00:00Good afternoon everyone, welcome to our pre-match press conference to preview our game against West Ham United.
00:05We'll start off with Vinny from Sky.
00:07David, first of all, can we take a check on Jarrod Brathwaite? How is he? Where is he at in terms of his recovery?
00:13Fine, I don't know. He'll not be available for Monday, if that's what you're talking about.
00:17No, he's not available for Monday. Neither is Merlin, so both of them are both out.
00:22Is Jarrod back in with the group at all yet?
00:24Not at the moment. We're expecting him back shortly, but not quite yet.
00:27Obviously, the other night you gave opportunities to players who haven't had so much game time.
00:31What do you say to them when it hasn't quite worked for them on the night?
00:36I think those players are first-team players and we expect them to perform whenever they get the opportunity to do so.
00:45We just need to ask them that, probably not me.
00:48I just wondered if it's a case of reinforcing the message that they need to be ready to take those opportunities when it comes.
00:53Because you often said that to them.
00:54Well, I believe they are ready. I think Wills. What did Wills make?
00:57How many changes did Wills make?
00:58They made a similar amount of changes.
01:00Nine, I think, Wills made so.
01:01They won the game, so sometimes it's the result that matters more than anything.
01:05What's the...
01:08How do you look at it?
01:09Because we can obviously look at the next couple of home games, back-to-back home games,
01:12and the opportunity to get to 13 points before the international break.
01:15And 13 points from seven games would be a more than decent return.
01:19How do you view those opportunities you've got at the coming week or so?
01:22I certainly wouldn't sort of think that way just now, that's for sure.
01:26Because obviously you have to win those games in year.
01:29We've got two big opponents to play before we can do that.
01:32But we're really pleased with the way we started the season.
01:35We've done a lot of good things.
01:37So we hope we can continue it.
01:39We've done a lot of good things at the new stadium as well.
01:41Some good results.
01:42So let's hope we can keep it going.
01:44Do you sense that there's a feel-good factor at the stadium now?
01:49So early into the...
01:51There's been a feel-good factor all around the club for a long time.
01:53So, you know, considering maybe where it had been in the past,
01:57I think there's a lot of good things get done and the team have played really well.
02:01So we're trying to keep that going.
02:03What do you feel is the next step for the lads at the moment?
02:08Well, I think we need to start to keep building on how we've been.
02:10I think since then, certainly, I don't know when,
02:14around about January time, we've tended to pick up points.
02:18We've had a really good away record in the main.
02:21We've picked up good points from the end to the end of the season.
02:25We've started the season well.
02:26So loads of positives to take.
02:29How do you feel going up against your former club once again?
02:32I know you've obviously done it before.
02:33You did it last season.
02:34When was that one-all draw at Goodison Park?
02:36Well, we also played them in America as well.
02:39So it's great to see them all.
02:41I had a big relationship with so many of the players and the staff there
02:46and everybody at the club.
02:49It was good.
02:50We had some great times together.
02:52And I always look forward to seeing them
02:54because many of the players there I brought in at the time.
02:56And, you know, they were really good people to work for.
03:00I have to ask you what you make of the scrutiny
03:02that Graham Potter finds himself under at the moment.
03:05Well, I never think it's correct when managers come under any great criticism.
03:10I would always look to protect them.
03:12Graham Potter's an excellent manager.
03:13I mean, his record at Brighton and, you know, getting the Chelsea job.
03:17You don't get those jobs unless you've got something in your quality of management.
03:23Obviously, he's probably finding it quite difficult at the moment.
03:26But overall, he's an excellent manager and I've got no doubt he'll be a success.
03:31Give us an insight into the job.
03:32You obviously made a success because you delivered a major trophy in your time.
03:36How difficult a job is.
03:38Yeah, but this business doesn't mean that everybody can deliver a trophy.
03:41It's not that.
03:42You know, it's a business where the majority of managers don't.
03:46There's lots of managers every weekend.
03:48Loads of managers go home unhappy, disappointed because their team didn't win
03:51or didn't get a result.
03:52That's part of being a football manager.
03:55And what satisfaction then are you taking at the minute?
03:58Because we've spoken of the progress that you're making.
03:59What satisfaction are you taking from the way things generally are coming together?
04:03Well, I think that we've moved on.
04:05I think we've brought a lot of things together, done a lot of good things.
04:08But, look, it's only the starting point.
04:12It really is.
04:13You know, we're still just coming out of some dark days
04:16and feeling a lot better about ourselves.
04:18That doesn't always mean that everything goes well.
04:21That's for sure.
04:21You know, things can change and we have to be ready for it.
04:26But hopefully we keep it going.
04:28We're playing with a lot of confidence, doing a lot of things well.
04:31So we'll try and continue to do that.
04:33And finally, for me, is that the realism?
04:34That things are still gelling with the squad now?
04:37Well, I think I'd be really surprised if MD was daft enough to think that, you know,
04:41everything was going to be hunky-dory and we were all going to be, you know,
04:44singing and dancing and everything would be right.
04:46Not possible.
04:48Not possible.
04:48I think we're rebuilding, which we said before.
04:51The club have rebuilt a new stadium, got that ready.
04:54So it'll take a little bit of time to get the team together.
04:57But overall, I'm really pleased with how they're performing.
05:00Thanks, David.
05:00Cheers.
05:01Thanks, Vinny.
05:01We'll go to Batty at Premier League Productions.
05:05Hi, there.
05:05Hi, David.
05:06Just picking up on that sort of feel-good factor that you're saying the club's feeling at the moment
05:12in terms of the new stadium, how pleased are you to see the players adapt to the new stadium
05:16so quickly, unbeaten there, of course, at the moment in the league as well?
05:20That must be really nice to see.
05:22Yeah, and I hope it continues.
05:24That's the job.
05:25I think we've started well.
05:27I think everybody's been excited by a new stadium.
05:29It's been a big, big moment in our history.
05:32And I'm pleased the players have taken to it well at the moment.
05:36And long may that continue.
05:38How important would it be to sort of keep that feeling at the stadium,
05:42make it a really difficult place for visitors to come to?
05:45Well, that would be, it was good and felt that way for people who came there.
05:49I don't know if new modern stadiums are made for that type of close proximity and all those
05:56things which go with making it a sort of fortress.
05:59But I have to say at the moment, we've started well.
06:02A couple of good victories and we've had a draw as well.
06:05So hopefully we can keep picking it up and keep it going.
06:09Obviously, there was disappointment on Tuesday night in the League Cup.
06:12What sort of reaction do you want to see from your side against West Ham on Monday?
06:16I just want them to keep continually doing what they've been doing.
06:18They've done really well.
06:19So we don't need to look back too far.
06:24We move on.
06:26And just thinking about up front, I think it's probably fair to say the strikers haven't quite
06:31got going this season.
06:33Is that right?
06:34I think so.
06:35Oh, good.
06:35Possibly.
06:37One goal in the league.
06:39But does that concern you at all?
06:41And what do you want to see from the team to sort of get them firing?
06:46Well, I think the team's firing.
06:47I think the team's been firing really well.
06:51Maybe the two people you're talking about haven't scored as many as we'd like.
06:55But I think Beto's got a couple of goals, which isn't a bad start.
06:59So we hope that we can add to that.
07:01We hope we can score more.
07:03Perfect.
07:04Thanks, Patti.
07:05We'll go to Julia.
07:06Everybody on the other side.
07:07Hi, David.
07:09First of all, you speak about that realism there, that things aren't always perfect.
07:14I think some of the fans felt really disappointed, as you did as well,
07:17in your post-match interviews on Tuesday.
07:20When you're looking at this now, is it difficult as a manager to balance cup runs,
07:25players knocking on your door who want to play and getting runs together?
07:28How are you balancing in that?
07:30And does that mean sometimes it doesn't always come off?
07:33No.
07:33I've got nobody knocking on my door.
07:35It's my choice, my decision, who plays.
07:38I play the people who I think are ready to play and look as if they're prepared to play.
07:42So all my decision, nothing to do with them, my choice.
07:46And, you know, the players who we've been picking for most of the games have been playing really well.
07:50So don't get that wrong.
07:54Do you think just because of the cup exit, it has felt that the headlines have been more negative than they need to be?
07:59Because I was looking at the stats, I think it was four shots on target, both sides.
08:02But obviously just two went in for Wolves.
08:04So has it felt a little bit worse in the headlines maybe than it has in here?
08:08No, because I'm not looked.
08:09I told you I've moved on really quickly.
08:11The minute I happened, I've moved on.
08:12Got my head on.
08:13My head on.
08:14The league game's coming up.
08:15And can't do anything about it now.
08:17So no point in discussing it really.
08:20Can I just check any other injuries or concerns around your squad at the moment?
08:23No, I just think the two boys are the main injury problems for me at the moment.
08:28We're just trying to get Merlin back.
08:30He's not back yet.
08:31We hoped he'd be a little bit quicker, but not back in amongst it yet.
08:35So really the biggest one is getting Jared back as well.
08:38And having two home games in a week with Palace coming up as well, ahead of another international break.
08:44Is it important now for you to try and get six points potentially here, I guess, and go into that break?
08:51Are you a fan of another break so quickly as well?
08:53It feels as if it's a different narrative to where it was before, that it was a case of avoiding relegation now.
08:58We're talking about getting six more points.
09:00No pressure.
09:01Lots of different questions coming from the media these days.
09:04But it's good because it shows that we've given everybody something to be excited about, raising the expectations.
09:10And that's why you're asking the questions.
09:11So yes, we are.
09:13We're going to try and get six points, but we're up against two good sides as well.
09:17Just on that then, is it a different pressure now in that, yeah, it has been relegation battle even before you were here and then you've come in.
09:24Is this like a whole other pressure now?
09:26The expectation level has been lifted and that's different again?
09:28No, the job's to raise the expectation.
09:30So that's what we're trying to do.
09:31We're trying to make people expect us to win, expect us to do really well.
09:36And we'll continue trying to do that.
09:39Thanks, Julia.
09:40We'll go to Will.
09:45Hi, Davis.
09:46Just on Brampley, is it just a case of being patient with him given he ended the season last season with a hamstring,
09:52he had a little nickel before America?
09:54Do you really want to err on the side of the course?
09:56Well, I think we are really, you know, we're disappointed that he sort of re-injured himself and we've had to look after it.
10:04So we'll get him back.
10:06It's just disappointing.
10:07He's a really important player for us.
10:09But as it is, Michael Keane's played really well and filled in great.
10:12So it's covered us a little bit.
10:15But he'd also been able to cover us.
10:16We were short of left back in midweek because we were going to play Mikko again after playing at the weekend.
10:23So we were a little bit short in that area.
10:26And Jared could obviously do that job at times as well if we need it.
10:29So we're missing him for other things as well.
10:31You mentioned left back as Martinon obviously come in in the summer.
10:34Have you raised his development so far?
10:36He's got a bit to do before he's probably going to be ready for the first team at the moment.
10:41But we were aware of that when we brought him in.
10:43And just finally from me, Hilleman Zagel, his first Premier League assist last weekend.
10:48Liverpool, just a little bit of a surprise given his quality.
10:51Really?
10:51Yeah, is that something he needs to do more?
10:53Is it not just for the goals but for the assists a bit more?
10:55No, I think I did check that at the end of last season.
10:57I was checking if he needs assists wearing that high actually.
11:00So we're hoping that he does.
11:02But let's be fair, he's been getting on the end of things and scoring himself.
11:05So let's hope that continues.
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