Boss planning for next season
The dust has barely settled on Pompey’s painful play-off exit at Plymouth.
But Paul Cook has already turned his focus to the 2016/17 campaign and trying to ensure that next May brings about a much happier outcome.
The Blues boss will soon be speaking to his players, revealing who he sees as part of the club’s future and who he would like to move on.
It promises to be another busy summer on the south coast, although the rebuilding work will not be extensive as last year.
And Cook wants to put any negative thoughts in the past and concentrate on improving his squad.
He said: “I’m so happy and lucky to be in charge of this club and I want to stay here for a long time.
“It’s everything I could want as a manager – from the supporters to the backing that I receive.
“We’ve got to go through the squad and make sure that we don’t make the mistakes that we’ve made this season. That will make us stronger.
“It’ll be heartbreaking if, 12 months down the line, our conversations aren’t a lot happier, so now I must be positive.
“We managed to get 78 points this season and have improved a lot, so the aim is to go on again and get to where we want to be.
“It’s been a bigger challenge than I thought, I must admit. We’ve got a group of players who have done okay and the core will stay.
“Now’s my time to manage, with the signings that I make and the departures that will also happen. I can guarantee our fans that the work starts now.”