The Portsmouth summer signing struggling to win admirers - yet Blues boss must keep the faith
The Blues have used two goalkeepers in their opening seven matches of the Championship season
It was the dawning of a glorious new era, fan ownership had saved Pompey from potential liquidation and a popular Hall of Famer was challenged with inspiring the rebuild.
Unfortunately, uncertainty over the goalkeeping position would contribute towards a poor start - and Guy Whittingham’s dismissal just 16 games into the 2013-14 campaign.
Free transfer John Sullivan began in goal, then the following match it was Phil Smith. Four games later, Sullivan was back. By the 12th fixture, Trevor Carson was the new number one.
Unsurprisingly, such selection chaos over a pivotal position was not conducive to success in the early stages of that season, as summer hype and promotion declarations crumbled into a familiar relegation battle.
A goalkeeping cautionary tale if ever there was one, particularly for those who witnessed Sullivan in the flesh in the 4-2 defeat at York in September 2013.
In the present, Pompey have already used two keepers in their opening seven league matches. If some had their way, Nicolas Schmid would be recalled for Southampton when the Blues are next in action.
Curious start to Portsmouth career
Daniel Bielica has endured a curious start to his Fratton Park career following his arrival from NAC Breda in July.
Just four games into his debut season in England, an introduction yielding two clean sheets to date, and the Pole is under increased pressure, certainly from some outside the dressing room.
With their financial situation and player model, Pompey were never going to splash out £500,000 on a goalkeeper from the Dutch top flight to serve as a back-up from the bench - and so it turned out.
Despite Schmid being handed full 90-minute outings in the final two first-team friendlies, an apparent vote of confidence, he was subsequently dislodged after three Championship matches.
Granted there was a little indecision for QPR’s first goal, when asked to deal with a ball clipped into the six-yard box, but then he was beaten by a deflection and then a miskick for their second and third in August’s 3-1 loss.
As for the Austrian’s kicking, his penchant for finding touch far too often had long been a bugbear of the Fratton faithful, while seemingly John Mousinho was also not impressed considering he was dropped for Derby.
Since then, his replacement Bielica has conceded four goals - with question marks over his role in three of them - while his distribution has been significantly worse than Schmid.
Forgettable Derby debut
Clearly these are early days for a goalkeeper adjusting to a new club in a new league in a new country, a few teething troubles are entirely to be expected in such testing circumstances.
Before his Derby debut, the 27-year-old’s sole outing as a Pompey player was in a behind-closed-doors friendly against SC Kuwait, in which he kept a clean sheet and featured for the full 90 minutes.
While Mousinho absolved Bielica of blame for being beaten at his near post by Dapo Afolayan, there was no such forgiveness for their second, which emanated from a poor clearance by the Pole.
Coupled with a forgettable debut when Sam Szmodic’s shot crept through his legs and in at the near post just 16 minutes into his Pompey career, it’s understandable there are already early doubts among supporters.
Portsmouth’s ruthlessness with goalkeepers
Certainly in the past, Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes have demonstrated their ruthlessness with goalkeepers, with League One title-winner Will Norris a fine case in point.
Yet a third goalkeeping change eight league matches into the season - and at St Mary’s of all places - would surely be a chaos the Blues could well do without, particularly of their own doing.
Also bearing in mind two centre-half injuries inside a week are now likely to see Regan Poole and Madiodio Dia occupy the centre-half positions against Southampton, you would question whether, in addition, bringing back Schmid after a four-game exile would not represent good timing.
Bielica needs time, patience, trust and a decent run in the team to properly demonstrate his worth - and for us to be able to accurately assess his attributes.
As Guy Whittingham discovered to his cost 13 years ago, chopping and changing goalkeepers can be hugely self-defeating in pursuit of victories.