"Version of Eddie Howe" - Opinion issued on John Mousinho's Portsmouth FC future | OneFootball

FLW's Pompey fan pundit would love to see their current boss recreate the success of one of the clubs along the south coast

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…

John Mousinho’s time at Portsmouth has coincided with plenty of success on the pitch for the Fratton Park outfit, with the south coast side coming on leaps and bounds over his two years in charge of the club.

Having earned promotion from League One in his first full season in charge, the 38-year-old has put Pompey in a perfect position to maintain their status in the second tier after a steady season back in the Championship.

In what is his first full-time managerial post, the former Oxford United man has proven he has what it takes to operate at the highest level after two years of success in his current role, with his current employers continuing to progress under his stewardship.

With one of the EFL’s brightest young leaders in charge right now, we asked Football League World’s Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis about the long-term prospects for their current boss, and whether he will be at Fratton Park in three years time.

John Mousinho backed for long-term Portsmouth success

After masterminding a terrific third tier title campaign last season, Mousinho’s life as a manager has got off to the best possible start, with the Pompey boss thriving since moving to Fratton Park from Oxford United in January 2023.

Even a slow start to the current campaign couldn’t hamper his side’s momentum, with just one win in their first 14 league matches seeing them rooted to the bottom of the division, before a resilient turnaround in form sees them firm-footed in the lower reaches of mid-table.

Sunday’s victory over Leeds United was just the latest showcase of the success that Pompey have had of late, with Colby Bishop’s strike on the hour mark gifting his side all three points against Daniel Farke’s promotion-chasing side.

With both club and manager profiting from the current dynamic at Fratton Park, Ioannidis has every hope that Mousinho will still be the man in the dugout in the summer of 2028.

When asked about his hopes for the future regarding his club’s manager, the Pompey fan said: “I think John Mousinho is here for the long run, three years is a long time in football, and whether he will be here in three years time or not, largely comes down to the progress the club would have made in those three years.

“I am certainly under no illusion that there is no loyalty in football, and you see loads of managers that are seemingly really happy at a football club and are doing really well, leave a club to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

“With John Mousinho I feel really confident about what I am saying, and I think he sees Pompey as a perfect fit for him as well. We were the club that essentially brought him out of nowhere, he wasn’t even a manager before we brought him into the club.

“He has had this incredible journey and ride over the past two years, and I definitely see John Mousinho as a one-club manager, and hopefully that is not just what I want to happen with John.”

John Mousinho, Eddie Howe comparison made as Portsmouth crave long-term success

There is every hope within the fanbase at Fratton Park that Mousinho is intent on building a project with Portsmouth, with long-term success over the course of a number of seasons the ultimate goal for everyone involved.

Ioannidis believes there is every chance that the manager, club combination could recreate another south coast side that experienced great success under long-term leadership under one manager, with Eddie Howe and AFC Bournemouth cited as the ultimate comparison.

Howe helped keep the Cherries in the EFL when they were facing financial issues 16 years ago, before embarking on a fairytale story of his own by leading the club up the divisions over the next seven seasons - albeit with a 21-month stint at Burnley in between - before eventually departing the club in August 2020.

Having already taken the club from League One to the Championship, Ioannidis has every hope of his side doing similar with a homegrown manager over the coming years, with a desire to keep Mousinho at the football club for as long as possible.

He continued: “In my opinion, he really is the perfect fit for a club like us, and hopefully he goes on to become the Pompey version of Eddie Howe.

“He seems like the sort of manager that could hopefully stay with us for the long-haul, and can improve us slowly but surely. Hopefully one day he can hope us push one step further and help us get back to the Premier League.

“My gut feeling says that John Mousinho is here to stay, and is not here to seek any opportunities at the first time of asking, and hopefully that is the case.”