Portsmouth

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"OK". I would not want to encourage managers to give one-word answers in interviews but that from John Mousinho summed up Portsmouth's start to the season pretty well.

Eight points from seven matches is certainly no more than OK. Especially given it has been a straightforward set of fixtures, nicely spread out.

Both the level of opposition and the scheduling are more challenging in October and November.

There are question marks over the team. On paper conceding 10 goals in seven games is a decent record but they have let in too many avoidable goals. The attack is not strong enough to overcome poor defending.

Injuries are once again a major concern. Losing impressive loanee Benji Arthur until December is a big blow. Another setback for Conor Shaughnessy is a concern. Losing those two will make solidifying the team much harder.

The returns of Keshi Anderson, Connor Ogilvie and Josh Murphy next month will be very welcome. A fit Murphy returning to the levels of two seasons ago would be a complete game-changer.

Mousinho opted to switch his goalkeeper at the start of September. Daniel Bielica has made some decent saves but has struggled at times. He will need to improve or a return to the team for Nico Schmid will have to be considered. You do not want to be alternating between your keepers.

Marlon Pack is as dependable as ever but his importance to the team only highlights the struggles Pompey have had recruiting a defensive midfielder.

Iyad Mohamed is still an unknown quantity. Andre Dozzell opted to go to Major League Soccer rather than sign a new contract at Fratton Park in the summer. He would have been a useful presence to have in the squad.

There are positives as well. Ryan Kavuma-McQueen already looks a force in the Championship. Incredible for a 17 year-old who'd never played league football before. All three loanees look excellent additions.

Marko Milovanovic's playing time has been very limited but there have been some bright moments from the new striker. He certainly has the physicality required to play in the Championship.

Portsmouth have not been outplayed by anyone yet. They look a Championship-quality team. However, they have not showed they can consistently break down a team that sits back against them, as opponents now often do at Fratton Park.

The hope this season was to avoid a relegation battle. From the opening seven matches the comfort of mid-table looks unlikely.

Portsmouth know how to scrap and fight their way to survival at this level. They will feel confident they can achieve that again.

Although expect a few bumps in the road. This is Pompey after all.

Portsmouth midfielder Odin Bailey says they are "close to being a really good side" despite a slow start to the new season.

Pompey lost three of their opening four league matches, before taking five points over a three-match unbeaten run - beating Cardiff before drawing with Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers.

It leaves John Mousinho's side 19th in the early Championship table, three points above the relegation zone but also three points away from the top half of the table, which would represent progress for the club.

"There's a massive feeling of frustration because we feel like we're so close as a team to becoming a really good side," Bailey told BBC Radio Solent.

"It's just the few minor details and at this level, you make a mistake and you get punished. That's been the trend from the start of the season.

"I think we've put together some good performances, but got undone with a few mistakes here and there."

In 2025-2026, John Mousinho's side recorded just five wins before Christmas, eventually finishing 18th.

They won just one of their opening 14 matches in 2024-2025 following promotion back to the second tier, but stayed up in 16th.

"There's a lot of positives to take because we play some great stuff across the pitch, and we do feel a lot more solid defensively," Bailey added.

"It's just about sticking with it, and trusting in our process, in what we're doing, and it will go our way."

Bailey, 26, left League One Stockport at the end of last season following their play-off final defeat by Bolton Wanderers.

The midfielder signed a three-year contract with Pompey, but has yet to start, making four substitute appearances.

"That's all part and parcel of football," Bailey said. "It's just about staying patient and working hard on the training ground, and not sulking.

"You want to be kept on your toes. You want to look around and see top players all fighting for similar positions.

"The depth is definitely there in those positions, and for me its just about when I get those opportunities try and show everyone what I'm about."

Portsmouth's next game after the international break is an away trip to south coast rivals Southampton on Sunday, October 11 (12:00 BST).

The latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Who Needs Mourinho? podcast is out now.

Guy Whittingham joins Chris Wise and Andy Moon to look back on the draw with Blackburn and the season overall so far.

With Southampton up next after the international break. Who should start in goal in the derby?

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here- and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Tom Chappell
Fan writer

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Pompey can consider the start to the season an 'okay' one following a point against Blackburn on Saturday afternoon.

We've beaten sides both above us and below us in the last two weeks, we have not taken points where we perhaps could've done, and some of the teams we've been well beaten by have gone on to climb the table as it begins to take shape.

Those defeats weren't quite as bad as perhaps they appeared at the time.

However, if Pompey are to break the mould on a relegation battle this season, then Saturday afternoon's game really ought to have resulted in three points rather than one.

And as a result of outcomes like Saturday, this season will likely be all about coming top of a bottom eight again.

With the game as it was at both 1-0 and 1-1, our inability to punish our opposition when we had them down on the canvas through chance after chance (and big chances at that) will always leave you susceptible to a sucker punch. That came in the form of Ryoya Morishita's effort putting Blackburn 2-1 up.

As well as John Mousinho's side did to wrestle back something from the game, it's only through poorly conceded goals that we were in that position in the first place.

Pompey's Achilles heel is so often themselves, particularly at Fratton Park and we saw that in abundance on Saturday.

As the home side with the majority of possession, 22 shots, seven on target and dominating in every major metric apart from yellow cards, you'd suggest would be conducive to a winning outcome.

The flair and intent in an attacking sense is certainly there, embodied by Ryan Kavuma-McQueen's outstanding work to tee up Colby Bishop's leveller. With that in mind, a long term injury to what looked to be a star defender in Benjy Arthur is a troublesome addition to an already shaky looking defence.

Just the small matter of one of the fiercest rivalries in English football to come in three short weeks.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel.

A frustrating day all round for Portsmouth. The point against Blackburn was two dropped and the latest centre-back injuries are a real blow.

Pompey did enough to beat Blackburn. They had 20 shots but a combination of committed defending and some bad luck meant they only scored twice.

The real concern for John Mousinho will be at the other end. Both goals conceded were poor for a number of reasons. It wasn't a good day for goalkeeper Daniel Bielica but he's certainly not the only one to blame. It's very difficult to win matches in the Championship when you concede twice.

To make matters worse their best two centre-backs are now injured.

Benji Arthur may not play again before Christmas due to a stress fracture in his back. Conor Shaughnessy went off holding his groin.

Even if the Irishman's injury is minor it highlights that his minutes may have to be managed carefully.

That's been possible in a quiet start to the season but will be challenging in two extremely busy months coming up.

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Portsmouth defender Benjamin Arthur is set to be out for 12 weeks with a stress fracture in his back.

Arthur signed for Pompey on a season-long loan from Brentford in August and has played six games for the club this season.

But the 20-year-old was absent from the matchday line-up for their 2-2 draw with Blackburn.

"Benji's picked up a stress fracture in his back unfortunately; a massive blow to Benji, a massive blow to us as well," manager John Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"That's going to be one that keeps him out for quite a few weeks - we're probably looking at at least 12."

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Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho says his side should have taken all three points in their 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers.

Pompey had led early on but trailed 2-1 after giving away a soft goal at Fratton Park.

But Colby Bishop's goal ensured a share of the points ahead of the international break.

"Ultimately we're really frustrated in there that we haven't won the game," he told BBC Radio Solent:

"The two goals that we concede are really poor and entirely preventable, particularly the second one where we shot ourselves in the foot.

"On the balance of chances in the game we had some really good opportunities and didn't put the ball in the back of the net.

"But to go 2-1 down we went a bit flat after that, but we got back in the game really well and at the back end I think a little bit more quality in certain areas and we do punish them.

"It's one that we wouldn't have taken before the game, but in the circumstances of going a goal behind we have to settle for the point and move on."

The Championship is relentless. Every player and manager will tell you that and in many ways they are right.

Portsmouth's schedule so far though hasn't been.

The strange Wolves postponement means they've had just one midweek match so far. Now they have three weeks off with only four players likely to be away on international duty.

Pompey have used 28 players already this season. Only three players have started each league game and only seven have completed 90 minutes more than once in the Championship.

Part of that is down to John Mousinho having more high-quality options from the bench than previous years. He's always been keen to make the most of the five substitutes. But many players have been suffering from or carrying injuries or having fitness concerns.

New signings Marko Milovanovic, Jayden Meghoma and Tyrese Shade have all arrived needing to build up their fitness levels. Shade and Milovanovic's training was limited due to their likely transfers. Milovanovic has since picked up a minor injury.

Abu Kamara was also used sparingly to start with.

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen is only 17 so it's sensible to manage his minutes. He's also playing with a broken hand.

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Injuries will always happen but for three wingers in Josh Murphy, Keshi Anderson and now Luke Brooke-Smith to all go down is unfortunate.

Marlon Pack missed the start of the season. Regan Poole has had a hamstring issue. Meanwhile, Zak Swanson and Ebou Adams both had injuries at the end of last season that dragged into summer.

Conor Shaughnessy was back somewhere near his best last weekend but he's missed the only midweek match so far this season, with Mousinho currently non-committal on whether he will play more than once a week. His past two seasons have been injury hampered.

Injuries will always affect sides. They are not a unique problem to Portsmouth. But you would hope most of those available would be able to play 90 minutes by the end of September.

It's felt like Mousinho has been spinning plates so far, albeit the improved squad depth makes that slightly easier.

Mousinho feels a three-week break at this stage of the season isn't helpful. The schedule is tough after the break.

The South Coast derby starts a run of five matches in 14 days and eight in 28 days. There's some tough fixtures in there.

Mousinho will need more players to be able to play the full 90 minutes consistently. Spinning the plates in that period will be tough enough as it is.

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Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has said that his side are "incredibly short" in their front four positons because of current injuries.

The Blues have won two of their six Championship games so far this season, scoring seven goals as they sit 18th in the standings.

Injuries to Josh Murphy and Luke Brooke-Smith have limited their options out wide, while new signings Marko Milovanovic and Abu Kamara have taken time to get up to speed.

The Pompey head coach believes that a lack of options and competition in their attacking positions have contributed to a slow start, but hopes some returning players will be able to help get them firing.

Mousinho revealed that Keshi Anderson had returned to training with the hope that he could play after the upcoming international break, while Milovanovic is "50-50" to play on Saturday against Blackburn following a calf injury.

"We still haven't had a settled front four," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"Finding that balance is something that we've tried to do over the last few weeks but haven't been able to do due to injury or changes in form.

"If you look at the frontline in general right now we're incredibly short because of the injuries we have. Ideally we'd like to have two wingers competing for those spots and I'd like to have three centre-forwards fit at all times.

"We're trying to find solutions and it's been a real challenge. I'm really confident that when we get some people back and clicking then we'll be great."

Brooke-Smith's serious ankle injury came during a recent training session, with fears that he could miss the rest of the season.

The 18-year-old summer signing suffered a severe ankle dislocation, fractured his fibula and sustained significant ligament damage.

"Luke had surgery (on Tuesday) which was successful," Mousinho added.

"It's still going to be a long-term injury but we'll be hopeful to have him back in the new year."

Portsmouth take a two-game unbeaten run into their meeting with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Rovers head to the south coast having snapped a four-match winless run by beating Millwall 3-1 last weekend.

• Portsmouth have earned as many points in their past three league games against Blackburn Rovers (7 – W2 D1) as their previous 10 beforehand (W2 D1 L7).

• Blackburn have lost both of their past two league visits to Portsmouth, only losing more in a row once previously, doing so from November 1929 to August 1946 (8).

• Portsmouth have failed to score in two of their past three league matches, as many as their previous 19 beforehand.

• After beating Millwall 3-1, Blackburn could enjoy back-to-back league victories for only the second time in 2026, after doing so in February.

• Among players with 10+ take-ons attempted in the Championship this season, only Max Arfsten (77%) and Jhon Solís (75%) have a higher success rate than Portsmouth's Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (73% - 11/15).

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Portsmouth's Australian left-back Jacob Farrell has joined A-League side Sydney FC on a loan deal for the rest of the 2026-27 season.

The 23-year-old moved to Fratton Park from Central Coast Mariners in July 2024 but has made just three appearances for the club.

The former Australia youth international last played a first-team game in January when he came on as a late substitute at Watford.

"It has been a difficult period for Jacob with injuries and this move hopefully provides an opportunity for him to get his career back on track," Portsmouth boss John Mousinho told the club website., external

"He is returning to a familiar environment and we wish him all the best with Sydney for the rest of the season."

AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said goalkeeper Josef Bursik "answered all the questions" posed of him in the 1-0 win over Doncaster.

Bursik, 26, arrived on loan from Portsmouth on transfer deadline day and has kept clean sheets in his first two matches for the Dons.

"They [Doncaster] are probably wondering how they haven't scored a goal," Jackson told BBC Radio London.

"The reason they haven't scored is because we put our bodies on the line, we made blocks when we needed to, our goalkeeper's made saves and we generally worked unbelievably hard to keep the ball out of the net.

"Joe is a top keeper. I wasn't just going to bring in a goalkeeper for the sake of it.

"But if there was an opportunity to bring someone [in] that I felt could improve us and make us a stronger unit, then I would take it.

"The opportunity to sign Joe came up and we took it. He does most things very well, he's got a good temperament and it's started well for him.

"There are going to be tougher days but [against Doncaster] he was put under a lot of pressure and he answered all the questions."

Journalist Neil Allen joins BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Andy Moon to chat all things Portsmouth in the latest episode of the Who Needs Mourinho? podcast.

They reflect on the goalless draw with Charlton Athletic on Saturday and who stood out at The Valley.

Supporters also have their questions answered in Moon's Musings.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

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Not a thrilling spectacle. The match was tense because everyone sensed one goal would likely win it, but this match showed there are limitations in attack for both Portsmouth and Charlton.

Charlton were happy not to have the ball and to try and hit Portsmouth on the counter-attack.

That was understandable given Pompey's weakness defending those situations this season. But it is unusual to travel away and face a side not aiming to dominate the ball.

Milli Alli received some stick from the visiting fans, perhaps harshly given his decent contributions on loan at Fratton Park. Quite how he missed a far-post volley in the first half, only he will know.

Pompey looked solid at the back, with both Conor Shaughnessy and Benji Arthur performing well.

They will need to maintain that and add a bit more attacking flair if they are to climb the table.

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Portsmouth manager John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent after their goalless draw with Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent

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Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho gave an interesting answer when I asked for his thoughts on the overall transfer window last week.

Managers usually talk about being stronger than they went in and key needs being met etc. Instead he just said: "Let's see."

In many ways it's a sensible response. Quick assessments of who "won" a transfer window often look foolish.

Last summer Pompey fans were excited by a deadline day which saw the loan arrival of Conor Chaplin and the club retaining Josh Murphy, despite stories of interest elsewhere. The rumour of a bid from Leicester turned out to be untrue.

In the end, Chaplin struggled to make an impact and Murphy missed most of the season injured.

This window has been different for Portsmouth, It remains a hugely impressive feat that they've stayed up in the Championship for two seasons with such modest spending.

Exact fees are hard to know but it's my understanding Portsmouth spent about £1.2m in 2024 and about £4m in 2025, very modest outlays by second tier standards.

They had not spent more than £1.5m on a single player for about 15 years but this summer they went over that threshold four times on Mark Milovanovic, Tyrese Shade, Abu Kamara and Rocco Shein.

They spent more than £10m overall.

That will naturally bring heightened expectation and more pressure, something sporting director Richard Hughes acknowledged and welcomes.

One summer of increased transfer fees hardly makes Pompey big spenders in the Championship.

This season they should stay up but demanding a lot more than that on the current budget would be unfair.

This window has also highlighted the errors of the past, a source at the club earlier in the summer said there were eight players they would like to move on.

Pompey managed to sell just one player for a fee in Ibane Bowat.

Five players have been loaned to League One clubs and, given the current financial situation of that division, it would be reasonable to assume Portsmouth are subsidising the wages of each of those players.

Although it's worth noting Makenzie Kirk and Hayden Matthews should be viewed as development loans and they are players who could contribute at Championship level in the future.

The squad clearly looks deeper. If a couple of the more expensive signings can go to the next level then Pompey should comfortably have enough to stay up.

Callum Lang remains the only player to be sold for significant profit since returning to the Championship.

Big sales can help trigger a virtuous cycle and are likely to be needed at some point for the club to kick on.

Have they got it right this summer? Let's see.

Charlton Athletic remain one of nine sides in the Championship yet to lose at home as they prepare to face Portsmouth at The Valley on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Pompey ended a two-game losing run last time out, beating Cardiff City 2-0 at Fratton Park.

• Charlton lost both Championship games against Portsmouth last season, but have not lost three league games in a row versus Pompey since December 1983.

• Portsmouth have only lost two of their past eight league visits to Charlton (W4 D2), winning this fixture last season 3-1.

• Charlton have failed to score in their past two league games, last going three without scoring in March 2023 (run of four).

• Portsmouth have scored in 11 successive away league games for the first time since April 2019 (also 11), while they last managed 12 in a row in February 2016.

• Charlton's expected goals (xG) of 3.8 is the lowest of any side in the Championship this season, while only three sides have had fewer shots than their 61.

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Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has said that the Championship has already shown to be really competitive at both ends of the table this season.

The Blues have had a mixed start to 2026-27, winning two and losing three of their opening five matches.

This campaign has seen some big teams come down from the Premier League in West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who in recent years have looked to be established top tier sides.

Despite those marquee names dropping down threatening to dominate the division, Mousinho believes this season's Championship will be tight as evidenced by West Ham's narrow 3-2 win over Bolton in midweek.

"It's already shown to be a tough and really competitive league," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"I don't think there's going to be a pack that run away with it at the top and I don't think there'll be anyone cut off at the bottom.

"If you look at one of the games last week in Bolton v West Ham you had a really tight game between a side that have come up from League One against one of the relegated sides from the Premier League."

Off the back of a win over Cardiff City last weekend, Pompey will face Charlton on Saturday (15:00 BST) as they look to improve on their current position of 17th in the league.

Having played one game more, the Addicks are fifth in the table after winning their opening three matches with with two draws and a loss.

"Charlton have had a really good start," Mousinho added.

"They've had a really busy summer as we have in terms of recruitment in bringing players in, they also had a really good season back in the Championship after their promotion from League One and I fully expect them to build upon that.

"They've had a really strong start to the season and I expect a tough test."