How Portsmouth's first 9 games compare to Championship's bottom five from this time last year

Portsmouth were dealt a huge defeat last week when Stoke City ran riot on home soil to stamp a 6-1 win over the Championship new boys. The loss at the Bet365 Stadium resulted in a lot of backlash on John Mousinho’s side as they marked their biggest defeat since 2008.

Marlon Pack admitted he was ‘embarrassed’ with the performance and that the shifts his team have been putting in since their promotion have not been good enough. The News’ chief sports writer Neil Allen also raised some concerns over the Stoke City result, addressing the relegation threat and describing it as a ‘wake up call’ for Pompey.

“Even in Pompey’s darkest days, they never lost 6-1. It was absolutely dreadful — this was not merely a bad day at the office, this was, for me, a huge wake up call about their potential relegation from the Championship. I know it’s only eight games in but it was alarming against a supposed rival to stay in the Championship,” Allen said on a recent episode of Pompey Talk, which can be watched on Freeview Shots TV.

Fortunately, Portsmouth were able to come away with a result over the weekend against Oxford United. A Mark O’Mahony goal was enough to see Pompey clinch an important point but they remain in the bottom three headed into the international break.

With five points on the board and them yet to find their first win of the season, Mousinho’s side sit 23rd in the table, ahead of Cardiff City on goal difference. Queens Park Rangers are two points ahead, while Luton Town and Coventry occupy the 21st and 20th spots.

There is still a long stretch of the season ahead for these teams to make things right but as league action takes a brief break, we’ve compared the current bottom five to those in the same positions this time last season.

20th — Watford (9 points)

Watford had won just two of their nine games played so far at this point last year but this time round they are way up in sixth place with 15 points on the board and five wins in the bank. Final league position in 2023/24: 15th

21st — Middlesbrough (8 points)

Middlesbrough are currently ninth in the Championship table with 14 points, six points better off compared to this point last season with five defeats registered. Final league position in 2023/24: 8th

22nd — Queens Park Rangers (8 points)

QPR finished six points above the drop zone last season and their struggles have continued into this campaign. They are actually doing worse than last time round, with seven points on the board so far right now compared to eight last year. Final league position in 2023/24: 18th

23rd — Rotherham United (5 points)

Rotherham’s tough 2023/24 season ended in their relegation. After picking up just five points from their first nine games, the Millers dropped down to League One as they were unable to pick up their form and finished a hefty 18 points below their closest opponents. Final league position in 2023/24: 24th

24th — Sheffield Wednesday (2 points)

Sheffield Wednesday had a huge relegation scare and finished just three points above the drop zone. After recording the worst start to the season out of the whole Championship, the Owls have kicked on to a much better start this time round. Banking 11 points compared to last season’s two from their opening nines games is a huge improvement. Final league position in 2023/24: 20th.