It's a bit like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle you spend ages piecing together only to find that as soon as you'd turned your back your Mum tidied it away to "clear the table for dinner". Or your younger sibling accidently knocked your part-finished masterpiece on to the floor (with one key piece escaping never to be seen again).
Pompey fans have had to endure a lot since the fateful 2009-10 season: a squad was hastily assembled by Peter Storrie for what turned out to be the Club's final Premier League season - it seemed to disband just as quickly; during the first season back in the Championship the squad was always short on depth, numbers were held up by loans from other clubs.
It was the bitter medicine that had to be administered as a result of the Club's financial mismanagement and ownership debacles during the latter years of its Premier League tenure.
Now, in case you hadn't noticed, Pompey are in the middle of another re-building exercise. However, whereas last season the squad had a transient, 'make-do', feel about it, this year with the financial backing of new owners CSI the squad is taking on a more permanent shape - the signings of Halford, Norris, Varney, Pearce and Huseklepp support that.
Understandably, as Transfer Deadline Day draws closer fans have started to get nervous: potential signings have fallen by the wayside; there have been fanciful calls to sign unobtainable players; the team has lost a couple of games and once heroic players have been castigated by those with short memories as 'just not good enough'; the style of football played has been 'dire' and the manager has to go; oh, and just to rub salt in the wounds the two teams up and down the South Coast have started the season well.
All of a sudden the sky is falling in!
Err, hold on, let's just pause a moment and reflect.
Re-building a squad properly takes time, this isn't Fantasy Football or the virtual world of Championship Manager: this is cold, down-to-earth, nitty gritty business reality being executed by professional people who probably do know a bit more about what is required than they're sometimes given credit for.
Think back to the dark days of administration, exited by the Club less than 12 months ago, and look forward to today. OK, got it? Now ask youself: where would you rather be?
In the opening day fixture away to Middlesbrough and during the last two Pompey games there have been some encouraging signs for this 'work in progress'.
At The Riverside Pompey's tenacity clinched a last minute equaliser against a team that has emerged as one of The Championship's front runners.
The 1-0 victory at home over Reading - last season's Championship Play-Off Runner's Up - and this goalless draw against Bristol City - a fixture that Pompey lost 2-1 last season - have also both shown that good, positive progress is being made.
The central defensive partnership of Greg Halford and Jason Pearce has clicked from the off. Interestingly, it's Pearce with his gung-ho attitude and 'give everything' approach who is taking the lead role and Halford is feeding off it. Two tough matches, two clean sheets, enough said.
Up front, manager Steve Cotterill has options for the first time in his tenure. Kitson, Kanu, Huseklepp, Benjani: they all offer something different.
The addition of David Norris to the midfield has provided experience and nous to work alongside last season's Player Of The Year Hayden Mullins. With Luke Varney and Liam Lawrence operating skilfully down the wings there is the added element of attacking flair.
There will hopefully be more players added to the squad before the close of Transfer Deadline Day.
Of course there are still areas for concern: the squad as it stands is still thin in terms of numbers, it has a few players who are past their prime (i.e. Kanu, Hreidarsson and Rocha) and scoring goals is still a problem unresolved. Liam Lawrence is still not operating at 100% and Aaron Mokoena is not a natural right full-back.
But there's one thing all of those players referenced have and that is experience, perhaps the most valuable commodity of all in football terms and eactly what Pompey will need as the re-building continues.
So, let's record the goalless draw against Bristol City as one more step on a long journey. Another point, another positive move forward. Let's take the medium to long term view and not make short term, knee-jerk reactions.
Be in no doubt: Portsmouth is a Club that's on the road to recovery, moving forward, slowly and steadily, step-by-step.
The jigsaw is being put together bit-by-bit: a goalless draw at Ashton Gate is just one more piece falling in to place.
Portsmouth versus Bristol City: Jamie Ashdown, Aaron Mokoena, Greg Halford, Jason Pearce, Tal Ben Haim, Liam Lawrence, Hayden Mullins, David Norris, Luke Varney, Kanu and Dave Kitson. Substitutes: Stephen Henderson, Ricardo Rocha, Joel Ward, Erik Huseklepp and Benjani
Attendance: 12,496 boosted by over 1,300 noisy Pompey fans who made the trip.
Pompey MOTM: Luke Varney had his best game to date in a Pompey shirt and was unlucky not to find the back of the net with his fierce second half shot that clattered the cross-bar...or was it the post?
Next up for Pompey: Cardiff City at Fratton Park on Saturday 27th August in The Championship
Source for team line-up and attendance: www.portsmouthfc.co.uk
Match Action
Here are some pictures from the match at Ashton Gate:
BlueThruAndThru
