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Life as a Portsmouth player and manager is a precarious one. Full of expectation, hope and sometimes, despair.
As another decade comes to an end, you would be hard pushed to find another club that has had such the fall of Portsmouth.
Two years after FA Cup triumph, administration in 2010 begun the club’s decade of decline. The relentless threat of liquidation coupled with the form on the pitch, life as a Pompey supporter proved turbulent. The rise of bitter rivals Southampton, in tandem with their sinking to the basement of the Football League, heightened their troubles.
But throughout the struggle, support never wavered. The fans, who persevere to turn up in their droves, rarely leave a seat empty at Fratton Park. The most taxing case came in the 2013-2014 season, where Portsmouth sold over 10,000 season tickets – a record for a League Two club.
And with those supporters, no matter the state the club finds itself in, there always continues to be a unique hostility that gives them an edge.
Currently alongside Sunderland as the biggest club in League One, expectations from the Fratton faithful is high. Promotion is a requirement; nothing more, nothing less.
But for boss Kenny Jackett, managing expectations has got a lot more difficult this campaign.
Despite being dumped out in the play-off semi-finals last season, incidentally by Sunderland, Jackett’s men were firm promotion favourites this time around.
No end-of-season drop-off was going to repeat itself. After all, the manager and players had already suffered play-off heartbreak and were determined it would not happen again.
Eight summer signings in the summer reaffirmed Pompey’s case for promotion; they had brought in more depth and achieved the aim of providing more competition to a stable squad. The notable acquisition was Doncaster striker John Marquis, who joined for a reported fee of £1.5 million.
It had appeared the Portsmouth board backed Jackett to correct the wrongs of last season.
But what had been underestimated was the impact two players departures would have. Matt Clarke left for Brighton and Jamal Lowe headed for Championship side, Wigan.
Clarke was soon shipped out on loan to Derby after failing to impress new Seagulls boss Graham Potter. Brighton had essentially taken one of Portsmouth’s best players and then immediately disposed of him.
And as we reach the halfway mark of Portsmouth’s stuttering campaign, the loss of the centre-back is still being witnessed. Clarke was Jackett’s trusted aide, his defensive rock. He was the mainstay of a changeable back-line, and was one of the few ever-presents last campaign.
At just 23 years of age, the club’s Player of the Year had emerged a leader in the dressing room; comfortable on the ball and dependable in his defensive duties, he added a resolve and certain steel Fratton Park notoriously craves.
While leading Pompey to the sixth best defensive record in the league, the defender embodied what a Portsmouth player needs to have. No matter the boss or the personnel on the pitch, certain things are non-negotiable and have been for years. Clarke had the aggression and tenacity every player, in order to be successful on the south coast, simply requires.
That famous ’12th man’ cliche never rung truer. Due to the volatile nature of the ground, support often mirrors what happens on the pitch. When things are going well, Fratton Park shakes, making for a disturbing afternoon for opposition teams. But when it goes wrong, like it has the season, the hostile atmosphere works against you.
Despite somewhat of an upturn of results in recent matches, losing just once in the previous twelve, Pompey still remain tenth. The quality of football has taken a hit too, with a lack of creativity a nagging thorn.
The exit of winger Jamal Lowe no doubt played a part. In a team full of industrious workhorses, Lowe was one of the few that had the ability to make something out of nothing. If Clarke was the rock at defence, Lowe was the diamond in attack; scoring 17 goals last campaign – including ‘that’ dink during extra-time of the Checktrade Trophy final – the winger was the main source of attacking spark.
Now, Jackett’s two most prized assets are gone and some may argue the Portsmouth boss is on a hiding to nothing.
To reiterate the pairs importance, only two Pompey players were named in the PFA League One team of the season. Unsurprisingly, it was Matt Clarke and Jamal Lowe.
The loss of the club’s two most vital figures meant Portsmouth would always need time to recover and repair the cracks at both ends of the pitch. But in the midst of a fast-paced, cut-throat Football League season, time is rather tricky to find.
