tactics. He said he’d been impressed with John Mousinho since his arrival, saying that the team “deserves promotion due to their high possession stats”.


So there you have it – our first vox pop interviews, and two valuable viewpoints on the future of Pompey.


Donkeys yonks: Can you spot Pompey John in the crowd? He’s been a season ticket holder in the Fratton end for quite a while.







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