Update reveals that Portsmouth failed in pursuit of 55-year-old boss after Danny Cowley’s exit | OneFootball

Portsmouth did approach Chris Wilder about their managerial vacancy earlier this month but he wasn’t keen on the job.

The hierarchy made the decision to sack Danny Cowley after an underwhelming run in the league saw Pompey drop out of the play-off picture.

And, after a thorough search, it was announced last week that John Mousinho was appointed, in what was a brave call from the board.

Even though the former Oxford player now has the full support of the fans, and he has impressed in the early days, there were naturally calls for a more experienced option, with Wilder a popular choice among the support.

The 55-year-old is without a job after leaving Middlesbrough and the Portsmouth News have revealed that the club did make contact with Wilder.

However, they state that the former Sheffield United chief made it clear that he didn’t want to drop down to the third tier, so talks did not progress at all.

Pompey are back in action this afternoon as they take on Peterborough looking for a third victory in a row.

9 quiz questions about Portsmouth’s stadium – Can you score full marks?

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In what year was the ground opened?

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The verdict

It makes total sense that Portsmouth went for Wilder as he has an excellent CV and there’s no denying that he would’ve been a real coup for them – or any other side in League One.

But, you can understand why Wilder wants to hold out for a Championship club as even though he didn’t do too well with Boro, he is still seen as a very good coach.

That forced Pompey to look elsewhere and they made a bold choice in Mousinho but the early signs are positive.