The Blues have now entered a hugely important January transfer window, one which will dictate whether they successfully fight against the drop for consecutive seasons.
And here are our Blues player ratings for the campaign so far…
29. Colby Bishop - 5
Upon returning from heart surgery, Bishop demonstrated he could thrive in the Championship to finish as Pompey’s top scorer with 11 goals in 32 games, including a hat-trick at Norwich. Yet he is a shadow of that player at the moment, with one goal, while his form has also plummeted alarmingly to the point where Kirk has started ahead of him on occasions. Currently sidelined by an ankle injury, such has been Bishop’s struggles, the Blues will need to sign another centre-forward in January. Photo: Graham Hunt
30. Thomas Waddingham - 5.5
(5 games, 0 goals) A strong pre-season in which he netted four times augured well for the campaign ahead, while the Australian featured in all five of Pompey’s opening matches, four of which came from the bench. However, after tearing his thigh in September, he remains absent, with a comeback date pencilled in for February. Had he been fit, Waddingham would have been ahead of Kirk to rival an out-of-form Bishop. Photo: Graham Hunt