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I think Tom needs games, he needs proper competitive games. The reserve games we have got are few and far between, there are not enough and the type of performance that we are getting from opposition isn't what we want. We want tough games for Tom, he needs testing now, our younger players need testing.
We think that at Workington he will get to play real football with a competitive edge and he can get more games playing there than he would do staying with us. He is only going for a month and it will certainly do him the world of good I think.
PN - Do you think perhaps Tom's development has maybe stalled over the last few months?
GA - It was always going to happen, young players go really, really quickly and then they have a leaner spell or a slower spell. What we have got to do is work him through this and then continue to encourage him when he comes back. But there are not many players, the likes of (Wayne) Rooney, (Aaron) Lennon apart, go flying from 15 to internationals without any hiccups. Most players have hiccups along the way and that is all Tom is having at the minute.
PN - Of course you have got one player at Workington already, Andy Cook, who had to start the game on the bench on Saturday. As a manager clearly you wanted Andy to get some game time under his belt, does that concern you?
GA - He has had some game time there but he is finding life difficult. He wouldn't be on the bench if he was as good as people are saying he is. We know Andy is going in the right vein, his development is important but it will take time as well. There has been a lot of clamour for Andy Cook to play in our first team, now if he can't get in Workington's first team it tells us that we are making the right decisions here.
What we have got to do is get the right development for Andy and give him as much football as we possibly can. He will come back after a month and hopefully he is better for it. Then he will join in with us again and he will continue his development.
PN - You have got other young players as well who are into the first year of their pro contracts, Jonny Blake and people like Conor Tinnion, would you consider sending those players out on loan?
GA - Young players go at different levels and different speeds and Conor (Tinnion) is doing really well in there and he is around our bench, so there is no need for him to be anywhere. Jonny (Blake) is a little bit behind that, so there might be something in a month's time where we think that the reserves isn't doing him much good or he is not progressing. Then let's get him some real football and we know the people that are prepared to take our young players if that instance arises.
PN - After the game on Saturday, you made another plea for those stayaway supporters to come down and get behind the team as well, and I guess you are going to say that again this week ahead of Brighton?
GA - Well I think our plea for supporters to come against Brighton was on the pitch against Tranmere. I don't need to plea so hard if the performances are as good as they are on the pitch, then the fans will come back. They are going to come back to see that type of football, not what Greg Abbott can say. I would love to see them there because 7,000 or 8,000 cheering us on and getting the type of performance that we got on Saturday can only auger well for the club.
Everything benefits, there is more excitement, there is more revenue comes in through the gates, the fans are a bit more excitable and happy and everybody benefits so I think the plea has come from the players' performance and let's hope a few more come in.