Skipper interviewed in Crewe programme
As the games start to run out, the pressure to win promotion is only going to increase.
The Blues face Crewe this weekend knowing that victory could see them climb into the automatic promotion places.
With so much on the line, it would be easy for some players to wilt under the spotlight.
But Michael Doyle welcomes the burden of expectation that comes with appearing for a side like Pompey.
“The bigger the attendance and the bigger the club, the more it increases,” he says in the official matchday magazine for Saturday’s clash. “And it is that bit which I have always enjoyed above anything else. I thrive on it and I love it.
“Obviously not all players will enjoy that kind of responsibility and for a lot of them, they never really experience it in such an intense way.
“Certainly in this league, most of the clubs don’t labour under the demands of big crowds and that expectation that they should be winning every week.
“There is no onus on them to do well and they see Pompey as a free hit. It is their FA Cup final without a doubt and they are free of the expectation that surrounds a bigger club.”
To read the full interview – where Doyle also discusses his time at Celtic, his desire for success and not being afraid to speak his mind – pick up a copy of the magazine from programme sellers around the ground.
Also in issue 20, Christian Burgess takes the 20 Questions challenge, while we test the general knowledge of Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain.
There is an in-depth look at Crewe, plus exclusive columns from Iain McInnes, Paul Cook and Michael Doyle.
All this and much, much more in a packed 84 pages is available for just £3.