Hoped-for Blues storm resembles light breeze
POMPEY’S League One rivals can relax, writes Mark McMahon.
The extra defensive measures they thought would be needed this season can be put away again.
The raging Pompey storm that was meant to be on the horizon following last ter m’s failed promotion push has officially been downgraded.
Rather than blowing all those teams put in front of them away, it appears such talk was nothing more than a wind-up.
Instead of a hurricaneforce beginning to the season, the Blues’ restart is resembling more of a light breeze.
Immediately after Pompey’s 2019-20 hopes of promotion ended in a disappointing play-off penalty shootout defeat at Oxford United, we were told there would be no room for a 2020-21 season hangover – like that which happened just 12 months prior.
It simply couldn’t happen – a slow start, after all, was to blame for the failure to secure an automatic promotion place, regardless of the impact of coronavirus.
Yet fast forward just three games into the new campaign and already the signs are that the Blues are struggling to build the momentum needed to put their rivals on red alert.
There might be the odd change in personnel, but the Blues haven’t changed much in appearance. There’s no need to be running scared.
At present, there’s no damage being inflicted here – apart the self-har m approach being adopted by Kenny Jackett and his team.
Saturday’s disappointing defeat at the hands of Wigan Athletic means Pompey are actually worse off than they were at the same point last year.
They currently sit 21st in the table after two goalless draws and a loss from their opening three games.
At least last ter m saw defeats at Shrewsbury Town and Sunderland come either side of a fine win against Tranmere Rovers, with those three points ensuring they sat 15th in the early standings.
Such a poor start last season, which got worse before it eventually got better, caused lasting problems for Jackett, who continues to be berated by sections of the Fratton faithful on social media.
It reached new levels following that play-off defeat at the U’s, and it’s reaching even greater heights now as Pompey’s style of play and subsequent results fail to sit easy in the current climate.
It’s not nice to see. Nor does it present a bright future.
As a result, a Pompey superstor m of a different variety now hovers patiently on the horizon, with
Fratton Park its intended destination.
Positive results on the pitch can blow it off course, sending it in a different direction and saving those directly in its path.
Yet it’s going to take whirlwind action for this latest downpour to be recategorized.