Pompey have made solid progress under Hughes

Richard Hughes' arrival at Portsmouth four years ago rather summed up where things were at the club at that moment.

Five months previously Pompey had failed to secure his signature, with Hughes opting to stay at Forest Green. When he finally did arrive at Fratton Park just over four years ago, he arrived at a club that felt stuck in League One and drifting.

Pompey had started their sixth season in the third tier promisingly but by the autumn a slide had already begun, and the playoffs would be missed for the third season in a row.

Danny Cowley may have had the title "head coach" but the reality was he was more of a "manager" and did not appear the obvious person to work under or alongside a sporting director.

Defining success for someone in the sporting director role is not as clear as for a head coach. But when you consider that starting point and where the club is now Hughes' tenure has clearly been a positive one.

The most important decision was to appoint John Mousinho as head coach in January 2023. It was a brave move by Hughes and chief executive Andy Cullen to trust a first-time head coach.

Naturally it attracted criticism, but has proved to be a masterstroke.

There are plenty of examples of sporting directors and head coaches falling out. I am sure there have been disagreements along the way. For Hughes and Mousinho to maintain a positive relationship for almost four years in such a high pressure environment is an achievement.

The recruitment has had high and low points. The assembling of the League One promotion team on a modest budget in 2023 was an impressive piece of squad building, but the summer 2025 window will not be at the top of his CV.

No one gets every signing correct. To coin a cricket phase recruiters have a "batting average" which should be interpreted alongside the budget they have to spend. For every Terry Devlin there's likely to be a Luke Le Roux.

The club have made some decent sales but have not been able to sell on a cheap signing for a huge fee which is a stated club aim. Although Terry Devlin and Adrian Segecic both looked set to be that departure this summer before expected interest didn't materialise.

Whether we like it or not budgets and finances are the biggest determination of club's finishing positions. For Richard Hughes' three full seasons at the club Portsmouth have comfortably outperformed where their spending would expect them to finish.

Owners cannot and fans should not demand more than that.

Staying in the Championship again wouldn't be a "sexy" achievement but it would be a good one and would highlight, under Richard Hughes, Portsmouth have made solid progress.