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" Monday was a little bit down but everybody has been fine, some of them have played in the reserves which was good, and the reserves won 4-1. I think it's fantastic, I think it's a dream to be in this position, consolidation was the main aim and we've surpassed that by far. We've given ourselves a little bit of a chance with going on a run of six games undefeated but we came unstuck against second top Bristol City.
" We've got two games that we can win without a shadow of a doubt against two dangerous oppositions. One that needs to win to try to get into the play-offs and is a point above us and the last game, which if it goes all the way, will be a fantastic game against the Champions.
" The higher you finish in the league then hopefully it should say that that should attract or recruit players better because of the position that you are in. We're tying to recruit players that are good enough to play in the Championship and obviously who are going to be top-rated in our league if we finish in our league. No it's not difficult to try to plan for next year, it's going to be a lot easier to try to recruit if we are in the play-offs, and if we are in the Championship next year, I'm sure it will be.
" If you look at it realistically you would say that they (Karl Hawley and Peter Murphy) are not going to be here because they haven't committed. It's hugely disappointing because of what we've done this season and where we are, and shows the club is on the right keel. It shows that we are trying to bring better players in, in Jeff Smith and Paul Thirlwell to strengthen the squad.
" If they are playing a game then they are playing a game and I've got to say to myself that they are not really going to sign. If they do it's bonus, if they don't then we've got other targets which hopefully will be just as good as they are. The pressure is on them really to come out and say what they are going to do. Whether they've been tapped up, whether they've been talking to other teams, that remains to be seen on where they are going to go doesn't it.
" We gave them a deadline before the transfer deadline finished to a certain extent and they said they wanted to keep their options open which is fair enough. They have to keep on playing though and Murphy is in the team and he has been outstanding so I'm certainly not going to cut my nose off to spite my face. If he keeps on he playing to the high level that he has then that is fair enough, we'll accept it at the end of the season if he doesn't want to sign on. "
" The difficult one, and the most frustrating one, is that Karl hasn't been fit, and he doesn't even want to talk, he doesn't even want to commit and see where he wants to be. So that has been more frustrating on Karl than it has on Peter because Peter has been performing week in and week out. We'll deal with that as time comes along, we'll find out where we are and where the players want to go. It'll be interesting to see, if they say no, where they do go, whether they have been tapped or whether they can truly see where the club is trying to go and commit themselves to the football club for the foreseeable future.
" You try to build reputations in football and if you are after a player then surely you should go through the manager. It shouldn't go through the Chairman or the Chief Executive or even the owner, it should be manager to manager and that's what I have tried to do. Whenever I want a player, or try to get a player, or try to even enquire about a player then I always go through the manager, irrespective of whether they are out of contract or not.
" I had a chance to tap Danny Graham right, left and centre because he was here for three months. I've only just been given permission to speak to him and I certainly won't want to get anybody's back up or I don't want to go against anybody. Because those relationships are fantastic at the moment with Middlesbrough and that is just one example. He is out of contract in the summer, he's under contract until the end of the year and we've had good discussions with his agent at the start of the week. They will be ongoing trying to get him to come next season.
" He (Joe Garner) is hot property because he is scoring goals for Carlisle United and that is because he certainly hasn't played in the first team for Blackburn, so he has become hot property because he is playing for Carlisle. He's a Blackburn player though of course and we're still trying to have dialogue with Blackburn. We asked ages ago whether we could possibly sign him, we had a 'no' straight away but the last time I spoke to them the 'no' didn't come straight away. I'll keep on speaking to Blackburn, they are very busy at the moment but at the same time they understand that I am trying to get things organised already. Those discussions will be ongoing all the time, if we can get Joe then that would be fantastic.
" It's brilliant times at the moment, people say 'oh well, you must be stressed out' but why would I want to be stressed because we are in a position where nobody thought we could be. I've come into a new job where people were thinking 'well, what's he all about, can he really take it on from what Paul (Simpson) used to do?' I think I have, I think I've taken it on from where Paul left off. Speaking to other people they say that if you get two promotions on the trot then you have to be wary because you normally get relegated, we've blown that one right out of the water.
" We're playing excellent football, the crowds are up, supporters are coming in which is great. That goes two ways, you have to play good football for the supporters to come in, and the supporters, if they are enjoying watching football, will come and support your football club. They've certainly done that home and away so that is the most pleasing thing. "