Mousinho ‘Miserable’ as Portsmouth manager takes fresh swipe at players
Portsmouth are once again looking over their shoulders after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Preston on Saturday.
Matters were looking up for Pompey when they defeated Leeds United 1-0 on 9 March, to establish a 10-point cushion over the bottom three, but they have subsequently endured back-to-back defeats at the hands of Plymouth Argyle and Preston.
Plymouth’s win at Fratton Park last week marked their first away win of the Championship season, much to the disappointment of the Portsmouth faithful.
But despite equalising in the 83rd minute on Saturday, John Mousinho’s men fell to their second consecutive defeat at Preston and are just four points clear of the dropzone.
Portsmouth boss outlines team habit which makes him ‘miserable’
Courtesy of their defeat at Deepdale, Pompey have headed into the international break looking nervously over their shoulders ahead of their clash with Blackburn on 29 March.
| Opponent | Result |
| Luton (A) | 1-0 L |
| Leeds (H) | 1-0 W |
| Plymouth (H) | 1-2 L |
| Preston (A) | 2-1 L |
Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent [17 March]: “We have this horrible habit of seemingly needing much more league table pressure.
“I can’t live with what we did on Saturday, we switched off and did things that we explicitly told the players not to do.
“The next two weeks is going to be miserable and that’s the way it should be.”
Portsmouth must bounce back against Blackburn
If Pompey do not emerge victorious against Blackburn on 29 March, then it could pull them further towards the relegation zone and subsequently beckon an unwanted return to League One.
While Mousinho’s men deservedly received plaudits for their recent win over league leaders Leeds, they have now lost three of their last four Championship outings, including two defeats at the hands of Luton and Plymouth, who both sit in the bottom three.
But their next encounter pits them up against a Blackburn side who are still yet to win since Valerien Ismael took over from former boss John Eustace, who left Ewood Park in favour of a move to Derby County.
The Lancashire outfit have consequently crashed out of the play-off spots into ninth place, and will head to Fratton Park feeling demoralised at the end of the month.
But it is vital that Portsmouth do all they can to get themselves over the line and pick up what would be a vital three points.