Blues boss John Mousinho shares his thoughts on his side's Fratton Park defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday
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00:00John, obviously a disappointing result, but was that the reaction you wanted after Tuesday
00:04night first of all?
00:05I mean, it definitely was in terms of the way we started the game. It was a very, very
00:09even game, I think, for the first 45 minutes. We just edged it and I think deserved to come
00:14away with the lead at half-time. So, definitely from that point of view, we did a lot of things
00:20really, really well. The most disappointing thing, I think, is that we didn't quite follow
00:24up with that in the early parts of the second half.
00:27So, you did a lot of things really, really well, so just what?
00:30I just thought we looked a lot more solid than we did the other night, clearly. I thought
00:35we restricted Sheffield Wednesday to very few chances, to be honest. We didn't have
00:37a huge amount either, but it was quite a tight game, a tight game between two teams that
00:41were going after each other as well. We pressed really well, I thought we defended pretty
00:46well for the most part and came away with a deserved lead at half-time. So, yes, we
00:49did a lot of things really well. We did a lot of things really well in the second half
00:52as well, but a few moments we just weren't good enough.
00:55There was a lot of energy about you tonight as well, and that was pissed him off by Terry
00:58Devlin.
00:59Yes, it was great. Terry's performance was excellent, particularly considering it's
01:02his first Championship start and playing out of position as well. So, I'm really, really
01:05happy with Terry's contribution and he's going to kick on and go from strength to strength.
01:10He hasn't made the squad until recently. Injuries have given him that chance. How have you made
01:16him since he's come back into the side there?
01:18I mean, he got back into the squad not because of injuries, to be honest, because we had
01:22fit players to come in and be in the squad ahead of him on Saturday and on Tuesday. I
01:26think he came back into the side because he deserves to come back into the side on what
01:29he's done in training. And that's what, as we go about our business, we look at what
01:33players do every day in training and we pick teams off the back of it, we pick squads off
01:36the back of that. And I know not everybody can see that, but Terry always does that.
01:39He always gives us everything we need. And, yes, he's come in and he's done really well.
01:43It's just the performance I expected from him.
01:45I think most people here tonight would have named him on the match. Would you agree with that?
01:49Yes, I think that's fair.
01:50Obviously, having been in the lead one there and conceded one all, you were having a good
01:56spell and suddenly they got the winner there in your purple patch in the second half.
02:00Yes, the most disappointing thing about the second goal is where it came from.
02:04It came from us pressing Sheffield Wednesday high up the pitch.
02:06We had them pinned in the corner and we just switched off for half a moment.
02:09We let one of their players emerge the other side of us and they break out.
02:12And there's a difference between us having a corner, a throw, a promising attack in this
02:16half and obviously what culminated in the ball being in the back of the net.
02:20So, yes, really, really unhappy, I think, with that.
02:23And those are the bits we need to do a lot better.
02:25So, you're not serious that you couldn't have done anything about that finish because it was some finish?
02:29There's nothing you can do about the finish, no.
02:30The finish is a brilliant finish and we try and recover behind the ball.
02:33It's what happened further up the pitch that's the problem.
02:36You started the second half quite sluggish as well.
02:38Yes, I mean, my biggest takeaway to the lads in there was just look what happened at the start of the second half.
02:45We gobble the ball back to Jordan Archer, who can't manage to clear it properly.
02:49It's not his fault.
02:50It's just a really poor quality ball back to him and we're on the back foot after that.
02:53And those small moments in games where we don't start well enough.
02:57We did it on Tuesday night in the first half, but we just didn't start well enough.
03:00We didn't test Cardiff in behind and all of a sudden,
03:03Sheffield Wednesday built up a bit of pressure towards their home fans and we ended up conceding.
03:07So, that was a really disappointing part of the game.
03:09What can you take from tonight?
03:11A load of positives, I think.
03:13We're sitting here, I'm talking to you here, with very,
03:16very different emotions to what I felt on Tuesday night,
03:18where I was looking at a side that was unrecognisable in terms of what we want to see and what fans want to see,
03:24what we want to see as staff.
03:25Much, much closer to what Portsmouth should be like and certainly what I've had in my time here.
03:33So, really, really pleased with the effort, pleased with the endeavour.
03:38Just not quite good enough to get back into the game and small bits we need to be a lot better at.
03:45But I don't look at the game tonight and think we couldn't have won it.
03:48We definitely could have won it, but ultimately, we weren't good enough to do that.
03:50Obviously, you made the decision to drop Marlon Pack for the first time since he's come back to Pompey.
03:54What was the motivation for that?
03:57I thought everything needed freshening up from Tuesday night and Marlon took it really well,
04:04as I'd expect him to, a brilliant leader that we've had around the group.
04:07It was one of those where, having played those three games in a week as well,
04:11I thought we needed to freshen things up.
04:12We haven't won a huge amount of games either, so I don't think anyone's had any complaints about coming out the side.
04:16And, yes, that was the rationale behind that.
04:18Was that a big decision for you, dropping your captain?
04:20A massive decision, yes.
04:21I think it always is when you have someone who's played so well and played the amount of games he's played,
04:26lifted the League One trophy last season.
04:28Yes, a big decision.
04:29Obviously, the amount of games, his age, was it also down to his form as well?
04:32Did that come into it?
04:33I think everything, we always take the decision in the round.
04:36I said to Marlon, the three games of the week has definitely come into it,
04:40but I don't want to hide behind that because we haven't won enough games either.
04:43So, yes, we took everything into consideration.
04:46What next for him as well?
04:47What next for Marlon?
04:48Yes.
04:48He'll be back in training on Monday.
04:50Does he have to fight to get back in the team now?
04:54Oh, yes, everybody has to.
04:55Marlon has to fight to stay in the team, he has to fight to get back in the team.
04:58That's part of the problem with football is that we look at things in, I think, two black and white.
05:07Go and speak to a rugby club and players that are out of the side of the gate say,
05:15you're out of the side, it's fine, you need to get back in the side, you need to prove it.
05:18We've got a very different language in football.
05:20We talk about dropping players.
05:22It's just a part of the game, I think, it's a part of the game.
05:24Players are obviously disappointed, but I think, yes, we just need to not overreact.
05:28It's a team selection thing.
05:30Players can always get back into their sides, wherever they are, and they always get back into a side in the drop of a hat.
05:35Look at Terry Devlin, look at Connor Sharplessley last season, look at some of the contributions we've had.
05:40Jordan Archer hasn't been in the squad all year.
05:43These things change very, very quickly.
05:45There's nothing to panic about and nothing to read into at all.