Hart defends Pompey tactics

Paul Hart has defended his defensive mantra following vociferous criticism of his tactics during Portsmouth's 2-2 draw with West Brom at the weekend. Boos reverberated around Fratton Park at the final whistle as Portsmouth failed to garner a three-point haul against a West Brom side marooned at the foot of the Premier League table.Hart has been accused of failing to chase a victory in what was deemed a must-win encounter, but the former Nottingham Forest boss is making no excuses for his cautious approach.After inheriting a side that leaked goals under previous incumbent Tony Adams, Hart has made tightening up Portsmouth's defence his number one priority.Just one defeat from their last seven games suggests Hart is doing something right, and the temporary boss is convinced the club remain on track to fend off the drop.Tough task"The situation is difficult but my job is to keep us in the Premier League," he told The News."Perhaps we've not been exactly sparkling going forward, but in such a short space of time you can't expect everything to fall into place."The Hull game was the first where we haven't scored and we've created chances in all of them."We went in the bottom three when we hadn't done much wrong, but the most important thing was to get out of it - and now the crucial thing is to stay out of it. "It's still a perilous situation but overall I've enjoyed it so far - even the weight of responsibility that goes with it."But I don't want to be the person with the bad news blues at the end of the season. I want positive stuff. "The players have made it enjoyable the way they've responded to what we want and it's been good."

Source: SKY_Sports