Doyle demands reaction to Orient loss
Michael Doyle has delivered a withering assessment of Pompey’s performance against Leyton Orient.
The Blues skipper did not mince his words after a 1-0 defeat to their promotion rivals at Fratton Park.
Jobi McAnuff’s superb second half strike was worthy of winning any game of football.
But Doyle was frustrated with just how poor the hosts were and is demanding an instant reaction.
He said: “The defeat is bad enough, but the performance was flat and that’s extremely disappointing.
“We got clapped off last week because people could see the effort, desire and passion that went into it – we were probably lacking all three against Orient.
“There was perhaps a bit of a hangover from what happened on Tuesday night and maybe we were feeling a bit sorry for ourselves.
“But it’s too easy to use that as an excuse and now the players all have to show a bit of character.
“It was nowhere near the standard that we’ve set for ourselves this season, so we need to put that right.
“We’ve got a week to pull ourselves together and put on a performance that’s worthy of Portsmouth Football Club.
“The first thing I’ll be doing is going away and taking a look at myself – and that’s what everyone should be doing.
“They’ve all got to dig deep and find whatever it is they need to find to get a response next week.
“There are good lads in the dressing room and we’ve had a few setbacks – this is probably the worst – so we’ve got to get going again.
“It’s times like these that – if you’re serious about going on to win promotion – will either make you or break you.”