Pompey boss John Mousinho talks to The News after the Blues' final game of the season against Hull.
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00:00Here with Pompey boss John Messina on the final day.
00:04John, I think your players certainly fulfilled their obligation to the championship today.
00:08Yeah, I felt not relieved because I knew that we'd have a group of players that go into this
00:14and go with the right mentality.
00:16But probably after the first 10-15 minutes, I thought, right, we really need to liven up here.
00:20We weren't being professional enough.
00:22We didn't do the right things.
00:23But after the goal went in, I thought it was probably the best thing that could happen to us
00:25because we settled into the game after that.
00:27And I played really well, particularly for the second half.
00:29So, pleased with that overall because after the opening, I thought it could be a long afternoon.
00:34It felt like towards the end of the first half and probably most of the second half,
00:38you were just lying in the assentancy asking a lot of the questions.
00:40Yeah, I think apart from the brilliant tackle, apart from that, it was by and large,
00:44you know, sort of pressure on the holes goal.
00:47They always had threatened to make those decisions and through the afternoon
00:50and the finale and the lack of appreciation at the end.
00:52Yeah, you know, we looked at the line-up
00:57and we looked at what we thought was the best possible line-up to try and win the game
01:02and that's what we landed on there.
01:03So, it was great.
01:04It was great from that perspective.
01:06We obviously wanted to win the game.
01:07We would have loved to have won the game and we didn't manage to do that.
01:09But at the end, it was a really nice occasion
01:12because we managed to spend a lot of time on the pitcher,
01:14even probably a bit more so than we even did last year.
01:17So, that was really good for us.
01:19In keeping with most of the season, they picked up a couple of injuries,
01:21which kind of seems poignant, doesn't it?
01:23Yeah, Harvey really early on with that challenge.
01:26It was a poor challenge and Harvey's injured off the back of that.
01:30That's to remind me of the other injury.
01:32Oh, the Marlon just cramps.
01:33Oh, the cramp was it?
01:34The first 90 minutes, sorry, the first start he's had in a while,
01:38so understandable.
01:40Sorry for me as well.
01:42With hay fever.
01:43I'll make sure I'm drugged up by then.
01:47With the antihistamist.
01:49You clarified that.
01:50Yeah, yeah, yeah, just in case I said, I hope I.
01:53At the end there, obviously, that lap of appreciation is rather a nice moment.
01:56And for a lot of the players, it would be goodbye, naturally,
01:59some of the farewell, but hopefully not goodbye.
02:01There's a different dynamic there, so it's nice to have a moment.
02:04Yeah, I think so.
02:05You look at players that return today,
02:07the likes of Abu Kamara, really pleased that he got that ovation
02:10when he came off the pitch,
02:11and he'll always be a special part of the football club.
02:13Anybody that's played for the football club
02:14will always have a really special place here,
02:18particularly over the past couple of seasons.
02:19And I think it's a really proud thing that players should do.
02:23I think it's just staying in the Championship,
02:25and for that, they should be really proud.
02:26Yeah, nice moment for Freddie Potts there, wasn't there?
02:28That ovation from all sides of the ground.
02:30Yeah, and he massively deserves it.
02:32It was one of those, if we could have made more substitutions,
02:34maybe we could do the same with Rob,
02:36and we could bring a couple of the lone players on as well.
02:37But, you know, with Freddie in particular,
02:40who's been here for such a long time and done such a good job,
02:43and most likely we won't see him next year, unfortunately.
02:46It was a really good moment.
02:48Yeah, so you say you won't see him next season?
02:49I mean, I suspect he'll go back in challenge at West Ham.
02:52So, look, if we do it, it's great.
02:54If we do, it's a bonus, I think.
02:55But that would be my expectation for Fred next year.
02:58And if not, then we'll certainly be knocking on the door
03:00and hopefully first in the queue.
03:00I think he'll say first in the queue,
03:01a bit like Rob Atkinson, hopefully, then.
03:03But do you think he's ready to make that step now?
03:05I've seen a lot of evidence,
03:08particularly over the past six weeks,
03:09that he's ready to make that step.
03:10I think if he was our player,
03:13I'd be expecting a lot of bids from him
03:14from Premier League clubs in the summer.
03:16So the fact that West Ham are giving him a new contract,
03:18they know what they're doing there.
03:20And they're smart operators.
03:21Whether they're thinking it's going to be another year
03:23to have a line or not, I don't know.
03:24And hopefully we'll see what Bristol City do in the playoffs
03:26and then go from there.
03:28But we'd love to see both of them back in the playoffs.
03:30That was my next question with Rob Atkinson.
03:32Do we now become all Bristol City fans?
03:34Does that have a plate of...
03:35Probably.
03:36If we're going to be honest about it.
03:38Yeah.
03:38We'll see.
03:39We'll see.
03:39It's one of those.
03:40We can watch and enjoy the playoffs now
03:42like we did last year.
03:43And I'm sure you've been aware
03:44that you were spotted at a game last night
03:45and allowed at Crystal Palace,
03:46Hindelone, Stafford.
03:48Can you tell us anything about that?
03:50Yeah, I mean, it's...
03:51You know, I'll always be open and honest about games.
03:54Nearly two games as possible.
03:55I think at this stage where it's the quarterfinals
03:57it's a really exciting time
03:59to see some of the young talent that's emerging
04:01and plenty on both sides for Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
04:04So, it was just nice to actually enjoy the game
04:07and not have today to worry about.
04:08So, yeah, just one of those.
04:11I'm going to keep going to games next week as well.
04:12So, yeah, we can keep guessing all we want
04:14and, you know, I'm not going to comment on anything.
04:15I was going to say,
04:15first you're on the name Hindelone, Stafford.
04:17Are you going to give your...
04:18Well, go on, you say it.
04:19Yeah, you know, he's contracted to Crystal Palace.
04:22So, yeah, until then,
04:23particularly with the young lads, right?
04:24So, I don't want to create any pressure
04:26on the young boys either.
04:27And it's not the first time I've seen Crystal Palace.
04:30I think it's the fourth time I've seen them.
04:31It's not the first time I've seen Chelsea.
04:33I've been to a lot of games this year
04:35because I really enjoy them
04:36and the standard's great.
04:37So, you can get there without any traffic as well,
04:40which is amazing with the Premier League two games.
04:42Just on that, is that a fee,
04:44without naming names, et cetera,
04:45you're still looking into that market
04:47and you still think that's one
04:47that can reap dividends?
04:49Well, yeah, we did...
04:50If you look at what we did last year
04:52with Abou and with Robbo
04:54coming from the PL2,
04:57coming from the 21s,
04:59we took loans from there.
05:00We've done the same this year
05:01with the likes of Cade on loan,
05:03Mark on loan,
05:04and obviously taking Harvey as a permanent.
05:07So, those are, in theory,
05:10and a lot of the time in practice as well,
05:11the best young players coming through
05:12from those cat ones at the very top.
05:14And not all of them are going to get a chance
05:16at the first team for their Premier League clubs
05:17and that's a really good opportunity
05:19for us a lot of the time.
05:20And you talked about the brutal business of football
05:23and the retainer's obviously essential
05:25to that at the moment.
05:26Where do things stand at the moment
05:27since we last spoke?
05:29We're going to have another chat tomorrow,
05:30myself, Rich, Andy and Tony,
05:32and we'll loop up.
05:33We've ran into that as well
05:34and just see what we think
05:35if now the dust has settled.
05:37We're pretty advanced with all the decisions
05:40that we've made
05:41and it's just now about communicating to players.
05:42So, you're pretty much clear
05:43on where you're going to go on those ones
05:45that maybe there's one or two
05:46that might be more in the balance than others?
05:48Yeah, yeah, I think so.
05:49And that's where,
05:50particularly towards the back of the season,
05:51you just have to take the season as a whole
05:52and make the decisions,
05:54I think, objectively
05:55and yeah, go from there.
05:56Would you be communicating those tomorrow
05:58or is it going to be
05:59just between now and Monday?
06:01Between, yeah,
06:02we'll,
06:03it depends on players.
06:04Some players are,
06:06some players have got different plans,
06:07but yeah,
06:07we'll make sure that by the end of the week
06:08and actually probably much sooner
06:10by Tuesday or Monday.
06:11Okay, all right.
06:12Just finally then,
06:13how do you reflect on the tumultuous campaign
06:15and your evolution as manager,
06:18I suppose,
06:18and your tenure at Portsmouth?
06:20Yeah, very positively,
06:22I think.
06:22We're very grateful to be here today
06:24and not having anything to pay for.
06:26I holler,
06:27they're safe now
06:28and they can have a party,
06:29but I would not have liked
06:30to have been in their shoes
06:30for the full 90 minutes.
06:33And I think that's credit
06:34to everyone at the football club
06:35in terms of what we've managed to achieve,
06:36to be safe with two games to spare.
06:38I think the amount of times
06:39we've been stood here after games
06:40and the situation's been perilous,
06:42we've been flirting with the relegation zone
06:44for the majority of the season.
06:45So to be able to finish 16th
06:47and be safe with two games to go,
06:49I think that represents
06:50a very, very successful season.
06:52Having said that,
06:53we want to improve as a football club.
06:55We don't want to be in this situation.
06:58We're not all of a sudden saying
06:59we're going to fly away with it.
07:01We know that the most important thing
07:02next season is to score
07:03our championship status again
07:04and build as a football club.
07:06But we have to try and push a bit higher.
07:09Whether that's trying to push
07:10high on the 16th or not,
07:11I think we'll see.
07:12But it's probably more about
07:13being competitive across the season.
07:15We weren't competitive
07:15in enough games across the season.
07:17And the second part of that question
07:19in terms of the evolution
07:20as a head coach
07:21and as a football club in general,
07:22I think that we've learned
07:23a huge amount.
07:24We've learned a huge amount
07:25about the championship,
07:26about our own squad,
07:26about what we need to do better
07:27going into next season.
07:28And I think we're in a good position
07:29to try and act upon that.
07:31Congratulations.