The south coast club have made the worst start to a season in their history to leave manager Paul Hart under pressure, with bookmakers tipping him to be the next top-flight manager to be sacked.

But with Pompey just four points from safety ahead of their clash with Everton at Fratton Park on Saturday, Brown believes there is plenty of time for his team to climb out of their predicament.

He said: "It's just four points and people are looking at it as if there are six games to go.

"There are 32 games to go and we are four points away, so we've just got to relax and try and play our way out of it.

"Look at Hull last season - they were flying high and escaped relegation by only a point.

"There is a long way to go. Yes, we have no points from six games. But things can change very quickly and we have to make sure we do that."

One thing which has not helped Pompey's cause is the fact they recruited eight of their new signings in the closing days of the transfer window.

Brown was among these newcomers and believes there is more to come from the newly-assembled squad when it has been given time to gel.

He said: "There are a lot of new players and they will need time to adapt and get to know each other.

"Everyone is coming in new and wants to give 100%, which is a real plus point for us.

"If it were the same players here without new blood, I think it would be a lot worse."

Brown added: "The manager is working us really hard - and so he should be as well.

"We're building on the training ground every day - we're working on shape and different passages of play.

"It seems to be coming together. We've got a good spirit and a good group of lads and I'm sure it will come together soon.

"We've all been looking to do extra work and we're always doing the gym sessions. Everyone wants to do it and if you have a good group of players, that's what you'll get."

While Brown feels his side have battled in all of their games, he admits individual errors have proved costly.

He said: "We'll take positives from the fact that we've been in all the games - it's just the little errors which have given things away. We've got to be strong and cut out the errors.

"We will create chances and that has been proven in the last few weeks. But if we stick together and keep working hard, I'm sure it will come."

One boost for Portsmouth came when they defeated Carlisle 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the Carling Cup fourth round.

Brown said: "It was a big win and it was a nice change from the league.

"The boys did very well and there were seven changes (to the team), so we knew it was going to be difficult.

"Now we're getting ready for Saturday, which is another massive game. We're all looking forward to it and hopefully we can get three points."