00:09What's your patience, guys?
00:13Phil?
00:20Phil, whenever you're ready, mate.
00:22Regis, what are your main motions at the moment?
00:25I'm proud. I'm proud of the lads, proud of the atmosphere in the stadium,
00:31the connection we had once again today to create something special.
00:37We had to win and I think we were really focused on the way we wanted to play this game,
00:44showed good control, scored when it was on,
00:47and finally the last part of the game was well managed with maturity.
00:51Where does this run for you personally, in your mind, your career?
00:56The top. Top, top.
01:00Even better than Wemblade?
01:01Yeah, it's different.
01:04Wemblade was absolutely fantastic as well.
01:07It's a special place in English football.
01:10And here today it's the continuity of our journey.
01:17And the journey is really special because we feel the alignment in the club with our fans.
01:25And finally it's a tribute to our collective work and it's really nice.
01:29We spoke about Trey the other day and he played on the right wing and he talked about his defensive
01:34contributions
01:35and that he could offer something in the final third but I'm not sure you saw a first-hand hockey
01:39team.
01:40It's good, it's really nice to have this conversation one week ago and then he scored.
01:45Yeah, so often we try to analyze the game or the players just with technical lengths.
01:55But it's more than that.
01:56It's about connection, hard work, connection between players and balance.
02:03And Trey is a good example of a really good player, strong teammate, always working hard for the team.
02:12And then after that you have an emergence.
02:15What's today?
02:16I feel sorry if they didn't look at that big part where they were to get.
02:19Yeah, it's good for them.
02:21And because they are so well connected with the identity of the club, they set the tone.
02:26And they helped the new lads when they came in the club to understand what was our identity.
02:36And they were really important.
02:38How is your play?
02:41Nervous?
02:41Excited?
02:43It's hard to realize, to be fair, at the minute.
02:47It's going to be a new challenge, but we don't want to set a limit before.
02:53We know that it's going to be tough in the Premier League, first of all.
02:57Because the second season is hard as well.
03:02So let's start with this idea to be strong in the Premier League.
03:05And after that we'll have the Interopa League, which is another challenge, another story.
03:10We'll see.
03:11You've always said the club hasn't been planned specifically for Europe.
03:14Are you confident in what has gone on to now enable you to start doing one of these?
03:19Because you'll need a bigger scorer and a deeper scorer.
03:21Yes, it's a bit early to anticipate what will happen during the summer.
03:27But it's clear that we are well aligned.
03:30We didn't want to anticipate the result of the season.
03:34Now it's done.
03:35We have a good structure for the recruitment process.
03:40And we'll work hard, as usual.
03:43And I hope the new lads and this team already will be well connected for the new season.
03:50What are the scenes like?
03:53I think they are really happy and probably a bit tired because it was hot, the stadium today.
04:00And probably from an emotional point of view as well, they gave a lot.
04:07They were really well involved during the week.
04:11They worked hard and they deserved to enjoy now.
04:14What are your plans to celebrate tonight?
04:17I don't know yet.
04:19I don't know.
04:20We'll see, we'll see.
04:22When did you honestly start to think that European qualification might be possible?
04:26Really late, to be fair, during the added times.
04:30Because before, we were just focused on our game.
04:34It was a tough game, especially at 2-1.
04:38And Granit came just near the dugout, asking what was the situation.
04:43I didn't know before.
04:44Proc told me, okay, we are seventh.
04:46Oh, yes?
04:47Really?
04:48Okay, just one minute to go.
04:51Let's push until the end.
04:52What does it mean for someone?
04:56I think it's an important step.
05:00And it shows that anything is possible in football.
05:07Especially when you are working hard, you are representing the community, you are humble.
05:14We struggled at times this season.
05:17We had a really painful defeat here at home.
05:21And they bounced back.
05:23They worked hard.
05:24And finally, here's the result.
05:26So, it's really positive.
05:27And what does the next week or two look like for you now in terms of planning?
05:30Because I imagine you'll have to sit down pretty quickly and kind of decide the next.
05:34Yes, probably.
05:36But let's wait 24 hours and we'll see.
05:39What does being in Europe mean for the entire city, not just the football club?
05:43Because the club is such a beacon for the whole town.
05:47And it's been redeveloped and regenerated.
05:49And now you've got them to Europe.
05:50Yes, we feel the dynamic of the club.
05:53We are growing fast.
05:56But the structure underneath is strong.
05:59And we can't say that it's perfect, but we feel that we are improving a lot.
06:06So, after that, it's going to be an impulse for the future.
06:09And I repeat, we have to stay humble because football is relentless, especially at that level.
06:16The Premier League, first of all, and the Europa League, obviously.
06:19So, it's going to be new challenges ahead.
06:22But we don't want to set the limit before.
06:25Just work hard like we did before.
06:28And we'll see.
06:29You're quite calm person yourself, Regis.
06:32Just when you take soccer this last year, it's one year to the day since Wembley.
06:36And now you've completed, you've got to the Europa League.
06:39Just what are those emotions like?
06:41But also, does it kind of surprise you as well how quickly the club has grown in that space of
06:46time?
06:48Yeah, we are growing quickly.
06:50But in football, it's hard to anticipate something.
06:56We generated momentum.
06:58The players were so well connected, demanding with each other as well, which is really important.
07:04We have great leaders in the group, young lads with the willingness to learn.
07:12Just enjoy at the moment, because in football, you can go one way or the other way.
07:17At the minute, everything is really well aligned.
07:19Keep going.
07:20I mean, it's been so surprising for some people maybe outside of the club,
07:23because you were written off essentially at the start of the season by some places,
07:26which suggested that you were going to be relegated.
07:28You know, has that kind of underdog mentality really helped you this season?
07:32Yeah, it's important.
07:33They stayed humble and it's another point about the data and predictions.
07:41You can't assess the connection between the players.
07:45You can't assess the human relationship inside the group.
07:49And this group was absolutely outstanding.
07:51What are you most looking forward to now with this group of players?
07:55I think we are looking forward to the next ambition.
08:00And on the pitch, in their standards.
08:05I think we are feeling that the club is growing and it's good to be part of that process.
08:13Was part of you annoyed last summer because you were quite patronised?
08:17You know, and everyone expected you to really struggle and be relegated.
08:21Did that sort of bring a defiance in you and the players?
08:27Early in the season, I think, yeah, it was obvious that it could have been hard and expected like this,
08:36but I didn't feel it in the dressing room any time.
08:41It was clear that they were ambitious, humble but ambitious.
08:45And it's going to be the same.
08:47So we know that, I repeat, it could be one way or the other way.
08:51It's always fragile, but if you work hard and we have talented players, anything can happen.
08:57And has it quite suited you that you've gone under the radar?
09:00I mean, in the North East alone, all the tensions really being on Newcastle.
09:04Yeah, it's good.
09:07Let's stay under the radar and I think it's the best position.
09:12And I think we'll stay like this.
09:15Rajis, over the last few months and weeks,
09:18plenty of us in this room have asked you about Europe
09:20and every time you sort of batted that question away,
09:22how sick of you were of us staying in person?
09:25How do you feel now?
09:27Yeah, it's good.
09:28Even hard to realise, to be fair.
09:31And because it's for us in the club, it's a process
09:35and we trust the process, work hard, keep the same routine more or less,
09:40trying to improve our process, but keep the same routine.
09:44And with talent, with hard work, something can happen and was the case.
09:49So we don't need to change the attitudes.
09:52We still need to improve our way of working,
09:56but the attitudes have to be the same.
09:59Can I just mention Garnet-Jacques?
10:00From the moment you signed him, did you think he would have this influence on the club?
10:05Yeah, he's impressive.
10:06He's a great player, first of all,
10:09because the way he plays on the pitch, it's brilliant for a team.
10:18Composure, always smart, with the belief that we can press and adapt in real time.
10:23And he's a great leader as well.
10:25So he sets the standards every day.
10:29And it's not only by the voice, it's by the example.
10:33And yeah, his influence has been massive, it's clear.
10:37Sorry.
10:39Don't quit.
10:40So you didn't know that you were set up until what time?
10:43You're not following the results?
10:47Probably, we had 10 minutes of added time after five minutes.
10:51So the last five minutes.
10:53And during the game you were on the run, did you not want to know?
10:57I didn't know anything about the other results.
11:00It was just about St-Horland against Chelsea.
11:06You started the season by beating West Ham here in great scenes and you finish it like this.
11:13Those are two great moments and memories for you.
11:18Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
11:20I think today we showed a great level of maturity.
11:25From a performance point of view, I'm really proud of the way we delivered today.
11:32Good control on the ball, the way we managed their press, created chances.
11:38We damaged their left side at the beginning.
11:43And obviously we had to manage different problems out of position, but I think the lads did well.
11:48So I really appreciate the maturity of the group and it's exactly the direction we want to take.
11:54Great, cheers guys.
11:55Thanks.
11:55Thank you so much.
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