00:00Listen, it's a couple of league games in the cup and it's not where we want to be, of course, it's not.
00:06But it's a group that cares, it's a staff that cares.
00:12And like I said tonight, it wasn't the result that we wanted, but it felt like a bit of a step in the right direction.
00:17We've dealt with it a lot over the last couple of weeks and we're just all buying to put it right.
00:29I think as a leader, I've got to make sure that we don't become desperate for it because I felt, you know, at the weekend especially, we became a little bit desperate.
00:37And then that's when you start chasing things and you can get supper punched quite a lot.
00:41So it's about staying calm. It's a long old season and we've got a group who cares and a really talented group as well, which I know will show it eventually.
00:56So no, I am feeling optimistic about the future.
00:59Yeah, on paper, obviously, a lot of you have got championship experience, you've played top end of League One, so on paper, it should be gelled a lot better than it has in these early weeks.
01:09Yeah, lots of the old cliches not played on paper.
01:13But no, listen, the manager's brought in a lot of new players and I know it's the same for most clubs.
01:20But you can see, are we gelling quick enough? Not too sure, but ultimately we've conceded far too many set pieces the first few games.
01:32So it doesn't matter if we're gelling or not, we as a team have got to do the basics better, our defending set pieces and we know that.
01:41We're obviously well aware of this and yeah, I do think that the feeling that I get from the lads and the place is we will get there.
01:55It's just a matter of when, not if.
02:00Yeah, a lot of the talk throughout the summer was finishing, pushing at the top end of the League One table.
02:04So I know you might not be shouting that after a defeat, but is that still very much in the back of everyone's mind?
02:08Oh yeah, of course. I would never say anything different after two league games.
02:15We know we've got a squad capable of being up there, it's down to us to show it and to put points on the board.
02:20So yeah, that will always be the case and hopefully if you ask me that again in December, January, it becomes a lot more obvious question than it maybe does right now.
02:32But yeah, we're two games in, there's no reason to panic, as I said, obviously tonight didn't go our way, but I felt a lot better being out there.
02:42I felt a lot more people on the pitch and yeah, it gave me real good sort of little seats of momentum going on at the weekend.
02:51Obviously you're catching someone at a young age, has it always been a natural part of your games having that leadership?
02:54Yeah, I mean, if you go even further back to my youth team games, probably people said I just used to shout at everyone a lot.
03:05So no, yeah, I'm always a big advocate for football as a team sport and sometimes that gets lost a little bit.
03:13And I understand these days people check individual stats and there's clips or what have you.
03:19Yeah, but hopefully I come in every day and try and try and make my teammates better and I get a buzz off when the teammate comes back in and does well or you feel like you can help the lads out on the pitch.
03:33So like I said, if I had the captain's on band or not, I'd like to think I'd be the same way, but it's a huge privilege to hold that tonight for the club.
03:43And yeah, I want to be performing better and I want to make everyone else be performing better.
03:51That's part of being a leader in a football team.
03:57Just finally, obviously, Steve Bruce is someone that knows how to lead, he knows too well.
04:02So do you give me a spring of a step in someone like that, seeing that ability in you?
04:05Yeah, definitely. I think it's no secret how much the manager's meant to me about coming to the football club and then for him to have maybe been impressed with what he's seen so far whilst I've been here is another big sort of, yeah, of course it makes me feel good.
04:23And I just have this overriding feeling of, I just want to perform at my best for him and for the group because it's a, and the staff at the football club, because there's a real good bunch of people here and we're not producing the wins at the minute for them, but I'm sure they'll come and everyone in the group wants to do it for them as well.
Be the first to comment