00:00Ben, thank you for joining us. Ultimately, it's another frustrating evening here at the
00:04Ballpool Stone. Can I get your reflection on the game first?
00:07Yeah, I think unfortunately it looks probably a bit too much like Saturday again. Tried
00:12to probably be a little bit, not direct, but a little bit more forceful in the final third
00:18in the first half. Didn't quite come to fruition. I think we changed back to the same system
00:22that the boys usually play in the second half and got a lot of control of the game and started
00:28to create some decent chances. Nothing clear-cut, but there was a bit of feeling definitely.
00:34They get one on the break towards the end of the game. Another frustrating night, but
00:39the boys have to stick together and move on.
00:41Yeah, I think the phrase huffed and puffed can be used. I don't think you can fault anyone's
00:46commitment out there, but it almost just felt like it wasn't to be at some stage. The ball
00:49just wasn't dropping in. Obviously, we had that chance to hit the post. The goalkeeper
00:52was forced into a couple of saves. Is there an element of not being ruthless enough or
00:56do you think at the moment it's not just dropping for us?
00:59There's definitely a mentality in the final third, I think, that's a bit of belief as
01:06well. But you're right, the boys have been phenomenal in terms of their effort. You can't
01:10fault that, there's no doubt. They've given everything. Some things aren't dropping. Sometimes
01:15maybe players aren't arriving in the right slots in the right moments. It's probably
01:17a combination of all things, but it's stuff that can be worked on in the training round
01:22for sure.
01:23Do you think it's a case of when one goal goes in, the others will come? Is it literally
01:27just a case of that confidence where we just need that one to go in for us?
01:30Yeah, it usually is that way. I hope it's not something that the boys are thinking about
01:34too much because you don't want it to get that way. The goals are going to come, they're
01:38going to flow and they have before, so it will come again. It's nothing to worry too
01:43much about, but just in this period, it's not happened.
01:45Yeah, the lads are hungry, aren't they? You can see that as we've already touched on this.
01:49There's no one out there who's not giving their absolute all. I can imagine the dressing
01:53room is a difficult environment at the moment, but also, as you said already, they need to
01:57stick together, don't they?
01:58Yeah, that was my message afterwards. You can identify where their goals are coming
02:04from and there's some accountability to take there, but ultimately the boys have to stay
02:08together and they're all pulling in the same direction. It's a long old season, so we're
02:14still early on. They'll be fine.
02:17Yeah, and I suppose there's also the element of you don't become a bad team overnight.
02:21This perhaps isn't the side that we saw at the start of the season. It maybe is, just
02:25as you say, a confidence thing. There's plenty of positives to look back on and take into
02:30those games, aren't there?
02:31Yeah, I think we've spoken a lot about the performances being very important. Not always
02:37the result, not to measure it, always off the result. That's a fine line to tread sometimes,
02:43but I think the performances have remained pretty good. Then there's things that you
02:48have to tweak along the way, but ultimately it's about winning games, so just finding
02:53that balance.
02:54Can it be demoralising for players? I suppose, as you said there, 2-0 probably isn't a fair
02:58reflection of the night. Obviously, we've thrown everything forward towards the end
03:01to try and get going. We get caught. Is that an element of it, where you've got to try
03:05and say to the lads, look, don't pay too much attention to the result? It is about the performance
03:09as well?
03:10Yeah, I think so. It's not always the easiest sell, but it's definitely the environment
03:14that's been created at this football club and the boys have bought into it 100 per cent.
03:18So I think everybody feels a little more comfortable with going after good performances consistently
03:23rather than rolling the dice every weekend. It's what we've tried to do. Unfortunately,
03:28the last couple has not quite come off, but it makes it easy to identify the issues and
03:34what you need to fix on the training ground, I think. So that will be done, I'm sure.
03:40You've had the two games in charge. You must be very proud of how the players have performed
03:44for you over these two games?
03:45Yeah, immensely proud. They've been fantastic. I've just said that to them in there. I said,
03:49thank you so much for your effort and commitment because they've been brilliant. I've enjoyed
03:54it a lot with them. So, yeah, no, it's been good.
03:59Yeah, and obviously we've had the announcement that Rob Elliott is coming into Manchester.
04:02Any indication of what your role is from here?
04:04Not yet, none. I imagine there will be some conversations had. But obviously, brilliant
04:09for the club that they've got a manager in now. They've got a clear direction, which
04:13is great. So, no, I'm sure there will be some conversations, but that's where it's at.
04:17Yeah, and with obviously the results having gone their way, the performances have been
04:21good, but do you think there's anything apart from sticking the ball in the back of the
04:24net, anything fundamentally that needs to change in the style of play?
04:28Well, that would be for the new manager and what he looks to do. I believe he tries to
04:32dominate the ball as well. He's obviously put together a really, really good team up
04:37there at Gateshead. So, I'm sure he'll have some new ideas that will be brilliant for
04:43the players to hear some fresh thoughts and ideas. He'll have his own picture of what
04:48he saw tonight and what he's seen previously and what he wants to change. So, yeah, I'm
04:54sure he'll get to work straight away and you'll probably see some differences.
04:57Yeah, and the fans tonight, for the second half in particular, they just kept singing,
05:01kept singing. How were the players? You were pretty pleased with them, weren't you?
05:05Yeah, it was a great atmosphere second half and I really thought they almost sucked the
05:08ball in the net at that end. We almost got there, we got close. And again, the second
05:14goal goes in and it flattens everyone out a little bit. But up until that point, really
05:18good, really grateful to the fans. Everybody connected with the football club because it's
05:22not been an easy time at all. So, I think everybody's remained together, which is the
05:26most important thing. And now they've got some clear direction to almost not start again,
05:31but to get a new sense of energy.
05:33Thanks Ben, cheers.
