O'Hara committed to cause

O'Hara: Up for Pompey battle

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On-loan midfielder Jamie O'Hara is still committed to helping Pompey stay up, despite Paul Hart's sacking.

The 23-year old is scheduled to return to parent club Tottenham in the New Year but had already expressed a desire to extend his stay until the end of the season under previous boss Hart.

Despite Hart's sacking, O'Hara says he is still committed to the cause of keeping Pompey in the top flight.

He told the Portsmouth News: "It was obviously a bit of a shock when Paul Hart was sacked.

"I had a chat with Paul when he went and I told him that it was a pleasure to play for him. It was sad that we couldn't get the results because he's a great man.

"Paul was great with everyone, he was great with me, but now Avram has come in and everyone has got to give him a chance.

Very intelligent

"Avram is a very intelligent man and he knows football inside out. The way he talks about the game, you can tell he knows what he's talking about. I think he is going to be very good for us.

"I'm really enjoying my time at Portsmouth. I am playing week-in, week-out and I feel I have built a bond with the players and the fans.

"I'm just hoping we can start getting a few more results and get us out of the bottom three."

He added: "As players, we definitely feel responsible when the manager gets sacked. At the end of the day, it's the players who have got to go out and get the results.

"We are still playing, still getting paid and then the manager is out of a job.

Disappointing

"It's disappointing to see Paul go, but we have really got to push on now and start getting some results for the new manager."

O'Hara was disappointed not to have got more from Saturday's home clash with Manchester United, which saw Pompey slump to a 4-1 defeat, despite being level at 1-1 at half-time.

He added: "The way we played, I think we deserved better from the game. But it seems to be the story of our season at the moment.

"We can't keep doing that. We need to find a way to get results.

"The lads played well in the first half, we moved the ball well and we created a lot of chances.

"So we have got to take the positives from it."