 Tuesday, 18th Oct 2011 11:10 Town manager Paul Jewell says Portsmouth’s lack of a permanent manager has had little effect on his preparations for this evening’s game at Portman Road (KO 7.45pm). Pompey boss Steve Cotterill left for Nottingham Forest last week with Guy Whittingham and Stuart Gray currently joint-caretaker managers. Jewell felt the Hampshire side were similarly unhindered by the situation at the weekend: “It doesn’t affect the way we prepare for the game. It didn’t affect their result on Saturday night, they got a good [2-0 win] against Barnsley. “They’ve got some good players. You look at their squad of players on paper and it’s a strong squad with a lot of experienced players, a lot of players who have played in the Premier League. So, like every match in this league, it’s going to be a tough game.” Jewell is conscious of the upturn in form sides often take after managers depart: “I certainly think that if you look over the graphs when a manager goes the results seem to improve early on but then flatten out. “Obviously, the players are trying to impress the new manager, but at the end of the day it’s also been proved that the team probably finishes where it would have finished with the previous manager anyway, if you see what I mean. “But we’re not playing against a manager, we’re playing against the players and the players looked focused [in Saturday’s match] when I watched the tape on Sunday.” Reflecting on the time since the managerial change which saw him move to Portman Road in January, Jewell says it’s been a busy time and believes the team's improvement is evident: “We’ve only been here nine months, although an awful lot seems to have gone on in that time. “As I said last season, it’ll be a long process. We want to get to the Premier League as soon as we possibly can but that doesn’t mean everything has to happen this season. “We want to make progress, and I think we are. We’ve made progress from the Southampton and Peterborough debacles but we don’t want to think we’ve cracked it, we want to do even better, to improve the players we’ve got here, maybe even bring in more players to improve the squad as we go along. “Certainly from the staff point of view, we’re pleased with the progress we’re making but we’re never satisfied.” With no new injuries after Saturday’s trip to Cardiff, the Blues boss seems unlikely to make any changes to the side which has started the previous five games. If Jewell does stick with the same XI, it’ll be the first time Town have fielded an unchanged team for six successive matches since the record 12-game run in the 1991/92 Second Division Championship-winning campaign. David Stockdale will continue in goal with Aaron Cresswell and Carlos Edwards the full-backs and ex-Pompey loanee Ibrahima Sonko and Danny Collins at the centre of the defence. In midfield, Jimmy Bullard will play behind Keith Andrews and Lee Bowyer with skipper Grant Leadbitter, a Portsmouth target during the transfer window, at the most advanced point of the diamond. Jason Scotland and Michael Chopra will be up front. The Blues manager could recall Daryl Murphy, who is now over his hamstring injury, to the bench, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas having made little impact when he came off the bench at Cardiff. Lee Martin is unlikely to be considered ready for a recall after his recent freak eye injury sustained in a golfing accident. Portsmouth, seven places and five points behind Town in 17th in the Championship, could recall striker Dave Kitson to their starting line-up. The former Reading man came on as a sub in the Barnsley game having recovered from a rib injury. Pompey, who have lost their last three away games and haven’t won on their travels for nine league matches, are currently led by coaches Guy Whittingham and Stuart Gray in a joint-caretaker capacity. Whittingham, who has ruled himself out of the running for the job permanently, says he and Gray are keeping things ticking over while the process of appointing a new boss takes place: “For Stuart and I it’s a case of carrying on until the new manager comes in “Like me, Stuart is quite happy to be in the background, coaching and dealing with players. We’re fortunate to be in the position where we’re doing something we love doing. “But it was enjoyable to be out there in the technical area against Barnsley, getting very involved in the game, and it was a great result for the fans. With all the emotions going on I think they made some decent noise and really got behind the team.” The one-time soldier says there are goals in the Town team: “Ipswich are doing well and have a few goalscorers in their side. “Michael Chopra, for instance, is a threat because he’s scored goals whoever he’s played for. So we’ve got to make sure we defend properly, and when we’ve got the ball that we use it well.” It’s not just Town’s strikers Whittingham is wary of but also their defenders, in particular one-time Pompey loanee Ibrahima Sonko, who he says didn’t always get the opportunity to play during his time at Fratton Park: “It’s nice for Sonks to be getting minutes. He’s a great pro and a nice guy. Because of the ruling on loans last season, he was often left out. “He was brilliant, though, and great for the spirit of the club. Sometimes players like that get their just rewards, and that’s the case with him. He’s scoring goals, too. We need to consider his threat at set-pieces.” Historically, Town have won 17 (16 in the league), drawn 11 (11) and lost 11 (nine) against Portsmouth. In February, Town were made to rue failing to make the most of their first half possession and chances as Portsmouth left Portman Road with a 2-0 win. The Blues could have been well in front having dominated before the break but it was Pompey who claimed the points via second half goals from one-time Town loan target David Nugent and David Cotterill. Earlier in the season, the sides drew 0-0 at Fratton Park. Former Blues loanee Darren O'Dea missed a good first half opportunity and then-skipper David Norris hit the post in the second as both teams came close to breaking the deadlock in a game which probably deserved to end level. Norris joined Pompey from the Blues in the summer, while Hermann Hreidarsson is the only other former Blue in the Portsmouth squad. Sonko spent last season on loan at Fratton Park, making 20 starts and seven sub appearances, scoring one goal. Prior to the game, Town legends Ted Phillips and Ray Crawford - also a former Pompey player - will be signing copies of Ipswich Town: Champions 1961/62 in Planet Blue from 5pm. Tonight's programme is available in an online electronic version here as well as at the game. Today’s referee is Gavin Ward from Surrey, who has shown 36 yellow cards and one red in 11 games so far this season. Ward’s only previous Town match was the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road in September 2009 in which he red-carded Gareth McAuley for a professional foul in the closing minutes having booked seven other players. Probable 16: Stockdale, Edwards, Cresswell, Sonko, Collins, Bullard, Andrews, Bowyer, Leadbitter, Scotland, Chopra. Subs: Lee-Barrett, Wabara, Murphy, Ellington, Delaney.
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