Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has praised Portsmouth for taking a chance on him, despite feeling he was ready.
Mousinho used to be a player-coach at Oxford United a role he was given after 119 appearances with the U’s.
In 2021 he signed a new deal which included this new coaching role, he departed the club less than two years later to join Pompey.
The Englishman signed a ‘long term’ deal with the club in January 2023 and has gone on to make quite the impact so far.
Last season ended with his new side on an 11-game run, which has continued into the new season.
What has John Mousinho said?
Mousinho had never managed before and as a result, represented a potential risk for all parties.
Despite this, the former Brentford man had full confidence: “I was confident in my own abilities to come in and do the job, but I wasn’t necessarily sure that Portsmouth would be bold enough to do it.”
With all that being said, the Pompey fans may have been slightly sceptical.
On that point, he said: “A lot of the feedback early on was: ‘Who the hell is this?’, which is fine; I completely get that.
“My opinion at the time and I guess Portsmouth’s too, was that there is an element of risk with every head coach appointment and this was no different to anything else.”
In spite of all of this, Mousinho has gone on to do great things so far.
This is down to the new manager being prepared: “I would never have taken the job if I wasn’t ready.
“I think if you take on a job like this and it all goes pear-shaped then that could be it in terms of your future as a head coach, so I was wary of that.
“But ultimately I didn’t have any real reservations because of the structure of the club.”
In the end, it has gone well so far so everyone can be pleased with the decision, and the direction the club is moving in.