Michael Doyle's warning to Pompey

It may be a lack of cutting edge which has been the big talking point among Blues fans so far this campaign.

But Doyle he been left frustrated by what he sees as naivety by Paul Cook’s men on the back foot.

He felt that was evident at Morecambe and a steely air needs to be found to make the season a success.

Doyle said: ‘I just think at times, especially away from home, we need to show savvy.

‘Something we knew we had to be better at was set-pieces and people catching us on the counter.

‘The other night that was the most disappointing thing about the two goals.

‘For us, it’s a bit of knowhow. Just have a bit of game management.

‘We didn’t play that well in the first half. We looked lacklustre but we have to be able to suck it up and have a bit more knowhow as a team.

‘When it’s not going for us we just need to grind it out and get ourselves together.

‘We didn’t. We went the other way and went gung-ho.

‘It was naive of us, yet we could have won the game with the amount of chances we had in the second half.’

Doyle believes Pompey’s mentality means they are always going to be a side who wants to play football.

But that has to be tempered with also doing what’s needed to get results.

He said: ‘We are always going to be the aggressor.

‘We don’t need to change that but we need to have more nous about us.

‘If we need to foul someone or clear the ball it’s not always going to be pretty.

‘We are trying to be positive and play out but sometimes you need to earn the right. You have to realise when you are not bang on top of your game.’