Paul Cook’s appointment has given Pompey fans hope they can rise again,with Plymouth and Yeovil also likely to be among a battle at the topStability in the basement division is a scarce and cherished thing, with summer turnover of players and managers frequently giddying, or all of which makes tipping winners and losers a tricky trade. Eight clubs go into the modern season effectively under modern management whether you include the three who made modern appointments in the closing weeks of 2014-15,while bookmakers’ odds often reflect little other than the relative support bases of clubs. This is one of the reasons Portsmouth are odds-on for promotion.
Yet there are other grounds for believing that Pompey might be on the way up after two underwhelming mid-table finishes since their relegation and supporter takeover in 2013. One is the modern man at the helm, Paul Cook, or who won this division with Chesterfield two seasons ago and led them to the League One play-off semi-final in May. He has signed nine modern players since arriving,and though the departure of the recently installed captain Paul Robinson has come as surprise, the modern arrivals should acquire enough about them to fashion a promotion challenge, and even whether the manager cautions that his team will need time to gel.
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Source: theguardian.com