Portsmouth could still make late sack call as John Mousinho reaches crossroads vs Middlesbrough
Portsmouth officials and Michael Eisner will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the game against Middlesbrough, with time still left to replace John Mousinho.
Pompey are now winless in eight, and despite having a game in hand, they are sitting uncomfortably above Leicester City by one point, as the Foxes occupy the final relegation spot.
There have been calls for Eisner to sack Mousinho throughout the campaign, but with six games left for the club to maintain their Championship status, every game now matters.
Portsmouth will travel to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough on Saturday, and another loss would surely prompt the club to make a dramatic late sacking.
It seems hard to imagine where the next win is going to come from, as a disappointing result and performance against Boro would leave the Pompey boss with no more excuses.
This is why Portsmouth may still sack John Mousinho
Alarm bells will be sounding behind the scenes at Fratton Park, and though Mousinho may look calm on the surface, he’ll know that all the pressure could rest on the game this weekend.
Though it would seem like a panicked decision to sack the 39-year-old with little time left in the season, clubs have done similar before, as they know how hard the challenge is of getting back to the Championship.
| Area | Stats |
| Form | D,D,L,L,L |
| Goals scored | 40 |
| Goals conceded | 57 |
| Duels won per game | 50.8% |
| Possession lost per game | 154.6 |
| Average Sofascore rating | 6.73 |
As seen by the Sofascore stats in the table above, Portsmouth have several areas that could be tightened up, with big questions currently over Mousinho’s ability to inspire the players to fight.
Former Reading manager Paul Ince was sacked in April 2023, with five games left to go in the Championship, and was then replaced by Noel Hunt late on, as the latter was unable to prevent the side from their League One fate in the end.
Charlton parted ways with Lee Bowyer in March 2021, with just eight games to play, and there could even be twists with several Championship clubs at the bottom end of the league right now.
Pompey have picked up a point in their last two games, which has shown a final push from Mousinho’s side, but a loss to Boro could see the trigger pulled on the Englishman.
Who could Portsmouth call on to replace Mousinho?
It would be hard for Eisner and Co. to cherry-pick a new manager that could be useful for the short-term and long-term success of the club.
However, the most important thing right now is Pompey’s ability to stay in the Championship, as the hierarchy will know the financial implications of relegation, which may see Mousinho lose his job.
In previous predictions from bookmakers, the likes of Des Buckingham, Gary O’Neil, and Dave Challinor have been tipped to replace the current Portsmouth boss.
However, with all three currently settled with their respective clubs, a move for any of them would be unlikely, especially O’Neill, who is now with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
Former Norwich City manager and promotion winner David Wagner has been a favourite to replace Mousinho at Fratton Park in the past, and with him currently a free agent, he could be in Eisner’s thinking.
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