00:00Scott, thank you for joining us after a tough defeat on Tuesday, we're back on the road
00:06this weekend as we face Stevenage, can I get your thoughts out of that one?
00:09Yeah, I think given how we played the other night and the fact that we didn't get anything
00:14from the game, we're desperate to get back out there and play again. We want to put that
00:18right obviously, so again we're looking forward to it very much so. Yeah, so that's pretty
00:24much it really, I can't give you much more than that, that we're really looking forward
00:27to the game.
00:28Yeah, we spoke to Charlie after the Prepa match and it was almost hard to watch because
00:33he looked so disappointed, as you actually would having played that well, and his message
00:36was I'm so upset that the lads have played that well and not got anything out of the
00:40game. What's the reaction been like as you come back into the building on Thursday, is
00:44it sort of more of the same or is it sort of, as you say, is that turning into a positive
00:47energy of wanting to attack the next game?
00:50Positivity, that's what we can be because we can't, I don't want there to be any negative
00:55faces or body language or anything like that because we played so well and deserve so much
01:02more than we got and football unfortunately has a habit of doing that every now and then.
01:08We have to take it and move on, I've kind of forgot about it now, we have to. We debriefed
01:13it this morning and kind of showed lots of positive clips to the players to reinforce
01:17what we're doing and we showed one or two little bits where we can be better as well.
01:22I think it's always important to always have that learning aspect about what a debrief
01:27looks like and the players have been brilliant. I can't ask them for any more than they're
01:34doing really. They're working so hard, you look at the distance covered the other night,
01:39it's just ridiculous and they didn't deserve to lose that game. So yeah, it's all positive,
01:45the mood in the camp's good, we're in a good place. Whilst I know we're in a precarious
01:52position but I think there's a lot of belief in the dressing room now.
01:55I was going to ask you about the run stats actually because they were absolutely incredible
01:59on Tuesday night which is exactly what we want to see and I suppose it, especially to
02:03the players, then hurts even more when you don't come out and you've put that much effort
02:06in and you come out empty-handed. On the flip side of that, has that caused any issues with
02:12injuries or fitness or are the lads fit enough to be consistently doing that Tuesday, Saturday?
02:16No, they're so robust and fit really. I think we ran over 111 kilometres collectively as
02:23a group which is incredible. We probably need to get around 109 in order for us to win or
02:31draw a game. We got 211 and lost but like I say, it wasn't a reflection of that. We
02:37deserved far much more than we got. But no, the players have recovered really well. Obviously
02:44we've had a training session today, more for the top-up group than the group that played.
02:50So the group that played have had more of an off day today. Tomorrow we'll put another
02:56session into them on the grass where I'll coach the team and put the detail into them
03:01about how I see the team looking against Stevenage. And then we travel on the day because it's
03:08not miles away. Well, it is miles away but it's not too far. So yeah, we're really looking
03:14forward to it.
03:15I suppose we don't have to overcome an issue of us not scoring enough goals. Since you've
03:19come in, in the three games you've scored eight goals. So it must be nice not knowing
03:23that you don't have that problem where you're teaching the players how to put the ball in
03:26the back of the net again because it's come so naturally to them so far.
03:28Yeah, I think so. I think you look at the lads at the top end of the pitch, I think
03:32they're all capable of scoring goals. And then you saw last Saturday where we had two
03:39lads who'd come off the bench and scored as well in Gav and Pan. So yeah, there's plenty
03:45of goals in the team. We've just got to make sure that we keep things tight at the back
03:49and obviously we conceded four goals on Tuesday night. I think a lot of them goals came from
03:58probably too much transition. So when we press high up the pitch, ball turns over,
04:03ball goes south, we've got to all do a little bit more to get back into a defensive shape.
04:10I didn't think we did that well enough but spoke about that today in the meeting and
04:17the players completely understand. I've been really clear with it so hopefully we'll see
04:21an improvement regarding that.
04:23Stevenage not a million miles away, on the day for the players, on the day for the fans
04:29as well. A nice easy one to get to, you can get there directly from Crawley on the train.
04:32So firstly, how good would it be to see a really large following there? The ticket sales
04:36have been very good already. And secondly, I suppose Stevenage, with it being one of
04:40the smaller grounds we play at, it's a chance for the Crawley fans to make that statement
04:43their own on a day like that, isn't it?
04:44Yeah, well they always do anyway. The fans always make most noise when we go away. I
04:51think pretty much even the start of this season when I was the manager and of course since
04:56I've been in, they made the noise at Rotherham for me. I thought they were loud. I remember
05:03the Cambridge game, they were loud. Wrexham, they were loud. So every time we've gone away
05:08they've always been really loud. To say you could hear them at Wrexham is a credit really
05:13because obviously with the packed stadium and that. So yeah, I expect my fans to be
05:20like that everywhere we go. I think they're brilliant and yeah, we're hopeful that we
05:25can give them something to cheer about after the game.
05:28Talking about scoring goals, Sam mentioned there that you scored a few. Knowing you and
05:34how you set up your teams, you just want to score as many goals as possible. I did a few
05:37predictions earlier about results etc. and goal difference could be absolutely key or
05:42cut into that final day. Is that something you bring into your team talks about the goal
05:46difference in the future or is that adding too much pressure?
05:49No, I actually mentioned it. I actually mentioned the fact that try and score a lot of goals
05:54based on the fact that we might need that extra point as it is in terms of goal difference
06:00at the end of the season. That might be the difference and when you look at our goal difference
06:05and Bristol Rovers' goal difference, we're not miles off it. I know our goal difference
06:09is really poor because of the season that we've had. But we're not miles away from Bristol
06:17Rovers certainly. So the importance is, I think we're only four goals. I might be wrong.
06:23It is four goals.
06:24Okay, so four goals. So it's not, you think you win 2-0, 2-0. All of a sudden you're kind
06:30of level with them. Do you know what I mean? So that's kind of the idea obviously if they
06:33don't score or don't win should I say. So yeah, we're mindful of that. I certainly am.
06:40I mentioned it to the players to try and put the ball in the net as many times as we can
06:45sort of thing. And I think that's probably why that game was so aggressive Tuesday night
06:50and so open because you had two teams that are capable of scoring goals. But we have
06:56to play that way. We have to play at full tilt at the moment. We can't be where we're
07:01slow with the ball and more control. We have to play full tilt in order for us to get what
07:06we need to get. And it might cost us like it did the other night. It cost us the other
07:10night where we're throwing bodies forward. We're really aggressive on the press. We're
07:15really aggressive the way we're playing. And then it kind of leaves us a little bit skinny
07:19on transitions, which is why the players need to run back really quickly into that thickened
07:24shape to stop the opposition from hurting us. Which is, listen, it is what it is. We've
07:29got, you know, massive games coming up now and we've got to just put every single ounce
07:35of effort into that, whether that's scoring goals or running back and doing a defensive
07:41job as well. But yeah, we've certainly got goals in the team. We just need to continue
07:48that really, you know. I think that's important.
07:51Yeah. And how is the squad looking? Do you expect Dion to be involved on Saturday?
07:55Yeah, Dion's trained today. We're going to assess again tomorrow and then make a decision
08:03based on what I see tomorrow. So I'm not 100% decided yet.
08:09Yeah. And does it give you a selection headache with the club captain coming back in with
08:13the defenders? I know Tuesday night they let him forward, but two clean sheets before that.
08:17Is it a tough decision to make?
08:19No, it's never a tough decision when Dion Conroy's involved because he's a top, top
08:22player. So no, I think if he's available then he'll probably play. So yeah.
08:30Yeah. And I'm interested in what you say to a player like Adi Adiemo after Tuesday night.
08:35Obviously he's going to be disappointed. Is it something you just move on from straight
08:40away or how do you deal with that? Because he's obviously going to be disappointed.
08:43I haven't even mentioned it to him.
08:45No.
08:45Not even mentioned it to him.
08:46Sorry, not mentioning it now.
08:47No, but I think that's kind of like management in itself. You know, the fact that I've not
08:52made a big thing of it, I've not mentioned it. He knows. He's like, you know, he's a
08:58professional footballer who's desperate to do well for the lads in the team. He doesn't,
09:05what's he going to, you know, what's he going to get from me saying you shouldn't have done
09:08that? He knows that, you know, so there's no point. And listen, he's desperate to get
09:15back and defend. Do you know what I mean? So the fact that he's so willing to do well
09:21for the team and make a tackle, you know, is credit to him. He just got it wrong.
09:28You know, and that happens and I'm not going to eat him with a stick with that.
09:33You know, I want the players to feel the freedom and feel that they're cared for and feel that,
09:38you know, they can and they will make mistakes and it's acceptable.
09:44As long as you don't make too many of them.
09:47Yeah, absolutely. And looking ahead, whatever happens between now and the end of the season,
09:52I think there's, because of what's happened in the last three games, there's optimism
09:55going forward, whatever happens. Have you been given any indication yet or assurances
10:01from the owners that you will have a similar squad to work with next season?
10:05I think I've been the victim of my own success in these first two games. Everyone's now expecting
10:10us to stay up, so pressure's on a little bit. No, it's a good question. I think from an
10:18ownership point of view to myself, that we're kind of having the discussions that let's
10:25just get the job done or try and get the job done and see what happens and then from
10:30there we then need to assess the squad accordingly. I think the minute I take my eye off trying
10:37to do the job and start talking about the squad for next season and what it's going
10:41to look like in this division, what it's going to look like in that division, then maybe
10:46I take my eye off the ball too much and maybe I don't get the job done. So I think it's
10:50important that I focus on that. We've already had discussions about the squad already,
10:57not in depth but just to kind of understand who is in and out of contract, so I understand.
11:04So I need to assess training sessions and everything because there's some players that
11:09probably I need to look at in training because they might not get as many minutes out on the
11:13pitch, that's normal. So I am doing that and yeah, I think you're constantly assessing
11:21anyway the squad, whether you've been in a club for 10 minutes or 10 years, I think you're
11:26constantly doing that anyway. But my sole focus at the moment is to try and keep in
11:31this division and until we know whether we have or we haven't done that, that's when
11:37we'll get to work a little bit more.
11:39Brilliant, good luck Saturday.
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