00:00Scott, it's that time again. We're back in League action tomorrow for the first time
00:03in what feels like a long time. How are you preparing for that Blackpool game?
00:07Yeah, we've had a really good week this week in training. Obviously watched Blackpool.
00:15They were very good, like I had. So, yeah, we're looking forward to a game, you know,
00:21especially being at home as well. We're happy to be at home in that first game.
00:26The players are excited. It's a new challenge for us, a new season. So, yeah, we're really
00:32looking forward to the game.
00:33We've obviously had plenty of games to enjoy over pre-season, but nothing compares, does
00:37it, to League action getting stuck into competitive football. You must be pleasant to get back
00:42out there in front of the fans in a real League fixture.
00:44Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. Really looking forward to coming out and to see the
00:50fans in a competitive environment. We've missed that. I think as much as you try and
00:57prepare the team to play, obviously, games against competitive sides, nothing beats playing
01:03against opposition in a League fixture. You know the importance of the result, the importance
01:11of the performance. It's all kind of there and we're really ready for that. We're really
01:21going to embrace it and it's going to be a big challenge this season, but we're really
01:28looking forward to it.
01:29Yeah, after pre-season, how happy and content are you with the squad? Is there some things
01:33you're still wanting to be working on this week at the training ground?
01:36I think you're constantly, obviously with the amount of signings we've made, it's a new
01:40group, so you're constantly working on things. There's certain aspects that you're touching
01:47upon all the time. We want the players to take on board quite a lot of information quite
01:53early, so we have to be mindful that we don't overspill in terms of that. We want them to
01:59be really clear. We don't want to muddy the waters for them so that they're confused,
02:05so we have to be careful with the amount of information we do give them. We also need
02:10to give them a platform to go and play and to be competitive against a good side in Blackpool.
02:15We added Panuccio Kamara to our ranks this week. How happy are you to secure his signing
02:20only a few days before the season starts?
02:22I think it's a great signing. It's a really good signing. He's a fantastic player. I really
02:27liked him years ago when he was here the first time. I remember watching him and thinking,
02:30wow, what a good player this kid is. He obviously went on and played at a level that he should
02:36have been at with Plymouth, Charlton and obviously Ipswich, so I've not played so much at Ipswich
02:41and Charlton. I think injuries kind of got in the way, but hopefully, given our medical
02:46team and our record with keeping players on the pitch, hopefully we see more of him. He's
02:53a fantastic footballer, isn't he? Obviously, coming back here, the fans will remember
02:59him from the last time and I think it's a great signing.
03:01That leads us nicely on to the next question. How is the squad looking in terms of fitness?
03:05Are we full complement for the weekend?
03:07No, we're not full complement. We've picked up a couple of injuries during pre-season,
03:12but we're not far away. I'm happy with what we've got to work with. We have been this
03:22week really nailing down some tactics on certain aspects of how we want to play.
03:28Ben Glavine has taken the role of coach this year, obviously retiring from football. We've
03:32seen him pre-season, Dion Conway taking the arm band. I suppose we can make an official
03:36announcement now. Will he be your captain for the upcoming season?
03:39Dion will be the captain. We haven't officially announced that or anything yet. I suppose
03:44it's the first time we've spoke about it. Dion will be the captain moving forward.
03:50Scott, obviously, like you said, it's a new squad this year, a new team. Last season it
03:55was a similar situation, wasn't it? But you always felt you could achieve something. Have
03:59you got that feeling this time around and what is achieving something this season?
04:03I think what we did last year was we had our own targets in-house. We didn't shout from
04:11the rooftops about what we felt we could achieve. We kept that quite private and I think it's
04:15important we do the same again this season. However, I do feel as if we have to be mindful
04:20of the level we're at now and also with the opposition that we're going to be playing
04:26against. There's some big, big sides in there with big budgets and good players and good
04:30managers. But we'll be competitive and one thing I want to say is that we'll be trying
04:36to win every game we play. We're not going to park the bus, sit behind the ball, have
04:41a low block. It's not us. We're not going to do that at all. We're going to be aggressive
04:46in our way, in our approach to every game. We're going to try and win every game. Will
04:52we win every game? Probably not, but we will be trying so the fans can enjoy watching a
04:57team that's trying to win every week. But we have to be mindful of the level we're at
05:03now. Some really good sides, like I say, some big, big clubs. But inside the four walls
05:11of the dressing room, we've got our own kind of targets that we feel that we can achieve.
05:16Is it a squad that you think the fans can get excited about, like they did in most of
05:21the second half of last season?
05:23Well, I'm excited about it. Hopefully so, yes, because I feel that in terms of the recruitment,
05:29it's real clear for me that the owners want to recruit with data and it's exciting for
05:39me because I get to work with new players, I get to mould individuals, I get to mould
05:45a new team. We have to be patient with that because it is a new team and I think we have
05:53to be really mindful of that. I also have to try and get the players to adhere to the
06:01culture that I built last season. I don't want that to change. I want the standards
06:04to be through the roof. But because there's so many new faces, it's not going to happen
06:09overnight. I have to make sure that they understand how I work, how my staff work, how the current
06:13players who remain here work. And the new players have to adhere to the standards that
06:19we set and I think that will take time as well. But it's exciting times for everybody.
06:26At the Fans Forum on Monday night, a fan asked Preston, how happy was Scott Lindsay when
06:31you were selling all of last year's squad? I think the word was dismantled last year's
06:35squad. He asked Preston, was he happy behind the scenes, did he shout or anything? Preston
06:40was quite good in his answer. He said that you were relishing the opportunity to work
06:44with the new players and that. But how were you when all those players were leaving at
06:48the beginning of the summer? Well, listen, you kind of grow close to these players. You
06:55have a relationship with these players. No one wants to see people walk out the building.
07:00But sometimes those situations are out of your control and out of the club's control
07:07as well. Because if they've been offered normally to go elsewhere, there's not really a great
07:10deal we can do about that. But what I do know is that I back myself as a coach. I enjoy
07:17doing my job. I enjoy working with fresh talent that the owners have worked hard to
07:24find and piecing that together and coaching them again and trying to get them to play
07:32my way. I'm really excited about that. Like I say, I think we have to be patient with
07:41it because we're probably not going to see a team with complete cohesion straight away.
07:48But hopefully, with hard work on the training ground, we will see it eventually.
07:52My inbox has been absolutely full of betting companies emailing me this week telling me
07:56that Crawley are going to go down this year. Does that just fuel you like it did last year?
08:00Yes, I suppose it does. But I don't really listen to it like I didn't last year. We did
08:05use it at times to fuel us, but I don't take the notice of that. Yearly speaking, they
08:11should do their own work a little bit better than they have if they're backing us. Because
08:17it happened last year and we proved everybody wrong.
08:22Obviously, this year with the Sky deal, there's going to be a lot of fixture changes. We've
08:26got all the dates up until Christmas now, I think it is. Does that affect anything in
08:32any way? Obviously, the Birmingham game seems to have been moved a lot closer to Boxing
08:36Day and gives you a lot less time over Christmas. I know you're not thinking about that period
08:41yet, but do you find that the schedule changes are going to be a bit difficult with time
08:45for you?
08:46No, we have to just adjust. I think that when you're in football, you adjust accordingly
08:52anyway, whatever happens. There's been times when obviously the playoff game was a prime
08:58example where it absolutely tipped down for the first leg and we had to change that game.
09:04We adjusted accordingly and this is no different really. In fact, it's probably easier because
09:10we've been given the dates and the scheduled times and everything earlier. You just adjust
09:16and you train accordingly and prepare accordingly. It is what it is. It's quite exciting that
09:22we're on telly a lot. It's good exposure for the football club, for the players certainly.
09:28I'm looking forward to performing or to see the team perform and some of those games being
09:36live on telly.
09:37I know it's not all about you, but how important a season is this for you in terms of your
09:42career and having that exposure as well and being at this level now?
09:46I'm not really bothered about that, if I'm honest with you. As long as my team perform,
09:50I think my team should reflect what I am and the way we played last year was really
09:55pleasing in a lot of occasions, pretty much all season. I thought our standards were good
09:59in terms of our performances and certainly through the playoffs, I thought we were outstanding
10:05throughout them three live games and that was a reflection on all the hard work that
10:10we'd done as coach and staff. I just want my team to look good and they care about me really.
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