Portsmouth boss on shock comeback after five-month absence - and why he subbed superb Spurs man Minhyeok Yang
The winger’s previous outing came in Pompey’s 1-1 draw against Hull last season
Five months out, no pre-season and one week’s worth of training - yet John Mousinho had no qualms over throwing Harvey Blair into the action.
Now he has challenged the winger to add minutes to his game, having caught the eye on a long-awaited comeback.
Blair replaced the impressive Minhyeok Yang in the 63rd minute of the Blues’ Watford clash, operating on the left-hand side for his first outing since the start of May.
Having recovered from a serious hamstring injury sustained in the last match of the 2024-25 season, it was a moment to cherish for the 21-year-old.
And Mousinho was delighted with the ex-Liverpool’s man’s cameo, including having an involvement in Adrian Segecic’s leveller in the 2-2 draw.
Portsmouth boss: He was blowing after 10-15 minutes
He told The News: ‘It's great to have him back, it’s great to have that pace and power wide. He was really blowing after about 10-15 minutes and kept going, there is loads more to come from Harvey.
‘The next part of his progression is being able to play consistently at this level and churn out 60-70 minutes first and then 80 and 90 minutes because that’s what we see from the likes of Murph.
‘It’s an easy comparison because of the way they play and what we expect from both, but it’s also a good comparison to make because Harvey should strive for that level of excellence.
‘I want Harvey to take his full-back on and be positive, keep getting at their players. Sometimes he’s going to give the ball away, he’s got to shift it to go the other way too - and we need to see more of that.
‘With his comeback, we have been very, very deliberate and slow. There was a chance of him being on the bench against Ipswich and we decided not to, so it was the right time for him on Wednesday and it’s a next big step for him.
‘We didn't take any unjust risk with him, we knew he was fit to come on and do half-an-hour. The fact he had a bit of an impact and even just being on the pitch sometimes just gives you a bit of a life.
‘We had that ability to change our wingers after 60 minutes and I felt Harvey was positive, he got at his full-back and kept going.’
Replaced the outstanding Minhyeok Yang
There may have been eyebrows raised over the withdrawal of Yang to make way for Blair, yet Mousinho insists it was necessary.
The Spurs loanee was outstanding with his energy, commitment and directness, capped by opening the scoring on five minutes with a smart right-footed half-volley.
Yet Pompey’s boss wanted to protect Yang after only his third start of the season and felt it wise to substitute him.
‘It wasn’t a performance-based decision’
Mousinho added: ‘First of all, Minhyeok hasn’t had back-to-back starts for a long, long time, I am not even sure he had it last year with QPR.
‘He hasn’t had that full pre-season either, so it was more a physical decision to substitute him. When you’ve got that firepower off the bench, it’s good to bring Harvey and Segs.
‘It wasn’t a performance-based decision with Minhyeok, we are asking a huge amount for everybody in the team, but our wingers as well.’