Fans have their say on where it went wrong in 2021/22 for Blues
Pompey fans have had their final say on the 2021-22 season by pinpointing where it went wrong for Danny Cowley and his team.
The Blues’ 10th-placed finish meant they took a backward step in their pursuit of Championship football. And according to the fans, two main factors were responsible over all others – investment in the team and player quality.
Despite Danny Cowley bringing in 20 new signings over the course of the window as he stamped his authority on the squad he inherited from Kenny Jackett, a large chunk of the Fratton faithful believe the core root of Pompey’s problems lay in the amount of money afforded the manager to make them promotion candidates.
After the Blues finished 10 points adrift of the play-off places last season, 31 per cent of those fans who took part in our latest Big Pompey survey believed not enough money was allocated to the team – and that was Pompey’s main downfall over the campaign just gone.
It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that the belief last season’s players were simply not good enough came second in this particular poll.
Despite some decent acquisitions – Gavin Bazunu, Connor Ogilive, Joe Morrell, Louis Thompson, Hayden Carter and George Hirst – 24.6 per cent claimed that was the case, with an additional 9.4 per cent picking on Cowley’s signings in his maiden season in charge.
Notable errors were made in the loan signings of Gassan Ahadme, Miguel Azeez and Tyler Walker.
Players who remained at Fratton Park after last summer’s cull played their part, too, according to our survey. Indeed, 14 per cent believe Cowley was hamstrung by legacy issues from Jackett’s time in charge.
Pompey’s failure to keep hold of the likes of Jack Whatmough, Tom Naylor, Ryan Williams and Craig MacGillivray received 12.9 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile, 8.1 per cent placed the blame firmly at the door of the manager.
Talking of whom, 45.9 per cent have faith in Cowley’s recruitment plans heading into the summer transfer market. Thirty-three per cent remain unsure, while 21.1 per cent said they didn’t have confidence in his summer vision.