How do you assess your season so far?
So far? Much better than expected. There is obviously a fair old way to go but how last season ended and the players we lost over the summer I didn't expect a great deal from this season. Hopefully they can keep it up!
Who have been your top performers so far?
Kevan Hurst has been our top performer this season playing on the wing and is our current joint top goal scorer but he'll be serving a suspension when Southend face Portsmouth due to a silly sending off at the weekend.
Daniel Bentley has been terrific this season and Ryan Leonard has also stepped up to be a key part of the midfield. He, however, could be a doubt. Anthony Straker is also one to watch. He causes a split amongst Southend fans but I think he's starting to win some of them over.
What are the biggest weaknesses in your team that Pompey could exploit?
Honestly, after the last few games, I struggle to put my finger on something and I'm quite a pessimistic person! We can sometimes lack a bit of creativity and Barry Corr can get a bit isolated up front but all the players seem to be prepared to dig in and scrap a bit when needed which is always good to see.
Are there any players in the Portsmouth squad that give you cause for concern?
Well after Whittingham's sacking I'm quite scared of the whole team! I expect all of the players to be more than up for it. However, if I had to pick one player out it would be Ricky Holmes, I think that my money will be on him for first goal scorer!
What kind of football do Southend play under Phil Brown?
To be fair to him he is definitely trying to get them to play the right way and so far it seems to have been paying off, touch wood, which in this league doesn't usually happen! Lately they've gone for a 4-3-3 but as I said earlier at times it has resulted in it appearing like Corr is isolated up front which hopefully won't happen Tuesday.
Given the respected form of both teams you must be confident of winning on Tuesday night?
I have quite a few friends who support Portsmouth and it worries me how confident they seem of Southend beating them, admittedly this was before Whittingham's sacking. League two this season has been a bit of a nightmare to predict with everyone beating everyone, so I'm not overly confident. I think we'll give it a good go but I'm not counting my chickens...
Predict the result of the game.
1-1 Holmes and Corr the scorers.