"I hate to say this" - Portsmouth FC concern raised - it involves Colby Bishop & Josh Murphy | OneFootball

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit has given his verdict on whether striker Colby Bishop's lack of goals is a cause for concern.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been a decent start to the season for Portsmouth in the Championship, but the lack of goals by star striker Colby Bishop has been one cause for concern among supporters.

Portsmouth avoided relegation last season in their first year back in the Championship as they finished 16th in the table, and after the arrival of 11 new signings this summer, John Mousinho's side will be hoping to continue to climb the table in the year ahead.

Pompey made a solid start to the campaign as they picked up eight points from their first five games, but they fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday at Fratton Park on Saturday, with Mousinho slamming his side's performance as "unacceptable" in an angry post-match interview.

Portsmouth currently sit 12th in the table, and they are only two points from the play-off places, but they are the joint-second lowest scorers in the division having netted just four league goals so far this season, with only bottom side Sheffield United scoring fewer.

After making his return in November following heart surgery, Bishop scored 11 goals in 32 games last season, but he has found the back of the net just once in six appearances this campaign, with his only goal coming in the 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion last month.

Birmingham City's big-money signing Kyogo Furahashi has missed the most big chances in the Championship this season with six, but Bishop is second on the list with five, while the 29-year-old has a shot conversion rate of just 9.1%.

Passionate Colby Bishop defence issued amid Portsmouth goalscoring concerns

When asked for his thoughts on Bishop's slow start to the season, FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis insisted that it would be unfair to blame the striker for missing chances, and he instead raised concerns about the general lack of creativity in the team and the absence of quality back-up options in the forward areas.

"Honestly, I don't think our concerns attacking wise stem from the fact that Colby Bishop has missed a couple of really good opportunities and clear-cut chances," Miltos told FLW.

"I think that the problem with us in attack is a lot deeper than that, and it's somewhat of a concern.

"Admittedly, Colby Bishop himself will probably feel that he could have done a bit better with some of the chances that were presented to him.

"There is this natural expectation from everyone around the club, manager included, staff included, fanbase included, that Colby Bishop has to score some of his chances, and he will perhaps feel that his goal tally at this point could have been slightly better.

"He had a penalty against Norwich that he missed and a couple of face-to-face chances with the goalkeeper, so he's not been perfect, but overall, we just aren't creating enough chances for him.

"I hate to say this, but we look like a very one-dimensional side, particularly after Saturday.

"We are a one-man team sometimes, and if it wasn't evident enough before Saturday, it certainly is now.

"When Josh Murphy is absent, just like he was on Saturday, we just look like an unrecognisable team, we cannot play without him.

"When Josh Murphy is absent or Colby Bishop has an off day, which can happen with strikers no matter how good they are, it does not appear who is someone who can fill their shoes.

"Callum Lang is another player who can play this role, but he is unfortunately injured as well.

"I feel like we've lacked a player who can take the team on their back and create chances, even in some of the good results we've had so far.

"I don't think the blame should be put on someone like Bishop because he misses a couple of chances, that is going to happen.

"I think the bigger concern is that, if something bad happens to Bishop, our back-ups at the moment just don't look as good.

"I don't want to downplay our business in the summer because I actually thought it was very decent, but we signed Makenzie Kirk from St Johnstone in the Scottish Championship.

"I want him to do as well as he can, but the expectation to be Bishop's back-up when you're coming from the second division in Scotland, and Thomas Waddingham similar from the A-League, there is just so much pressure.

"When someone has an off day, we don't quite have that one player right now who provides trust that they can do it for us, so I think that's the biggest concern at the moment."

John Mousinho told to solve big Josh Murphy, Colby Bishop problem at Portsmouth

While Miltos believes Bishop could still better his goal tally from last season, he questioned whether he will be provided with the necessary service to reach the 15-goal mark, and he urged Mousinho to make the team less reliant on the striker and team-mate Josh Murphy.

"We do look like a one-man team sometimes," Miltos said.

"The one player that looks like they do take the team on their back is Josh Murphy, and on another day, it's Colby Bishop.

"But when one of them has an off day or when one of them is absent, there isn't someone present who can fill their void.

"I'm one to support every player, but as he showed on Saturday, Florian Bianchini just isn't Josh Murphy.

"He cannot do the job and the amount of work that Josh Murphy is putting in every game.

"I wouldn't put the blame on Bishop because he missed a couple of chances, and with the right service, I think he could even surpass his 11-goal tally from last season, I really do believe that.

"I genuinely felt that he can reach 15 goals this season with the right service and with the players around him, but there is just something right now that doesn't add up in our attack.

"I feel like it can be addressed, and it can be fixed, but it needs to happen quickly because we looked unrecognisable on Saturday without some of our key players."

John Mousinho may live to regret big Portsmouth summer transfer call

As his frustrating start to the season continues, it is worth remembering that Bishop did not even feature for Portsmouth until November last term and still managed to end the campaign with 11 goals, so there is still plenty of time for him to find his form.

However, an over-reliance on Bishop has been a concern for Pompey supporters for some time, and it could be argued that Mousinho did not address those worries in the transfer market this summer by bringing in a proven back-up option.

With Thomas Waddingham out for 12 weeks due to injury, new signing Makenzie Kirk is Mousinho's only other out-and-out striker, and while he is a player with a lot of potential, he may not be ready to start in the Championship just yet, which puts extra pressure on Bishop to deliver.