‘This could be the year’: Former Southampton man’s ringing endorsement for Portsmouth faithful and boss
The former Crystal Palace, QPR and Charlton Athletic boss has been speaking and, despite his strong Southampton connections, has talked glowingly of Pompey’s prospects.
This could be the year for Pompey to ‘boom’ in the Championship.
And Blues boss John Mousinho has got his club upwardly mobile in the second tier, as he was given a ringing endorsement of his Fratton tenure.
Dowie on Pompey: ‘Maybe this will be the year’
Former Southampton striker Iain Dowie has also lauded the ‘ridiculous’ Fratton Faithful for the backing of their side, as they prepare for a new Championship campaign.
Pompey are counting down the days until the league curtain-raiser at Oxford United this weekend, as their second campaign in the division gets underway.
Mousinho’s men are in good shape going into the opener, with a strong pre-season culminating in a 1-0 win over Dutch side PEC Zwolle.
It’s all about league action now, however, as the Blues look to build on a strong end to last term which saw them finish 16th in the table.
And Dowie believes there’s cause for optimism for Pompey fans, as he highlighted the impressive job Mousinho is continuing to carry out.
The former Crystal Palace boss admitted he thought would soar to new heights under Michael Eisner’s ownership, but can still see the club accelerating under the American’s stewardship.
Dowie highlighted the likes of Callum Lang, Josh Murphy and John Swift as talent which can help Pompey succeed this season.
Speaking to BoyleSports, about the latest football betting, Dowie said: ‘John Mousinho is doing a great job at Portsmouth, he only tripped up last year because Colby Bishop wasn’t fully fit which was a shame to see.
‘They’ve got Callum Lang, Josh Murphy, and brought in John Swift. You can also name Andre Dozzell, Nicolas Schmid, Hayden Matthews and Terry Devlin.
‘I think John Mousinho has got them on the up, whether or not it’s enough we will have to see, they had that Disney connection and I thought they would boom, maybe this will be the year.
‘If Pompey got going, trust me, their fans are ridiculous. Mousinho has done a great job so far.’
Former Southampton man was offered Pompey role
Dowie’s positive comments come despite the former Northern Ireland international’s strong association with deadly rivals Southampton.
The striker spent four years along the M27 in his playing career, making 122 appearances for the club.
He came close to joining Pompey, however, and was strongly linked with becoming Harry Redknapp’s assistant in 2002 before Jim Smith took on the role.
Speaking of Redknapp’s push to bring him to Pompey, Dowie said: ‘He (Redknapp) offered to take me as his No2 at Portsmouth when I was at Oldham.
‘But I was under contract at Oldham, so they wouldn't let me go. I would have gone, probably, if the request had been allowed.’
Dowie was also touted for the Fratton hot-seat before Avram Grant took on the position in 2010.
The 60-year-old has been out of management since 2010 after a stint with Hull City, having previously held roles with the likes of QPR, Palace and Charlton Athletic.