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" It is probably a little bit different to the last time I took over and it is going to be a little bit more difficult I think than the last time when I took charge in the same situation. It is one that I am not frightened of though, it is one that I am going to hit head on and try to get a bit more enthusiasm throughout the squad and the playing staff. Also, quickly get some performances on the pitch which hopefully will lead to some better results.
" At the minute every game is a difficult game because we haven't been winning. That first win to get us started is massive at the moment, so Saturday is a good one for us in terms of on paper. We probably should win the game, everybody will accept that, so we are under a little bit more pressure there. The pressure that we are losing games and the pressure that it is a game that everybody thinks that we should win.
" We are going to be brave though and we are going to be positive, we are going to get everybody talking the right things and doing the right things in training. We have had a terrific response today already, I was really pleased with the way that they went at the thing. Obviously everybody now is playing for their places because it is somebody else's decision at picking the team for Saturday's game.
" You never like to see the manager go when you are part of it, everybody in some small way is a contributory factor. So you have got to feel sorry for him (John Ward), he is a smashing man John, he has been really good to everybody, he has given it a big shot. At the end of last season when we were so close to glory, it has come to this very, very quickly.
" He is disappointed but he has had some terrific words of comfort for myself and encouragement for myself. I wish him all the very, very best and hopefully he is back in football quickly and he can get over this. He did say that he has had it before so he can accept it, he is at an age where he will deal with it better than probably a lot of people would, but we do wish him all the best.
" They (the board) have just been really positive in what they have said to me. They thought that I was the potential manager last time, but for whatever reason they decided to do a different thing. They have just said to me that they think I am ready, it is up to me to try to grasp it with both hands and try to make a name for myself in this industry. As in football management, which at the minute is pretty precarious isn't it, but I am brave and I am daft and I will have a go at it.
" I will give it everything that I have got and the people here were very supportive of me last time I took over. That night at Bury they were brilliant with me were the fans and they were until the day that John took over for the Millwall game. They were terrific, and I need them and they know that, I want them on my side, I want them on the side of the team and I just want to be positive with everything that I talk about at the moment. "
" It is a difficult time to support and be a supporter isn't it, because it is a difficult time to be in the coaching staff, managing staff and playing staff because we are losing games. At the minute though we need it more so now than ever before. The fans don't realise how important and how big a part they do play. I thought that in the last home game they were terrific, they want us to put a performance on, they want us to get a result, and that message has got to get through to the players.
" The players have got to react then in a positive way to make sure that they send those fans home happy. One win, however good or pretty it is, will hopefully spark off more and get some more enthusiasm through the team, through the supporters, and send them home a little bit happier than they have been of late.
" The players take a lot of responsibility don't they, because ultimately once we have done our work from Monday to Friday or even to Saturday at 3pm. Once they step over that white line they have got to perform, they have got the difficult job but they are the ones that get the pats on the back and most of the glory.
" As a manager, if I do become a full-time manager, then I would like to see my players get a lot of praise for their performances. Rather than people singling out me saying I do this or I do that, I will help them all I can, I will be a leader and I will give them some guidance. Ultimately though when they get onto the pitch they have got to perform.
" We know that we have had players not performing and it is up to me now to work at those players and instil some more confidence, some more enthusiasm, and some more determination. To make sure that on Saturday they are going to bust a gut, they are going to absolutely die for the cause you know. I will accept nothing less and training today was fierce, it was really roll your up sleeves time, it was as if it was a game today.
" I want them as soon as they come out of the traps on Saturday to be flying at Grays, if we roll them over easily then fantastic and we will be going for the jugular. If it is a tough game though that we have got to scrap and fight and kick then we will be doing that as well. Because once we do that the football that we can play that we know that we are all capable of playing will come through.
" If we don't match teams for energy and effort and determination though then we are going nowhere. That is the responsibility of a player and they will be reminded of that, they were today and they will be right the way through the week up to Friday and then when they get out onto the pitch on Saturday afternoon. "
" I am going to make contact with Sunderland today and we are going to try to extend Graham Kavanagh's loan if we can for a month. There is a little complication in that but we will go to Sunderland today and we will see what we can do. It would be nice to have him again for a bit more experience, he is a tough competitor and we need his type at the moment. He has been around the game a long time, he has got a lot of experience. We are hoping that he can help the younger players, and the less experienced players as well, through this period.
" Senior players generally deal with it better, we have a few that have been on the upward surge for a few seasons now and haven't been used to getting beat. I just think that we have got to get back to basics, we have got to be tough, we have got to be more honest, more determined and then we have still got good footballers.
" We will play some nice football at the right times but at the minute we have got to get everybody really determined to make sure that we halt this run of results. Then we can go on and get confidence in that and go on and play some of the football that I would like to see us play and show what the team are capable of.
" At the moment I have asked Dennis (Booth) to help me out, he knows the game very well, he has got a lot of contacts, so certainly in terms of recruiting players as well and finding out about opposition and other things. Also, as the game goes on, identifying areas where we can tinker and change. I have worked with Dennis really closely, he is a fantastic fellow and he has got a lot of knowledge in there. I would be stupid if I thought that I could do without that.
" The board have backed me on that straight away though, they have said for me to make sure he is doing what I am asking him to and use him as much as I need to. So I'll be leaning on him a little bit and hopefully he leans on me a little bit as well and we work well together. We did last time and he will be right by my side on Saturday and I am sure that the players will get some vocal support from his angle as the game goes on.
" I just want the supporters to stick with us, be brave and be as you have been, they have been very supportive. It is a tough time isn't it because we have just been nine or ten games without getting a result. It is frustrating for them but I think that deep down that they want to support us, just stick by us, just be patient with us and hopefully we will turn it around.
" They have been part of it when things weren't going so good and they will be a massive part of it when things are going well you know. They are entitled to be critical at the moment because of the results but I want to put a smile on their face eventually. We are not going to turn it around in five minutes but we haven't got long because results are vital that we get some quickly. "
" We will be going out there with a determination though and we want backing and I want backing, and certainly the players do. I think that they sometimes do underestimate how powerful they can be, because they can make players better players, or worse players in some cases. What I want is to a man, give them that chance on Saturday and hopefully they will repay them with an honest and determined performance.
" It was a fortress here last year wasn't it, it was really tough to come to, it hasn't been that this year, not as often as it should have been. We have got to get that back again, with the fans being totally biased towards us and the players being determined not to give anything away. Make sure that people do really hate that journey right up that M6, or whichever they come, and that they go home with nothing. I like the thought of people coming up here, seven hours travelling and then going home with absolutely nothing.
" Ben Alnwick's loan will be another loan that we will look to keep on as well. Ben, he looks like he has had a tough time with the goals that we have conceded but we haven't always given him the protection. I think that he has made some smashing saves, he looks quite solid, he wants to stay with us, he is impressed with what we are doing here, or what we are trying to do as a club.
" I think that he sees it as a chance for him to get as many games as possible as well. We will look to do extend that, it buys Ben Williams a bit of time as well. He is working his socks off with Dave Timmins the goalkeeping coach to get his form and confidence back, and what we want is competition all over the park.
" At the moment Eric Kinder has got the FA Youth Cup tie at Hartlepool tomorrow night, he is doing all his bits and pieces for that. They had a terrific run last year didn't they and I think that the future does look good for this club because we have got smashing young players in there. There are two or three that I would like to introduce into our training to give them a bit of experience.
" Also possibly take one or two of them on the away trips to see how the first team go and what the dressing-room is like, so that they can get integrated as soon as their ability suggests. There are some but at the moment it is a tough time to have players of that age in this situation, but we want to get them involved as quickly as we can because there are some lads there that we really feel have got a chance at this club.
" You don't get points for enthusiasm but what you might do is get performances. If we can lift those players and get some points then fantastic, but I am not setting any targets. All that I want is an improvement in performances and a more determined and tougher team, and let's see where it takes us. "