Gaffer for a day

Matt Wheatley, aged 43 from Didcot

Let’s face it, it’s not been great so far. There’s definitely a negative vibe surrounding Pompey at the moment and social media is rife with calls for the manager to go.

Against the backdrop of coronavirus, though, it’s not going to happen. So, while that’s the case, we need to get behind the team.

I think everyone is in agreement that we should have taken more points than we have from those first three games.

However, that’s based on the fact we have better players on paper, not from the actual performances in those games. You can’t really argue that we deserved to win any of them.

No disrespect to those sides, but they’re not going to be challenging at the top end of the table come the end of the season, so to come away with no wins so far is really disappointing.

We look quite disjointed as a team. There’s no cohesion and no-one willing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and drive the players on.

I also don’t like the way we set ourselves up, it’s really negative. Playing two holding midfielders in Bryn Morris and Tom Naylor at home against a Wigan side who are in turmoil at the moment doesn’t send out the right message.

That’s why, for this Saturday’s game against Burton, I’d replace Morris with Andy Cannon in the hope that the latter would provide better link-up play.

I’d bring Lee Brown back into the side because he brings in a bit of experience and know-how at the back.

He divides opinion but I think he’s quite solid. He also has good link-up play with Curtis who wasn’t as effective against Wigan as he normally is.

With the style of football we play, I think Ellis Harrison is more effective in that role than John Marquis. He’s better at holding the ball up and bringing others into play, something that is key for us with the threat our wingers provide.

Looking at our opponents, Burton will be no pushovers. They always give us a good game and they play some decent football.

They’ve lost two out of their first three league games this season, so not the best start for them either.

As an optimist, I’m going for a narrow Pompey win, with us edging it 2-1, with Harrison and Jacobs the scorers.

MY STARTING XI

(4-2-3-1): MacGillivray, Johnson, Whatmough, Raggett, Brown, Naylor, Cannon, Harness, Jacobs, Curtis, Harrison.