Pompey boss John Mousinho gives his Sheffield United verdict after the 0-0 Championship draw.
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00:00Here with Pompey boss John Massino. John, another frantic afternoon of Championship football, out of bare pit frat and two. What's your assessment in the final reckoning?
00:10I think the point was about right. I thought it was a really good game of football considering it was 0-0 and it felt like a proper Championship game.
00:19It felt like we were at it. I felt the intimidation from the crowd as well which I loved. I thought it was a really difficult afternoon for Sheffield United and we need that, we need a bit more of that.
00:28I think when the dust settles I think both sides will probably be happy with the point and there's loads that we know we can do slightly better to try and take all three points.
00:36I think a lot of that's about being a bit better in the final third, being a bit braver, being a bit more creative and it's much better to build off the base of a clean sheet than otherwise and we've got to do that going into next week.
00:47Almost one of the messages this week was that the players have shown that they've belonged at Championship level and to believe in themselves that they do belong at this level and they've done that again this afternoon haven't they?
00:57Yes, definitely and we keep coming up against opposition where we come off the pitch, when we lose games it's been the finest of margins and there's been small things that we haven't quite done well enough and we've got to get better at those.
01:11But I do ask the players after every game if you feel that you're struggling at this level and the answer is no. The answer is that the boys are not comfortable at this level but they realise that there's plenty of progress to be made but it's not impossible.
01:26The more that we believe that the better we'll be and now going forward we've got some really good opportunities to kick on and pick up points and we've got to do that.
01:33Sometimes when an opposing manager gives you praise it almost feels like a backhanded compliment after the result has gone against you but Chris Ward are very complimentary today and expect that you'll be telling your players that the results will be coming off the back of more performances like that.
01:46Is that heartening to hear and was that one of your messages?
01:49It is and to be honest we've had that for the past couple of weeks and West Brom and Burnley were really complimentary and that didn't really help us because we'd lost the games but by the same token I think we've got to take a lot of heart from that against a manager who's proven at this level and the level above as well and a side that are really good and a really good side.
02:09We do have to take that and turn that into three points and that's great, it's lovely to hear but we need to make sure that we take it and turn it into wins.
02:20Four changes that then turned into three changes, what was the thinking behind those?
02:25I think with Tom we were looking at the physicality that Sheffield United brought with Kiefer Moore and thought it might be a game that suited Shox, a really difficult decision for me when we've got centre-halves that are flying like ours at the moment.
02:39To be honest I thought for Tom McIntyre to come out of the side after his performance last week it wasn't anything other than a slight tactical tweak and again for Tom to come in on 15 minutes notice and play as well as he did I was really pleased with that.
02:52Conor Ogilvie was ill so we brought Jacob Fowlin who I thought was superb considering it was his debut at this level.
02:59The other changes were Mark coming in, I just think that Christian's done a really good job leading the line for us and Mark just offers something different and I thought Mark was brilliant today, again a 19-year-old making his debut at this level.
03:13And then with Callum Lange coming out of the side with a groin injury we brought Sammy in on the right.
03:17Conor putting up in the warm-up obviously following on from Cassini having won in the warm-up I guess fans will look at that and be concerned, is that cause for concern?
03:26Maybe but we've done the same warm-up for the 46 games last year and however many the 23 that had before that so I don't think it's anything to do with that. I'm concerned about the injuries but I'm not concerned about when and where they've happened.
03:43In that case was Conor coming back too soon? Was he ready? Did he look ready in training? Was the green light given?
03:50Yeah he trained on Wednesday and he trained on Friday, the green light was given and we thought he was fine so we're all frustrated by that.
03:55I don't actually know what the prognosis is because when something happens that close to kick-off it was 15 minutes before kick-off, we wanted to just make sure that we got Rielly in the squad and got Tom Mack up to speed.
04:04I guess you were kind of straight to the referee, was that what that conversation was down there before the game and just trying to get those changes in game mode really?
04:11Yeah that's all it was and it's really I guess heartening that the lads are switched on, Tom Mack didn't sulk, he didn't put his head down, clearly didn't go out last night which was great and came in and put in a superb performance.
04:23Let's talk a bit more about those changes, Marco Mane there, you sort of touched on that, he looks like he's got the attributes that might make him a popular Pompey player.
04:31Yeah and that's the reason we brought him in, because of how good he's been in pre-season with Brighton, the promise he showed when he was involved with the first team last year and with the Republic of Ireland 21s and I thought he came in and he put himself about, he gave two excellent centre-halves a really difficult afternoon and again for us to be able to rely on him for 19 minutes as well was brilliant.
04:51I mean there was one moment where he kind of knocked Harry Sousa off the ball, not an easy thing to do that.
04:57No the two centre-backs, all of Sheffield United's side are superb and for Mark to come in and compete at that age and you can't stress enough how coming in from where he's been, it's just a different level, the Premier League's obviously better than this but it's just different, Championship football is a far cry away from where he's been and especially with the two weeks out and not a huge amount of training he did brilliantly.
05:21He carries himself well, he speaks very well for a young lad, I saw him in the League Cup match for Brighton against Crawley, he showed himself to be quite a spiky character then and again in a positive way today.
05:33Yeah that's what we need, we don't want nice people coming on the football pitch, you don't win football games by being nice, I want nice, polite young gentlemen off the football pitch that treat fans well and treat people well but I want them to be nasty on the football pitch and that was a message I thought that got through to everybody at Franklin Park today, I thought we were getting there in terms of that intimidating atmosphere because we didn't give the fans enough in the first three games with the performances.
05:58We made ourselves too easy to beat and I thought it all came out today in a much better way that when sides come to Franklin Park they know they're going to be in for a really tough game and that's what I expect next weekend as well.
06:14Jacob Farrelly's first appearance in English football was really hard for him at times against a player of the quality of Raksaki and then they bring on Sariki and it's more of the same, he battled against that and came through it.
06:25Yeah I remember watching the Portsmouth Charlton game just before I took the job as part of the interview prep and I think Raksaki had a field day that day, he's a really good player, he spent a bit of time last year with Crystal Palace in the Premier League and he's come on low and he's done really well here.
06:43Really, really good winger and Jacob had some tough moments against him but as the game went on, especially then facing Raksaki, facing Brooks, more wingers however they want to put on that side, I thought he was excellent particularly in the last half hour, he got forward really well, nearly scored his goal and again that adjustment is massive and he made it really well.
07:01It was a bare pit frat in the first half and I think they sort of sensed in the moments where there was concerted pressure from Sheffield United that they needed to step up and they really stepped up and gave you consistent support.
07:12Yeah I loved it today, the support's been unwavering through the first seven games of the season, the first three home games I don't think we've quite shown enough to get the crowd going but I thought it was amazing today, I loved it, I love being part of that.
07:25There's a gilet on today, well we know you're slightly superstitious, you're trying everything aren't you?
07:32Yeah I had to, I had to try everything after the last minute loss last week so I thought the performance was alright so we kept the staple of the outfit and added a gilet and it sounds absolutely ridiculous but yeah we'll probably see it Wednesday night against Stoke.
07:46Staying there some form for Wednesday?
07:48I don't think you can go, yeah.