Gaffer For A Day: Portsmouth will do very well to still have John Mousinho in their dug-out next season
Gaffer For A Day James Wilson, aged 37 from Southsea, assesses Pompey’s 3-1 win at Stoke...
How did Pompey play?
It was a weird opening to the game with the injury to Josef Bursik after just four minutes and, up until Adrian Segecic scored his first, it was a real end-of-season affair.
What impressed me most about Pompey was that, in the first 10 minutes of the second half, they started really slowly and were pegged back, but they didn’t let them affect them too much.
They got back on the front foot, started making chances, and then dominated proceedings through the last 30 minutes of the game, being in total control.
Stoke were awful, I really expected a bit more from them, and Pompey thoroughly deserved the win. We offered so much more going forward, looking the hungrier of the two teams and physically better.
Admit it, you weren’t too hopeful before the game!
Okay, when I saw the team-sheet, I feared for Pompey, especially John Mousinho’s back line with the centre-back pairing of Madiodio Dia and Hayden Matthews! It filled me with dread, I thought it would be a 3-1 defeat.
Even in the opening 10 minutes, Dia lost out in a couple of duels against Robert Bozenik and I thought “Oh no, this is not going to end well”.
To be fair to both Matthews and Dia, they had very solid games. Dia in possession still frightens me and, defensively after that first 10 minutes, he was really solid.
Matthews was solid, not spectacular, he did everything asked of him, competed well physically and was strong. You were never going to get more than an hour out of him considering it had been so long since he last played.
As results go, it was a fairly comfortable afternoon for them.
Who’s your man of the match?
Unsurprisingly, it is Segecic. His finishing was outstanding, he was making runs in behind to stretch play and, if Pompey had been a bit better in the quality in finding him, then he could have been even more devastating.
His link-up play, his relentless pressing, it was an all-round outstanding performance and his best game in a Pompey shirt by a country mile.
For a first season in the English game, it is quite remarkable what he has done. He’s had those dips in between, so has kind of fallen under the radar, but he is still very young and still has work to do.
How important is it for Pompey to keep John Mousinho?
Everyone knows that John Mousinho’s stock is very high and Saturday was a clear plea from every Pompey fan at the ground: Please don’t go, John.
He is pivotal to everything Pompey have done over the last three years. He’s the biggest asset at the football club and we will do well to keep hold of him because, ever since he became head coach, his trajectory has been on an upward curve.
Pompey will do very well to have Mousinho in their dug-out next season because I think there will be interest from other clubs.
With a likely big overhaul of players coming into Fratton Park this summer, does he want to put himself through it again or is it time to move on? Obviously I want him to stay and days like Saturday with the supporters may help.
However, it will come down to what’s the next step for the football club. Where do they see themselves in the next 2-3 years? Is it going to be a continuation of struggling towards the bottom of the table or is there a plan off the pitch which can help take them to the next level.
As a head coach, there is no doubt Mousinho is ready to go to the next level, potentially at a comfortable mid-table club in the Championship, such as Bristol City - and that is where Pompey need to get to.
Josef Bursik (Ben Killip - 6)
Jordan Williams - 7
Hayden Matthews - 7
Madiodio Dia - 7
Connor Ogilvie - 7
Andre Dozzell - 7
Luke Le Roux - 8
Adrian Segecic - 10
John Swift - 6
Harvey Blair - 7
Colby Bishop - 6