Pompey boss John Mousinho's Bolton Wanderers preview

The News, Portsmouth

Pompey boss John Mousinho's give his Bolton Wanderers preview and all the other talking from PO4 including a Colby Bishop injury update.

Transcript

00:00 Here with Pompey Boss, John Massino. John, a Monday night under the lights encounter

00:06 to really savour, right?

00:07 Yeah, oh definitely. All of the games at Flatton under the lights, they tend to be special

00:13 atmosphere. We've had a couple this year that have been brilliant, the two stick out, Wycombe

00:18 and Exeter from this season and a couple from last year as well, including the Bolton game.

00:23 So I think there's a lot on the tie obviously in terms of where the two sides are with lead

00:28 position and yeah, the fact it's on TV, Monday night at Flatton Park I think adds to everything.

00:33 I mean it's a top of the table clash and a lot of eyes on TV watching the game, so how

00:40 big of it? You don't sound like you're hiding away from the size of the clash either.

00:45 Yeah, I think it's important to get the right balance between recognising it's just another

00:50 game that's worth three points, which it is, but also not trying to play everything down

00:54 too much and recognise that it is a significant game and there's a lot riding on it obviously.

01:00 So I think one of the things we do want to encourage the lads to do is play to the occasion

01:05 and hopefully rise to the occasion and take in the emotion of what it's like to play at

01:10 home in front of those fans under the lights. I think that can only benefit us when we do

01:14 that. So yeah, a real fine balance between the two but I don't think it's worth playing

01:17 it down and just saying it's another game and there's nothing else to it.

01:21 Would you say it's the biggest game of the season?

01:23 Again, to stay consistent with the last answer, it feels bigger than others but ultimately

01:33 it's not. There's just three points at stake but again, it does feel big because it's three

01:38 points against a side that are right behind us, right on our heels and have been up there

01:42 in the last couple of weeks and taken top spot at one point as well. So I think from

01:46 that point of view, there is a huge amount riding on it.

01:49 But it is an occasion to enjoy and savour, right?

01:52 Yeah, we want the players to enjoy it and you enjoy the occasion by putting in a good

01:57 performance and hopefully winning the game. That's the best way to enjoy anything.

02:00 We do want them to enjoy playing for Horsforth all the time. They should definitely enjoy

02:05 playing at Fratton Park and these sort of games against big clubs like Bolton, they're

02:10 really the sort of games you want to be playing in throughout your career. So this is definitely

02:15 one to savour for the lads.

02:16 Bolton's firepower has been evident this season. How do you go about negating that threat?

02:21 We've got a big job on our hands and they've obviously got a lot of attacking threats in

02:26 the side. That's something they've always been very, very good at over the past couple

02:30 of years and I think this side, everything's clicking quite nicely. So we've got to make

02:33 sure we are wary of the attacking threat but we want to do that by being aggressive and

02:37 we want to do that by trying to stop them at source if possible. So there's plenty

02:41 of ways to do it. We're working on what our game plan's going to look like and probably

02:45 the most effective way is also to put our game into play as well and to make sure that

02:49 we focus on ourselves and we focus on what we're trying to do and the less that Bolton

02:54 have the ball, the better for us.

02:55 One of the obvious selection considerations is Joe Morrell coming back, Alex Robson, Marlon

03:00 Pack being doing so well since his injury return and Alex Robson being absolutely outstanding.

03:04 What's the thought process with that?

03:06 Yeah, it's a really good problem to have because Joe's been one of our best players this season

03:12 I think. Alex certainly has been one of our best players as well and his form has been

03:17 outstanding over the last couple of games. Marlon's then come back in, the club captain,

03:21 played very well, looks like he hasn't missed a minute of football and keeps us ticking

03:24 over really, really nicely. So a very, very tough selection dilemma in the middle of the

03:28 park and one that is nice to have that choice I think in a lot of ways. We've got plenty

03:35 of others that can compete in the middle of the park as well so it's a really, really

03:38 difficult one but the options it gives us I think really strengthen the way that we're

03:43 going to be able to approach the game.

03:44 The process of Alex operating in that deeper role, that's kind of evolved as the season

03:48 has gone on. I guess you wouldn't have initially, either of you, really seen himself operating

03:52 there at the start of the campaign?

03:54 No, not necessarily. We'd seen him a couple of times playing that role last season so

03:58 we know he can do it. He's done it for Man City a fair bit, for the 21 side but yeah

04:03 I think initially when he was playing a bit higher up with Joe Marlon and Marlon in the

04:07 side and he was still doing well in those positions but I think when Marlon went off

04:12 with his ankle injury against Wigan, Alex slotted back in that game. He then played

04:16 the game I believe on the Tuesday night straight away after that. I thought he was excellent

04:21 again in that and yeah he's just rolled from strength to strength in that position and

04:24 we're really pleased with him.

04:25 Injury wise, obviously your eyes on Colby Bishop, you were seeking a second opinion

04:29 on that injury?

04:30 Yes, we wanted a second opinion on the scan just to rule anything out longer term which

04:34 we have done which was really positive. We're still looking at about three to four weeks

04:39 for Colby. Obviously not ideal in what we wanted going into the Burton game but I think

04:45 considering the severity of how he turned his ankle and the pace and everything, the

04:49 force that went into it, I think it's a pretty good result overall and we're pretty

04:53 pleased that it's nothing long term.

04:55 Do you think you probably would have been looking at longer with a lot of other players

04:58 given his constitution?

05:00 Yes, possibly and it was one of the things when Colby went down I knew he was hurt because

05:04 Colby just doesn't do that otherwise. It takes a lot for him to go to the floor. So

05:09 yeah, one of those that we are pleased with and Colby will want to be back out as soon

05:13 as possible, we know that. So as soon as we can get him back here, he'll be back.

05:16 How's it shaping up elsewhere injury wise?

05:18 Yeah, not too bad. No fresh injury reports since the Northampton game but we've had

05:23 a couple of really positive returns to training. Tom Lowry we've spoken about and he's

05:27 had a full week of training now which has been really beneficial to him and Anthony

05:31 Scully is the other one that's been in and out of training sessions but today he

05:34 trained full session, looked very sharp and I think he's going to be one that is probably

05:39 not ready for Monday or maybe Saturday. If we can get some minutes in the EFL trophy

05:43 game that would be great and then crack on from there. Hopefully with Anthony back in

05:47 the building it will feel like a new signing.

05:49 What a boost that is for you.

05:51 Yeah, a massive boost and that's how it feels. It definitely feels like if we do get

05:56 him back and we do get him firing to the level that we know he can perform at then he's

06:01 a player that's going to feel like we've signed someone fresh. It's like an early

06:05 January present for us. So yeah, really looking forward to seeing him back in full swing.

06:09 That's ahead of schedule right?

06:11 Yeah, we were looking at the turn of the year so one of those things that again when

06:16 we speak about Colby in his constitution, Anthony's been brilliant in the gym, very

06:19 very good professional, keeps on top of everything that he possibly can and he's been

06:23 itching to go to return to training. He has looked very, very sharp because he's kept

06:26 himself fit during that long period off.

06:28 And Conor and Tino, any updates on those two?

06:31 Nothing close on that. We're still looking at a lengthy spell for Tino being out. We

06:37 were looking at eight weeks plus initially so it's going to be one that's probably

06:41 worth revisiting in the new year and seeing how he's getting on having had surgery on

06:45 the hamstring but he's back at Chelsea. Yeah, Conor Ogilvie is coming along nice and

06:51 slowly. We just want to make sure we get everything right with the ankle but no pending

06:54 return for Conor.

06:55 Cheers.

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