The reality of Portsmouth’s concerning injury list as faithful ask questions over volume of issues

John Mousinho has indicated Pompey are looking into the spate of injuries decimating his squad at present.

But the Blues boss is also aware he likely knows the answers to the questions being posed, as the worrying amount of issues afflicting his camp continues.

As Colby Bishop hopped off into the biting Staffordshire night on crutches and with his injured ankle in a protective boot on Tuesday, Mousinho’s post-match analysis indicated the club’s staff are considering ways in which they can limit the numbers currently sidelined.

New head of medical, Steve Hard, is certainly earning his money with his team, after the respected former Premier League head physio came in to head up a revamped department in September. But the reality is there is likely very little someone even with 1,000 games’ experience under their belt could do to limit the issues afflicting Pompey.

Even a cursory inspection into the nature of the injuries hurting the Blues at present, underlines this is a raft of setbacks beyond their control.

Connor Ogilvie, Regan Poole, Tino Anjorin, Anthony Scully, Tom Lowery, Josh Dockerill and now Bishop are the players out of the equation. What all these injuries have in common is they took place in game - an arena even the most scientific clubs and medical teams can hold little sway over.

While training is a controlled environment where loads can be managed, crossing the line into competitive action brings that element of chaos to injury prevention. Things happen which are beyond your control.

That’s certainly been the case this season with Ogilvie (ankle), Poole (knee), Scully (knee), Lowery (knee), Dockerill (knee) and now Bishop’s ankle issue either a result of challenges, or the cut and thrust of operating at full throttle.

Marlon Pack has just returned from two months out as a result of Charlie Wyke’s challenge which resulted in his dismissal. Kusini Yengi, meanwhile, was the unfortunate recipient of the weight of Christian Saydee’s hulking frame ending up on his ankle.

Anjorin is the outlier in that tale of woe. His was a case of Pompey going to great lengths to manage his integration into League One football, after a career hindered by everything from ankle, back and thigh issues to a fractured toe. Sadly, those efforts were frustrated by the Chelsea man’s hamstring at Chesterfield, with the 22-year-old now facing another battle to show he’s robust enough for senior football.

So that is the context. While a spate of muscular problems would be a red flag when investigating injuries, a series of unfortunate events are a tad tougher to see coming.

The sense of frustration palpable at Pompey being shorn of their key players is understandable, as is the desire to ask ‘why?’. The facilities aren’t up to scratch, pitches aren’t fit, players are being overloaded or suffering a recurrence after being forced back too soon.

They’ve all been considered before by supporters, of course, some with merit and others well wide of the mark. Any such conclusions, on this occasion, however, fall firmly into the latter category.

READ MORE: Pompey face losing the outstanding Aussie at a critical moment in the season. Now he’s spoken about the issue fans are fearing.