Portsmouth boss’ stark transfer admission amid side’s Championship plight
Pompey are now three points from Championship safety, with boss John Mousinho making no effort to hide what the aim is at present with the January transfer window three weeks from opening.
John Mousinho admitted Pompey’s immediate target is to make sure the gap to Championship survival doesn’t grow before the January window.
The Blues boss stated his foundering side have to make sure they stay within ‘touching distance’ of their rivals, amid their terrible league form.
Pompey to chase what’s needed ‘aggressively in January’
But Mousinho feels the focus has to be on performances over obsessing over the state of the table, as they now find themselves three points from safety.
The head coach isn’t trying to sugarcoat the reality Pompey are currently holding on for the transfer window, as they aim to address the glaring issues in his squad.
After one win in 10 games, the Blues face a big run of four matches until the new year - with three of those four fixtures to come at Fratton Park.
Pompey’s squad currently looks short of the levels required to sustain a run to remain in the division over the second half of the campaign, which makes for a hugely important period of recruitment.
Before then, however, there’s a significant run of games to come - starting with Blackburn Rovers’ visit on Saturday.
When asked if his side are holding on for the January transfer window, Mousinho said: ‘I think so, that’s why the next four games are so important to us. We need to make sure we do stay within touching distance.
‘Things can change very quickly, there’s every chance if we win at the weekend we will be out of the relegation zone.
Pompey need to obsess over performances not league table
‘If we put together a string of results, which granted we haven’t done this season, we put ourselves in a very different spot.
‘Then, regardless, in January we look to strengthen and change things up. We have a few things earmarked and know exactly what we want to do in certain areas.
‘We are going to do that aggressively in January, so between now and then we have to make sure we’re competitive.’
It was another disappointing defeat at Swansea City on Tuesday night, following on from Pompey falling into the Championship relegation places after the loss against Bristol City at the end of last month.
Mousinho has responded to questions over that development by stating he’s not focussing on the league table, despite obvious concerns from supporters over that position.
The Blues boss expanded on his stance, by explaining keeping eyes on performances should ultimately affect their league position in the long run.
He added: ‘The point there is the table is an accurate reflection of the league and the strength of the sides.
‘But there are going to be times when we win games and don’t move any positions - and vice versa. So let’s not obsess about the table, let’s worry about the performance and result at the weekend.
‘That’s what we need to obsess over. We need to worry about nothing else other than we need to win, that’s the only thing that’s going to change that position.’