Norris: I want to stay

The Blues midfielder admitted he doesn’t want to jump ship – despite the club heading for League One next term.

Pompey will be playing in the English game’s third tier for the first time in 29 years next season – provided they are not liquidated – after Saturday’s results.

But Norris has vowed he wants a key role in the club’s bid to bounce back into the Championship at the first attempt.

The 31-year-old believes the key is for Pompey to find stability off the pitch to allow the club to grow again.

Norris said: ‘Of course I want to play here next season.

‘I’m so settled here and happy.

‘It’s a great place to play and I want to be part of taking the club the other way. That’s what I came here for.

‘I want to make Portsmouth successful again and I still want to be a part of that – whatever league we’re in.

‘It’s important to get things right off the pitch and almost start again.

‘The most important thing is to get owners – sensible owners.

‘I haven’t overly thought about it, and I’m not sure if the decision will be my hands, but I would like to be part of turning this club around and getting it back on its feet again.

‘That would be good, especially with these fans.

‘We could make ourselves heroes by doing that and it would be good to be part of that.

‘I’m happy. I’ve settled really well and it’s a lovely place.

‘When I came here I wanted to be part of something – and I still think that can be the case.

‘The main thing now, once the season is out of the way, will be planning to come straight back up.

‘That’s what the manager will be looking at.

‘We need to get it right off the pitch first, though. That’s the aim.’

Norris paid tribute to the loyalty shown by Pompey fans through a tough campaign.

He pointed to the 10-point deduction for going into administration as key to Pompey’s demise.

But the former Ipswich midfielder also looked to dropped points in the final weeks of the season as a major factor in relegation.

He said: ‘I’ve never known anything like the fans.

‘They are unbelievable, they really are.

‘A lot of people say about their fans and how good they are, but they are something else here.

‘I’ve never known fans like them in my career.

‘To give us support like they have when we’ve let them down on a few occasions, and to be out there like they were when we were relegated, was unbelievable.

‘Pride-wise, we can say it wasn’t just down to us on the pitch.

‘It wasn’t just that. It was the escalation of losing players, not being paid and how that affects the mindsets of everyone.

‘I don’t think the effort of the players could be faulted.

‘But at the same time, I think we will look at it and think “what if?”.

‘I don’t think our run-in was terrible, and I think there were definitely games where we could have done better and picked up more points.’

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