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JP
A relieved man at the end of that?
GA
Erm, I am not so sure relieved is the right word to be honest. I am relieved because we have got through this cup tie, which at half-time we never ever looked like. I am a mixed emotion man at the moment but I am pleased more than anything for our fans that we are through.
Not so much for the players because they made hard work of this situation, but I am pleased for the fans that we are in the hat and they get some deserved success out of this FA Cup. They are before us today, I am putting them before us today.
JP
Why do you think the team did make such hard work of it then?
GA
Because they were rubbish in the first-half, they didn't prepare, they got out-battled, they got out-fought, they got out-thought, they got out-jumped, they got out-tackled, they got out-run and they were an embarrassment for the first-half.
JP
What was different then in the second?
GA
Maybe my half-time talks aren't as bad as some people suggest, and we scored the goal first in the second-half. They were left in no uncertain terms, I won't have that while I am here as a manager, I will go before that because that does get managers talked about in a bad way.
But, I told them that I won't put up with that, I won't put up with individual performances or team performances like that. But, that might be the best thing that can happen to us as a football club, because the response, we were terrific in the second-half.
We played some fantastic stuff in the second-half, to go 2-1 down was a travesty because that was the only shot they had in the whole of half, when you think first-half they could have had four or five maybe. But, I got a response, a fantastic response and it told me I had got my team back because I thought at half-time the whole thing was a struggle, was going to be a struggle.
Not just then, I thought the whole attitude was all wrong and were we doing the right things and questioning everything. But, I let them know what we thought and we responded with a terrific second-half performance and a fantastic result for the supporters. I must stress that, today that was for the supporters.
JP
You got two responses, the fans got two responses as well, after the break and after that second goal, what were you thinking when that went in?
GA
Their second goal? To be honest, I was more pleased with the way we played, obviously the result then becomes important but I was staggered at how poor we were in the first-half. But, I was delighted with how good we were in the second-half and that is the team that I have managed and I have tried to build. They have showed me what they can do and for that I am really pleased.
JP
You switched formations and personnel, we will talk about the personnel in a moment, but back to the diamond and it really had an effect against their packed midfield in the second spell?
GA
Forget diamonds 4-3-3s, forget it, forget it, forget all that, don't talk about formations, talk about attitude, that is all that was. Two halves, totally different attitude, nothing to do with formations.
JP
How did you get so much of a reaction then? So much of a contrast from the first spell?
GA
I just won't put up with it, I will not put up with it and they go one way or the other. They go with us and they perform like they did in the second-half or they fall off the wayside and we make more, more drastic changes to what is happening at this football club.
That is how angry we were at half-time, but we have got a response and they are coming us and they want to come with us, and they all to a man got up and stood together and said let's have a go, and they did do that. So, we have got a good group of players.
JP
And the second response that we talked about was when it looked Tamworth's second goal was going to knock you out of the FA Cup, just four minutes left when you got the equaliser, what an end to the game?
GA
Yeah, as a cup tie goes I suppose it is a fantastic spectacle, I think the fans have enjoyed it. We did promise excitement, I didn't expect it to be as chalk and cheese as that. But, at least they have gone away again with something to talk about.
JP
There are three players I want to talk about individually, firstly Paul Thirlwell, how great to see him back and the sponsors' man of the match?
GA
Yeah, Paul Thirlwell is the reason we won the game, was the reason we won the game. But, I am loathe to talk about any individuals, I am wanting to talk about two halves of football where we were absolutely chalk and cheese. We have got a result out of a game where at half-time we were dead and buried.
JP
I must ask you about Miguel Comminges though, did he go off with an injury or was he just struggling in the game?
GA
He was struggling in the game.
JP
So, it wasn't an injury and it was tactical, you felt you needed to put Tom Cruise on?
GA
Don't worry and don't talk about tactics, let's talk about attitude.
JP
It was attitude then?
GA
Well, he wasn't very good was he in the first-half and he will get better. But, he got dragged up in a poor performance and he is probably a little bit unfortunate. But, we had to make changes to improve it second-half and we did. But, I am loathe to talk about tactics, I made substitutions that I thought would make us better and it made us better.
JP
(Ashley) Eastham, your other man who made his debut though did grow as the game and went on and put in a pretty good performance?
GA
Yeah, you are dragging individual comments out of me so I might as well go with you because you are only going to pester me aren't you. He got better as the game went on and I have told him to forget Premier League football at the minute son, learn the game, learn the game, learn the basics, which he didn't do in the first-half.
But, honest, very honest, and did get better as the game went on, he got better with us. He had the opportunity, maybe I might have made another change if I had had another person to play in there, but he deserved his opportunity. He is made of the right sort of stuff, his response is terrific and he got better as the game went on, granted.
JP
The fans will be delighted to hear how riled you are with that first-half display. But, let's not forget you have got through again into the third round and you have got that opportunity now in tomorrow's draw?
GA
Yeah, I was genuinely coming up here at half-time thinking I was going to have to make my apologies to the fans for that dire performance. It saved me that and God bless them, they stuck with us again today, even at half-time, there was a round of boos which you would expect.
But, they stuck with it and they will probably…… I hope they buy in to what we are doing, we are all together in our feelings towards this club. We all think the same things and we want to make sure, we want to make sure, that this club goes together, fans and players and everything like.