Home truths and player inquests: John Mousinho on how QPR humiliation transformed Portsmouth's season
The Blues have taken 11 points from a possible 15 since the 6-1 hammering at Loftus Road
Out of darkness comes light - and John Mousinho is adamant Loftus Road humiliation has transformed Pompey’s destiny.
Reeling from a 6-1 humbling at QPR, with sections of fans turning on the players, head coach and owners during the passionate inquest, a Blues side winless for six matches were careering towards League One.
Coinciding with the onset of the international break, Pompey were presented with the timely opportunity to regroup and reassess ahead of the final eight matches which would dictate their Championship future.
With discussions ranging from lengthy player meetings to tactical tweeks, Mousinho’s revitalised squad re-emerged from the two-week sabbatical armed with a new gameplan and fresh outlook.
Following 11 points from 15 games, they now head to Coventry tomorrow night (7.45pm) in the knowledge that safety is tantalisingly within grasp.
‘It was more of a mental rest than anything’
And Mousinho pinpoints that QPR debacle as the decisive moment which turned their season.
He told The News: ‘We are not at that stage yet where we’re looking back at the season, we are still very focused on making sure we finish the job in terms of staying in the league.
‘In the moment now, however, that QPR game did us a lot of favours in terms of resetting as a squad.
‘I think it was probably more of a mental reset than anything else. We had time to sit down and reflect, to decide a couple of bits, not necessarily tactically but how we go about games, how we’re going to be a bit more difficult to play against and how to come out of the other side of it - and thankfully it has paid off.
‘We had a very long meeting at Loftus Road and then, on the first day we were back, had about 2-3 hours with the lads at the training ground. The second day we were back, we went through the QPR game and had a bit more time with them, putting everything to bed.
‘We kept going back over things we needed to go back over, but mainly for me it was about making sure we had a group of honest players in there who wanted to speak and wanted to contribute. It wasn’t just me that was talking.
‘We pulled ourselves out of the hole. Regardless of what we did in the final eight games of this season, it was about showing fight and showing some determination to stay in the league.
‘The international break definitely helped. After a loss like that, sometimes you think it’s best to get straight back on it and play again on the Tuesday. I said at the time we needed a break, we needed a break mentally, we needed a break physically.
‘We had a lot of players who were extremely tired, they were out on their feet, while we’d picked up a couple of injuries around that time as well.
‘Since then we now have fully-fit Conor Shaughnessy back, we have now managed to play him twice in a week for the first time in a long, long time. We’ve started to pick up a few more players, hence at the point where we’re looking to leave 5-6 out of every match-day squad.
‘We haven’t changed fundamentally as a side, the players haven’t got hugely better. The mentality has been spot on, it was really helped and buoyed by the equaliser at Norwich - and confidence and momentum is a big thing in football.’
11 points from a possible 15
Pompey appeared to be a side destined for relegation on that Saturday afternoon at Loftus Road, with even those ever-forgiving away supporters turning on them.
Positioned one point above the relegation zone with a game in hand, suddenly the Blues were the most out-of-form team among the five relegation rivals - and certainly the most likely to drop.
Then an 84th-minute own goal by Pelle Mattsson presented Mousinho’s men with an unexpected point at Norwich, while Andre Dozzell’s 88th-minute leveller against Oxford United earned the 10-men a gutsy 2-2 draw.
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Then there was Conor Chaplin’s winner seven minutes into time added-on at Middlesbrough, coming from the Blues’ only shot on target and their second corner of the match.
Successive home victories against Ipswich and Leicester followed, marking the first time since March 2011 that Pompey have registered three consecutive Championship wins.
And they can complete their survival mission tomorrow evening at Coventry with two games to spare - even in defeat, should Oxford lose to Wrexham.
‘I always had faith in them’
Mousinho added: ‘I always had faith in them. I was obviously upset after the QPR game, but the build up to that had been five matches where I thought we were extremely competitive.
‘I know we got blown away at Loftus Road, but it wasn’t a 6-1, it was one where everything just flew into the back of the net. Of course that’s not acceptable, we should have played a lot better on the day, but I knew we could do it.
‘I knew the confidence was low, but I was looking at lads who wanted to play, wanted to fight and wanted to run - and that gave me a lot of belief and a lot of confidence.
‘I didn't envisage us picking up this many points, not as quickly as we have done, but, as I reflect on these five games, I can see how we’ve done it.
‘If you lose faith you are done for because it seeps quickly into the players and they would sniff that as well. It was all about being positive and being realistic about the situation.’