Pompey completed their quest for Championship football in April as they booked their return to the second tier of English footbal as League One Championships.
It proved to be a relentless pursuit that was initally started in the summer of 2017, after Paul Cook’s Blues secured the League Two title thanks to a 6-1 win over Cheltenham on the final day of the 2016-17 season.
Since then, Pompey have turned to three different managers/head coaches to achieve their goal - Kenny Jackett, Danny Cowley and John Mousinho. However, it was Mousinho who finally delivered the prize as his side went above and beyond what his two previous predecessors’ teams could achieve.
That guarantees him a place in Fratton Park folklore. But it’s fair to say, his achievements might not have been entirely possible had it not been for some of the work undertaken at Fratton Park in the years building up to this season’s success. As director Eric Eisner often points out, it’s process that has been built and allowed to take shape over time.
In that sense, both Jackett and Cowley have helped shape Pompey’s rise - not that they would want any of the credit - with the former kicking it all off under the Eisners.
Mistakes were made along the way, as we all know. But with the latest transfer window fast approaching, what tranfer successes and failings were there under Jackett’s charge? We’ve assessed his 50 transfers during his near three years at the Fratton Park helm - and this is what we’ve decided, with each player given a rating out of 10. See if you agree or disagree.
Since then, Pompey have turned to three different managers/head coaches to achieve their goal - Kenny Jackett, Danny Cowley and John Mousinho. However, it was Mousinho who finally delivered the prize as his side went above and beyond what his two previous predecessors’ teams could achieve.
33. Ryan Williams - 7/10
Pompey stats: 85 appearances, 8 goals. Verdict: A free transfer signing from Rotherham, the Australian spent two seasons with the Blues, featuring in their July 2020 play-off semi-final defeat to former club Oxford. At the end of the 2020-21 campaign, he left Pompey under Danny Cowley, after rejecting significantly-reduced contract terms. | NationaL World
34. Marcus Harness - 7/10
Pompey stats: 134 appearances, 31 goals. Verdict: The £750,000 arrival from Burton Albion in 2019 bagged 31 goals in 134 appearances across three years at Fratton Park. The Blues would have made a handsome profit on the player, when he joined Ipswich in the summer od 2022. | National World
35. John Marquis - 5/10
Pompey stats: 121 appearances, 36 goals. Verdict: The striker struggled for long spells of his two-and-a-half year Fratton Park career following a £1m arrival from Doncaster in the summer of 2018. He bagged 36 goals in 121 appearances, but before his exit in January 2022 under Danny Cowley, the club's big-earner had managed just 11 goals in 13 months, over 51 appearances. | National World
36. Reeco Hackett - 6/10
Pompey stats: 79 appearances,11 goals. Verdict: Showed glimpses of what he was capable of producing after arriving on a free from non-league football, but didn't do it often enough. | National World