Why Portsmouth are 'hopeful' they finally have the solution to end wretched injury woes
Chairman Michael Eisner revealed in August that the Blues were contemplating creating they important role
Rich Hughes remains ‘hopeful’ that installing a head of performance can finally resolve Pompey’s injury woes.
And while the Blues have yet to begin the interview process, their sporting director is adamant they are progressing encouragingly in their search.
In August, chairman Michael Eisner told The News of Pompey’s plans to create a head of performance role, with a focus on maximising player fitness and availability.
The Blues’ wretched injury problems have long been a headache for the Fratton Park hierarchy, with a frustrated Eisner eager to oversee a potential solution.
And the hunt is continuing to appoint another key figure at Fratton Park.
‘We have a real clarity of what we’re expecting’
Hughes told The News: ‘Considering it’s a new role, we’re making sure we shape it in the right way, making sure we are bringing in the right type of person - and we have real clarity of what we’re expecting that person to do and the influence they are expected to have.
‘Effectively, it’s helping to strengthen the medical sports science department and being a very active link between medical sports science, John and the coaches. It’s tying everything together to make sure there’s a very close link.
‘We have a Pompey strategy and we want to replicate how we want to play, how we want to work in the gym, and really tie all those elements together which have been done really well.
‘It’s about coordinating it and bringing it all together to try to maximise player availability, player fitness and player strength. Hopefully that will mean an improvement on injuries.
‘There’s a lot on that front (injuries) and we’ve not shied away from knowing we’ve really been on the sharp end of the injuries in the Championship.
‘But we don’t want to be just best in class, we want someone who has an ability to try to predict where the game’s going, what it looks like and how we stay at the sharp edge of the thinking and periodisation of the players.
‘We are not currently interviewing, but it is progressing nicely. That’s probably not operating on the same timeline as the first-team development coach (Joe Morrell), but we are really happy and content with where that sits at the moment.’
Pompey are also in the process of appointing a first-team set-piece and training analyst, having recently advertised the position.
The role, which is an existing one and involves working with first-team coach Michael Doyle, has become available with the current occupant set to move to another club.
In the meantime, Hughes believes one of the causes of injuries this season has been the change in footballing laws in order to speed up matches.
‘Eye-opening this season’
He added: ‘For me, one of the things which have been eye-opening this season is the new rules which have been put in place in the Championship to help the spectacle of the games and the tempo of the games.
‘In terms of ball in play time, that’s had a significant effect on the way games are played out. Take the games against Charlton this season and last season, there were six or seven minutes difference in ball in play.
‘That sounds like a big period of time because it is and it has a big effect, so that’s what we want to do with the role of performance director.’