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PN
Congratulations on that extended contract, did you need much persuading to extend your stay?
GA
Not really, I think it is a job that we all enjoy doing, myself and the backroom staff. We feel we are making progress, good progress, we feel the club is going in the right direction, and we feel we have got a real sense of achievement in where we are at the minute and where we might get to if we continue the improvement we are making.
So, it is a sort of exciting challenge, it is a challenge as well, it is a big challenge. But, it is one that everybody connected with me, the players and the backroom staff have taken to and we feel like we are winning, slowly, but we think we are definitely winning.
PN
Yeah, do you feel as though this and the way things are going on the pitch at the moment give some vindication to you when some had questioned you in the past?
GA
Well, I think all managers get questioned, even (Sir) Alex Ferguson gets questioned you know, he made some selections in games this season and last season where people questioned him. So, I think every manager is going to come under some sort of scrutiny. Certainly being a first-time manager, you are going to be given that one where is he up to the job? Will he be able to cope? Is he going to have the experience? Will he learn? Will he come on quickly?
I think all those things are going to be connected with most managers and I think what we have got to try to do as managers is try to alleviate as many of those doubts as you can and press on. I think we are earning our stripes slowly, myself and Kav (Graham Kavanagh) and Dennis (Booth). I think most people are believing in what we are doing, certainly results on the pitch would suggest we are going in the right direction at the minute.
PN
How ambitious are you as a manager?
GA
Massive, massive, it is something I have always wanted to do, when you set off as a player I think you want to play at the top and as high as you can. When you start your coaching you want to coach as high as you can and I am no different. We drive ourselves on and we have got massive standards that we are looking to set, and we try to reach them and try to get as close to them as possible.
At the minute we think we are doing alright, that is all, we think there is more to come from us all. We are hoping to improve this club further and then you never know what can happen as far as we are concerned with where we end up. But, we would certainly like to take this club further forward and I think everybody's dream is to manage at the highest level possible.
I am sitting here watching SKY Sports news with Harry Redknapp on and he is like a role model for the likes of myself to try to emulate. That is something that is always the dream, but at the minute I am happy where I am and confident we are doing a decent enough job, and hoping to move that forward.
PN
Walsall tomorrow, despite your respective positions these can often be the harder games can't they?
GA
Yeah, I know Chris (Hutchings) really well and he is a really good guy. The chairman there has shown a lot of patience in sticking with him at the minute when a lot of people are putting him under a bit of pressure, certainly the fans are there. That is what fans are, that is what they do, they want results on the pitch for the team.
But, he will have his team fighting for their lives tomorrow, and after last week's success against a really big club and wealthy club in Southampton we would be expected to go there and win. But, we have to make sure we are absolutely spot on in terms of our attitude and our preparation.
We have treated Walsall with probably more intensity than Southampton to make sure that doesn't happen and we are right for the challenge that is going to come tomorrow. A different one it will be to Southampton, they (Walsall) will be nervous, they will be edgy but they will certainly be spirited and they will certainly be giving it everything they have got.
PN
How is your squad looking ahead of tomorrow's game?
GA
Pretty good touch wood, I am touching wood and I am crossing my fingers because we are getting rid, bit by bit, of all the injury problems. I think we are going to get Paul Thirlwell back into the squad, possibly not tomorrow but certainly by the end of the week, maybe Tuesday might even come a little bit early for him. But, he is a big one for us to get back involved and around the team.
Danny Livesey in hopefully maybe a couple of weeks it will be before we see him joining in training as well. So, they are two big players to add to what we have got and we think when we have got the full quota we have got a decent squad.
PN
And I guess with Corry Evans now back with Manchester United after his loan spell, the absence that he has in the squad is made up for with Paul Thirlwell coming back imminently.
GA
Yeah, I mean that is why we have let Corry go back to Manchester United, he has had his time interrupted with injuries and illness. But, we look like we are going to get Paul back and he has been a big player for us this season and we have missed him.
We want every good player available for us as long as we can possibly do that. We do welcome Paul back and hopefully he gets through the next couple of days intensive training and he can join us certainly, I would really, really hope by certainly the Tamworth game next week.
PN
And Gary Madine OK to play tomorrow?
GA
Yeah, Gary is fine, he joined in training from Wednesday onwards. He got a real painful bang on his toe, it was an impact injury, one of those that hurts at the time but it gets better a little bit quicker, not like a muscle injury. So, he is going to be fine and he is ready and wants to get on the scoresheet again and kick on the impressive stuff he was showing.