Schumacher's Portsmouth Preview

When Argyle meet Portsmouth this Saturday, at Home Park, the Pompey manager will only be taking charge of his fifth game as a manager.

The Portsmouth fans are still getting to know John Mousinho, who took the Fratton Park helm in January, having previously been player/coach at Oxford United, concluding distinguished 550-game career as a central defender.

Argyle boss Steven Schumacher, though, is already very familiar with the man who will be sitting along the touchline from him.

Mousinho is a couple of years Schumacher’s junior, and the pair faced eath other on the field several times over the years. Mousinho then took on a coaching role at Oxford while Schumacher as Argyle assistant, and more recently the two took the UEFO Pro coaching license on the same course.

Since taking over, Mousinho has won two, drawn one and lost one of his four games, which Schumacher says the new boss will be content with. He does not know for sure, though – the old pals have put friendship on hiatus while the teams prepare to meet.

“It’s been a good start,” said Schumacher. “I would say he's been quite happy with the performances from his team and I'm sure they'll be looking forward and excited to come here because he’ll know what's at stake, that it will be a full house - and he'd be ready to get one over on me I'm sure!

“I'm looking forward to seeing him. We did our pro license together. We've kept in contact. I wished him well when he was first appointed. I said: ‘if there's anything I can help you with, let me know.’ He still hasn't let me know yet, but I'll only speak to him next week after the game.

“He's a good lad. I do wish him well, because he’s another young coach who's hopefully going to go on to good things in his career.

“He's one of the most intelligent footballers you'll ever meet. He's got mad, crazy degrees. He was PFA chairman, so they obviously hold him in high regard from that point of view. He’s highly educated, well spoken. When he did his interview, I'm sure Portsmouth were impressed with everything he had to say.

“They are getting to know the new manager. They had an immediate bounce, beating Exeter and Fleetwood, had a tough game against Peterborough, where they were on the wrong end of a result, then had another good performance against Barnsley.”

The game will take place in front of a sold-out Home Park, with two teams who are very familiar with each other set to lock horns once again.

For fans of both sides, the game will seem important, and while Schumacher understands that feeling, he is trying to ensure that he and his squad treat it like any other.

Every game, after all, is a big one at this stage.

Schumacher said: “It's a huge club in Portsmouth where they're going to sell their away allocation. The fans have come in numbers the last few times we've played them here, and we took a load to Fratton Park this season.

“From that point of view, the game doesn’t need a lot of drumming up, it sells itself. For the players, it probably doesn't need a lot of drumming up either. No game does now, because they all understand what's at stake. We can just carry on with the planning.

“We go through the detail on every team, no matter who we play. We don't over-analyse one team because they're Portsmouth or because they are Sheffield Wednesday, and under analyse somebody else. We plan as consistently as we possibly can, and hopefully we get consistent performances as well.”

Argyle will be without goalkeeper Michael Cooper for this game, and indeed for the rest of the Sky Bet League One season.

Cooper’s severe knee injury means an opportunity for Callum Burton, an accomplished, quality, experienced goalkeeper in his own right, to step in.

Burton has the confidence of his manager, and his team-mates, according to Schumacher, who also talked of how the group have rallied around Cooper.

“I’m gutted he’s not going to be part of the team,” said Schumacher, of Cooper. “He's been playing so well and over the last couple of years, everyone has seen what type of goalkeeper Michael is. From a team point of view, it is a blow. But personally, as well, I feel for Mike, because he was in an unbelievable rhythm in his career and on an upward trajectory, showing everybody that he's one of the best young goalkeepers in the country.

“Week in, week out, he's getting better and unfortunately, a real serious injury has happened. I’m gutted for him personally, more than anything.

“What I have said to him is that he's got all of our support. He's got players around him that have been through this same experience.

“I have had an ACL injury at the very end of my career and spoke to him about my experiences and how I got through it. Joe Edwards has had it, Jordan Houghton has had it. Michael was in today and Jordan Houghton was in the treatment room talking to him.

“Hearing how players came back from that injury and what they did to get over it will help Michael, and we’ll support him the best way we can.  

“He's only young; I’m confident he'll get through this and he'll come back stronger. He’s still play his part, helping Callum from the sidelines.

“It is a blow, but we'll get over it and we'll survive. We've got a very good replacement in Callum. Every day he trains like a true professional. He shows his quality and pushes Michael every single day.

“Callum being here for 18 months as well, that gives the rest of the players confidence. They know his voice, they know what he is about. They know what his organisation's like. They know how good he is.

“He showed on Saturday, when he came on at Sheffield Wednesday, how calm and composed he was in such a big, big game.

“I’ve got no worries whatsoever about Callum's capabilities.”