Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley aims to groom a strong relationship with his squad for the 2021/22 season and has revealed the existence of an in-house fines system as a strategy towards achieving that, per HampshireLive.

The Pompey gaffer made this known in a meeting held this week with his entire staff and players, stating the essence of unity and amity to the attainment of a successful campaign, while also setting standards the club need to attain, which culminated in their desire to secure promotion to the Championship next season.

Cowley recruited fourteen new faces during the transfer window in replacement of the thirteen players who departed the club and, as such, he's hoping to create unity and amity among the old and new players to serve as motivation in the course of the season's schedule.

In a bid to materialise the cordiality in the team he aims for, he has therefore opened up about the existence of an in-house fine committee set up to regulate the acceptable standard of behaviour to be exhibited by the Pompey players.

“It is to understand the values but what does that mean in terms of our daily behaviour and we’ve got a way of working where there are rules and boundaries,” Cowley explained to HampshireLive.

“There is a fine committee and that allows us to drive the standards within on a daily basis.

“The boys have a wheel which has some cash fines, some forfeits and it is a good way for us to drive the standards on a daily basis, but also have some good social interaction as well."

In a further conversation, Cowley delved into the details of the members that make up the committee, though, did not state expressly the players involved but did mention key members that run it affairs.

“Simon Bassey looks after it from the staff and then with two [senior] players, so the three of them," he said.

“There is a court held every Friday where the players, if they are not happy with their fines, they can go to court and they can fight their corner but normally we have video evidence. If they have left their water bottle out, we normally take a picture or a lot of them moan about officiating decisions.

“Our young interns, if they are running the line and they get criticised and moaned at, if we prove that they are wrong, the player, they have to have a spin.

“They have to choose a cash fine or a forfeit. They are all related to the alphabet. A forfeit might be, if you are an A you have to coach the academy or if you are B, you have to be a boy band and you have to spin the wheel a few times to decide who is in that boy band with you and it is some good fun."

Portsmouth sit 11th in the League One standings after claiming three wins and a draw from the opening six games of the season. They will seek to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat against MK Dons last weekend when they play host to Cambridge United this afternoon.

The Verdict

The presence of unity and amity is vital towards the successful performance of a club.

Danny Cowley's aim to build a united and cordial atmosphere in the Pompey's will go a long way in influencing their attitude to work in the 2021/22 season as they seek to secure a place in the Championship.

The players added to the squad during the transfer window will also get easy adaption to life in the club and hit their strides sooner, once a strong bond is formed among the whole squad.

Indeed, it is a laudable effort from Cowley.