Portsmouth boss defends ‘long-term project’ talk as fans face SEVENTH season in League One

The Blues boss has defended the club’s plans to invest in the club’s infrastructure and put in foundations which were ignored through previous success.

Mousinho has received criticism from a section of fans, after he stressed he doesn’t see any short-term paths to putting things right at Fratton Park.

The 36-year-old clarified, however, that while he faces significant squad surgery and money is invested in areas such as the stadium and training ground, there is the opportunity to enjoy on-the-pitch joy next term.

Those chances are hopefully enhanced by Pompey’s owners taking steps to boost the playing budget.

Mousinho said: ‘When we talk about the ‘long-term project’ success on the pitch is the priority.

‘What we don’t want to do is have that at the expense of the football club, first and foremost, we want to do that with the longevity of Portsmouth Football Club in mind.

‘The people who are going to be here a lot longer than us and the current executive is the fans, that’s for sure. They will keep going for decades and centuries beyond this, so when we talk about that it’s getting everything right to make sure we’re in a position to do that.

‘So hopefully next season we challenge and then, when we do that, we are then in a really good position come next summer. That’s whether it’s with the squad, with recruitment, with Fratton Park, with the training ground - all of the things which make this a brilliant club to be at. We just have to make sure we get it right.

‘I think the club have seen that where in the past we’ve had so much success without the basics which underpin a decent club. That can turn into a disaster with no training ground and training at Eastleigh.

‘All these are things you don’t necessarily see on a Saturday, but they make signing players better, training players better and the whole place more attractive. We need to get all those things right, as well as success on the pitch.’

Mousinho highlighted the need to avoid constant squad rebuilding each summer as another area the club to make progress in.

That sustainable approach feeds into the other areas of the club which have been focussed on, with Tornante’s investment totalling £28m in equity since 2017.

Mousinho added: ‘We feel we have a solid base, not just in results and performances but everything we’ve managed to do at the football club over the past three months.

‘What we said when we first came in looking at Andy Cullen’s words talking about a ‘longer-term project’, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to try to do something in the league next year. It’s a longer-term project in terms of getting the training ground right and getting the squad right, so we don’t have such a huge turnover every summer.

‘It’s getting the infrastructure right, all these things are really important to a club behind the scenes to ensure you can perform on the pitch.

‘Yes, some of those things take time and thought and we have put a lot of thought into those things. That will ensure things like this time next year we’re not in the Portakabins, we’re in a permanent building.

‘You can see all the work which is going on the pitches being relaid and work around the youth team. That infrastructure puts us in a better position to compete.

‘That needs to be matched with effective recruitment, effective training and effective performances - then we’ll be halfway there.’