'You have to be ruthless': Portsmouth boss on how 'tough' decisions over player exits helped save season
John Mousinho admits there have been ‘ruthless’ decisions to end some players’ Fratton Park futures this season.
Nonetheless, with Pompey’s Championship status secured, the head coach believes such difficult calls have been thoroughly vindicated.
Having found themselves at the foot of the Championship at the start of December, Mousinho swiftly offloaded underwhelming summer signings Elias Sorensen and Sammy Silvera during the January transfer window.
Last season’s ever-present goalkeeper Will Norris had already been shunted onto the sidelines in October, before having the remaining 18 months on his deal cancelled by mutual consent.
Another title hero, Owen Moxon, was also moved on, amid some Blues supporters’ calls for more match involvement in the Championship.
Yet Mousinho insists such decisions were a necessity for bolstering Pompey’s chances of remaining in the Championship.
He told The News: ‘You have to be ruthless, unfortunately sentiment doesn’t count for anything in the game.
‘We are trying to win games of football. Winning games of football sometimes involves leaving players out, although, based on their past performances at the football club, they don't deserve to be left out.
‘Will Norris is a very, very good example of that, that was a really tough one for us. We also had a couple of signings in the summer that we decided to move on in January, you have to make sure you’re ruthless and clinical in terms of the way we approach things.
‘Any decision we make is hopefully going to improve us and give us a better chance of winning games, that’s the only reason why we made those decisions.
‘Will was a really tough one. He went to Wycombe, he’s done really well and they are challenging for promotion. We thought it was the right time to bring Nico in and he has been absolutely outstanding this year.
‘Sorensen was a bit unlucky, to be honest. Colby came back quicker than expected and that left us with a few centre-forwards in the building, so it was only fair to give Eli that opportunity to go in January.
‘Sammy (Silvera) was one that hadn’t quite worked out, maybe that was a playing style issue because we changed it. Maybe he was suited to a side which was a bit more possession-dominant, that has happened to a couple of players. Which is fine and I will take that on board.
‘I had spoken about recruitment in the summer and said this is how we want to improve - and didn't necessarily stick to that, so we had to change things quickly. Sammy, in particular, was probably a victim of that.
‘The most important thing is firstly not to make any poor decisions - but also not to stick with someone for the sake of it. If you’ve made a mistake, you’ve made a mistake, let’s move on.’
‘100 per cent I would still have signed him’
Meanwhile, Moxon is currently with Stockport, who are booked in for the League One play-offs, having finished outside the two automatic spots.
The 27-year-old has featured 16 times since joining on February’s deadline day for an undisclosed fee, although the majority of his outings have been from the bench.
Regardless, he could yet make a rapid return to the Championship, having featured 12 times at that level with Pompey earlier this season.
Mousinho added: ‘We signed Mox in January 2024 to make sure we got over the line in League One and he had a massive impact in doing that.
‘We thought he’d also have an impact in the Championship. He did to a certain extent, but we didn’t see him playing the game time he wanted to play, so moved him on and gave him that opportunity to play at Stockport, which he has done.
‘If you gave us that January transfer window again and said “Would you sign Owen Moxon?” - 100 per cent we would. He was a big part of us getting into the Championship.’
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