First words new Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho said after being officially unveiled at Fratton Park press conference

However, after going through the prolonged interview process to become Danny Cowley’s PO4 replacement – plus experiencing his first day in the job – the 36-year-old is even more confident he can succeed in a ‘huge, huge opportunity’

Mousinho arrives amid a backdrop of many underwhelmed fans who were expecting a more experienced man to pick up the Blues baton – a baton that currently sees Pompey sit 15th in the table and with just one win from 15 league outings.

The size of the task might have put many potential candidates off. But not the now former Oxford United captain.

Having known the club through countless battles on the pitch, he’s well aware of the size of the club, the power of the fan base and the pressure that leading high expectations can bring.

That was reaffirmed the closer he got to the job. But there was an obvious attraction that saw him persevere with the process.

And according to Pompey’s new head coach, that faith and drive to be appointed was rewarded as he realised the club’s new structure is set up for success.

Speaking to the media for the first time, Mousinho made the following opening statement...

‘I think there’s a couple of things that were fairly obvious even before considering the role and even coming into the role.

‘The first was, I knew Portsmouth from being a player, playing here at Fratton Park.

‘I knew the power of the fan base, the power of Fratton Park, how difficult it was to come here, how difficult it was even when Portsmouth were away from home because of the travelling fans, the history of the club and obviously in my lifetime Portsmouth have had huge success as well as being at the other end of the scale as well.

‘I knew that coming into the process – that’s something you know, every time I came to Fratton Park as a opposition player, you love the place but you end up thinking “this is going to be an absolute nightmare of an afternoon”.

‘I knew all about that, but what I learned very quickly, when going through everything with Rich (Hughes), Andrew (Cullen) and the owners, was that there was a real structure in place that I thought was extremely attractive to work with.

‘There was also real ambition there, long-term ambition and a plan and vision and that really aligned with everything I had every dreamed of in becoming ahead coach.

‘That became really apparent early and what I’ve seen over the past couple of days and looking forward to most is feeling the effects of those multiplied.

‘It’s been brilliant down the training ground today, everybody has been unbelievably friendly and helpful.

‘I think it was a great gauge yesterday to see what the reaction was when the news started to leak and good to see how big of a deal this was for everybody in the city and the football club – and I’m really getting a feel for that now.

‘It’s something that is very exciting for me, its a huge, huge opportunity and I feel very privileged to be able to come here.

‘As a head coach, it’s something, If you had told me a couple of weeks ago it was a possibility, I probably would have thought it’s a bit too far out of reach.

‘Having said that, coming into the role, I’m obviously confident in what I’m going to be able to do and how everybody here is going to be able to work together – simply because, I think everything is in place or success.

‘On the outside it might not seem it but I’ve seen it first hand and that’s really encouraging.’