The managerial bullet Portsmouth likely dodged as Liam Manning prepares to swap Bristol City for Norwich

Pompey have, thankfully, never looked back following their inspired decision to appoint John Mousinho as Danny Cowley’s successor back on January 20, 2023.

Sat 15th in League One and without a win in 10 league games, the Blues have been on an extraordinary upward trajectory ever since with the 39-year-old at the helm.

A third-tier title, the delivery of Championship football for the first time in 12 years and a defying-the-odds 16th-place finish for Pompey on their return to the division are just some of the highlights worth mentioning.

And as both the head coach and the club continue to mutually benefit from that unexpected relationship struck up 862 days ago, it’s scary to think what might have been had sporting director Rich Hughes and chief executive Andy Cullen not taken a chance on the then Oxford United defender.

John Mousinho’s competition for top job at Pompey

Among the favourites for the job at the time was Paul Cook’s former Fratton Park assistant, Ian Foster, who has been out of work since Plymouth sacked him in April 2024.

There was also a certain Liam Manning, who was heavily fancied to replace Cowley in the PO4 hot seat and had been interviewed for the vacancy by the Pompey hierarchy.

The then out-of-work former MK Dons boss ticked a lot of boxes. Indeed, he was hugely admired within the corridors of power at Fratton Park - even if the fan base was largely non-plus at the prospect.

Yet, interestingly, that admiration never progressed, with Mousinho the candidate that stood out from the crowd. The rest, they say, is history.

Did Pompey dodge a managerial built?

Looking back on that period you can’t help but feel that Pompey dodged a potential bullet with that huge decision.

While Mousinho has proved to be an inspired choice and was the second-longest manager operating in the Championship at the season’s end earlier this month, Manning is on the cusp of his third managerial appointment since.

Successful stints at Oxford United and Bristol City have, of course, followed in the aftermath of that interview with the Blues, with the 39-year-old most recently leading the Robins to an unexpected sixth place finish in the second tier and a serious shot at promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

But with the one-time West Ham under-23 coach expected to leave Ashton Gate in the coming days to become Johannes Hoff Thorup’s replacement at Norwich - less than 18 months after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with City in November 2023 - his personal ambitions certainly appear to take precedence over any club’s aspirations.

Mousinho and Manning’s managerial record since Janury 2023

That’s fair enough in the dog-eat-dog world of football management, where managerial sackings hugely out-weigh resignations.

But where would that have left Pompey had they given Manning the chance to resurrect his head coach career in the aftermath of his MK Dons departure just weeks before Cowley suffered the same fate at PO4?

Simply put, it doesn’t bear thinking about - even if the soon-to-be appointed new Canaries boss has regained his reputation of leaving clubs in a better position than what he found them in.

With Norfolk-born Manning now set to embark on a fifth new project in six years - he was appointed Lommel SK’s boss in July 2020 before moving to MK Dons in 2021 - Norwich fans have been warned.

Perhaps their sliding doors moment will work to their advantage, though - just as Pompey’s did when they stumbled across Mousinho in January 2023.

For your next Pompey read: 'We do it all for them': Portsmouth defender hails 'amazing' Fratton faithful and reveals why he heroically 'sucked it up' against QPR despite season-ending injury