Danny Cowley has Portsmouth moving in the right direction, but how far can Pompey go?

Most football fans will be aware of Portsmouth’s downfall over a decade ago now. Pompey were FA Cup champions and made their way to the Europa League, famously playing an AC Milan side consisting of Ronaldinho, Kaka and Filippo Inzaghi in a memorable 2-2 draw at Fratton Park. Gone are the days of those European nights now though, with the club’s financial issues leading to consecutive relegations, rooting the South Coast side to the foot of League Two in their lowest moments.

In the space of five years Portsmouth had gone from a side on the periphery of European football, to travelling to fourth-tier Accrington Stanley and Newport County, playing in front of barely a thousand people at times on pitches players like Jermaine Defoe and Sol Campbell would never have dreamt of. While they earnt promotion to League One in the 2016-17 season, something many thought was a stretch given the almost irreparable damage done to the club at the turn of the decade, Pompey have spent the last couple of years treading water, but new manager Danny Cowley looks to have them on the mend once again.

Cowley, who is mostly remembered for his incredible cup run at Lincoln when they were merely a Conference side, navigating the Imps from non-league to an FA Cup quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium, and after a stint at Huddersfield Town, the 43-year-old is looking to make Portsmouth’s bid for promotion more favourable when it comes to Predictz League One predictions. 

It’s been a long time coming, and where the likes of Paul Cook and Kenny Jacket have failed, Cowley has got Portsmouth entertaining the Fratton Park faithful again. A big part of his success has been with recruitment. Pompey have one of the bigger budgets in the third tier and the manager wasted no time bringing in players that are better tailored to his possession-based style of play. Despite some of the pitches being worse for wear, even in League One, Cowley puts emphasis on ball retention and you can already see how his players have adapted since his appointment in March 2021.

It’s taken time, but this will be his second summer in charge on the South Coast, and by bringing in Marlon Pack, Michael Morrison and Joe Rafferty, Portsmouth already look more experienced at the back. Portsmouth sit third in the table after four games and are yet to concede a goal at the time of writing. Their success has boiled down to organisation at the back and a solid squad cohesion, but Cowley is aware that other clubs will be in for his top talent, admitting he’s already received bids for Kieron Freeman and Ryan Tunnicliffe.

“There was an offer in yesterday for Kieran and a couple for Ryan last week,” he said. “I don’t quite know where it’s at, it’s with the powers above while we focus on a three-game week.

“There’s clarity there with them both, there’s definitely clarity, though. Both boys are really good players and absolutely want to play.”

The window closing will come as a blessing for Portsmouth, who will want to gather as much momentum as possible ahead of a long season. League One carries on right through the festive period so squad depth and high morale are to be the order of the day if the young coach can indeed pursue a place in the Championship come next season.