Paul Merson gives truthful analysis of Portsmouth in Championship
Paul Merson has stressed the importance of Portsmouth staying in the Championship this season.
Pompey are rooted to the bottom of the table for the first time this season after a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City [22 October], which unravelled the hard work to achieve their first win at QPR at the weekend [19 October].
John Mousinho’s team have the worst defensive record in the division thus far, and Merson – who won promotion to the Premier League at Fratton Park in 2002-03 – has spoken of their emergence in the second tier.
“They’ve been out of the league so long, it’s got to be steady. It’s a hard league to stay in,” he said live on Sky Sports [22 October, 19:43].
“You stay up, you invest again. Then before you know it, you’ve got a few good players and in three or four years’ time, you might sneak into the play-offs and then it’s a flip of the coin.
“But it’s so, so important they stay up this season. It’s taken so long for them to get back to where they should be, and [QPR] was a massive result.”
Portsmouth take one step forward and two steps back
Portsmouth have had a habit of drawing games this season that they were expected to lose, which has clouded the judgement on certain aspects of their first two-and-a-half months back at this level.
Ultimately, the Blues are rooted to the bottom of the league, despite the fact a win and a defeat from these past two games has been a better return than two steady draws.
The win at QPR on 19 October provided Pompey fans with the hope that it could kickstart the campaign, release a huge weight from the shoulders of the squad, and help the team move forward.
As it transpired, the team were lacklustre against Cardiff City [22 October], showed them too much respect, conceded daft goals and picked up two more injuries for good measure.
Sheffield Wednesday visit the South Coast for a Fratton Friday under the lights at the end of this week [25 October], and defeat could cause the atmosphere to turn hostile in frustration. These fans do not want to see 12 years of turmoil turn out not to be worthwhile.
In other Portsmouth news, positives begin to arise for the Women’s team despite another defeat.
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