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  • 3 years ago
Crawley Town face Tranmere Rovers at the Broadfield Stadium in League Two on Saturday. We caught up with Scott Lindsey ahead of the game to get the latest team news, what he expects from Tranmere and what he thinks of his side being favourites.

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Transcript
00:00 Scott, thank you for joining us. After a terrific win last weekend, we face another tough opposition in Trammey Rovers this weekend.
00:05 Can I get your thoughts heading into that game?
00:07 Like you say, a tough opposition.
00:09 It's never nice to watch a fellow manager get the sack.
00:14 That happened last week.
00:16 So they've got Nigel Atkins, who's the technical director or director of the club, or whatever his title is, to take temporary charge.
00:25 He's obviously a very experienced manager, somebody I've got a lot of respect for.
00:30 I'm known for the fact that he will make sure that they're really positive in the way that they'll turn up.
00:39 But yes, it's a game we're looking forward to.
00:41 We're in a good place at the moment.
00:42 We've got a real good feel, good factor about the place around the training ground.
00:47 Training's been really vibrant.
00:49 Yes, we're looking forward to the game.
00:51 It always sounds like a bit of a cliche, doesn't it, that some people might say that the worst time to play a team is when they've just departed with one manager and get another, because they'll be looking to perform for the new manager and get back on a spin.
01:02 But I suppose if we just focus on our game, focus on what we're doing and put a performance in like we did last weekend, we should be right, shouldn't we?
01:08 Yes, that's what we've kind of done this week, because we're not really sure what they'll do in terms of their formation, personnel.
01:14 They may make changes.
01:15 So we haven't gone kind of overboard with looking too deep into what they've done in past games, because we think they may make changes, like I say.
01:24 So it's given us an opportunity to concentrate more so on ourselves, which I think was needed anyway.
01:29 There's a couple of little bits and pieces that I felt that needed tidying up, which we've worked on this week.
01:35 So it's been a good week of training and we're looking forward to the game.
01:40 Has there been any specific things that have been worked on the training ground?
01:43 Obviously, we've spoken the last few weeks about goal scoring, but seven goals in our last two league games.
01:47 That's clearly not the issue at the moment.
01:48 So is there anything you've been sort of focusing more on this week?
01:50 Yes, we've been focusing on lots of bits and pieces that I think that we can need to improve on.
01:55 We want to try and be a little bit stingier in them defensive actions, which we've done a lot of work on this week.
02:02 We've done a lot of work on us with the ball as well, kind of different movements and different rotations with how we're going to play.
02:08 Players are really bought into what we're doing.
02:11 Yes, so we're looking forward to putting it into practice on Saturday.
02:15 And how are we looking in terms of a clean bill of health?
02:18 Obviously, we've seen the likes of Ben Gladwin come back in recent weeks and it's been great to see.
02:21 But in terms of the weekend, how are we looking?
02:23 Yes, I think pretty much a full bill of health.
02:26 I think Adi and Kylian Mbappe have trained all week.
02:31 I think Saturday might be too soon for them to be included in the squad.
02:35 But yes, everybody else is good to go.
02:39 And obviously, finally, from a club point of view, the fans, so much of an impact they had last week.
02:43 Same message again, isn't it?
02:43 Get out there and support the boys.
02:44 It's always good.
02:46 Weather's warm, just get down and give all the support you can.
02:48 Exactly that.
02:49 Yes, they've been brilliant, haven't they?
02:50 And we want more of that.
02:52 We want more of that.
02:53 And I think all the time they see the players and the team playing like they're playing, they're going to come and going to support the team
03:00 like they have done and enjoy the football that we're playing at the moment.
03:03 And I look forward to them.
03:05 I look forward to seeing them again on Saturday.
03:07 Cool. Thank you. Mark?
03:08 Thanks, Scott.
03:09 You said it's obviously difficult to know how Tremere are going to play with a new manager in there.
03:13 But from what you have seen of them so far this season, what would you expect their strengths to be?
03:18 I think that they're hard work inside.
03:20 I think they work extremely hard.
03:21 I think that they've got good players on the pitch.
03:25 They've got really good players.
03:26 I know a couple of myself who I've come across before.
03:30 So you know that in a minute they can change a game quickly.
03:36 We're not sure what they'll play in terms of formation.
03:38 They played a back five in their last game, but they have played 4-2-3-1.
03:43 They have played different formations.
03:45 So we've kind of touched on all of them this week.
03:50 So we kind of know how to press against them, how to nullify them with the different formations that we think they may play.
04:01 But really speaking, it's been a week where we've concentrated on ourselves, which I think was needed.
04:05 So it's been a good week.
04:06 Yes, and with the way you're playing and the results you've got and where you are in the league,
04:10 you will start to go into games as favourites at the moment, I would say.
04:15 Obviously, you have your own views, but this is from the outside looking in.
04:20 Does that add any kind of extra pressure or anything on you and the players?
04:23 And how do you handle that if it does?
04:26 No, it doesn't, because I don't even know if we are.
04:30 So no, I don't think we take much notice of whether we're favourites or not.
04:34 At the start of the season, I was told we were favourites to go down.
04:40 Did it knock me in any way?
04:43 No, not at all.
04:45 If anything, we kind of dig our heels in a little bit more.
04:51 If we're favourites to win a game, so be it.
04:54 It doesn't really bother me either way.
04:55 A lot of people say the bookies don't usually get it wrong.
04:58 Well, I think they have done a lot of times, if I'm honest with you.
05:01 So it doesn't make any difference to me.
05:02 I saw Dion warming up before the game on Saturday, having a run out.
05:07 Can we expect to see him involved on Saturday?
05:08 Well, Dion could have potentially played last Saturday.
05:11 But what we didn't want to do is to kind of force that issue.
05:16 And then 10 minutes in the game, he's signalling around to the bench saying he's no good.
05:19 So we felt another week would cement that even further.
05:24 So he's good to go as far as I'm concerned.
05:26 And we're here at the training ground today.
05:27 It's the first time I've been down here with you.
05:29 How much difference has this training base made for the club, do you think?
05:33 Yes, I think it's really important.
05:35 I've kind of banged that drum a lot with the owners
05:39 and felt that you can't build a togetherness
05:44 and a culture and a way of working if you've not got a base like this.
05:48 It's important to me as a coach, a head coach, manager, whatever I am.
05:51 It's important to the players that we have this base.
05:55 We've got everything on site that we need.
05:58 We've got good changing room facilities.
06:00 We've got a gym here.
06:02 We've got a place where the boys can eat together.
06:05 We've got a meeting room.
06:06 We've got good pitches.
06:07 So everything's needed.
06:10 Everything's here, what we've needed.
06:12 And it's important that we have that.
06:13 And now we can build a togetherness and a culture that helps us
06:19 and galvanises our performances on a Saturday to make that a real strong unit.
06:24 I back that we've got a really good group here and I back the group that I've got.
06:29 And I think that what's helped is this training facility for sure.
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