Mark McMahon is joined by Pompey writer Jordan Cross to get the inside track on all things from Fratton Park. Everything from Colby Bishop's injury, the January transfer window, Alex Robertson staying at PO4 and the secret to the Blues' table-topping success is covered in the latest episode.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to this latest edition of Pompey Talk. My name is Mark McMahon and joining
00:07 me today to discuss all things Pompey is Jordan Cross. Jordan, it's been a long time since
00:13 we got round to doing one of these here, but it's good to be back.
00:17 Good to be back, yeah. We're worked hard at the moment, aren't we? Yeah. So, but nice
00:23 to be able to find some time to do a video and talk Pompey, Pompey waffle for a while.
00:28 Exactly. We're reviewing a wee bit of Pompey waffle, like so. Well, let's get going then.
00:34 3-0 victory against Northampton on Saturday. There were a lot of people madly impressed
00:39 with that performance. Yeah, it's a great time to do one of these,
00:42 you know, catch up and do one of these again off the back of that, because I would rank
00:47 that, I'd probably go as far to say, it's not obviously the biggest scoreline, because
00:50 we had the 4-0 against Leicester Norwich, but I think that was probably the most complete
00:53 performance of seams from, since John Massino came here in January. It had everything to
01:01 display. Two very different performances in terms of halves and very different to a sort
01:07 of impressive in a different way victory at Burton. But the thing that's probably most
01:14 significant for me is for Pompey to play so impressively and win so emphatically without
01:20 their best two players, because that was a big concern going into the game. I think even
01:24 the most positive and upbeat Pompey fan was thinking, come on, let's get in and out and
01:29 get this job done at Northampton. They were upwardly mobile. I think they were kind of
01:33 four unbeaten at home, won their last few games. They'd beaten Blackpool on their own
01:38 patch and we saw what they did to Pompey. So throw that into them and obviously the
01:42 losses, you know, most significantly the loss of the players. We're thinking, okay, this
01:45 is kind of anything to do here, a scrappy one nil. It was anything, but Pompey's were
01:50 almost contemptuous in the way they just took them on in the first half. It's like, we are
01:55 better than you going forward. We're just going to smash you all over the place. And
02:00 we're just going to stand toe to toe. And we know we've got enough firepower to slug
02:04 it out. And there was fret from all areas. Then the second half, they got the goal quickly
02:08 after the restart. And it was just, the game was in the palm of their hand from there on
02:11 in. They just, they just were so controlled in their performance. I mean, that kind of
02:15 couple of minutes spell of Ole football was a joy. But it just, it just showed you how
02:24 dominant Pompey were. And to see the Northampton response actually from their fans, they were
02:28 kind of, I don't think they were even too downbeat Northampton. They were just like
02:31 hands up. That's a very impressive side. Saw some of them sort of say that's the best thing
02:36 I've seen in play against them in recent years. Man City turned up in disguise. It's all nice
02:43 to hear. But we won't get too carried away with that because you know what football's
02:47 got that habit of biting you on the backside, especially when you've got a top of the table
02:50 clash on the horizon.
02:51 Yeah, exactly. And again, the victory came, as you mentioned, two Pompey's best players
02:57 out. But taking into consideration all the injuries Pompey's had, no Colby Bishop, obviously
03:03 no Regan Paul, but there's no Andrew in, there's no Scully. Joe Morrell was suspended, so bearing
03:09 that in mind, again, just makes that their win so much more eye-catching.
03:13 Yeah, so if you look at the kind of two players, look, anyone, if you lose Regan Paul in a
03:19 League One level, his replacement's going to be a downgrade because he's arguably the
03:24 best defender in the, potential defender in the division. He's got a very strong, compelling
03:29 case. Likewise, Colby Bishop, you know, you go a long way to find a better striker than
03:34 Colby Bishop at this level in terms of what he does. But his replacement, I mean, Kassini
03:40 Yenge has come in and we know what he's got. We know he's got the firepower. We know he's
03:45 got the pace. We know he's got the strength. The big concern for me was, can he lead the
03:49 line? Can he link up play? Can he bring others in that Colby Bishop does so, so well and
03:55 we're spoilt with him? Now, there was a doubt about that and he emphatically answered it
03:59 on Saturday. I mean, look at the second goal. Back to goal, tees up Sadio, there's a join
04:04 towards that goal. Perfect time ball, lanes on his motorbike, soothing him through and
04:10 a great finish. That came as a result of Kassini's hold-up play. So, really impressive first
04:16 half of him and then the second half was just about him putting a shift in, really. So,
04:19 that was a big box tick for me because it was a legitimate concern with Colby, you know,
04:24 what kind of five or six games he's going to be out for. That time spell covering and
04:28 through to the new year. A short-witted ragget, for me, I get sick of the grief he gets. It's
04:35 undeserved. It's unfair. He's an outstanding professional. I think he's underrated. You
04:44 speak to the lads at Pompey, you won't find a fitter, faster player at Pompey. He's always
04:50 at the front for fitness and distance runs. We know he's got those rugged skills. We know
04:56 he's got power at both ends of the pitch. We know he's got that physical strength that
05:01 you need at this level. But he showed on Saturday that he can be really progressive in his football.
05:07 Again, it's hard because you balance him up against Regan Paul, so you naturally feel
05:11 like Pompey's a bit weaker. But that's not to downplay what Sean Raggett can do. At Burton
05:16 on Tuesday, he hit one diag about 60 yards, so Abu Kamara was having a really good half.
05:21 And I was like, if Regan Paul does that, everyone's purring. But no one batted an oiled because
05:27 it was Sean Raggett. And he showed that he can play out. It's not quite the dynamism
05:31 you're going to have with Regan Paul, because we know he can go forward really effectively.
05:37 But don't dismiss Sean Raggett and his capabilities. He gets unfairly tagged, as John Massino said,
05:43 as that kind of agricultural type of player. It's unfair, and he's shown that now over
05:48 an extended period. I think it's just a bit of a cheap shot, actually, when he gets the
05:52 grief that he does from certain sections.
05:54 I want to talk to you about both of those positions later on, Abi, when we're talking
06:00 about the January transfer window. But just again, focusing on at the present, the strength
06:06 and depth Pompey have with Yenghi coming in for Kobe, and then obviously Sean Raggett
06:11 coming in for Regan Paul. Again, there's a lot of depth there. We knew there was a lot
06:16 of depth there when we went into the season, bear in mind what went on in the summer. But
06:20 has it taken you by surprise just how strong Pompey are in a game like that, when they
06:25 can call upon players who maybe weren't necessarily going to be featured in a game like that,
06:30 if everybody had been fit?
06:31 I haven't really thought about it. But yeah, I mean, as you asked the question, I am a
06:36 tad actually, because they recruited well in the summer. But for every player to come
06:45 in as they do, and Pompey to continue in the vein they have on that unbeaten run, a nail
06:52 record away run, is probably one of the biggest or most impressive features of the season,
06:59 isn't it? Because that happened before we lost these players, we were in trouble. So
07:04 players are all coming, even down to Ben Stevenson. I mean, John called him the most unlucky man
07:10 in Portsmouth. He is, every time he comes in, he's absolutely fine. He's no dependable.
07:15 He's a flashy type of player, but I'm not seeing him have a bad game for Pompey yet.
07:21 Maybe that's because he doesn't play enough. But seriously, every time he comes in, he's
07:28 great, so good. I hope he'll continue the trophy run, because I think it's great the
07:34 way we're out of the two cup competition. I'm pleased about that, concentrate on the
07:38 league. But that trophy matches are really important for the likes of him, and getting
07:42 Tom Lowry back now, and players to come back. If you'd have lost, Joe Morales out, Connor
07:49 Ogilvie's out, Regan Poole's out, Colby Bishop's out. I mean, that's four starters.
07:55 I mean, you can debate Andrew and Scully, couldn't you, about their position in things,
08:00 but they were fit. So, he'd be decimated and in trouble in previous regimes. So, massive
08:06 kudos to Rich Hughes for his recruitment. It was getting to the transparent, it's getting
08:13 a bit transparent now. You can see through it, it's really on the creaking point. So,
08:19 it's crucial that now, and I'll let you ask about it in a minute, but that they now make
08:23 sure they don't get exposed over the second half of the season with the January recruitment.
08:27 All the signs are really positive that they will go. I always heart back to Yakubu in
08:32 Harry Redknapp's 2002/2003 season, and going and getting those Steve Stones and the Tim
08:36 Sherwoods just to put it beyond doubt. I mean, that's what we need again. I've mentioned
08:41 it before, and yeah, we don't want to think back to that last January when we were going
08:46 well and we lost Ben Thompson and that horror story of that January. So, that's a cautionary
08:51 tale, isn't it? That's a cautionary tale. Learn the lesson from that. There's not a
08:54 repeat. I'm sure, I mean, everything I hear, I'm sure that's not going to be the case.
08:59 Yes, that was the summer, or the January when they brought in Bogle and Vaughan and all
09:04 the other guys.
09:06 Andy Cannon was kind of the only semi-hit then, wasn't it? But yeah, that was, yeah.
09:09 I still remember Neil Allen writing a comment piece on the January the 1st saying, "Pompy,
09:15 cannot throw this away. They're too far advanced than them local folk." Of course they did,
09:20 but let's not go into that there too much. One player I want to speak to you about though
09:26 is Ike Robertson.
09:27 Thank you. Thank you very much. I love to speak about him.
09:30 Yeah, you can't help but be impressed every single time you see him. I know some people
09:35 do question why we're all waxing and a wriggling a bit at times, but come off it. He's probably
09:41 the best midfielder in League One, isn't he?
09:44 Best player in League One. Let's not hold it, let's not stop at midfielder. Best player
09:48 in League One. Best player in League One. I remember when Pompey signed Lassana. I'm
09:53 not comparing him to Lassana Diaro, by the way. I just remember when we signed Lassana
09:56 Diaro. The day we signed him, Harry's like, "Enjoy him while you've got him." He was
10:01 here for a good time, not a long time. It just echoes. It's the same for Alex Robertson,
10:07 isn't it? It's, "Enjoy him while you've got him." He is just ahead of everyone else in
10:16 his spatial awareness, his thinking, he's two passes ahead of the rivals. He's just
10:22 taking the game to a new level in the last month. It was good he settled, but he's just
10:26 really ramped it up the last few weeks. It's interesting, actually, because he'd want
10:32 to get his qualities going forward in the 8/10 position, but now, playing in that deeper
10:38 role, it's kind of like another attacking player on the pitch, isn't it? He's doing
10:44 the defensive side of the game so well. He's getting the cover. Again, I think even Marlon
10:49 Pate coming in the last two games has really helped him because I was having a chat with
10:52 Guy Whittingham. I think Marlon's the type who's going to say to him, talking through
10:58 a game, I know Joe Morrell will, but perhaps not quite as emphatically as Marlon will.
11:04 Marlon's like, "Mate, go, go, bomb on, get forward." He gives him that license and he
11:09 does it. The footwork, the pass, and the range of passing. I love these clips you get with
11:14 him every game, isn't it? They're getting longer and longer, aren't they? They're
11:18 the best moments of Alex Robertson. They're actually about two minutes because it's just
11:22 constantly... It's getting to the point where he just doesn't actually put a foot wrong,
11:25 which is incredible, really. Again, on Saturday, I was doing the ratings and you get your framework
11:31 to your ratings in the first half. Into the second half, I won't give away too many secrets,
11:35 but you're trying to do three things at once. I was saying about Alex, he's letting the
11:40 Paddy Lane's do the grandstanding on this one. He's playing well under the radar and
11:46 then he just went, bang. He just went up two notches and just took centre stage. He got
11:51 the game by the scruff of the neck. I mean, that's a quick feat to get away from players.
11:55 Again, I've seen Northampton players saying that they've got some good midfielders,
12:00 but Alex Robertson made it look very, very ordinary. It's not knocking the Northampton
12:05 players because it's just a testament to what a joy and classy operator that Alex Robertson is.
12:10 You said at the very start there, you referenced Harry, enjoying where you have him. Is there
12:17 any situation at all where Pumpey fans could have Alex Robertson at Frank Park next season?
12:24 We know he's going to stay all this season. I think that there's sort of a way being debunked
12:29 that he could go back in January. Again, the Ben Thompson, 'Oh my God, we don't want to lose this
12:33 player', that type of scenario. Is there any situation where he could be a Pumpey player
12:39 next year? Well, I mean, he's a fantastic player, but he's not going to go back and walk into a
12:44 Manchester City side at the moment. There is a January recall, obviously, but that's always the
12:49 case with these loans. My little concern was the possibility of a championship of
12:59 a championship side trying to buy him in January permanently and City cashing in on him. That would
13:04 have been my concern. Again, put it to John Massino last week, really confident about it. He's playing
13:12 fantastically well. He's getting experience. He's a young lad that's in every week. Why would they
13:18 want to go? He's kind of on the brink of it. He's got to be getting into the Australia squad for
13:24 the Asian Cup, you would have thought, on the form that he's producing. So that would have been my concern.
13:29 But I think that's, as you say, been debunked. Now, could he remain? Pumpey would have to be in the
13:35 championship and then you'd have to ask the question, wouldn't you? I'm sure they would do.
13:39 It's just about the level he goes in at, isn't it? Because he's too good for Ligue 1.
13:45 He's a class operator at championship level, you would have thought, wouldn't you?
13:50 But perhaps not quite the Premier League ready, which is, you know, when it's Man City,
13:56 it's a caring club, then it's not a surprise, really, is it? One of those situations that we
14:01 encountered with George Pursh, where he came in, had that great second half of the season,
14:06 his profile was sky high, but he was too good for Ligue 1. And the chances of Pumpey, you know,
14:11 Danny Cowley wanted him, the chances of getting him were very remote when you had championship
14:16 teams coming in. Going back to your point, do you reckon Pumpey need to be in the championship
14:20 next season to even stand a chance of him being in? Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah, I mean, but George
14:28 Pursh is a different case because the money or the cost to get George Pursh was like, he was,
14:32 we're talking multi-millions. Yeah. Ipswich has got deep pockets, haven't they? So, that was,
14:40 yeah, that was the kind of backdrop to that one. I don't necessarily think it would be that sort of
14:47 level to get Robertson permanently. I've got no benchmark for him, in my head I'm thinking half a
14:52 million, but I don't know, really, I wouldn't. But it would have to be, Pumpey's play for it
14:58 would be get to the championships and then ask the question, wouldn't that loan all permanent
15:01 again? A championship, you know, he's then got that platform to, if it was a loan, to,
15:07 you know, kind of impress and, you know, Man City like Chelsea with their young players now,
15:14 they're not, you know, they're not bringing them all through to necessarily pay first. It's a
15:17 business, isn't it? You know, look at Gavin Mazzuna and the money he went for. So, that's the kind of,
15:23 the model, isn't it, to a degree? And they will put young players in like, you know, Rico Lewis
15:29 who's good enough, but it's a business as well, which Chelsea do obviously very, very well. And
15:34 it would be similar with that. So, yeah, I mean, platforms in the championship, yeah, you'd hope
15:41 there'd be a chance, wouldn't you? And if Pumpey are in the championship, then they're as good as
15:46 anyone as a club to operate, aren't they? If Pumpey are in the league, but he goes to the championship
15:50 or somewhere else, he'll have a full loan all permanent. Well, try not to look too far into
15:55 the future, but stay in with Alex Robertson. What does John Massino do next Monday night
16:01 if Joe Morrell's back from suspension? Pax come through unscathed, he's fit, and Robertson's still
16:07 fit. Does he push him forward to play in that number 10 role or does he stick to that partnership
16:13 with Pax and Robertson, which you say did really, really well on Saturday? He's been thinking about
16:18 that and it's the big question coming into the game, isn't it? I think that's the biggest debate
16:25 in terms of team selection. Would you really want to change Alex Robertson's role, given how well
16:33 he's playing in that deeper position? As I say, you've got your trio of attackers and then the
16:39 front man, and then you've got another attacking player on the pitch in him when he's given licence
16:43 to get forward. I would be loathe to change him out. That said, Joe Morrell normally comes straight
16:49 back in, hasn't he, when he's missed out on games previously. Marlon Pax is obviously another factor
16:56 in that now, his fitness. So, really interesting debate about that. Whether you would maybe throw
17:04 him further forward, pack him around, but they're not as progressive, are they? So, I really like
17:10 having a progressive player like Robertson in that deeper role. The upside of that would be then
17:14 you get the Sadie impact player, don't you? If you need to throw him on, then you get that impact,
17:19 which he does so well. That said, Sadie on the form on Saturday, it'd be harsh to drop him off
17:25 in that, I'd argue his best performance on Saturday. Certainly in the first half, it was a wrecking ball
17:29 that displayed from Sadie. That clip of all the defenders bouncing off him, one for the ages,
17:34 isn't it? So, that would be harsh on him to take it out. Big debate, not quite sure. I think gun to
17:40 head at the moment, I'd probably start packing Robertson. Yeah, interesting. I suppose Morales
17:47 happened to pick up the old corner to you. He peed off Massino on the last one, that's for sure.
17:54 John's very, in his post-match debriefs, he's fantastic to deal with. I don't know how he stays
18:02 so calm and gets such a balanced assessment so soon after the heat of a battle, but he wasn't
18:08 hiding the fact he wasn't happy with that last dismissal. Some of the previous ones, I mean,
18:12 and the yellows, the yellow at Cambridge and the other red cards, I think he could swallow.
18:17 But yeah, when it's kind of, it was unnecessary, wasn't it? I think he might just lost his head a
18:23 bit because they didn't get that penalty from the foul on Kamara just beforehand. So, yeah,
18:28 he's probably using up his life with those, isn't he? Well, what about Komi Besset then? So, you
18:33 said John hides his disappointment, he didn't hide his disappointment with Morales there. We got a
18:38 wee bit of positive news on Saturday about Bishop. He's not going to be out as long as we expected
18:44 to. Bear in mind, Peck and Yenge, both were out for eight weeks or so of ankle injuries. I'm not
18:49 quite sure if it's something similar, but it looks like Boulby's going to be back maybe, maybe
18:54 boxing day, maybe the game after that there, 29th of December. So, again, we'll have to take these
19:01 positives from that. Well, when I was, at the moment, sort of at Burton, just before the break,
19:08 when he's on the touchdown, he's gone over on that ankle, the tackle's kind of gone in, there was
19:11 nothing wrong with the tackle. When Colby Bishop starts punching the floor, your heart's in your
19:15 mouth, isn't it? When Ronan Curtis punches the floor, you laugh at it, don't you? You know what's
19:19 going on. He wasn't laughing, the only one he was talking about. You know what Ronan Curtis is like,
19:25 he punches the floor every game, Bertie. But when Colby does that, you know there's issues there,
19:31 and he tried to hobble on, but you knew in your heart of hearts, once that seized up after that
19:35 was him over. So, yeah, the scans come back and, yeah, the ankle ligaments, there's, yeah,
19:43 looks like there's some damage there. So, Bolton, Shrewsbury, Fleetwood, Bristol Rovers, Exeter and
19:51 Stevenage are the games up to the New Year. So, what's that cover for, sort of six games, isn't
19:55 it? It's going to be a big miss. Really concerning before the game on Saturday, but I'll say I just
20:02 saw another side of things on Saturday from Ksenia Ieannou, which I haven't seen so far,
20:06 and it really lifted me to feel that. And also, you know, in a way, it gives something different,
20:11 doesn't it, Ieannou, because he's probably more dynamic than Colby in terms of him playing him
20:17 behind. He's got more pace to stretch teams that way. Obviously, it's a downgrade, all things
20:22 concerned with Colby just being a textbook exponent of leading the line. So, yeah, I mean,
20:28 obviously it hurts and it's going to hurt Pompey, but given what we've sort of spoken about
20:32 previously, I'm more encouraged than I was before Saturday. That's good, that's decent. Well,
20:40 let's talk January then, that's just around the corner. What are you expecting from Pompey?
20:47 This is probably, there's a couple of layers to this here. I'll go back first. What are you
20:51 expecting from Pompey? In terms of players, I would expect at least a trio to come in,
21:00 I dare say. I think before the injuries, any of the injuries, I think if you sort of asked John
21:08 what he would have wanted, I think he wanted a winger. That was his kind of number one priority.
21:13 But since then, since I've kind of picked up that vibe, obviously I've lost Andrew and
21:18 they've lost Regan Paul. So, they are obvious areas that need looking at. I think the central
21:27 defensive positions are a real significant one and a priority. So, they would be the areas I
21:33 would look. Striker? I think the problem, the idea when they did their summer business was
21:39 if the worst was to happen and Pompey were to lose Colby Bishop, they would then have,
21:43 between Sadie and Yegge, enough to kind of fill the gap. I don't think they expected things to
21:49 develop in the way they have with Sadie in terms of playing Drew deeper. Obviously, he can lead
21:54 the line. So, yeah, it's a bit more of an imponderable one, that really. Yeah, I'm trying
22:01 to sort of have a barometer on it and I'm not sure they would go for a striker, but it's not totally
22:05 clear to me that at the moment. Obviously, Colby coming back in the new year as well, though, you'd
22:11 think they might well be enough. But I think, yeah, certainly a defender and certainly a couple
22:15 of wide men, well, you say wide men, attacking players, along that trio of positions in behind
22:22 the striker. I was just going to say as well, not to, don't discount the fact that they would look
22:34 for, I think they would look for young players as well. I think they would look for the players
22:37 that aren't necessarily ready. I know for a fact that they're scouring sort of like the National
22:43 League and they're looking at some bright young players, sort of like teenagers really, that aren't
22:49 quite ready yet, but looking for that could kind of be assets for the future. So, yeah, that's
22:56 another element to it, which could boost up the numbers of coming in in January.
23:03 Yeah. I was going to say then, before you said that there, if Colby, Bishops and G had been a
23:08 wee bit more long-term, would that have forced Pumpey's hand and they would definitely need to,
23:14 or would that confidence in Yengy and Sadie and even Kamara, I think Kamara can play up on
23:20 Candie like that, would they have just sort of went, no, we've got enough, or would they have
23:25 went, no, desperately, if we're in top of the league at this point, we need to sustain this,
23:29 we need to get a proper replacement done? Yeah, if Colby was out for the season, I think they'd
23:35 probably would have gone for something. I know, like you say there, you've got Kamara,
23:41 that's Kamara's actual natural position, Sadie plays further forward, but I don't think that's
23:47 quite as effective as it would be. Yengy would be the one out and out, wouldn't he, in terms of
23:51 that striking role. So, yeah, I think that might have swayed things somewhat, but probably with
23:58 Colby coming back, they're kind of, they're okay. Also, they don't want to, another sort of,
24:03 slightly contrary to that is they don't want to imbalance the squad. They've got a really,
24:07 I mean, it's a fantastic atmosphere, as you'd probably expect around the place, but they've
24:10 recruited really good characters and the thing is, and as John, you'll say it, he's said it so
24:15 many times, he's so keen to say it, that all the players that aren't playing, they're kind of near
24:20 the team and they've shown, like you always, Rozel, kind of shocked Nessie being out of the squad at
24:24 the start of the season and coming in and doing what he's done, but they really can come into the,
24:29 you know, Saks wants and Ben Stevenson, they're miles off it and then they're coming in for games.
24:34 So, you want that, you don't want to mess up that harmony really and if you start this
24:39 stockpiling, you're going to, because everyone's kind of a part of things at the moment. So,
24:46 that's another thing to consider when looking at January business.
24:49 I was actually going to ask you on that specific, but then I thought, is that a cliche,
24:52 you say you don't want to disrupt the group whenever, you don't want to disrupt the group
24:56 in any window, literally, like you're doing well, like so, but like still staying on topic, like
25:01 do you run the risk of pissing, like so Sean Raggatt off if you were going out to buy a new
25:05 centre half and even Riley Tyler, he can't get a sniff at the minute, like so, I always think about
25:10 Raggatt, people were going yes, Regan pulls a step up and he is, let's not be ready to go there,
25:17 like but Raggatt is such a reliable performer at this level that if you bring in somebody else,
25:23 is that going to put him back on the bench again or are they going to just open it up,
25:27 like you two are in competition, you sort it out amongst yourselves, like it's.
25:31 You'd want four, wouldn't you, really? I think they want four and that would be,
25:37 and that would then require another defender to come in. I know you've got the kind of
25:40 conorography factor that you can sort of slip in there, but you want him competing with Jack
25:46 Sparks really for that left back role, so yeah, they want four and one of them, so that requires
25:53 another defender and I don't think that's like messing up harmony or it's just having competition
25:59 for places, what do you need, you need two for every position and that then by dint of fact,
26:04 means you need another centre half in January. Yeah, I was going to also ask you about the type
26:10 of player that they're going to recruit. Does it have to be one eye on the championship? I don't
26:17 want to take any for granted just yet, but any sentence probably made between now and say,
26:22 summer, do they need to be championship ready players too? One that will get them across the
26:27 line to get them up to the championship, but also players who can then be good players at that level?
26:33 Yeah, there's two lots, isn't there? I mean, they've got a couple of loan spaces, so no,
26:38 they don't have to be necessarily championship ready if they look for loans.
26:41 They need to be for now, don't they? They need to get Pompey across the line now. The actual
26:47 permanents, perhaps more so now, if you look at what they did in January with Paddy Lane and Riley
26:53 Towler, you can say that they were for now and they were for the future as well, weren't they?
26:57 So you would take them to the championship and I think that's what they have to look at doing
27:05 with any permanents that do come in in January. I was just talking with a friend yesterday about
27:11 that, because I said, "There's got to be another overhaul this summer." And I was like, "No,
27:15 not really." If you look at that squad, you would say that Regan Paul was going to the championship
27:20 anyway, it looked like in the summer. Connor Schott-Nessie could step up, Will Norris could
27:25 step up. Rafferty operated in the championship. Maybe look at the left-back situation,
27:31 that would be a bit more of a, "Do we need to upgrade in that area?" Robertson, we know,
27:37 brilliant. Marlon Pax played in the championship, but he'd probably look to upgrade in midfield as
27:42 well. Joe Morrell can do it. So there's a good basis, and then into the attacking areas, there's
27:47 a good basis. Colby Bishop can play in the championship. A nucleus of players that can
27:51 go up anyway, but you have to evolve with it, don't you? You have to recruit, keep looking
27:56 for players that can do that. So, two-pronged answer, really. Loans, particularly, you need
28:03 players for now to get them over the line this season, but I think permanently you need to be
28:08 having players that are certainly looking to evolve and become championship players.
28:12 Yeah, well, just on the final one on the transfer window, if Colby do have a couple of spaces left
28:19 in the loan department, do you anticipate any January arrivals being loans rather than permanents?
28:26 Yeah, yeah, I certainly would. I think they have three of them at the moment,
28:29 trying to think off the top of my head. Yeah, Kamara and Robertson.
28:35 The rule, obviously, just to clarify, you can have no limit on your loans, but you can only
28:43 name five in the matchday squad. So that would then leave up, you would say, two places to come
28:48 in. So Pompey have knowingly kept those spaces open with that in mind, I think. So, yeah,
28:53 I would certainly say loans and permanents coming in January.
28:56 Right, okay. Well, I've got to wrap it up pretty sharpish here, but just before we go,
29:01 everybody's believing, everybody's dreaming that this is the year that Pompey's going to go up.
29:08 Are you part of that brigade? Are you growing in confidence?
29:11 I run a kids football team and the guy I run it with is an ardent Pompey fan, loves it,
29:21 laps it all up, all the podcasts, all the news coverage, he's all over it.
29:25 And when was it? I spoke to him, we have a chat every week about Pompey, and it was
29:32 the Derby away game in September. I sort of spoke to him on the Monday and I was going,
29:38 I think I've seen something, I think I've seen something I haven't seen before.
29:43 Don't say it, don't say it. I'm going to say it, I'm going to say it,
29:48 this could be the season. And that was the first sort of sighting I had of it really.
29:53 And then, yeah, obviously the winds came off the back of that, didn't they? So,
29:58 that was my first inkling that something could happen. But that said, I think they're showing
30:02 all the traits, the resolve to come back, the resilience, they keep taking hits and
30:08 they're picking up the win. So, ticking all the boxes required. That said, I think January,
30:14 you know, it's really important to go out and put it to bed really. And I think they're going to
30:20 get all the signs out, they're looking, you know, there's the back, it's going to be available
30:23 financially to do that. It's been, you know, it's very well documented, the budget's gone up.
30:29 I think the owners, I think, I think they would have, you know, almost been prepared to put more
30:36 in than what they have done. I think it's kind of like the management side of things, saying,
30:40 we don't want to keep things within reason here, sort of thing. We don't want to go out and splash
30:45 the cash and then really, you know, ramp up the demands and it's got to be this season. So,
30:50 and even though I do feel personally it has to be this season. Yeah, I just think there's a real,
30:57 it goes without saying, doesn't it, January's crucial. But yeah, cautiously optimistic.
31:02 I am an optimist, but as I say, it was that performance, that derby, I was like,
31:07 they're standing toe to toe with the big rivals now and they're getting the better of them,
31:11 which they haven't done in the past. I mean, they're going to places like Wigan,
31:15 they're going to places like Derby, tough places to go, Barnsley, and they're putting them to bed.
31:19 And that's something that is a trait of real contenders.
31:25 Yeah. Did you read anything into that Blackpool result, by the way, just on?
31:30 No, not really. It was, I mean, if you look at that game in isolation, they started,
31:36 they were poor for 10 minutes, then from 10 minutes to 45, they were dominant and they didn't
31:42 take the chances. That was the key. That was the key, they had the chances and they didn't take
31:48 them. Second half, then we had this kind of crazy period, didn't we, where like a ridiculous goal
31:53 was scored. They then had the penalty shell, which was a nailed on penalty. They didn't get that and
31:58 then they lost Dojo morale. So then the game went away from them. So, you know, Bomby, you know,
32:05 hands down, Blackpool were better on the day. There was a lot of mitigating factors in that one.
32:08 They're not blowing teams away. They're not kind of like, you know, the Harry team or two,
32:15 but they're just much better than everyone else. They're just like John Brady said, they probably
32:19 just do the fundamentals very, very well. They're more impressive to watch, but they're defensively
32:26 resilient, they're progressive in their play, they're forward thinking and they've got, yeah,
32:32 they've got quality in every department and in more than one player. So, yeah, I don't think,
32:39 you know, there's been too many times that Pompea have blown teams away before Saturday and late
32:44 in the morning. It's all been by the odd goal, haven't they, the wins. It's just a very well
32:48 oiled machine. And also, John Massino, he's been a breath of fresh air. He's just made Pompea a
32:55 fun place for the players to be every day. They've got respect for the players. The staff have been
33:01 given their freedom. There's no disrespect to Danny Kelly, but I think a lot of players,
33:05 like Danny was very hands on and wanted, he was just, you know, very thorough. Now, I think John's
33:10 given the players, the staff, their head to go out and do their bits and pieces themselves. And I
33:15 think they've got to feel like, you know, they're able to do their jobs better as a result. And that
33:19 goes for the players as well. So, yeah, I mean, like John's not afraid to give the players a bit
33:25 of time off. They've probably got more time off now when they get the chance, but they work hard
33:30 when they come in. So, he's treating the players like adults and they're giving back to him as a
33:34 result. So, yeah, that all into the mountain pie is why I'm kind of cautiously optimistic, as I said.
33:41 This is the final one because we're all on it. Paul Warren's come out and had a very slight
33:47 dig at Pompea, hasn't he? Whenever he said, "We're not", I think they won. I can't remember who it
33:52 was against last week in England. We did it very fortunately, like, because if in playing that,
33:56 "Oh, yeah, well, grind out a 1-0 was in", there's no real flair. There's no real big scores. Like,
34:01 does that leave you off way back when you hear an opposition manager say that?
34:05 Really? Is he having a pop or is it a compliment? I think, like, you know, there's no outlier in
34:11 the division this year. This is what we keep saying. There's no team that are much better
34:15 than Pompea. There's not an Ipswich or a team with much bigger resources. Pompea have got,
34:22 I mean, let's have it right. They've improved the budget. There's a team probably in the lower half
34:28 of the division. I know there's teams you would be surprised if you're named them, but they've
34:34 got bigger budgets than Pompea. Yeah. I mean, why do you think Matt Taylor's just gone to Bristol
34:38 Rovers? Do you think he's gone there because he hasn't got money to spend? That's just one example.
34:44 Bigger budgets than Pompea, then you might be surprised about. So, Pompea have put a
34:52 really good organised structure together. They've recruited well. So, yeah, they're not blowing
34:57 teams away. No, they're not. But they're doing the fundamentals really, really well.
35:02 I don't think John Massino's a revolutionary coach. I don't think he's, you know,
35:06 sort of like a Pep Guardiola or something like that. I just think he just, you know,
35:11 it's not rocket science. Create a good harmony, create a good feeling about the place.
35:18 Get the basics, fundamentals, you know, work, get your set pieces nailed on, be hard to beat,
35:23 and be, you know, be forward thinking and go out. I mean, I know he's giving instructions to players
35:30 in his time here. It's just like murder the fullback. That's been the instruction. I think
35:34 like he wants, you know, he's keeping Abu Kamal at the moment. It's like, you know, get out,
35:37 run at the bloody fullback. Just do Josh Martin, you know, get at the fullback ball.
35:42 So yeah, I think throw all that into the melting pot. Yeah. And that's, yeah, that's the reason
35:48 why we are where we are at the moment. Good stuff. Well, here, Joy, I really enjoyed that
35:54 there. Thanks for your time. And hopefully you at home have enjoyed that there too. We'll try
35:58 and get these more done more regularly. But as Jodie says, resources, some give us some stuff.
36:03 We're here, Jodie. We'll wrap it up there. Thank you. Thank you all for watching. We'll see you
36:10 all again, hopefully very soon. Until then, goodbye.