Next Portsmouth Manager: Mousinho a Potential Target for Other Clubs

You can find similarities between Des Buckingham and John Mousinho. Both are young coaches, both won promotion from League One last season and neither were overawed by the step up to Championship level.

The big difference between them this season was that Oxford failed to stand by Buckingham when a few results went the wrong way with the 40-year-old having been out of work since his sacking in December.

Oxford fans were gutted to see Buckingham lose his job and, rightfully, Portsmouth fans would likely be buoyed by an appointment of his nature should they have to wave goodbye to Mousinho.

Buckingham is young in years but experienced as a coach meaning he has an extensive body of work he can point to that runs deeper than just what he has done in England.

Despite the career he has enjoyed to date, Buckingham isn’t likely to land a top Championship job and, as such, any offer from the second tier is something that he is probably going to give some serious consideration to.

Dave Challinor is a name that we’re expecting to get linked with various jobs in the second tier of English football over the next few months. The 49-year-old has built himself an impressive resume of coaching since retiring from playing in 2011, with that record built from a lower level upwards across four different clubs.

Starting at Colwyn Bay before heading to England at Fylde, Hartlepool and, currently, Stockport, Challinor has enjoyed some form of success in each role with a career win ratio of over 53% and a minimum record of 46%. Those figures are impressive with his shortest reign being 18 months.

The trajectory of his career is clear to see too. At Stockport, he won the National League and then won League Two ahead of Wrexham last season. County have followed that promotion up with strong tilt at the third tier as they look set for a playoff finish.

If they win promotion, Challinor may stay put but, if they miss out, then it feels like the gaffer may make the next step alone.

There is an enormous question mark over whether or not Gary O’Neil would be interested in taking what a lower league Championship job is. After all, he’s proven himself to be competent at the bottom end of the Premier League with the job he done with Bournemouth and, to a lesser extent, Wolves.

Admittedly, the manner of his exit from Wolves might make another top tier job unlikely but, even so, you would think he will have better offers than Portsmouth available to him – no disrespect intended.

Of course, his affiliation with the club might be a swinger in his thinking process. O’Neil came through the ranks at Pompey before going on to don their colours close to 200 times across a nine-season period.

Jermain Defoe becoming the next Portsmouth manager is unlikely, but not impossible. We certainly wouldn't be surprised to see his name feature in the odds when they're released by the bookies. There are a couple of reasons for us thinking so.

Firstly, Defoe has not been shy in expressing his desire to get into management after spending time coaching with the Tottenham academy, which was a role that enabled him to complete his badges.

Secondly, Defoe has previously represented Portsmouth as a player and, as such, it could be enough for him to get the door open for an interview. Once open, who knows? Mousinho had never managed when they gave him a shot, and that’s worked out pretty well.