I’m alarmed by Ritchie departure – but reckon Pompey can pull off a top-half Championship finish

Which probably explains why, a year ago, I forecast a ninth-placed finish for the Blues in their first season back in the Championship for 12 years.

Come late October, that prediction looked wildly over-the-top as we continued looking for our first home win and sat bottom of the pile. Then came that Colby Bishop moment.

The big man's unexpected and emotional return to the pitch way ahead of schedule transformerd our home form, and our whole season. And in the end, we were not that many points off my hoped-for ninth spot.

But last season is last season and a new challenge lies ahead – how will Pompey fare now expectation levels have gone up a few notches?

John Mousinho and his staff and players – apart from most of the new guys - now know exactly what the Championship is all about, with their debut second-tier campaign under their belts. But will that make season two any easier?

I am going to say we'll fare better than last season. But I think the gains will be marginal, and I'm opting for an 11th place ending.

It would be most unlike Pompey to hover around mid-table for most of the season – this is a club whose campaigns almost always contain the prospect of promotion or fear of relegation – but I think 2025-26 might buck the trend.

Mind you, we're judging things three weeks before the transfer window closes and that is tricky. By the time Sky Sports have to put away all their fancy black and yellow graphics for another three months, we might have signed another four or six superstars.

So far, business has been... decent. No more than that. The likes of Segecic, Swift, Le Roux, Kosznovsky, Bianchini and now Yang all bring much promise, but to me, if you factor in those we have lost, we don't – yet – feel much stronger overall.

I'm particularly disappointed – alarmed, even – at the apparently imminent departure of Matt Ritchie, and not just because, like me, he's a Gosport boy.

I was over the moon when he returned last summer and thought that after a slow start, he was absolutely pivotal to the 11 home wins in 16 that saved us.

I can't say I really understand what's gone on to change his view or the manager's view of his importance in the squad for 25-26 and I think we'll miss him. We can only hope that Swift, another Gosport lad, brings some of the on and off-pitch qualities that Ritchie did.

Another striker feels essential – two would be nice – and then we'll be ready to roll, with a stronger start than a year ago, in terms of the points return, absolutely vital.

Elsewhere I can see Ipswich, Birmingham and Sheffield United being at or near the top; Oxford, Wrexham and Swansea at or near the bottom.

Leicester, sadly, will probably nab a play-off place; that lot up the road may not.

But if Pompey can do as I predict and finish just higher than the mid-point, we won't need to worry about the rest of them.

…

My predicted 1-24

1 Ipswich

2 Sheff U

3 Brum

4 Leics

5 Cov

6 Mboro

7 WBA

8 Norwich

9 Bris C

10 Millwall

11 Pompey

12 That lot up the road

13 QPR

14 Blackbn

15 Charlton

16 Stoke

17 Hull

18 Derby

19 Watf'd

20 Sheff W

21 Preston

22 Wrexham

23 Oxford

24 Swans