2 weeks Ago By Neil Allen
Portsmouth FC 'It would have been idiotic': Portsmouth boss lifts lid on why he subbed influential Blues man against Plymouth By Neil Allen Chief sports writer Comment Published 6th Nov 2024, 04:55 GMT Updated 6th Nov 2024, 04:55 GMT Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now John Mousinho insisted it would have been ‘idiotic’ not to substitute Matt Ritchie at Plymouth. Sign up to our Portsmouth FC newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
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The veteran once again revelled in a rare Blues start, producing a high-octane display on the right-hand side of their midfield. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There was disappointment when, as one of Pompey’s star performers on the night, he was brought off in the 74th minute for Sammy Silvera. Subsequently, Michael Obafemi netted eight minutes later to earn Plymouth a 1-0 victory in a match Mousinho’s men did more than enough to win.
John Mousinho has explained why he brought off the influential Matt Ritchie against Plymouth. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages And afterwards the Blues’ head coach explained his reasoning for bringing off the influential Ritchie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He told The News : ‘It was just the fact Matt has not played a huge amount of football over the past two years, so we’re protecting him.
‘We’ve also got another game this weekend. It was an injury risk starting him in the first place - and we decided to take that risk because of his level of performance at Hull. I thought he was superb as well.
‘He didn’t want to come off, it was just a case of we have all the information at our fingertips and it was tipping into any area where, if Matt had gone and torn a calf or hamstring, what on earth are we doing leaving him on for that period of time? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad ‘That would have been absolutely idiotic considering the fact we’ve also had the travel. ‘Matt is 35 and as fit as a flea, but he is 35. You take that into consideration and you take the effort into consideration.
’ Having waited so long for his opportunity after returning to Fratton Park in the summer, it was another eye-catching display from Ritchie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Read More 'Why we lost is pretty simple': Portsmouth boss fuming after suffering Plymouth Argyle agony And Mousinho will be hoping the former Newcastle man can remain available for the visit of Preston on Saturday for potentially a third start in eight days. He added: ‘There was something we saw at the weekend about overall physical performances over the entire season so far and Matt was 10th in terms of high-speed distance from Saturday.
‘We knew what he was putting into the game and we saw that again at Plymouth - and we didn't want to take the risk.’ Continue Reading Related topics: Pompey Comment Comment Guidelines National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting.
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