'This is tough and knowing fans aren't happy hurts - but players are still together and we can do this': Portsmouth boss on crisis he’s facing - in his own words

The Blues head coach has lifted the lid on the challenges he’s in the midst of, as fans call for his sacking and the players’ confidence ebbs away amid a run of one league win in 14 games.

In a remarkably honest and detailed interview conducted before the Charlton loss, Cowley responds to be doubted and questioned by the Fratton fan base, the toughest fight he faces - and how he and his squad save the 2022-23 campaign.

'This has been tough and we have to live with the feeling supporters are not happy with us at the moment, which is never a nice feeling.

'It’s not a nice feeling. It’s not nice and nor should it be.

'The players are a good group, though, they are a pleasure to spend time with. They are a honest group and they are together - there’s no doubt about that.

'We know this is an important quality to have in a team. All my successful teams have had togetherness.

'Team spirit is always tested when you don’t do well - and we haven’t done well enough. We know that and it hurts us.

'If we come up short, though, it won’t be because of work ethic.

'We are really privileged to be here and I have to look myself in the mirror every morning and before I go to bed.

'You want to do the best that you can. We’re working as hard as we can, that’s for sure. We have to work intelligently as well, though. Work ethic is an important quality, but there has to be intelligence with it.

'We believe in ourselves and we believe in the group.

'We’re in a storm, but we do kind of see the sun on the horizon. We’re just trying to get to it as quickly as we can.

'It has been tough, though. I always know when it’s tough because my dad starts being nice to me!

'I went 13 years without losing more than two games on the trot.

'At Huddersfield we lost three games and last year we went two here and now Wycombe and MK in the league. This is the longest I’ve been without winning in the league.

'You reflect all the time, because I know the person I can affect the most is me.

'So if I can take ownership, responsibility and try to work out ways I can do things better then that’s the starting point.

'It’s almost the easy bit, because then you need to influence others to take the same ownership, accountability and responsibility.

'If they can - and this group do - then you can work your way through it. That’s what we’re trying to do.

'Clarity is a good word, that’s what you’re looking for.

'We watch the game live and then we watch it back twice. We then take in-depth statistics on the game and then you start to piece it all together.

'That allows you to take the emotion out and it allows you to leave the game with clarity.

'If you can work out the whys - why you win, why you lose then you can take learning moving forward.

'Then if it’s been a really bad experience - like some of the recent games which will haunt me - you at least take the learning from it and you can then at least start to move on.

'The emotion is raw initially, because we’ve given up our whole life for this and you only get one life, so you want to do well.

'But that’s the process we live, and because we’re quite process oriented it allows you to go through a process which is quite therapeutic..

'We know we need to get on the right side of one result and, once we get on the right side of one, I think we’ll be alright because we have a good group of players here.

'I don’t really have the answers in terms of how to live my life in these periods, to be honest.

'We invest everything into football and it almost makes me feel guilty for saying that, but it’s the truth.

'So when you try the best you can and it’s not going well, yes, it’s not nice. It’s tough.

'You have to try to be really careful because when you lose it really defines you. You have to try to detach yourself from the result.

'That’s my toughest challenge, but I’m pretty determined and pretty resilient.

'For me, I’m alright with people doubting me, people questioning me or people criticising me. It makes me want to dig in and become even more determined.

'We have brilliant supporters. Even though we’ve not been winning they have stayed with us.

'There’s those who when you get off the coach at Exeter, for example, and after the game they are really with you. Others are really frustrated and angry, I understand that as well.

'I accept it, it’s part of the job. If they are with us, I’m trying desperately to prove them right and thanking them for their support. If they are against us I’m doing my best to prove them wrong.

'We try to get into the community, to schools, hospitals and care homes. Part of that is because we want to give back to the community, which is really important, but it’s also nice to see us a human beings, the normal people which we are.

'Sometimes when you go out and show human quality, people do treat you more like a human than a robot.

'When you go out and see people they are really good to you. That means a lot, particularly when it’s not going too well and you’re pretty down on yourself. It’s a privilege to go out, be accessible and be there when we can.

'We have a feeling this group can do well, though. For all the disappointment in recent weeks over results, we can still get there.

'We have to push through it. This is a good test for us as a group.

'This adversity is tough. There are reasons and excuses, but no one cares. We understand that and respect that.

'So we have to keep working and trying to find the solutions. When we do, we’ll all be really proud.'