Cowley: My Blues vision
Clear blueprint and identity required, says new head coach
DANNY COWLEY believes Pompey need to lay down a blueprint for the club’s longterm identity.
And the Blues’ new head, pictured above by Joe Pepler, coach has detailed his vision for the club he joined on Friday.
The 42-year-old feels a topdown approach is required for the club in terms of developing both a clear identity of what it stands for, and how that is executed on the pitch.
And the former Lincoln boss has made it clear he plans to work tirelessly towards taking steps to improve Pompey in those areas along with his brother, Nicky.
He said: ‘What this football club needs is a clear blueprint and clear identity.
‘I said to Nicky walking around about how many top players have played here and top managers have managed here.
‘That feeling, if you love football, that’s pretty special.
‘It’s Portsmouth Football Club, a huge football club.
‘But there’s no doubt what this club needs is clear blueprint, clear identity and clear game style.
‘What’s hard to find in football is continuity in terms of personnel.
‘If you can’t have continuity in terms of the personnel, what you can have is continuity in terms of idea.
‘So what is the idea? This is what this football club is, this is what it stands for.
‘This is the model. Then you have clarity in terms of the academy, how the academy work, you have clarity in terms of recruitment, both staff and players.
‘You’ve got your game style, so you recruit the staff who can implement the game style and you recruit the players who can deliver the game style.
‘All of a sudden a lot of the questions become much more simple to answer.’
Cowley has explained he plans to lead from the front in terms of employing a work ethic to allow Pompey to make strides forward.
That will be the case if he stays until the end of the season on his current agreement – or remains at Fratton Park long term.
Just how serious he is about making an impact is underlined by Cowley leaving his family behind in Lincoln and staying in the city 24/7.
Cowley added: ‘Football is about supporters. I know how much this football club means to it supporters.
‘They’ve had some tougher times just recently.
‘So I will wake everyday with the weight of their expectations on your shoulders.
‘On Saturday they could have dinner, maybe a bottle of beer and be proud of their team. That’s pleasing.
‘It’s the weight of knowing what the club means to them. It fuels me and energises me.’