Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack has admitted the team need to look at themselves and make a change after an embarrassing defeat last night to Stoke City.
Pack has started all eight games for Pompey this season but was hauled off short of the hour mark at the Bet365 Stadium in their heavy defeat to the Potters.
Stoke romped to their third victory of the season with a bombardment of goals across the closing stages of the first half and the opening stages of the second, handing Mousinho’s side their heaviest victory in over a decade. The result sees the newly promoted side extend their winless run in this season’s competition, having drawn four to pick up four points, leaving them stranded in 23rd.
What did Portsmouth’s skipper have to say on the defeat?
After the heavy pummelling to their Championship rivals, the 33-year-old admitted his embarrassment to the Portsmouth News at applauding the travelling fans at the full-time whistle. He also discussed the need for change at Fratton Park if they are to get anything out of this campaign and survive in the second tier.
Despite the heavy loss, the Pompey faithful continued in fine voice until the end before making the three-and-a-half-hour journey back to the South Coast, where they will welcome last season’s promotion rivals, Oxford United, on Saturday.
“They’ve travelled in their numbers, and it feels embarrassing to go to them at the end. They’re with us through thick and thin and were with us through the whole game.”
“It’s not empty words – those fans deserve an apology. They backed us to the end, and they don’t deserve that – they don’t deserve that performance.”
‘We need to, as a man, have a good look in the mirror because what we’re doing at the moment obviously isn’t good enough.”
What next for Portsmouth?
John Mousinho’s side stormed to the League One title last season, and if you were to point the finger at any of the three promoted sides establishing themselves in this division, it would have been in Portsmouth’s direction. However, the good times have not continued to roll at Fratton Park, and they find themselves at the wrong end of the table.
They were not a side expected to contend in the division, but after their attacking prowess looked to continue in their opening day 3-3 draw with Leeds United, the form seemed like it would continue. With 37 goals conceded last season, they have already conceded over half that tally in the Championship, last night’s six taking them to 19 in eight games.
Even more concerning is seeing a Stoke side that had only managed four goals before last night, showing that if any change is needed there, it needs to come in the defensive department. Whether that will be tactically or in the January transfer window is yet to be seen.