Portsmouth manager search: Time for Blues to emerge from their bunkered search headquarters - fans deserve appointment ASAP

Numerous attempts to breach those steely defences, particularly by The News, have been meet with another layer of stealth, with a couple of industrial-strength padlocks thrown into the mix for good measure as well.

But while enormous efforts have been made to make that search as confidential as possible, is there any defence for the process taking this long?

News of Danny Cowley’s Fratton Park departure broke around 10pm on Monday, January 2. It’s now Thursday, January 19 – and there’s still no solid intel on when the Blues’ plan to unveil their findings.

That’s 17 days later – and 19 days into the January transfer window, of which there are only 12 full days remaining.

The News was reliably informed on Sunday that an announcement was expected within 48 hours.

That’s now come and gone, leaving Blues fans increasingly frustrated and anxious about what’s to come.

As a result, conspiracy theories start kicking in when such human emotions come to the surface.

Long gone are the days when Chris Wilder, Leam Richardson or even Neil Warnock seemed plausible suggestions, even if some were realistically out of the League One strugglers’ reach.

The same applies to more recent so-called favourites for the job – Grant McCann, Darrell Clarke, Lee Bowyer and Lee Bradbury.

But as desperation levels grow, discussions and debate about Liam Manning or Ian Foster are now being replaced by rumours of an underwhelming appointment and a new man with no managerial/coaching credentials of note because of a host of rejections, which is getting supporters even more irate.

That’s social media for you, although with Oxford United defender John Mousinho emerging as a ‘serious candidate’ those rumours could come true.

But is it any wonder when you consider the importance of this appointment and the need to get it sorted?

Again, credit to chief executive Andy Cullen and director of football Richard Hughes for their thoroughness throughout. They, too, clearly know the significance of their decision and want to get it right, for everyone’s sake.

But the current time frame is doing no-one any favours.

There’s a huge home game against Exeter coming up on Saturday – a match that has already been earmarked for a protest among certain sections of the supporters.

Lose that and the Blues could conceivably see themselves as low as 18th in the League One table.

Meanwhile, what time, if any, will the new man have with the group if his appointment is sealed before then? Little or no time is the answer to that, which is another setback given how fragile the players’ confidence currently is after a run of just one win in 15 league games.

There’s then, as mentioned above, a transfer window that has long passed it’s halfway point. And let’s not forget there’s a desperate need to find a goalkeeper amongst all this turmoil, with Josh Griffith’s West Brom returning triggered more than a week ago.

At this stage, any hope of the Blues being stronger leaving the window than they were when entering it appears to be fading each day the search for a new head coach rumbles on.

The speed and urgency at which Blackpool appear set to act following their decision to part company with Michael Appleton does Pompey no favours as well.

If reports are true, Mick McCarthy is being drafted in ASAP to help save their season and skins, with the Pools currently 23rd in the Championship table.

Well, the same ‘save their season and skins’ mentality should apply to the Blues.

A campaign that started off with promotion aspirations now finds itself engulfed with fears of a relegation battle.

If that’s not a need for urgency – amid a climate increasing apathy and despondency among supporters – then what is?

Cullen and Hughes now need to emerge from their bunkered search headquarters fast with some positive news that will lift Fratton Park spirits and put the Blues in a better place for the battle that lies in wait.