- yesterday
Mark McMahon and Neil Allen team up is discuss Pompey's preparations for the new season, who has stood out for the Blues so far in their friendly games and whether any of John Mousinho's so-called fringe players have staked a claim for a starting role against Oxford United on the first day of the season.
Also discussed is Pompey's transfer business, what areas of the squad still need addressing and whether or not the Blues, at present, are stronger than last season.
Also discussed is Pompey's transfer business, what areas of the squad still need addressing and whether or not the Blues, at present, are stronger than last season.
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SportsTranscript
00:00My name is Mark McMahon and joining me today to discuss all the latest developments at Pompey
00:09is the News' Chief Sports Writer Neil Allen. Neil, last night you were at the Pompey v Hawks
00:16game pre-season. Did you enjoy the experience? Oh, it was an awful game. Awful game. It was
00:22terrible. It was terrible. Some chaps next to me that cover Hawks all the time. We get
00:27very excited about it. Certainly a great game and one of the best games you've seen for
00:32a while. I thought it was a terrible game. It only livened up in the last few minutes
00:36when Havan got a penalty and it was saved by Ben Killip. And then at the other end, Pompey
00:44were given a penalty involving Dane Bailey. The line's been flagged for it and the referee
00:50overall even didn't give it. So it was sort of a barnstorming finish. But other than that,
00:56there was a big crowd there. Very little to get anything to excite anybody about until
01:03the final five plus whatever, two minutes stoppage time. That's it. It wasn't a great
01:10game. It has to be said. And if anything, the Hawks had the best chances, including the
01:18penalty. Probably didn't cry much really.
01:20Yeah. Is it fair to say, then, the players that were there, the first team players that
01:24were on duty last night, then, didn't really stake a claim for, say, the starting XI against
01:30Oxford, then, in less than, what, 11 days' time, is it?
01:33Yeah, well, exactly. Because John Messinau picked his starting XI against Reading. And he did
01:39say after the game that those players that appeared as substitutes in the second half,
01:43they would most likely start against Havan and Walsh-Louisville. So that's what it proved.
01:48And the bulk of that team that started against Reading, you'd imagine, will start the first
01:55game of the season against Oxford United. Plus, the two midfielders they signed, i.e. Luke
02:04LaRue and Mark Konczewski. I don't know. That's not how you pronounce it, is it? I must get used
02:09to it.
02:09You haven't heard of that, didn't you?
02:11Yeah, I know. The Hungarian lad, let's say. I'll get the hang of it. Yeah, so they're not
02:19around at the moment because they've just arrived. So, yeah, you have those to the squad
02:25and these are very much the fringe players, really, aren't they? At this precise moment
02:29in time. So, yeah.
02:33Taking then, maybe, the Hawks game then, just out of control, away from the rest of the pre-season,
02:39how have you assessed Pompey's form in that pre-season? They've played Woking, Farnbrook,
02:43Crawley, Reading, as we've said. What's your general thoughts on what you've seen so far?
02:49I was really impressed. Crawley, you write that off, it was a behind-closed-doors game
02:53which we attended. No tempo, no intensity because there weren't fans down, it was a training
02:58ground. Again, it's about the whole cliché about minutes, that's all it was, wasn't it
03:03really? I enjoyed the Reading game. I think Pompey played very, very well. And again, I know
03:08it's a friendly, but let's face it, this was Reading's last friendly before their season
03:11starts this weekend. So, they should be right up with it, really. Pompey controlled it, they
03:17looked a very good championship side against them. A number of good performances, particularly
03:24Josh Murphy on the left. He was putting the ball in very early. Superb crossing from the
03:31left. Putting it early, low, and it caused Reading problems time and time again. One
03:38goal came from it, another goal was ruled out for a side from that method as well. We normally
03:43seen him get down the wing to the byline as well and cross at the NB. He was putting
03:46it in early, which was clearly a deliberate tactical ploy there. And it worked very, very
03:51well. So, yeah, Callan Lang came back, didn't he, mate, and scored as well, 23 minutes into
03:57his first game of pre-season. There's plenty of like about Pompey as well. So, yeah, I think
04:03that's more of an insight. And then, obviously, Saturday, the last game of the season against
04:09Peck Zwoller from Holland, we're going to see, you'd imagine the Pompey starting 11 earmarked
04:17for the Oxford game.
04:19Yeah, yeah. Before we go into some of the nitty and gritty bits, John Swift obviously made
04:24his debut in front of the Pompey fans against Reading. Anything spectacular from him at all?
04:29Well, he came on for Callum Lang at half-time. He did quite well and we'll be seeing more
04:37of him as well. So, there he is. I mean, so he had 31 minutes against Crawley. Then he
04:41had 45 minutes against Reading. So, the next step will, I would have thought he would start
04:47against Zwoller, really. I think that would be the obvious choice there. And then he starts
04:54in the field alongside him. Marlon Pack, for me, it's been really, really good pre-season.
04:59Actually, I always think he's a little bit slow in pre-season, but he really looked the
05:05part. And Reading, he just ruled the show. Completely dominated the midfield, keeping
05:10the ball, keeping possession. His range of passing was outstanding. Absolutely superb
05:16against Reading. And, of course, there's plenty more competition now with the two new
05:20rivals last Friday. So, yeah, it'll be interesting to see if he starts on Saturday.
05:26Just, like, that was my next sort of way protocol was the midfield and a couple of questions
05:31regarding that there. But just when you're talking about Pack, like, you're impressed
05:37with him. Do you see him playing in the starting XI? Burnham and Pompey have recruited there in
05:43the summer with Kovnowski and Luke LaRue. Where do you see Pack fitting in there?
05:49Kovnowski, that's how you pronounce it, isn't it?
05:51Kovnowski.
05:52Kovnowski. Yeah, that's the holding two he's got. It's between Pack and LaRue.
05:59Mm-hmm.
05:59So, that's the way it's viewed. You've got Pack and LaRue. Kovnowski and Swift are more
06:07of an eight. This is what John Messino said as well. So, this has come from the manager.
06:11So, you've got the two sixes, the two eights, and Giselle can do either, really. He's been
06:17employed in either. So, he's quite versatile in those two. So, if you look at the six, you'd
06:22imagine between Pack and Kovnowski. Sorry, Pack and LaRue. So, yeah, it'll be interesting
06:30to see if LaRue does play on Saturday, how he does. Or does Pack start the season because
06:35he's played throughout the pre-season as well. So, that'd be an interesting one there. You'd
06:40imagine it'd be one of those two because Messino, again, he's previously said that he
06:44wants to slightly change their system and have one defensive midfielder and one attacking
06:50midfielder. Or modern parlance, a six and an eight. So, yeah, it's an interesting one
06:57how that shapes up, isn't it? How he decides. But, I think a lot will depend on LaRue on
07:02Saturday. If he plays, if he doesn't play at all, will he start the season with absolutely
07:07no minutes under his belt pre-season? Although, he's been playing in Sweden, hasn't he? Their
07:12season's run away and he's played 17 times. I wasn't intended to go down on Marlon
07:17Pack route here, but just when you mention him, again, part of me is thinking,
07:20Marlon Pack couldn't get into Pompey's midfield last season. Why does he automatically then
07:25be in the starting 11 this season? So, is that a backwards step? You know what I mean?
07:30I say, I'm not trying to go down a part of Marlon Pack particular route here, but I'm just
07:35curious your thoughts on that. Bernard Mendy, Woesdain, Freddie Potts, Zell, Isaac Hayden's
07:41in that midfield last season.
07:42Yeah, it was a slightly change anyway, the team. So, he wants to have one six. And at the
07:47moment, there is options. So, we don't know how good Leroux is. Again, Leroux's played
07:5217 games in Sweden. Played so well that Pompey wanted to sign him. Although, since transfer
08:00interest, and there was other transfer interest in him, it became apparent they've not played
08:06him. And I think John was saying it the other day, he's not trained with him particularly.
08:09I think he's trained on his own. So, yeah, it depends how he is at the moment. International
08:14clearance is another issue. So, I would say it would be interesting. We all want to see how
08:20he plays. It's just in case, if he's been earmarked for that number six spot, is he ready
08:25yet?
08:26Mm-hmm.
08:28No matter, yeah, obviously, no matter, we don't know what John Messina was thinking
08:33it's going to be, but there must be a sense of relief anyway that Pompey have been able
08:37to bolster a key department that they really did need bodies in through the door there.
08:43So, Kosnowski and Leroux, to get them across the lane must be, yeah, a huge relief to Pompey.
08:48Oh, yeah. He said that that's it now. They've got the midfielders sorted. So, he's got versatility
08:55in there as well, in that centre of midfield. The next set is the right wing. Yeah. Which
09:00I think Pompey are massively short on the right wing. Has to be addressed. Last year, their
09:08attacking threat was primarily, overwhelmingly, on the left through Josh Murphy. Matt Rich is
09:15now out of the picture. We've spoken about this before. On the right wing, Harvey Blair
09:21is injured for a good while yet. So, your options on the right wing, either Paddy Lane, who didn't
09:28particularly shine in the Championship last season. And it was interesting, he played Lang
09:34there as second position to number 10 against Reading. So, will he do that again? Which
09:39is an interesting one. But they are massively short on the right-hand side, on the right
09:42wing. That needs to be addressed. So, John Mason, who has spoken about, money needs to be
09:47spent. For me, I think they need two wingers, right wingers. They need cover for Murphy on the
09:54left. But two wingers overall. Because, for me, it's a big weakness, that right flank, at
10:03the moment, going into the season. Big weakness.
10:05In an ideal world, correct me if I'm wrong, Pompey don't want to be playing Callum Lang out in
10:11the right wing. They see him as most effective in the number 10 role. So, he can do a job out
10:17there at the minute. But long term, Pompey do not want to be playing out there on a regular
10:21basis. Would that be correct?
10:22Well, they've played him on the right a few times last year as well. It shows how
10:27highly they're raised at Segatic, really. But is he going to start in the championship?
10:33That's the thing. Is he ready for a championship start? He's had a really good pre-season,
10:38actually, look the part. But he always looks the part because he's a busy, energetic player
10:43like Callum Lang. So, they do catch the eye of those sorts of players. But yeah, it's whether
10:48he continues with Lang on the right or puts him centre. Segatic has played on the right
10:54as well. So, if you look, first game of the season at the moment, your right choices are
11:02Lang, Stroke, Lane, Stroke, Segatic. But then two of those are also challenging for the number
11:1210 spot. It's an issue. It's an area that, say, it's an area that, for me, urgently needs addressing.
11:20They've got the centre midfield, which had to be done. Had to be done. At one point, they had two
11:24centre midfielders in the building. So, they've addressed that now. But now, they've got to look
11:29on the right wing, which they know. They know the situation. They don't need to be told
11:34or lectured. They know that's the position. The funny thing is, you're going to get some
11:38fans who will go, well, we knew, probably knew Richie was going. They knew that they needed
11:44a strength in there. Why has it taken so long? That might be a reasonable question, some fans
11:49might ask. Why two weeks, less than two weeks before the season starts, are we still scrambling
11:54around for, say, a right winger? Because it's not Championship Football. Championship
11:59Manager. It's not Football Manager. It's easy to say. Get him in. Get him in. It doesn't
12:04work like that. Colby Bishop came in. He came in just before the start of the, was it 2022-23
12:14season? So, he came in reasonably late as well. So, sometimes you have to wait to get the better
12:20players. Sol Campbell came in late in a window. Didn't they, I seem to remember? Rob Rosnecki
12:26came in late in a window. You're not going to get all the players on the first day. It's
12:31not as simple as that. I know it's, I know in an ideal, you all didn't want him in all
12:34in on the first day of pre-season. It doesn't necessarily work like that. So, especially when
12:39you're spending money and spending money on quality players. Free transfers are a bit
12:44different as we've seen as well over the last few years. So, yeah, it takes a little
12:49while. Especially, I just said this the other day, especially players from abroad. They get
12:55complicated with different agents and things. So, yeah, no doubt they've been monitoring
13:01the right-wing market for a while there. Similarly, Matt Ritchie hasn't got anywhere either.
13:08And he's been looking for a new club, hasn't he, for a while. So, yeah, it needs to be addressed
13:14and it's a concerning position for me. Just generally going forward for Pompey in the forward
13:21areas, is there still a lack of depth there? Like, I've got, say, my starting 11 for Oxford,
13:28I've got Lang out right, Segesic to the middle, Murphy on left, Colby Bishop. Now, if Pompey,
13:34for some reason, find themselves two goals down, what's Pompey's options going forward? You're
13:39talking Waddingham, maybe Lane, Swift if he hasn't started. There's not really that much
13:45there to sort of change a game, is there? Like, so, to me, going forward, Pompey still
13:49need to bring in, as you say, maybe two wingers at least. They still need a backup striker
13:54for Colby Bishop as well, just to boost the numbers there.
13:58Yeah, I'll tell you, Greg, there needs to be a backup striker. Let's not forget, from last
14:01year, they've lost Sadie, Yangi, Omani. So, the only central striker, they're not the only
14:09favourite one striker, but the only two they've got are Bishop and Waddingham. And Waddingham's
14:14still a rookie. So, they need another centre forward. And then, what sort of market are
14:22they looking for there? Are they looking for a low knee or a young player or whatever? They
14:26need an option there, without doubt, because Bishop, obviously, apart from the serious nature
14:32of his absence that started last year, that aside, he barely, he doesn't miss a match.
14:37Yeah, yeah.
14:38I know he's had a knock in pre-season and they've been careful with him, but he came back from
14:42that ankle injury and played 60-odd minutes in his first friendly. So, his fitness levels
14:50are phenomenal. So, what happens if he gets injured? Pompey are in trouble, aren't they?
14:56So, they need to get, for me, they need to get another centre forward. I'd like them to get
15:01two wingers, one potentially on the left, but definitely one on the right. And they need to look
15:07at the centre-half position as well. Boak came through more minutes, 45 minutes on Saturday,
15:13I'm sorry, yesterday, which was encouraging. That's two matches in a row now he's featured.
15:18So, he's building up quite nicely. They're all fit at the moment, the fourth centre-half,
15:22plus McIntyre, who they're looking to offload. Do they need another centre-half in case Boak's
15:28going to be a while yet coming back, he's not quite ready yet, in case a pick-up injury?
15:32So, do they need another one? At the moment, it's going to be Paul and Shotnessy, the starters
15:37for the league one, sorry, for the championship season as it was for the league one season.
15:42So, but do they need strength? They need to look at that situation as well. And not priority
15:49whatsoever, but they need to look at the goalkeeping department, don't they? They've got the first
15:53two. They've said that basically, that Archer can go if there's interest, and there has been
15:58interest, and they want four goalies in total anyway. But that's not a serious issue. They've
16:03got the first two there. So, there's still a few signings for mate, but yeah, up front, definitely
16:08for me, and two wingers. Yeah. I'm sort of very concerned on Saturday when I see Colby
16:14Bishop went down in the first half. He seemed to be getting treatment for about five, good
16:19five or six minutes. Yeah, it was a head injury. Yeah, but again, it just sort of
16:23I emphasise, if he went off injured, say that was the opening game of the season, what's
16:27Pompey's options? You're looking at Thomas Waddingham, and as much as he looks like a
16:32real good prospect, again, it just sort of I re-emphasise, if someone happens to Bishop, Pompey
16:37are going to be stuck. So, what's the solution going to be there?
16:41Well, yeah, the other thing about Waddingham, let's not forget, Tannen aside, and a very
16:45encouraging performance at Coventry for his full debut aside, he picked up a fair few
16:49injuries when he came across, as he was adjusting to the physical nature of the English game
16:54and the Championship. So, again, he's been here, what, seven, eight months now, hasn't
17:00he? So, he's still adjusting to that, but he has picked up injuries. So, is he going
17:03the injuries through the season? That's another thing to look at, isn't it, really? As he
17:09adjusts to the game.
17:10Yeah. Just on another note, Dan, you're talking about injuries, obviously, Farrell, Jacob Farrell
17:15has been playing regularly in pre-season. It looks like he's finally got his injury worries
17:20put them aside. What's he look like? Can we really expect much for him next season?
17:25It looks okay, but it's pre-season, isn't it? And Conor Ogilvy's, well, far ahead of
17:32him. Far ahead of him. So, he's got a lot catching up to do. Certainly, I say it's difficult
17:39in pre-season to truly shine, but he's not done anywhere near enough to suggest that he's
17:45better than Conor Ogilvy at present. But it's difficult, it's pre-season, he's come back
17:50from a long-term injury. So, that's not criticism of him. That's just how it is so far. But
17:55Ogilvy's got a lot of credit in the bank. A lot of credit in the bank. So, we'll see
18:01how the season pans out there.
18:03Yeah. Okay. Just revisiting maybe the starting level against Oxford. You have the same opinion
18:09to me that maybe the midfield is the only sort of a position where there's a few question
18:13marks. Who fills in those two roles? Everything else is more or less, as things stand, you could
18:19probably guess what probably starting XI is going to be.
18:21Yeah, yeah. I think so. The back four is very, very obvious. The goalkeeper's obvious.
18:27Swifty, imagine we'd start at one of the two centre midfielders. Left wing, Murphy. Then
18:34you've got Bishop up front. Lang will be playing one of the attacking three, won't he? So, it's
18:40who you have at the right wing and who you have as the second midfielder there, isn't
18:44it?
18:44Yeah. So, the squad is stronger for me. I know Potts has gone and Hayden's gone, but
18:52Hayden was a bit up and down. Yeah. And Atkinson, of course, that's a blow. But I think they've
19:00got a lot of strength there as well, strength in depth. Sadie wasn't good enough for the
19:06Championship last year. Yangi wasn't good enough for the Championship last year. They've gone.
19:10Before then, Moxon wasn't good enough for the Championship last year. He's gone. Stevenson
19:15made an appearance in the Championship last year. He can't even get a club at the moment.
19:21Lowry, you know, these players have gone. It's a stronger squad now. It really is. So,
19:29but yeah, there's still work to be done. But not loads, but there is still work to be done
19:33there. So, you look at other people. Omani, up and down last year. He's now playing in
19:38League One. So, perhaps he wasn't ready enough for the Championship last year as well. So,
19:43they've strengthened now, haven't they, in some of those positions. Swift, proven Championship
19:49player. And it'd be fascinating how his season gets on as well. Plus, the main thing we often
19:55overlook. Everyone overlooks. The injured players are back. Shockless he barely played
20:02last year, did he? He's back. So, you've got Shocklessy. You've got Lang. You've got Bishop
20:09in your team more regularly this season. They're a better side. Regan Paul, as well, has proved
20:14himself at Championship level. They're a better side with these players around. Matt Ritchie.
20:20For me, the squad's, it's obvious, the squad's weaker without Matt Ritchie in it. I understand
20:26the reasons why he's not going to be involved. Next year, I do get both sides of the argument
20:32there. But without him and the squad, the squad is weaker. They need to replace him. And at
20:38the moment, they haven't replaced him.
20:40Yeah. OK, then. Well, in terms of, final question, in terms of moving forward and work still to be
20:45done, it looks like Nathan Ferguson's not going to be part of that. Am I right in saying
20:49we already know Alfie Wightman's already left the club? Was that a wee bit premature?
20:54Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Ferguson, he's still around. He had a good game, actually, against
20:59Hamwater, Liverpool. Playing right-back. Obviously, Pompey don't need a right-back. He's been
21:04very handy covering positions in terms of the Boat, helping cover for Boat when he's not
21:10been around and putting Swanson in midfield and allowing him, Ferguson, a right-back.
21:16And it's benefited him as well. He looks a good player, to be fair. The trials benefited
21:22both parties. So we'll see how that one develops. Wightman's gone back. Again, Pompey aren't
21:28looking for a third-choice keeper and a fourth-choice keeper. So Wightman was at Spurs last year
21:35and I can't imagine being happy being a third-choice. So yeah, he'll find somewhere else. He's been on
21:42trial as well at a few clubs. But as ever, with a lot of goalkeepers these days, his age and the
21:48lack of games is startling, which is why someone like Toby Stewart, playing more than 100 games at
21:53the age of 20, will stand him in great stead for the future.
21:57Yeah, no doubt. I was going to leave it there, but one more quickly before we go.
22:01Ruben Swan, he played against the Hawks last night. How did he get on and what role do you see him?
22:07Where do you see him next season?
22:09Yeah, he obviously played at Hammond last year, did reasonably well by all accounts.
22:14A bit frustrated he didn't start that many games. Then he's been injured, hasn't he, pre-season,
22:20after coming back very well. John Massino said how impressed he had been in pre-season.
22:25I spoke to Ruben last night after the game. He said he'd done a lot of work to get himself ready
22:31coming into pre-season to really shine. And then a hip flexor injury sustained while training.
22:37That's put him back a bit, but he did well last night. Some good bits, some bad bits,
22:43some sloppy bits, some impressive bits. So there's something there with him, isn't it?
22:48But it's about what level he is at the moment, isn't it? Because he couldn't play regularly for
22:52having Waterlooville at their level last year and probably in the championship now. So you'd imagine,
22:59it will be, he'll have to go out and learn somewhere to get regular minutes and we'll see from there.
23:03But there's definitely something there with him. He's still raw though, isn't he? He's come from
23:08AFC Sudbury and he's adapting to the challenges of the level at the moment. So we'll see how he develops.
23:15Okay. Right. Well, I think we've covered quite a lot there. Thanks for your expertise.
23:20Thank you all for watching. We'll be back again soon. Goodbye.
23:23Hypnosity.
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