New boss meets the media
Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch Paul Cook's press conference in full.
There was a large gathering of media assembled in the Montgomery Lounge.
There was a large gathering of media assembled in the Montgomery Lounge.
TV and radio crews joined local and national written journalists to meet new Pompey manager Paul Cook.
The Blues boss was flanked by chairman Iain McInnes and chief executive Mark Catlin for the press conference.
And he spoke passionately about his desire to turn around Pompey’s fortunes with an attacking brand of football.
Paul Cook impressive as unveiled as Pompey boss. Spoke of need for entertainment with desire and belief - " ability alone not enough ".
— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) May 15, 2015“The one thing I can guarantee is that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring success to this club.
“Whenever I came to Fratton Park in my playing career, the Pompey team was full of match-winners and people who could get the crowd on the edge of their seat.
“So recruitment will be important because we want players who will not only do themselves justice, but do the club justice as well.
“We’ve set the bar at promotion – if you set it any lower than that then you’re accepting second best.
“We’re the biggest club in this division, but that doesn’t give us any divine right to win it or be promoted.
“But I think we can go a long way and my job is to show that to the supporters by what we do on the pitch.
“When you go to a football match you want to be entertained – people work hard and Saturday is the biggest day of the week.
“I want to put a team on the pitch that plays good, attractive football and has a desire to win.
“When I took charge at Chesterfield I was told not to try pass your way out of League Two – well, we did that. I want to do the same here.
“We demand hard work because ability alone won’t get you anywhere. But I’ll give the lads the freedom to go out on the pitch and play.
“Sometimes people see me on the sidelines acting like a bit of a lunatic, but that’s because I’ve got so much belief in the guys on the pitch.”