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“Come on lads, there’s no tomorrow!” roared Danny Cowley as his Portsmouth players made their way back to the dressing room ahead of Saturday’s League One fixture against a Bristol Rovers side on the verge of relegation.
It was not the first time that the recently appointed Head Coach had roared the phrase that afternoon, it was a constant throughout Pompey’s energetic pre-match routine, and after the game he explained that it was something he had been telling the players throughout the week in order to encourage them to “leave the stadium with absolutely no regrets” as the season draws to its conclusion.
He was quite right in suggesting that time was running out for his side. At the start of the day, they found themselves eighth in the league table, one point outside of the play-off places as a run of four games without a win that had followed four wins in Cowley’s first four games in charge had left the south coast club relying on others slipping up to make it into the top six.
This sense of urgency has been apparent throughout the 36 days that Cowley and his brother/assistant manager Nicky have been in charge, and there appears to be a willingness within the club to promote the change that has taken place since predecessor Kenny Jackett left nearly six weeks ago.
Despite reaching the play-offs in two of his three full seasons in charge, Jackett was largely accused of having an unimaginative playing style that struggled to get the best out of the array of attacking talent at his disposal, and it was therefore no real surprise when he was relieved of his duties as the club fell out of the top six in early March.
A video from the training ground was released just days after the new managerial duo had taken over, and with older brother Danny mic’d up throughout the session, it provided a taste of what was to be expected in the remainder of the season – energy and enthusiasm.
The Cowley’s have very little need for promotion from others though, as from the first moment you witness the way in which they oversee the pre-game preparations they instantly impress.
It was Nicky who led the circuit of fast-paced drills, clearly designed to prepare the players for 90 minutes of closing down, constant movement and instant decision making. Even though the brothers have maintained the same coaching staff that worked under Jackett, they too were involved in leading the exercises in what felt like a merging between the previous regime and the current one.
Danny would move between individuals, offering words of advice or motivation to those he felt needed it, before breaking into furious claps of encouragement that accompanied the reminders that today would be vital for the club’s play-off hopes.
Complimenting one another in such an effective and successful way saw the brothers go from coaching in the Essex Senior League to taking on the Championship in the space of just 10 years, and even though they lasted just under a single season in the second tier with Huddersfield, the opportunity to re-energise a club of Portsmouth’s stature seems to be an ideal next challenge for them both.
Although Fratton Park is one of the EFL’s older grounds, it is notorious for its vociferous atmosphere on matchdays, and whilst the stands are vacant for the time being, the new management team are attempting to introduce a brand of football capable of providing its own atmosphere.
A handful of supporters stationed themselves outside of the ground’s Milton End stand to play the Pompey Chimes and offer wails of excitement that were entirely detached from anything that was happening on the pitch, leaving the home side’s management team in charge of ensuring their players remained stimulated.
From the very first minute of the contest against a Bristol Rovers side that would have its relegation to League Two confirmed with anything less than a win, both manager and assistant were stood in front of the home dugout, constantly moving and talking to those on the field of play.
Despite stretching the limits of their technical area to its maximum as they searched for a way to bring life to a game against a struggling opponent in a stadium devoid of its usual vibrancy, it was noticeable how positive both the Cowley brothers continued to be throughout, even when attacking moves broke down or defensive shape was lost.
Their shouts were always constructive, players never found themselves chastised or singled out for criticism, rather they were given instructions on what they should do if a similar situation was to occur later in the game or simply given a verbal pat on the back to help prevent heads from dropping through frustration.
What was also striking about their communication was how simple the instructions were. Nicky would regularly break into cries of “Press! Press! Press!” when the opportunity arose to do so, whilst Danny would often be applauding players for the intention behind a decision, regardless of whether or not the pass, tackle or shot ended up working out for the team.
To simply pigeonhole the pair as motivators would do them a disservice though. Portsmouth began the game with a back three for the first time since they took charge, and the selection of wingers Ryan Williams and Marcus Harness as wing-backs was as clear an indication as the warm-up drills and the touchline shouts that the Cowley’s wanted their Pompey side to be aggressive and on the front foot.
As is often the case when a new formation gets its first run out, there were issues present that will likely take a number of games to iron out, but the rampaging wing-backs combined with the introduction of midfielder George Byers to the starting eleven provided a level of attacking threat that had been absent in the winless run that had seen Portsmouth score just two goals.
It was Byers who played an important role in what turned out to be the defining moment. His head coach described him as having “je ne sais quoi” when reflecting on his performance as a whole, and that was never more evident than when he back-heeled the ball into the path of teammate Ronan Curtis before the Irish winger passed his shot into the far corner of the visitors’ net just before the half-hour mark.
Curtis was one of the individuals who Jackett was accused of not getting the most out of in his final months in charge, but having been given added license to remain in dangerous areas thanks to the formation change, he was a constant nuisance for the Rovers’ defence to deal with on Saturday and showed just why he is so highly-rated by regular watchers of League One.
Despite largely taking control of the game following the opening goal, Pompey failed to capitalise on the momentum they had created, allowing Joey Barton’s side to survive until half-time just a single goal down.
The second-half saw the cheering and singing from outside of the ground devolve into something of an uncoordinated racket, and that ended up becoming a fitting accompaniment for a game that became increasingly broken up and lacking in fluency.
The Cowley’s still attempted to inject life into the static second period, encouraging struggling striker John Marquis after a chance to end the game as a contest went begging, and cajoling Curtis to ensure he remained engaged in proceedings despite seeing far less of the ball than he did in the opening exchanges.
Rovers huffed and puffed but rarely looked like finding the two goals they needed to stave off relegation for another week, and the final whistle saw Danny and Nicky share what can only be described as a bear hug – perhaps just as much due to the relief of finally being released from the confines of the technical area as it was in celebration of their team temporarily moving back into the play-off places.
Oxford’s win against Plymouth later in the day meant they leapfrogged Portsmouth and claimed their place in the top six in the process, although Pompey do have a game in hand on Karl Robinson’s side, and Charlton’s defeat to Peterborough has only increased the chance of another play-off appearance for a club that is hell-bent on returning to the Championship.
Having been exhausting just to watch for the entire 90 minutes, it was remarkable just how composed and eloquent Portsmouth’s Head Coach remained throughout the hour or so he spent talking to various media outlets post-match.
“We need to feel the Portsmouth People now.
“I could hear them behind the goal, I could hear ‘Play up Pompey’ and could hear them ringing the bell. Let’s build that spirit, we aren’t gonna do this on our own.
“It’s not about me and Nicky, it’s about the team and the club, and I just want to put all of my energy and all of my focus into that and what will be, will be.
“We’ve loved our time here and we’re doing all that we can to extend it, but rather than worry about what could happen or what might happen, I’m just going to focus on the here and now and this football club.”
– Portsmouth Head Coach Danny Cowley
A tongue-in-cheek reminder for both Curtis and Byers of “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” as they made their way home for the weekend was further evidence of the good feeling that Cowley is fostering alongside the intense training sessions and the constant noise emanating from the dugout on a matchday, but the most telling insight into the man were the compliments that he reserved for Harvey White.
White is a 19-year-old midfielder on loan for the season from Tottenham, and even though he played the final 20 minutes against Bristol Rovers, his temporary boss was glowing when talking about the impact that he had on the game.
It was a breath-taking 50-yard pass to set Curtis away on the counter-attack that caught the eye of many but Cowley instead focused on a block he made on the edge of his own box in the dying minutes to help secure the three points, even going as far as dragging him over to the gaggle of reporters present to lavish him with praise.
Whether the young midfielder felt overcome by either nerves or pride, it was hard to tell, although the smile that would not leave his face was yet another indication of the type of environment the managerial duo have already created in such a short space of time.
Both Danny and Nicky currently only have a contract with the club until the end of this current season, but even if they don’t manage to make Portsmouth’s promotion ambitions come true in May, the thought of what they could do with a full season of pressing drills and constant encouragement in front of a crowd full of “Portsmouth People” is enough to get you off your seat for an hour and a half at least.
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