'Not the greatest company in Seville': Marlon Pack on ruining birthday surprise to help save Portsmouth
Pompey took 11 points from six matches after the QPR hammering to stay in the Championship
It was supposed to be a surprise romantic getaway in Seville to toast Marlon Pack’s 35th birthday.
Instead Pompey’s skipper admitted he was the ‘worst company ever’ as he agonised over the Loftus Road debacle which had put John Mousinho’s men on collision course for League One.
Certainly Lauren Pack’s gesture during March’s international break fell flat, with her husband a brooding presence and eager to immediately repair the damage to his beloved Blues on the training ground - rather than sunning himself in Spain.
Ultimately, that period of intense reflection for a Pompey squad reeling from the QPR 6-1 hammering - and now one point above the relegation zone - would prove to be pivotal to their Championship survival.
With Pack, as ever, leading the dressing room, the response was 11 points from six matches as they subsequently stayed up with two games to spare.
Now the Buckland boy has signed on for another 12 months at Fratton Park, with the Blues returning for two days of testing from Thursday, before kicking off pre-season training on Monday (June 29).
‘I wasn’t the greatest of company’
Pack told The News: ‘After QPR, honest conversations helped, a bit of luck as well - and the break was key. All those games without anything, then we had that break.
‘My missus took me away for my birthday during the international break and I was the worst company ever! Just us two, for three nights, straight after QPR, already booked. Yet the game and the circumstances we found ourselves in were running through my head.
‘We were in Seville, having just been beaten 6-1 on the back of a poor run of form and I wasn’t the greatest of company. I wanted to get back to Pompey!
‘My wife booked it as a surprise, we were without the kids, which is a very rare occasion, yet I was really looking forward to getting back to the training ground because I wanted to see the boys (team-mates).
‘Following QPR, we had some really honest chats, especially in the changing room. I saw a group that was fully committed, committed to the cause, willing to fight for each other for this football club - and I knew we would be in a good place.
‘I looked at it and I thought that, whatever happens, I’m glad we are in this together because that's what we do here as a football club in general. We fight against things when it’s backs against the wall, it typifies this city in general.
‘From where we were in terms of results and what it looked like in terms of the run of fixtures we had ahead, everyone wrote us off - and they had every right to. Yet after Loftus Road it was four wins, three draws and one defeat. That is brilliant.
‘At Norwich I could have been sent off, we had a bit of luck where we didn’t in previous games. Winning at Middlesbrough against a team which had 60-70 per cent possession, then there was Ipswich, which was a typical Pompey display.
‘We were excellent in that 2-0 win, it had everything, we built, we were aggressive, we went direct when we needed to, we were clinical.
‘In the most Pompey way we stayed up after QPR, it’s what we do. Although it would be nice to go into a few more games being completely comfortable and knowing we are safe from relegation - other than the usual two!’
‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’
The dismal display marked a fifth loss in six matches, having previously registered successful London wins at Charlton and Millwall to rise encouragingly into 19th spot.
Yet the international break provided the reset the Blues desperately required, with Pack’s characteristic commitment to the cause earning him bookings in five consecutive outings.
Then a 5-1 defeat at Coventry - the only loss in the final eight fixtures after QPR - would mark Championship safety for another year.
‘I have never thought we weren’t at this level’
Pack added: ‘On the whole we were really competitive last season, especially here at Fratton Park.
‘I know it hasn’t been such a fortress, sides changed the way they play here and we have been more dominant in terms of possession and chances. Maybe that’s why you get quality in the final third, at this level that does cost a significant amount of money.
‘In terms of competitiveness, I have never thought we weren’t at this level, whereas at times in 2024-25 there was a real gulf between us and other teams.
‘As a club, you look at the steps we are taking, slowly getting us back to where the football club used to be. It has taken time, obviously, but there are some teams established in the Championship who are absolute powerhouses.’