Source: SKY_Sports
Mokoena praises 'strong' Hart
Portsmouth captain Aaron Mokoena has praised the battling mentality of manager Paul Hart.
The 28-year-old midfielder is pleased that Hart decided to stay at Fratton Park when times started to get tough, after financial problems forced the club to sell their prized assets.
Now the South Coast outfit have been taken over by Saudi businessman Ali Al-Faraj, Mokoena believes the only way is up and thinks Hart can help them climb the Premier League table and escape relegation this season.
"Having a manager like Paul Hart helps," he said in the Daily Star. "If he didn't have the strong mentality he has, he could have said 'You know, this is not good for my CV'.
"But he stood his ground and he fought for the team. He loves us, he loves Pompey and the players he's brought in.
"The players have responded to the manager because he doesn't want to be a coward."
Saudi property tycoon Al-Faraj took control of the club after Sulaiman Al-Fahim sold his 90 per cent share, and Mokoena hopes the change in ownership will bring some stability to Fratton Park.
"If no-one had wanted to buy the club it would have been much worse for us," he added. "Then we would really have been worried.
"It's better that it has all happened now. I mean, imagine if it
was later? We would only be thinking about relegation."
