Steve Cotterill is now consigned to the Pompey history books and there are plenty of Pompey fans who are clearly relieved that is the case. Throw in the fact Nottingham Forest have had to pay PFC for the privilege releasing him from his contract (not to mention avoiding having to pay up his contract in the event of a sacking) and this parting of the ways suits all concerned.

Cotterill's position at Fratton Park was becoming increasingly untenable as a string of relatively poor results this season continued. Fans were beginning to vent their frustration at perceived 'long-ball' tactics and a feeling the manager was failing to get the best out of the players at his disposal. In a poll on the truebluearmy.com site before his move to the City Ground, more than 70% of fans thought Cotterill should be sacked.

Saturday's 2-0 win over Barnsley is currently being cited on the truebluearmy.com message board and others as 'evidence' now Cotterill has gone somehow Pompey will now be playing better football and winning more games. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While Pompey's start to the season has been disappointing, it is well within the bounds of what might have been expected. In five away matches, Pompey have travelled to teams currently ranked second, third, sixth and seventh. Only bottom of the table Bristol City bucked the trend.

The home start has been easier, but even then in six games we have played play-off placed Brighton and Cardiff. As the fixture list unwinds and Pompey play more of the sides around them - such as Barnsley - it was always likely the team would start to pick up more points. Saturday's win had far more to do with the standard of the opposition, than Cotterill not choosing the team or tactics.

Indeed, the performance against Barnsley was a microcosm of the way they have performed this season. While Ricardo Rocha should be in the team, and I didn't agree with Cotterill's choice to leave him out, to argue somehow Pompey suddenly looked more secure at the back is at odds with the facts.

In the first half, Barnsley found time and space in front of Pompey's back four which was far too stand-off-ish and only some smart goalkeeping, the post and a dreadful finish prevented the game being lost before the break. The luck, which deserted Pompey at West Ham, was on their side.

After the break Pompey played some of their best football of the season - but no better than against Reading in August for instance - and the team ran out worthy winners in the end, thanks to goals by David Norris and Luke Varney, after some excellent work by substitute Dave Kitson.

All three of those players were signed by Cotterill and, if this team is suddenly going to be transformed into world-beaters (or Southampton-beaters at least) the former boss can take some of the credit. Of the starting eleven, only Hayden Mullins and Tal Ben Haim were inherited.

Cotterill's sides may not have played consistently well this season (or last for that matter) - and at Hull his selection was downright abject - but the way the team went about its business against Barnsley had all the hallmarks of its old boss.

One of the biggest myths about Cotterill's team is that they play 'long-ball' football. 'Cotterball' and 'Hoofball' have been frequently bandied about inaccurately - no doubt a legacy of Cotterill's playing days at Wimbledon.

'Long-ball' or 'route-one' football requires a muscular (and preferably mobile) centre-forward in the Kevin Davies or John Fashanu mould and getting the ball forward quickly for players to arrive on cue from midfield to pick up the second phase of possession.

Pompey's problems, such as they are, have been quite the opposite of getting the ball forward quickly. The lack of natural width and pace both at full back and in midfield has meant that Pompey's play has been often laboured and too slow. Any aimless long-balls forward have usually been a last resort, than the first thought in either players' or manager's mind. Besides, 'aimless long-ball football' as a tactic is a contradiction in terms. Long-ball football is as calculated as it comes.

Cotterill's signings - Norris, Varney, Lawrence, Huseklepp and Kitson for instance - are in the style of someone looking to play progressive football. It is worth noting the one player be brought in who might suit a 'long-ball' game - Marko Futacs - has been nowhere near the starting line up.

That's not to say Cotterill's reign was perfect. He was sometimes over-cautious and seemed to play some players out of position and persist with failing combinations for too long. Despite rumours he fell out personally with this player or that however, Cotterill rarely put out a team that didn't appear to be playing either for him or the shirt.

In fact, too often the passion of Cotterill's sides spilled over into petulance or frustration. Pompey's shocking discplinary record under Cotterill is one thing I will not miss.

However, in a difficult situation last season he galvanized a shell-shocked club and put together a side which, on its day, was a match for the anyone in the division. Only a chaotic start due to the administration process, a slender squad and the aforementioned discipline issues meant the team were further away from a play-off berth than they could have been.

Cotterill is far from the worst manager Pompey have ever had and I wish him well in a challenging job at Nottingham Forest. As at Pompey, your main challenge may well be trying to deliver the unrealistic ambitions of the fans. Even when you've won the European Cup, solid mid-table security is sometimes the best you can hope for in the short-term. In Cotterill, Forest have the man to deliver.

And Pompey fans should be far more grateful for what he achieved at Fratton Park. Thank you, Steve Cotterill.

Photo: Action Images

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