Pompey boss John Mousinho talks to The News ahead of Pompey's Friday night trip to Derby County
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00:00So John, I know you're a little superstitious. Will you be back in the dugout against Norwich?
00:07Yes, yeah, back in the dugout. I think it happened once before, we did it for the Wiccan game last year,
00:13when I wasn't on the touchlines and watched the game away from home, and the director spots there,
00:18managed to get me a result there. So yeah, I am pretty superstitious, but I'm not going to take it as far as staying up in the gantry,
00:24because yeah, I just don't think it's the right thing to do.
00:26Where were you sat for the game then?
00:28Well, I was up in the gantry, so I was above everyone's heads, and if you agree with me, to be honest,
00:33the new structure up there is fantastic. We intend to be able to put that up over the summer,
00:38so hopefully I can contribute a bit of addition to Frank Park.
00:41That's something we had to do because of the Sky cameras, and it's a busy place up there,
00:45it's a busy place with, we've got the announcer up there, we've got various different analysts,
00:48the Sky cameras, all sorts going on, so a really interesting place to be.
00:52And the first time I've watched a game that we've been involved in at Frank Park, from such a certain angle,
00:59I've seen a couple of games, and you know, you get a couple of words from the director's box,
01:03and then you get to see the game as well. But for that first time, I've watched one of our games at Frank Park,
01:07and not been on the touchline, so a really different experience.
01:10And is it easy to get messages down to the touchline from there?
01:13Yeah, we were in communication via the radio, which was fine, and we do that anyway,
01:17but usually we have to set up for the first half, and Gerard the analyst is up there for 90 minutes
01:22and feeds anything down that we need to see, because you see different things when you're watching from that level.
01:27So we always have somebody feeding down anyway, and you know,
01:31there was a slight difference I suppose this week that it was myself feeding down to everyone,
01:35to John to get the message on, but I thought for the most part there wasn't a huge amount for me to say,
01:39you know, what can you say, I think my performance is as comprehensive as it was,
01:43and yeah, it was quite enjoyable.
01:45So it's three bookings and a ban, is that how it works?
01:48Yeah, so for coaches, it's three bookings and a ban, that's what we set for the season,
01:53so that's one of those things that obviously I was disappointed to pick up at Swansea,
01:59and I think we always speak about trying to be a bit more disciplined,
02:03which can be difficult sometimes in the emotional games when you disagree with referee decisions,
02:08and sometimes the fourth bishop there was a bit of a buttery now unfairly,
02:11so yeah, we take our medicine and move on.
02:13You managed to run to the Ravers to referees, you're not really one of those though, are you?
02:17I don't think so, I think that when the fourth official is there I tend to ask a lot of questions,
02:24I think particularly this season with the way the results have gone,
02:27and sometimes I've felt we haven't necessarily been on the positive end of a couple of online decisions
02:33that have affected the way that we play and affected games,
02:36so yeah, that's been it really, so do try and behave yourselves,
02:40I think it is a difficult job refereeing in the first place, particularly for fourth officials,
02:44because they're not the ones making the decisions,
02:46and I know I'm being critical here because I do go seven out of the nine with the fourth official,
02:51but sometimes that's just the way it is, and sometimes the pressure of the job is one way,
02:56you need a bit of an outlet, a bit of a vent, and for the most part we keep it under wraps,
03:00and there are some times when it's better.
03:02Obviously there's been a huge improvement in the performances since Hull really,
03:06does that coincide with a change of approach from your team?
03:10I think so, we've probably been a bit more practical, a bit more pragmatic about the way we want to play,
03:17certainly I think in the second half, from the second half onwards at Hull,
03:21we wanted to be a bit more aggressive in terms of the way that we repress,
03:24and we still have to be sensible with that, make sure we're not all out of time,
03:28if you can't necessarily sustain that for 90 minutes, you need to pick the times you can go,
03:32pick the times you can stay, I criticise the league as well,
03:35they're really good technically comfortable on the ball,
03:37you have to make sure you don't get picked off,
03:39and sometimes we go and get picked off in the way we repress because we're not aggressive,
03:43but it's been really pleasing I think that the squad and the team have come together,
03:48and we've found a different way of playing that's brought us a little bit of success,
03:53and got us within touching distance of trying to get ourselves out of the position we're in,
03:56and we've got to keep going on that trajectory,
03:58and keep taking on the positives that we've seen over the past few weeks.
04:01I think, correct me if I'm wrong, but after Hull you said you were going slightly more direct,
04:06is that what it is then?
04:08Yeah, I remember there was one time in the second half where we played a short goal kick,
04:13and I think Frank Park took a bit, I mean he'd taken a breath,
04:17if we did that last year, because we did lots of times last year,
04:21pretty much for every goal kick we went short,
04:23I think it's just about making sure we don't apply pressure,
04:25and we play sensible football in sensibility over the pitch,
04:28and that's been an adjustment in the Championship where the sides,
04:32away from Harman and Hyton, press us with probably more intensity,
04:35press us with more physicality, they encourage a bit more of a turnover,
04:38and so we still want to play, but I think we still have the technical players in the side,
04:41and I think we can play good football in the right times,
04:44but I think that's been the big adjustment,
04:46making sure we do it at the right times, so we don't apply too much pressure.
04:50Obviously you changed your keeper as well,
04:52has that impacted on the way you play?
04:54Because it was very much through Will Norris last year, wasn't it?
04:58Yeah, I think that the change of goalkeeper and the change of playing style
05:04has been a coincidence more than anything,
05:06and I think if Senghor had been in the side,
05:09or certainly if Jordan was in the side,
05:13we'd be playing in the same way, if that makes sense,
05:15and we still simplify things a bit,
05:17so I think that Nico is capable of playing from the back,
05:20he's capable of being very, very comfortable on the ball as we've seen,
05:23but I think we're just asking everyone and everything to be a bit simpler on the pitch
05:28to take away that massive element of risk.
05:32Do you encourage him to go longer then?
05:36Not necessarily, but what we have to do is make sure that we don't become too predictable,
05:42so if we go longer every time, then every time they're picking against the ball,
05:46and we stretch it again and go beyond,
05:48I think if we can become a bit more organised and deal with that,
05:51so we still have to make sure that we mix it up.
05:53I think there's probably just less of an emphasis in terms of splitting the play
05:57and getting the ball back,
05:58and more of an emphasis on being smart,
06:01and I think being pragmatic about how we approach games,
06:04and there's still plenty of time and plenty of room to go and play good football
06:08in terms of trying to put some good moves together,
06:10which I watched in the first half in particular,
06:12I thought we played some really good football at times,
06:15we weren't obsessed with splitting the play all the time,
06:18particularly with Milan at the moment,
06:20he's just got the ball and he finds one of the sixes,
06:22and finds one of the wide men,
06:24I think we can play some really good stuff,
06:26so it's still about having the right mix,
06:28but certainly less of an emphasis on that real need to take it back.
06:32It's really interesting because Southampton have obviously gone to the Premier League,
06:35and they're being criticised for not evolving, for sticking to how they play,
06:39but you clearly have gone up a level,
06:41and you have evolved your style.
06:43If you look at the evidence and where we were,
06:46we'd gone nine games without winning a game,
06:50I think the eighth game was against Stoke,
06:52and we'd done well up until the Stoke games,
06:55we'd done well, we'd been in plenty of games,
06:57we'd mixed it with some of the big boys,
06:58but we hadn't quite got there,
06:59and I thought we overplayed against Stoke at times,
07:02and the confidence was probably quite low after that,
07:04so that was an area we thought we could keep going the same,
07:07we can keep trying to outplay sides,
07:09and keep trying to play from the back,
07:10and play with slightly lower confidence,
07:14or we could be slightly more practical and a bit more correct about everything behind that.
07:18We've got no issue adjusting to coaching staff,
07:21the lads have had no issue adjusting to team iron,
07:23and I think that's been a credit to the boys more than anything,
07:25that they've managed to take that message on board,
07:27it was a slightly different message to what we gave them pre-season,
07:29so we've tried to stay as consistent as possible,
07:33but within that, in terms of the way we operate,
07:35which has changed tactically slightly,
07:37it's not the right or the wrong way to do it,
07:39it's just the way that we feel is the best way for Portsmouth to go about our business,
07:43and try and stay in the Championship.
07:52I think we've got three options,
07:54there's probably more as I start to go through them,
07:56but certainly the ones that leap out,
07:58we've got Byron, who can move back into the middle of the park,
08:01and then we've got Eric Monks, who came on the weekend,
08:03back into the middle of the park,
08:05and Abdou as well,
08:07so we've got three central midfield options coming from Andre,
08:10and then beyond that with Callum,
08:12I think there's a lot of flexibility he provides in terms of what we can do,
08:15and who can play in that same position,
08:17if you look at Eli came on the weekend,
08:19Sam's played in there,
08:20Paddy's played in there,
08:22I think there's plenty of options,
08:24and probably squad strength underneath that,
08:26so we have a few different options.
08:28With Andre, he's grown hasn't he,
08:30as the season's gone on?
08:32Yeah, I think we're really pleased with Andre's contribution,
08:34particularly over the last few weeks in the play,
08:36who probably, to speak about him over the season,
08:39he hit the heights in terms of what we knew he was capable of,
08:42more than anything,
08:43but a lot of that I think was about him getting going,
08:46and making sure we got position a lot of the times,
08:48at times when we were playing as a side,
08:50we were okay,
08:51we thought we were okay,
08:52we were in most games,
08:53and Andre's performances were probably on par with that,
08:57and on par with the rest of the side as well,
08:59he had a breakout at the side,
09:00he's come back into it,
09:01he's done really well,
09:02so I think we'll be sure that he's got that role really well,
09:04particularly if we're asking him to do a real job out of possession as well,
09:07which I think he's taken on with both hands,
09:11and he's been excellent at doing it.
09:13Is it going to be difficult to replace for this game?
09:15I think any first team player that we lose
09:18is going to be difficult to replace,
09:20but that's the whole point of having a squad,
09:21and what we want to do is challenge those players
09:23that are coming in to back ourselves,
09:25to come in and make an impact,
09:26and plenty of the players that we have on the periphery
09:29have been knocking on the door asking what they need to do
09:31to get inside,
09:32and they've been training well,
09:33they've been coming on and making an impact again,
09:35which I thought was a real positive for the week,
09:36and the subs came on and made an impact again,
09:38and that's a big challenge now,
09:40which is when you do get your chances,
09:41to take your chances,
09:42and they get really, really difficult for selection again on Friday,
09:45and for players to go,
09:46you know, that's my level of performance in the Championship,
09:49and every time that I am called upon,
09:50that's what you can expect.
09:52And obviously,
09:53Marlon is a consideration for that role as well,
09:55back in his normal position.
09:56Yeah, I think that's true,
09:57and obviously,
09:58if you do centre the field a bit,
09:59that's an option,
10:00particularly the option for the back.
10:03In terms of injuries,
10:04Marco Marni then,
10:05what's the situation there?
10:06Yeah, so Marco's been out four to five weeks,
10:08he's got a strain in one of his glute muscles,
10:11a pretty rare injury,
10:12I think, for a footballer,
10:13but he fell up against Swansea,
10:14obviously, when he came off,
10:15and he's been back at Brighton,
10:16he's had a scan,
10:17he's continuing to do his rehab back at Brighton,
10:19so we'll keep in constant communication with them,
10:23and we'll keep it updated,
10:25and as soon as he's back,
10:26he'll be back again.
10:27Another blow for yourselves?
10:29Yeah, particularly the nature of it,
10:31and Marc had come off the back of playing with
10:35international Jiu-Jitsu,
10:36he was ready to come back into the fold,
10:38when we had against Blackburn,
10:41against Millwall,
10:42so he was ready to come back into the fold against those,
10:45unfortunately,
10:46Cass picked up the injury,
10:47and that was a good opportunity for Marc,
10:49and then Marc's now picked up that injury,
10:51something really, really innocuous in the game,
10:53against Swansea,
10:54and we've watched it back a hundred times,
10:55we can't really pick up anything that was too obvious,
10:58and you guys watching it would have seen the same,
11:00so yeah, a bit of a blow,
11:02but it's not too bad,
11:03and hopefully we have him back in the game.
11:05Does that change at all,
11:06how you approach the transfer window?
11:08No, not at all for us,
11:09we still have a good strength in that centre-forward department,
11:12as we stand at the moment,
11:13going into the game tomorrow,
11:15with two injured centre-forwards,
11:17we still have three in behind that,
11:19with Colby, Christian and Eli,
11:23and I'm sure there's a week on my calendar as well.