|
" My attitude has changed slightly, we are having a meeting today after training because I want to put down a few guidelines on what standards I expect, and what the players should expect of themselves as well. So I am putting myself on the line as well, I have told them of my responsibility to them and I want their responsibility to me. That will take place today, I need to set out a stall of what the demands are that I want and what demands I expect off the players.
" So that will be done today upstairs in one of the lounges, where we will all sit down together and we will all speak. The players will be offered their say as well, but predominantly I am going to say that this is what I expect, this is what I want, these are the standards I want to set. Let's try to start by doing things right and hopefully that will add to an improvement in things on the training field and on the playing field. Because it is an important time for us and we do need to get results, so in that respect I want to do that and we will do that.
" I am not going to shirk responsibility, ultimately I will take full responsibility. We have talked to the players yesterday though and we have done a lot of talking over the last couple of weeks. I think that now is the time for the talking to stop and actions to take place. I did say that after the game, there are a lot of players out of contract, that is common knowledge and everybody knows that.
" So it is up to the players to make sure that I am banging on their door rather than them banging on my door looking for new deals. Because it is as important as the fact that people's careers are important, and they are coming to a stage where they need to play to justify the reward of a new contract. So we will be doing that and hopefully then those players will improve everything, I can improve things, and together we can improve things collectively as a team and get results.
" There were some good performances in the reserves last night, overall it was a decent performance. You had got a few players bedding themselves back in, Lummy (Chris Lumsdon) was good, he got through the most part of the game. Michael Bridges got through an hour, Paul Thirlwell looked very good, he is the probably the closest of the three.
" He did an hour but he looked really comfortable, he looked sharper than the other two, obviously he has played more football than the other two. The rest of the boys showed a decent attitude and we ended up winning the game 2-1, which is not the be-all and end-all. I want to get a winning habit though, a winning mentality through the club, but the performance generally was of the right sort of stuff. "
" Jeff (Smith) went in and did a job at left-back and looked comfortable and used the ball really well. So maybe there is another selection dilemma for us, what I need is competition all over, we have Darren Campion away for a week, he is poorly, so he is out of the picture for a minute. Evan (Horwood) is having a few difficulties at this present time when he is playing, so we need to have Jeff seeing if he can do that job.
" It was a bit of a gamble putting him on on Saturday but I thought that it worked. He coped really well and Evan at the time I think was not having the best of times. So without cutting Evan's arms and legs off we needed to help him a little bit, he needed support and help and he got it. Jeff went in and did a decent job so we will see how Jeff fares this week, I was comfortable with his performance last night and again it is something to give me food for thought.
" Jeff's attitude around me has been very, very good. I know that he has been wanting to go away out on loan and get some games, and you can understand that. I think that after Saturday though if you look at positives, we have come back from a goal down. Jeff has come in and done half a decent job at left-back, Gary Madine has shown us that he is nearer to the first team than he was. He has come on and scored another goal, that gives him confidence.
" The team have showed a bit of spirit and character and they have actually been on top of the game in the last 20 minutes rather than being on the backfoot and really feeling sorry for themselves. So in that sense no great dramas about that, but there were slight positives, and we have to take positives, we can't be all doom and gloom and negative, and in that respect I was quite pleased.
" I don't want to lead fans up the garden path with technicalities but we are still in the FA Cup. I am disappointed though and the players were disappointed but the crux of it is to not to beat ourselves up too much, we are still in the cup. We have got another week to prepare, we have found out a little bit more about Grays. We now know that one or two of things that we tried didn't work and we now know that one or two of the things that we tried did work, so we are further down the line.
" It was a cup tie and we are not out of the cup, we have got a home draw to look forward to if we get through. We have got a tough game on Saturday which we will look at first, and then we will look at the cup game after that. If we get a win on Saturday and we get through to the next round of the cup then I think that the whole situation will look a little bit more rosy. "
" I am not trying to flannel anybody but the league is our bread and butter isn't it. We want to upturn our form in the league and that means getting results very, very quickly, and we will be aiming to do that. Possibly there will be less pressure on us on Saturday in terms of performance because Brighton are expected to be on a par with us aren't they, we are level in terms of ability.
" It is up to us to force the game though, it is up to us to come up with something better than we have been doing and it is up to us to take the game to Brighton. Which we will in a positive way, and try to get our passing game going, and try to get our defensive work better, and try to get our closing down better.
" Then when we get the ball in the final third we want a little bit more from our wide players in terms of taking people on and getting that good delivery in the box. These are all things that we have spoken about, these are all things that we have been encouraging Simon (Hackney), Cleveland (Taylor) and Jennison (Myrie-Williams) to do, whoever it may be on Saturday, even Jeff Smith.
" Whoever it may be in those wide areas we must get the ball out to them, which is the key, and that is the job of the boys behind. When we get it up to those boys we need to see them really hurt the opposition. I want to see Simon Hackney running down the wing like every other supporter. Then putting in that perfect ball for Danny Carlton, Danny Graham or Gary Madine, whoever it may be to go and head in the back of the net, and I will be cheering along with the fans.
" In adversity Ben Williams has come in, he has had a little bit of a confidence knock like the rest of us, but he has been brave. He has worked very, very hard and he is a good trainer by the way, and Dave Timmins is really pleased with his training, along with Ben Alnwick. Fantastic trainers together, push each other which is what we want, competition for places.
" He came in on Saturday and didn't let anybody down, a couple of weeks ago everyone was writing Ben off. So let's not look too deep, too far, let's give people a little bit of time and be a bit patient. We know that he has made mistakes, Ben knows that, I have talked to him about that, but again, I am not going to cut his arms and legs off because he is part of this football club. "
" While he is part of this football club he is going to get every help and support he can from me, I will be patient with him. If he makes mistakes then he is going to find himself out of the team., if he plays like he is doing on a consistent basis then he is going to find himself very much part of this club over the next couple of years.
" Ben (Alnwick) has got this week and next week hasn't he on his loan, so Ben is OK, he is fine at the moment. Ben Alnwick is not available for the Tuesday game at Grays so that takes care of itself. Obviously with Ben Williams's performance then let's look have a look at that from Saturday before we make any judgements this week, we have got this one to get through first. Again though, good competition between those two now.
" What we have been doing in training is that we have been splitting the squad of 20 up into two teams. We have been having little competitive games between them so that everything is competitive, with shorter periods, high intensity but competitive so that there is a forfeit. All of a sudden once you put a forfeit in, whether it only be five press-ups then the players start arguing and rowing and getting their spirits up.
" The determination to win becomes even greater, even Evan and David Raven were having a passing competition over their dinner yesterday, which was a club sandwich from around the corner. It is amazing what a club sandwich does to improve performance, so again, without being stupid just little things to improve and increase competitive edge, and I think that is what our games are all about.
" I know that you are going to keep asking me about my job and I know that everybody else is going to. Everybody has the right to want to know but there is nothing happening at the minute. They have told me to go and manage the club, I am managing the club until somebody tells me different. I want to tell the fans that I have got it or I want to tell the fans that I have not got it.
" At the minute though I think that what we have got to do is get together and keep trying to get some results. If we get results then it will be no problem, if I don't get results then that will be no problem either. It will be to me but it won't be to everybody else. "