00:00Scott, thanks for joining us. The games are coming thick and fast.
00:03NK Don's at home tomorrow. What are your thoughts heading into that one?
00:05Yeah, the game we're ready and looking forward to, you know.
00:09We want to challenge ourselves against good teams and obviously they're a good team.
00:14Yeah, we take the challenge on and look forward to the game.
00:16Yeah, and it's, I suppose, easy to pick out some of their bigger threats,
00:20especially after a 5-0 win, but what is it that you've sort of looked at
00:23since you've been doing your analysis on them?
00:25Well, they haven't conceded a goal yet, so that's quite impressive, you know,
00:30in the free league games that they've played, they've not conceded a goal.
00:36So, and also to look at the XG that they've conceded,
00:41no one's really had a big chance against them.
00:43So, you know, they don't give you many opportunities to score.
00:48So they're very, very good in terms of that.
00:50Of course, they've got real attacking threats as well.
00:53Rooshan, who we know, scored on Saturday, good goal as well.
00:58So, yeah, listen, they've got a lot of attacking threats.
01:00They're defensively really strong and they've got players in the middle of the pitch,
01:03who we know as well, who can handle the ball and can play and can run.
01:07So, yeah, good team.
01:09Yeah, certainly in the last 20 minutes of Saturday's performance,
01:11we were creating a lot of chances.
01:13So I imagine in that sense, as we spoke about, confidence is fairly high
01:16because we know we're going to be getting in some dangerous areas
01:18and we've just got to start putting the ball away now.
01:20Yeah, I think I was encouraged by the second half performance,
01:22or certainly the last probably 30 minutes, 25 minutes,
01:26you know, certainly when we made the changes as well,
01:28I thought that, you know, we looked more of a threat
01:31and we created one or two chances, you know, certainly in that last bit.
01:37So signs of encouragement, again, against a really strong team.
01:41I think that the games that we've had have been hard, you know,
01:44two really difficult away games in the shape of Grimsby and crew.
01:49I think both teams will be probably in and around it.
01:52If not, maybe one of them might sneak in the automatics for sure.
01:58And, you know, the Newport game, I felt that we probably deserve something from it
02:04with the guilt edge chances that we had, but we didn't take.
02:06And, of course, we come up against MK Dons, who, again, you know,
02:10with the recruitment that they've had this summer, you know,
02:14you would back them to be around it as well.
02:15So, you know, we've not had the easiest starts,
02:18but we take it on and we relish it and we look forward to another good game.
02:23And each time we're playing against these good sides,
02:26we can only improve from it, you know,
02:28and we can only try and learn from moments in the game.
02:32We debriefed the game from Saturday to today.
02:36We looked at areas in which we felt that we can be more connected as a team.
02:40We looked at areas where we felt that we come second
02:45in moments of the game and where we need to improve.
02:49So good meeting, trained well today.
02:51Feeling is OK in the camp in terms of
02:55you wouldn't think that we've lost three games, you know,
02:58and where we are in the division.
02:59And we know that we potentially should have maybe four points on the board
03:05and not zero from what we've played in our opinion.
03:08So, unfortunately, football don't always go out the way you want it to.
03:13And, you know, there might be some times along the way
03:15where we pick three points up and probably don't deserve it.
03:18That's happened as well.
03:19So let's just see.
03:20We've just got to keep together, keep fighting, keep believing,
03:24and looking forward to taking on challenges such as MK Dons.
03:29Yeah.
03:30We spoke about the impact that the substitutes made at the weekend.
03:32Is there any sort of chance that they could be pushing for starts
03:35or is it a little bit too early on the basis that some of them could potentially
03:38not be ready for 90 minutes yet?
03:39There's always a chance, you know, when you come on the pitch
03:41and make a difference, there's always a chance, you know, and that's what I want.
03:46I want, you know, it's not just the 11 players out there, everybody in the squad,
03:50even the players who don't travel, they're important to us because we're going to need every player.
03:55You know, we're not going to pick the same 11 every week.
03:59That's impossible at this level of football with the amount of games that we've got coming thick and fast,
04:04like you say, Saturday, Tuesday, and then you've got injuries, suspensions and such like.
04:09So we're going to need every player.
04:10So, yeah, there's always a chance that players play their selves
04:13and sometimes train their selves into the starting line-up.
04:16You know, I've seen some players really train well
04:19and you start thinking about, right, we need to play this player
04:22because they train so well.
04:25We always go back and watch the training sessions back
04:27and reflect on, you know, what we've seen.
04:32And, you know, and sometimes players can play their way into the team
04:37and train their way into the team.
04:39Yeah, we spoke about how the players can obviously have an impact.
04:41The fans can have a massive impact.
04:43It's going to be a good atmosphere.
04:44It always is here, especially on a Tuesday night under the lights.
04:47So, yeah, as much as the players can have an impact,
04:49as we spoke about in countless interviews before,
04:51the fans can make this a really hard place to come, can't they?
04:53Yeah, definitely.
04:54I've always said it, you know, when I was a manager before
04:58at Swindon and I come here and it's a difficult place to come.
05:03And I think it's a really tough place for anybody to come,
05:06whether they're good, bad or indifferent.
05:08It's tough and, you know, we know the pitch, we know kind of the atmosphere,
05:15how it kind of blends into the stadium and the fans are great for us here,
05:20you know, and they are away from home as well also, just to add to that.
05:23But, yeah, it's important that the fans get behind us and, you know,
05:26really kind of cheer the boys on tomorrow night.
05:30And listen, I know that we've got to give them something to cheer about.
05:33We understand that, you know, I get that and let's hope that we do.
05:37You know, I want to see us be a real kind of attacking threat.
05:43We're not going to score goals if we're not,
05:45certainly against a team that are stingy at the back like MK are.
05:48You know, they've not conceded a goal yet.
05:51Like I say, their XG against is really good.
05:54So we're not going to break the door down if we're not going to have a go.
05:57So we've got to have a go.
05:58And I want the fans to really get behind the boys.
06:00Obviously, MK Dons tomorrow, how do you reflect on your time at MK Dons?
06:06I know it was only a short short time.
06:08Five months of learning.
06:09Five months of learning.
06:10Yeah, that's how I reflect on it. Five months of learning.
06:13Yeah. And how much is it chalk and cheese,
06:16what the squad was like then for MK Dons than it is now?
06:20I don't really know.
06:23I've kind of watched them as a team.
06:26I've not really looked at the ins and outs of their squad as such.
06:30I think it's important that I focus on what they do in possession,
06:34what they look like out of possession.
06:36How can we hurt them?
06:37How can we stop them?
06:40There's not.
06:41I mean, they've signed some unbelievable players for the level, in my opinion.
06:44You know, it's almost like, I mean, the recruitment that they've done is just,
06:49you know, far above the level.
06:51Fair play to them.
06:52You know, if they've got the money and they can do it, no problem.
06:54That's great.
06:55Good luck to them.
06:56And they have, they've signed some brilliant players for the level.
07:00That's added to some players that were there that were very good as well,
07:03let me tell you.
07:03So, yeah, I don't know, kind of, how Paul would see his squad.
07:09Would he want to add to it?
07:10I honestly don't know.
07:11But I'll focus mainly on what they look like as a football team,
07:14as opposed to a football club.
07:16And I remember the promotion winning season.
07:19You played MK Dons at a pretty similar time, I think it was, at the Brawfield Stadium.
07:23And I think one, two, they were unbeaten when they came here.
07:27And I think it was also his first goal as well.
07:30And it was, I just remember the night and the fans,
07:32and it always comes back to me, is that you're looking for that kind of atmosphere.
07:35Yeah, that'll do.
07:36We'll check that.
07:37We'll check that right now.
07:38Yeah, we played well that night.
07:40Yeah.
07:40We played well that night.
07:41And I remember actually gifting them a goal.
07:45I think we played out from the back in one moment,
07:47and they stole it and scored from it.
07:50But actual fact, I thought we were outstanding in the game.
07:53I thought we really dominated the game that night.
07:55And, yeah, we'll take that again.
07:57Yeah, absolutely.
07:58And you said in the last couple of interviews
08:00about how much you need help in terms of the squad and that.
08:03Are the owners listening?
08:04Can we expect any more signings?
08:06Yeah, definitely.
08:06Listen, the owners have been brilliant.
08:08And Tobias and the work that's been going on in the background,
08:11it's been incredible.
08:11You know, we're working so hard to make it happen.
08:15It's not as easy as probably people may think.
08:18You know, we spot a player.
08:21We get a lot of due diligence done in terms of watching
08:26and understanding and asking.
08:29There's lists of players and, you know,
08:31there's a lot of work goes in.
08:32I'm literally on my laptop the whole time I'm at home.
08:37We're always having conversations about what we need to add.
08:41What does the profile of the player look like?
08:43That's before we've even spoke to the player or the agent or the club.
08:46And then, of course, then the negotiations start.
08:50Do they sit into the budget?
08:52You know, which is challenging.
08:55And, yeah, listen, there's a lot of work going in the background.
08:58And, you know, we're fully aware of what we need and how many we need.
09:04And we're close.
09:05We're close to making a few happen now.
09:07But, yeah, it has been frustrating.
09:11But I think it is.
09:11I think the momentum of what we signed probably after Kyle Scott stopped a little bit,
09:17not through the want of trying, but just kind of we didn't sign after Kyle Scott.
09:24You know, it just seemed to slow right down.
09:27And I would have liked the momentum to continue a little bit.
09:30But through circumstances, it didn't.
09:34But I do know there's a lot of work going on in the background.
09:36And, yeah, a lot of support from the owners for sure.
09:40And we'll get it right.
09:41You know, we're close to doing a few.
09:46Maybe even one going to be in time, probably for Saturday.
09:50So we just have to wait and see.
09:51Brilliant. Thanks, Scott.
