D3D4 Pompey correspondent Daniel Hooper is hoping Kenny Jackett will build on what was a successful return to the third tier last season…

Last season was…

Pretty good. After promotion from League Two the season before, Pompey’s top half finish just outside the play-off places has to be viewed as a relatively satisfactory return. Under the management of Kenny Jackett, Pompey showed they had what it takes to compete in a strong League One but where we fell short was in our consistency, which Jackett noted in the end of season review. Still, with the defensive ethos of Matt Clarke, the solid work in the centre from Gareth Evans and the goal-scoring nous of Brett Pitman, last season’s Pompey squad showed themselves to have a strong spine and will be expecting to improve this season.

This season will be different because…

…of the shiny new Nike kit.  Pompey have something to do build upon as a League One team. With Kenny Jackett having previously achieved promotion to the Championship with Swansea, Millwall and Wolves, the weight of fan expectation will be greater this season as Jackett has had a season in charge and time to acclimatise to the south coast. Jackett must improve the consistency of our football, particular at home where it was less of a Fortress Fratton than a funhouse, and now is the time to build upon and develop the core squad into true contenders for automatic promotion, lest the fans turn on Jackett.

This summer’s transfer business has been…

Promising. Pompey unfortunately missed out on Mo Eisa but elsewhere Jackett has reinforced problem areas in the left back and central midfield positions, with the arrivals of the experienced Tom Naylor from Burton Albion and Lee Brown from Bristol Rovers respectively. Last season’s Tottenham loanee right back Anton Walkes has signed for the blues permanently, after showing signs of quality early last season before a long-term injury ruled him out for the rest of the campaign and repaid the faith in him with a worldie in a pre-season friendly against FC Utrecht. The incoming signings have been rounded out with the Shrewsbury keeper Craig MacGillivray to provide competition between the sticks, the winger Ronan Curtis, an U21 Ireland international, and a punt taken on the National League striker Louis Dennis from Bromley.

The biggest departure has been the winger Kai Naismith, whom Pompey couldn’t agree terms, and has now gone on to join the Paul Cook’s promoted Wigan. Other talent to leave include Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nicke Kabamba, but despite strong interest from the Championship for Matt Clarke the main squad remains intact.

My expectation for the coming season is…

Pompey should be in and around the promotion places. After last season’s cautious optimism of a top-half finish, my expectation is that with the quality of manager and players we have at this level and the resources at our disposal, making the play-off places should be the absolute lowest target for this squad. The signs from the pre-season games have been pretty good and include two 1-1 draws against top flight opposition, in a closed door friendly against Brighton and the aforementioned visit from Eredivisie’s FC Utrecht to Fratton Park. That said, the entire top half of last season’s League One teams were in contention for the play-off places and this season will be just as difficult to reach the play-offs (and beyond).

If my team were a food they would be…

A steak and ale pie. Simple, meaty and quite tasty.