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" It's a good weekend, it always is when you win and particularly after you have had a couple of disappointments. It puts a smile on people's faces again and we have to work hard now to get this away form right coming into Saturday. They (Walsall) are a top six side, the same as ourselves. It's interesting, you watch your own team that many times and you find out things they can't do. Then you see the opposition once or twice a season and you think that they are a good side, and yet we're two points above them.
" When I go around the country watching games and talking to people they tell me that we are a good side. I think that is absolutely right, we are a good team, we are third in the league, we have been in that top six since the start of the season pretty much and obviously our aim is to try to stay there. Beating teams like Walsall is an excellent result for us because they are obviously people who are rivals to try to get that top six place.
" I think we are still a wee bit light at the back of the team, the defending side of the team. Everyone knew about Richard Keogh , I don't want to go on about that, we couldn't get that done but I think that is an area where we do need to strengthen. We brought Evan Horwood in and people saw him for the first time on Saturday and we think that he did pretty well. We probably need something to make sure that if we were to lose (David) Raven or (Peter) Murphy or even both of them then we are really short in the middle of the defence so it's probably an area that we need to look at.
" There are people on four bookings as well so we have got to make sure that we don't get caught out in those areas if we can. I've been trying to get a defender in since Richard Keogh went back so it's not an easy one, and as everybody knows with the right-winger, getting Cleveland (Taylor) in took a long time to try to do that.
" With loans it is still the same situation, sometimes players don't want to move, they think they get into their side. Then as the season edges towards the end managers are a little more reluctant to let players go out of their squad for the same reasons that I am trying to strengthen mine, just incase they get injuries or suspensions. "
" We tried hard in January to get people on permanents but the loan window does open again at the end of this week so it is an area that you can use and can work at to try to improve the squad. There were no injuries on Saturday, everybody is fit and well and the good thing as well is that Paul Thirlwell will get a game in the reserves on Wednesday away at Preston. So once again we get him back into contention which is good news for everybody.
" Evan is a composed footballer, he is a young man that wants to play. Greg (Abbott) and I have watched a video of the game and you see him going ahead of Simon (Hackney) at times and getting in forward positions. He has got good energy, he got stronger, probably got that bit more confidence about himself and thought that he could play and that it was OK. I'm really pleased with the young man's debut and that was his first football league game.
" He has played in the Scottish Premier League and Eric Kinder saw him play away at Celtic so he is not shy at playing in front of big crowds. The young man did very well, it's always a bit nerve wracking when you put a player in for his home debut, and we had three home debuts on Saturday. So it was good to come out with the result and people thinking that we did OK.
" You saw the excitement of Danny (Graham) and I have never seen him run so fast. He came into the bench, I turned away to celebrate the goal and by the time I had turned back Danny was diving over everybody on the bench. It was an exciting moment, I'm a member of the strikers' union and you know what it is like to go through a number of games without scoring. Then when you get that through it is a smashing feeling.
" You saw how much it meant I think to his team-mates as well, they've seen what he has gone through and they've been trying to encourage the same as we all have. It's not the same as him getting things done himself though, it was a delight, a really good moment, and for it to be a winner as well in a big game I think is an extra bonus for him.
" Cleveland hasn't played for five or six weeks, he has been left out at Scunthorpe so, I'm not saying it was a risk, but we thought we would get him in there, throw him in knowing that he wouldn't probably get through the 90 minutes. He has got that hour now though which is important, the same as we did with Scott Dobie and Scott looked stronger as well on Saturday so the lads will only benefit from that. "
" It is important to get something at Port Vale and like everything else it is not going to be easy because not long ago they came here and got two goals ahead of us at our place. So although their league position says that they are having a tough time we know first hand that they can get themselves in front in games.
" What they weren't able to do was keep that here so we have got to make sure that we work hard at it, and that the attitude that we took into Saturday is what has got to go forward with us into this weekend now. That'll be first and foremost, the approach to the game, the attitude towards the game, the willingness to win which we showed here on Saturday has got to be taken to Port Vale next weekend and we will be working to do that.
" I don't think that you have got long enough on your programme for me to try to explain the offside rule. At the beginning of the season we all get invited to a referee's meeting with Keith Hackett as the chairman and they were finding it difficult. I was at the one at Walsall and they were finding it very difficult to explain to us managers what was happening.
" We had queries about everything, is that player, what is the first phase, if that player is not involved in the play then what is he doing there - that type of thing. At the end of it Keith Hackett said that he can't explain this in the way that it is going to be acceptable to everybody but this is what we are going to do. It's a directive put to them as well, I think that if you were to speak to referees and assistants they find it very awkward to explain exactly how, who and what is offside.
" The big phrase "in the opinion of" becomes the most important bit because that means they are always right. Yet you get so many complicated situations where a player not close to the ball is sometimes given offside like in Andy Johnson's case, then suddenly he is and what have you. I can't explain it to you to say that that is what happens there so that everybody is clear as to what happens.
" It's an awkward one and I don't think the officials particularly like it as well so I'm not blaming them at all. They are in a position where they have got decisions to make, and because of the human factor you'll get indifferent decisions and inconsistency about it. I think that there is a lot of uncertainty throughout the game and not just with the managers and players but I think the officials look a bit uncertain too. "
" I speak to a lot of people, I was at a game last night and you are talking to people and the same thing in the conversation crops up. I think that all that we really want is that if a player is in an offside position then put your flag up and we all know exactly where it is and that's it, end of story. It saves all this confusion that is going on, I think it is a bit of a waffle this phases of play and yes he is and no he isn't, is he active or he is not active.
" I am old school, if he's not active then what is he doing there and if he is not involved in the play then what is he doing on the pitch. All players are involved in the game and for me you don't have to be close to the ball to cause a problem. If an attacker is behind a defender, ten yards or so, then the defender thinks that he has got to head it because the guy is behind him then he is causing a problem to that defender, albeit ten yards away. So it becomes a major complication to everybody and it is a concern I think.
" I just tell the players not to play offside, don't play offside deliberately and run around with your hand up expecting a guy that is slightly confused or away from the game compared to us. He's not with the game with us or anybody, you don't want to rely on somebody else, you just rely on your team-mates. If you play offside then your run the risk of not getting the decision you expect to get. So we just say to the lads to not play offside, just don't do it on purpose because if someone runs offside then fine, but don't rely on a decision because you are not sure that you are going to get it.
" Changing it is up to the rulemakers, I'd like it to change, I'd like it to become more clarified. I think that they felt it was going to be more clarified the way they are doing it and you get the feel that they want it to favour the attacker. I don't know why that is the case though, I'm an attacker, my career was in attack, but why should you favour one area and not the other. You don't favour batsman and bowlers do you, if you are not sure in the cricket then you don't give the batsman out, that's fine, if you're not sure then how can you give him out, so if you are not sure then how can you give an offside.
" You shouldn't favour anybody, if you are sure there is an offside then give it, if you're not sure then don't give it. I think you can just clarify it though, if someone is in an offside position when that ball goes forward he is interfering with play because he is on the pitch. I'm not sure that I have explained it very well there, I'm just trying to think about what I have just said. Confusion reigns, and I've been playing this game in the professional business since the 1970s and I'm still not absolutely certain.
" I watch a lot of TV games, I watch a lot of live football and I'm still not certain. I watched a reserve game on Monday night and I was stood by the fence right by the linesman and he gave an offside and I actually asked him if he was sure about it. It's not my business, I was thinking that I didn't think it was, I was stood with Eric Kinder and he didn't think he was offside either. There you go though, even right down there there is confusion reigning. "