KEITH Hill worries that the current job security in football could see the end of long-term football management.

Wanderers will go to Portsmouth tomorrow knowing a victory could further destabilise the position of Kenny Jackett – who has come in for flak on the South Coast for the club’s slow start to the campaign.

Just six months on from lifting the Checkatrade Trophy and four from defeat in the League One play-off semi final, the Pompey boss is under fire after his team claimed one victory from their first seven games.

Having taken the reins from Paul Cook when he left for Wigan in June 2017, Jackett has built a strong squad at Fratton Park but Hill is dismayed by reports his job could now be under review.

“I think before much longer – five years or so – there will be no fixed term contracts for managers,” he said. “It’ll just be freelance management.

“It’ll be three months here, four months there, a week here, that’s the way it’s going.

“There’s a blame game going on, whether that’s journalism or supporters I don’t know, but sometimes you really have to be careful what you wish for. If you want to build something sold then you have to have a bit of continuity, rhythm within a football club.

“Kenny at Portsmouth at this time definitely has a successful identity. He has been a very successful manager in League One and we’re still so early in the season.

“I would express concern at the criticism that Kenny and other managers are getting in football these days because it lacks vision. I am not trying to protect people because we know the score when we take these jobs but in any walk of life you need a bit of stability to create a position of strength.”

Portsmouth’s fall from Premier League to League Two will resonate with Wanderers fans, who have seen similar financial issues affect their own club.

Hill argues the task of rebuilding may have been made more difficult by the success Jackett enjoyed in his first season.

“I think Kenny Jackett is doing a great job, he usually does,” he told The Bolton News. “He’s a pragmatic guy and the work he’s doing this season is similar to the work he was doing last season.

“You lose key players, the expectation level of supporters goes through the roof because they narrowly missed out last season, they are a big club with a big club mentality.

“I have spoken with Paul Cook in the past and I know he felt that weighs heavily on the players at times because it’s an expecting crowd.

“It’s a great arena to play football, unique as one of the traditional football grounds in this country. One of football’s great homes.

“It holds a lot of fond memories for me as a player, I used to love playing there.

“The crowd are very vocal but we have got to go down there and silence them.”