Pompey must avoid premature panic

McNulty foiled on another difficult Fratton afternoon.

It was another lacklustre 0-0 draw for Portsmouth on Sunday, in which visitors Wimbledon were a little more than comfortable holding on for a point. 'Bereft of ideas', 'lacking in ambition' and 'toothless up front' were just some of the thoughts rattling around Fratton Park at the final whistle. It would seem that a run of four games without a win, along with a perhaps more disconcerting streak of only one victory in nine home fixtures, is threatening to take the wheels off what seemed like an unstoppable cruise to promotion. 

Paul Cook's tetchy post-match interview following the side's 2-1 victory over Macclesfield in the FA Cup suggested at his own dissatisfaction with the team's recent run of form, as a gritty victory did nothing to prevent Cook from openly criticising the way Portsmouth played. Though Cook was much more upbeat following the Wimbledon result, suggesting that Pompey had some good patches in the game and are still growing as a unit, it is hard to imagine that the former Chesterfield boss isn't at least concerned by the team's torrid home form.

Paul Cook has struggled to find a winning home formula.

Despite the tribulations at home, Pompey's away form has been outstanding so far. With five wins out of eight away ties, and only one defeat, Pompey have worked their way up to fourth in the table. Nevertheless, there are understandable worries that such excellent away pedigree may not last all season, with the recent defeat to Notts County potentially signifying a change in travelling fortunes.

Beyond the results, there is also a feeling that some of the players who seemed to have brought a refreshing sense of aptitude, glitz and efficiency early on in the season have started to wear a little thin as Pompey have had to dig deeper. Kyle Bennett has been unfairly singled out as a player who, having shown limitless promise on his debut, has tumbled below the lofty expectations of the Fratton crowd. He is one example of a few creative players who have come in for flack in recent weeks, with Portsmouth's inability to conjure up chances considered the main issue to have blighted recent games.

Bennett responded to his critics, saying it wouldn't affect him.

Bennett was dropped to the bench for Sunday's game against Wimbledon as Cook opted for a tactical shake-up, employing the terrace-touted 4-4-2. The uninspiring display gave instant indications that this wouldn't suit Pompey, as players seemed unable to find space or move the ball around comfortably, seeming stuck to their positions. The wing-backs, including architect left-back Enda Stevens, were neglecting to move forward, and the central midfield duo of Doyle and Hollands looked afraid to pass the ball into space.

The late introduction of Bennett brought a miniature revitalisation to the game, with the substitute creating one of the best opportunities of the game with a pass through for McNulty. However, the full-time whistle was met with resounding boos from the Portsmouth fans who, 17 games into the season, are beginning to fear the promotion push may fall apart before Christmas.

Time to worry?

Expectations are especially high this season.

 

Is there a cause for panic? I think the boos, concerns and general negative feeling may be a little premature, and it worries me more that this could snowball into having an effect on the team. It's been very frustrating to watch Portsmouth struggle at home, but it's key to hold on to perspective in these situations. The squad is three months into the season having been rebuilt by Paul Cook - a task that, as we know from many experiences in the past five years, requires a lot of learning, hard work and, ultimately, tough results. While we all got carried away by our early season form, it's important we set those delusions aside for the reality that getting promoted won't be a cakewalk.

Yet after 17 games, we find ourselves in fourth place and just two points from automatic promotion. Let's compare that with Andy Awford's Portsmouth last season, who went through pretty much the same process as Cook's squad. At this point last season, Pompey were 13th place and already nine points shy of the promotion spots, having just come off the back of a 3-0 hammering at Plymouth. The two starts are worlds apart, and this ought to be recognised as a minor miracle in itself.

Portsmouth seem a world away from last season's struggles.

Paul Cook said in his post-match interview that 'medals aren't handed out in October or November', and it's an extremely salient point. To be in the mix is the most crucial thing to maintain, whether that's in first or in fourth. The teams at the head of the table will trade punches all through the winter, but a strong run of form in April and May is what tends to make the biggest difference. If Pompey are still fourth mid-Spring, they will fancy their chances to make a late surge into the top three.

Performances at home have been poor, and that cannot be ignored. It is worrying that our creative players are drawing blanks, moreso that this has been the case for over a month now. However, one of the most frustrating aspects of this is the fact that we know we can do better, and in a strange way we should find that comforting. We have high expectations because there's a part of us that knows we're watching players capable of winning the league, and we're absolutely right. Even falling well short of their potential, we're still only a victory away from being in a promotion place.

Sheringham's Stevenage stole an unlikely draw against Pompey.

However, there is doubtlessly a confidence problem in addition to Cook's persistent search for the winning formula. Perhaps if we'd sneaked a goal against Accrington, or hadn't conceded a late equaliser to Stevenage, we'd see a very different Pompey side at home right now. However, things haven't swung our way, and the players seem to lack a little bit of belief. One thing that certainly won't help is fuelling a sense of negativity around Fratton Park.

I've never been one for booing the home side, but I feel that the fans' animosity towards the team at the final whistle on Sunday was, while an understandable showing of disappointment with the performance, potentially damaging. These are players who need a little encouragement and support right now. Look at Kyle Bennett - a player who has noted publically the criticism he has taken from fans. His name was chanted as he came on, and he responded by playing the most incisive pass of the game almost instantly.

Confidence to pass ambitiously and move around the pitch seems to have dissipated.

We're right to have high expectations this year, but we must also show a great deal of patience. Paul Cook is an excellent manager, and Portsmouth are already incomparable with the side that fell flat last season. Though the players are having a tough time at the moment, there is little chance that a squad with such talent will continue to come up short, and there will be better results down the line. The only thing that has the potential to seriously derail the campaign is if panic starts to settle in, so as fans I feel we have to play our part in keeping things cool. There's a long way to go yet, and we're still very much in the hunt for those oh-so-agonisingly-desired automatic promotion spots. Let's not replace the Pompey Chimes with alarm bells just yet.

Keep Jose, but give him a holiday

Just one of many back pages which have mounted the pressure on Mourinho.

Haven't we been here before? Yet another weekend's back pages are dominated by the crashing reputation of 2015's hero-to-zero fall guy. Jose Mourinho has been on the brink for some time - somehow squirming inches towards the precipice without the final push being delivered. Defeats continue to rain down on the Portuguese manager like a traditional English summer. 

The mercilessly awful form that Chelsea are exhibiting is compounded by Mourinho's antics, which are increasingly illustrating The Special One as a desperate, agitated character who has completely lost control. Far beyond the debasing rant against doctor Eva Carneiro, Mourinho shows no shame in ramping up his blame tactics to eleven. This weekend saw another display of irate flouncing and sardonic gestures on the touchline, before the inevitably bizarre post-match interview.

The familiar sarcastic laughter aimed at the referee.

It doesn't take a body language specialist to see that Jose Mourinho is under intense, inescapable pressure (although try telling that to the BBC, who decided to get a body language specialist to show that Jose Mourinho was under intense, inescapable pressure). The Chelsea boss is unlikely to have ever experienced anything close to this sort of scrutiny in his high-profile career, with the renowned hawkish behaviour of the British media coupling delightfully with one of the most surprisingly weak title defences in recent history.

It is precisely the nature of this pressure's ubiquity, coupled with the sensible truth that Jose Mourinho is a world-class manager capable of creating and directing a team that can challenge at the very highest level, that leads to my solution: Jose Mourinho needs a break.

Perhaps one or two months. Perhaps the rest of the season. A break from football, far away from the prying eyes of the tabloids and 24-hour sports news networks. A chance to forget about Chelsea, the referees, and the undiminished hunger to see Jose fail. 

Currently, every interview can only be another stage of hell for Jose.

My interpretation of Mourinho's recent antics are that he is trapped. It's never been uncommon for The Special One to deflect criticisms against his team towards all manner of outrageous targets. When things are going relatively smoothly, it's an effective tactic - Sir Alex Ferguson knew the value of protecting his players from the media too. 

However, Mourinho's most recent efforts are not a result of careful thought and deliberation - anyone with a clear head would have known that another animated touchline outburst, followed by a shirty interview, is a bad idea given the media whirlwind surrounding the club. It seems far more likely that Jose Mourinho is starting to freeze up under this pressure, returning to his most learned response as a coping mechanism.

The increased prevalence of 'the conspiracy theory' correlates directly to poor results.

Mourinho is stuck in a cycle. Chelsea lose, the pressure grows. The pressure grows, Mourinho reacts. Mourinho reacts, the team morale continues to fall. The team morale continues to fall, Chelsea lose. There was a stage earlier on in the season where a couple of favourable results, whether the fruit of good performances or lucky breaks, would have plugged the leak of seeping pressure. However, the job is now irreparable, and even a few victories would still leave Mourinho looking precarious, as it is extremely unlikely that Chelsea will reach their pre-season expectations of retaining the Premier League.

Many have commented that Mourinho has never had to lift a club out of this volume of mire before, and that this situation is test of The Special One's true resolve. Perhaps Mourinho feels he needs to prove something to these people, but it would be far more in his interests to admit he needs some help. Chelsea never hired The Special One to revive a failing squad, because that has never been what made him special. Mourinho should bite the bullet, ask Abramovich for a month or two off, allow an interim manager to get the team motivated again, and return to work in order to harness the relentless and clinical ability he has to win trophies.

Mourinho and trophies go hand-in-hand - could Chelsea afford to lose that?

It is most certainly an unorthodox approach, but Chelsea are facing a unique problem. No-one questioned Mourinho's managerial prowess before the season started, but it is clear that he is in no mental state to reach his own lofty standards. Chelsea would be foolish to let one of the world's top managers go, but to keep him will only do further damage. It might be a blot on his copy book, but if Mourinho could get past admitting that he's not the right manager in this specific situation, perhaps there is a solution that will benefit all parties beyond.