John Mousinho: Portsmouth boss taking League One by storm

Long Reads

5 Jan

Words: Abi Rodwell

When John Mousinho was announced as the new Portsmouth Head Coach in January 2023, it’s fair to say eyebrows might have been raised.

Still a registered player with Oxford United and just 66 days after playing his last professional game for the U’s, the former defender – who had never taken charge of a senior game of football before – called time on his playing career to head to the south coast.

“It’s fair to say it was a left-field appointment from the Club,” Mousinho himself admits. “I literally hung up my boots there and went to pursue this opportunity.”

But this ‘left-field’ appointment might just turn out to be a stroke of genius from Pompey, who are firmly in the hunt for promotion from Sky Bet League One having put together a run of 16 games unbeaten to start the 2023/24 campaign.

Even more impressively, that period without tasting defeat – which was eventually ended by Blackpool towards the end of November – stretched back to the middle of March, as Portsmouth’s progress under their youthful new manager continues to catch the eye.

One of the last two teams to have maintained an unbeaten record in England's top four divisions this season – Mansfield Town also lost for the first time on the same weekend – there's no doubt that Mousinho has convinced everyone that he is the right man for the job.

Almost 12 months on from his appointment, it is certainly looking like an inspired decision.

“I was really surprised that Portsmouth took the leap with me,” he continues. “I had confidence in my own abilities, but I didn’t necessarily think Portsmouth would go for such an inexperienced Head Coach appointment and I wouldn’t have blamed them if they hadn’t.

“I knew and understood the pressures a Club like this faces and I wanted that challenge. There’s expectation here and always a huge pressure to win every game. Yes, that expectation is going to be tough at times, but I view that as a good thing.

“As a player, I achieved pretty much everything I wanted to and when the opportunity to lead a Club of this stature and magnitude came about, it was a no brainer for me.”

At the time of his arrival, Pompey CEO Andrew Cullen commented that Mousinho “possesses real leadership and motivational skills” – key traits for any manager, and ones he very quickly looked to instil on his new Portsmouth side.

Coupled with his previous role as Chair of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and his player-centric approach to management, Mousinho has all the right attributes to succeed.

“As a player, my motivation was always to maximise my own ability,” he explains. “I knew I was responsible for my own destiny. When you become a manager, everything is different. It’s no longer about you, it’s about the team and what is best for everyone else. You have a sole responsibility to the Football Club.

“And it’s about the fans as well. That’s sometimes a cliché, but it’s true. They pay a lot of money to come and see us play and I feel responsible for them. Winning for them motivates me as much as anything else and I take that responsibility into every game.

“I’m someone who feels the pressure every minute of every day but in a strange way, I quite enjoy that. Pressure is a huge part of football, even more so in management, so if you don’t enjoy that, there’s probably no point in doing it.

“It doesn’t matter what Club you’re at, people expect you to perform and fans expect you to win games. I enjoy that aspect.”

Mousinho started his coaching badges early to allow for a smoother transition into management.

During his time at Oxford, Karl Robinson would include him in coaching sessions, recruitment meetings, team selections and various staff dealings, including interaction with the Board, to allow for as full a picture as possible of the trials and tribulations of football management.

“I was really lucky in that respect,” he admits. “And to be honest, I generally think age and experience is irrelevant in management. Yes, you need to come into the job and have those foundations, which I think I had, but it’s more about whether or not you’re actually ready for the job and want to take it on.”

And of course, having last played just a year or so ago, Mousinho understands a player’s mindset as well as anyone.

“I quite literally came straight from the dressing room into this Head Coach role,” he says. “At the time, I felt that was my biggest strength, but also, potentially my biggest weakness too.

“I’d had no prior experience to go off, so I just said to the players, ‘look, I know how things are, I understand what it’s like to be a professional footballer’. I have that experience, I know how difficult it is to win games at this level, I know how hard the players work, I know what it’s like to be away from your family and I know the strains.

“Because of that, I felt like I had an affinity with the players straight away and that was my message to them; that I understand what it’s like and because of that I’m going to do whatever I can to make their jobs easier.

“You could say that’s a huge strength, but I guess you could also look at it as a weakness too. Because I’d come straight from the dressing room, I’d never had those sorts of interactions with players before and never addressed a room as a Head Coach.

“It’s different, but when it boils down to it, you just need to remember that players are all humans and they all want the same thing. When you break it down like that, it makes it a lot easier to come into a dressing room, address a group of players and get them on the same page as you.”

It’s an approach that is, so far, working wonders.

From the outside looking in, Mousinho’s transition from player to manager has been almost seamless. And while it is something the 37-year-old worked hard at towards the latter stages of his playing career, he still found out for himself that nothing prepares you more than jumping straight in at the deep end.

“The best way to describe it is to say that there’s nothing that can properly prepare you for management,” he remarks. “You can have thousands of conversations with as many people as you want and do all the training you like, but until you take the role and everything is on you, you don’t fully understand it.”

But how do you know when the time is right?

“It’s really difficult to know, for sure,” he acknowledges. “But you also never know when an opportunity is going to arise. For me, I felt ready and the fact I was given an opportunity meant I just had to take it. I guess that’s when you find out if you’re ready or not.

“When I left Oxford for this job, I was still on a playing contract. It was a bit surreal at the time because in my first week as Portsmouth manager, we travelled up to Fleetwood with me as Head Coach, but 10 days prior, I’d travelled to Fleetwood on the back of the bus as a player with my Oxford team-mates.

“It all happened that quickly. And that was something I had to adjust to immediately and learn there and then to be a Head Coach. It’s a very different role.

"I had to very quickly stop myself from being how I might have been as a player and remember that it’s not about anything other than making sure you do what’s right for the Football Club, but also the 20 plus players you’re now looking after.

“When you’re on the other side, in my opinion, players don’t want a friend. They want a manager who is friendly, yes, but who is approachable, someone who will give them time and understanding, but ultimately, they want someone who can lead them and help them get to where they want to be professionally.”

After almost a year at the helm, his results as a Head Coach certainly don’t reflect those of someone who, prior to 2023, had no previous experience in the dugout. However, there is one change he is still getting to grips with.

“One thing I find the most difficult as a manager is the sudden loss of control on a matchday,” Mousinho confesses. “It’s something I’m really not very good with.

“As a player, I always felt like I could influence a game in some way. Even though you’ve got to rely on 10 other players to help you get to where you want to be, as a player you always feel you have control over the end result.

“As manager, in a strange way I’ve got ultimate control over what happens on the pitch in terms of how we do things, but when the game kicks off, I’m relying on the players to execute a plan we’ve worked on all week, and to be honest, I feel completely helpless, particularly when things don’t go well.

“When things aren’t going your way, it’s not necessarily the losing that’s the worst part. It’s sitting there thinking, ‘I can’t do anything to change this right now’. Yes, there’s always something that can be done but nothing is the same as putting your boots on and going out there to try and change the game yourself.”

A steep learning curve, but one that Mousinho is taking in his stride as he continues to thrive in the dugout.

“I’m loving it, I’m really enjoying every single day,” he beams. “You never know what it’s going to be like until you step over onto the other side and I know I’ve got a massive challenge on my hands at this Club, which is actually one of the biggest things I enjoy about the role.

“I’m learning to expect the unexpected, there’s never a dull moment and there’s never a decision I have to make that doesn’t have big consequences, which I find really exciting.

“In this city, this is everybody’s Football Club, success affects everyone. I’m a football fan, I understand that. And as a manager, I still feel that now and that’s what motivates me and is one of the most rewarding feelings when we do well.”

John Mousinho: Portsmouth boss taking League One by storm

John Mousinho: Portsmouth boss taking League One by storm

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