Because something so obvious cost you on Tuesday is it easier to convince the players that if they keep doing what they are doing, they are making progress?
I haven't seen the players since. There is being progress made and we are not stupid, people will look at the table and question whether progress has been made because we have actually gone down the league. We had a mini pre-season break and a good performance against Forest Green, where we conceded from a set play. We were 0-0 at Oldham with 11 men going into half-time and the sending off has obviously changed the game. Even with 10 men we conceded in the 75th minute and Scott (Flinders) has only made one save before that. The shape and structure of the team looks better. Now, something I said after the game and the players do know, we need to get better with the ball, we need to take a few more chances and a few more risks and come off our shape a little bit. It's all right having structure and a framework, but there needs to be the other side to the game, which is a little bit of confidence and putting yourself out there to make mistakes. That's the next part and there is lot of work going on. I have said from day one it wasn't going to happen overnight, hopefully it would, but it hasn't. The work is still going on and that's the next point. When we lose the ball now, we do have a shape and a structure, so now we can almost be a little bit looser when we do have the ball, come off our shape and find little pocket and angles a little bit better, which is something we need to work on.
Having worked so hard to get the ball, how difficult is it then to have cool heads when you get possession?
That's what makes the best players the best players, they make the best decisions so can you run around and harry, harry, harry, harry, win the ball and then, that's your moment of composure and quality. I can't make the players pass the ball, but we can give them options and give them patterns, that's something we can help with and give them the confidence that if they make a mistake, don't worry about because they know what's going to happen now. If you do lose the ball, back into your shape. That's the process and there is still a long way to go. I said after Tuesday's game I have absolute, total belief in what I do. I have belief in the players already here as well and there is definitely enough in the dressing room, so there is no panic stations yet.
You talk about that confidence to make a mistake. When you have that confidence do people actually make fewer mistakes?
Yes, because it's 'what if' moments and they are not bothered if they give it away as they can always get it back and go and do it again. The best players take chances, in the right areas. That's the key so we won't start asking to do Cruyff turns in the six yard box, if it's got to go it's got to go, but play as simply as you can. Something I say a lot is play the first thing you see. Sometimes players will see a pass and then look for something better. The first one is normally the best one. We want to get them to play off less touches, but that's confidence. No matter what sport or world you are living in, when you are not thinking you are at your best and you're in the zone for example, things like that and it's just happening. The players do care and being in the dressing room afterwards shows they do care which is a positive and they want to make things happen. They are a little bit tense because they don't want to make that mistake that costs us a goal, it's trying to reverse that which is the key.
You have talked about players being braver, but do you sense there are a few who are doing it?
Having two or three players will get you beat. You need six, seven or eight to turn up on any given day. It's very rare that all 11 turn up and if they do you win three or four nil. Can we get six, seven or eight turning up, rather than three, four or five? That's the challenge that's been set to them and there are lots of challenges at the minute. It's all very well me saying I have total belief in what I do, but we are also not stupid. We have dropped into the bottom two, but there is a long way to go and lot of points to fight for, so it's having belief in each other, this is the players I am talking about as the staff have total belief in them. If they players can believe in themselves hopefully the supporters will stay with us and I'd like to think they know there has been work going on, but that work needs to change into points obviously.
Stevenage are not on a great run, have they been knocked a bit by losing 8-0 to Charlton in the Checkatrade Trophy?
I can't answer that one. They started the season well and they have dropped off a little bit. It's not really about anyone else at the minute, because we have enough going on and we have to focus on ourselved. We have three home games coming up now, with the Arsenal game so players will get opportunities as well and I very much doubt it'll be the same 11 players starting the next three games. Whether that is form, injuries or just changing the game, so there are always opportunities for players to stake a claim.
Tyrone Barnett came off at Forest Green and was a sub on Tuesday night, is he fit enough to be in contention to start?
Yes, he should be. We felt that he wasn't quite 100 per cent fit and where we are at the minute we can't carry people on 80 or 90 per cent. He said he felt fine after playing 25 minutes or half an hour, so hopefully another two days he'll be ready. I haven't spoken to Gav (Crowe) yet and he'll report to me at around 10am, but I imagine he'll be fine.
Any other injury worries?
No.
From Sam Jones' reaction on Tuesday night, are you confident he will learn from that because he has been getting a fair amount of stick from fans for what he did?
Quite rightly as well because he let everybody down and he knows that and is fully aware of that. There is no point in me trying to cover that up and say 'nevermind' because although you can't guarantee it, I think we'd have asked the players to come out in the second half and been a little bit more expansive and they hadn't hurt us, so a draw away from home at Forest Green and 0-0 away from home again, quietening the crowd down and they were starting to turn when the first goal went in, so 11 v 11 is a different game. He knows what he did, he knows he was stupid and he gave the referee a decision to make because ultimately he committed a bad tackle. He should have been picking the lad up, apologising to the ref and walking away. He didn't need to get involved and I've had that conversation with him. It's the weirdness of football now because let's be honest, nobody is ever going to do anything on a football pitch. When I first started 20 years ago, someone would punch you, or wait for you in the tunnel afterwards. That's all gone out of football now and it's all bravado and a load of rubbish basically and Sam knows that. He was frustrated, the players were frustrated, I was frustrated and the supporters were, but it's gone now. It's done and there is nothing we can do about it, we've lost the game and we have to move on. But going back to the original question, I hope he has learned his lesson, I can't guarantee it, but I think he has. If he does it again then...
You are going to be without him for three games now. Kelsey Mooney and Conor Thomas were the only fit players not involved on Tuesday night. Is the door still open for them?
Absolutely, 100 per cent. We are not in a position to write anyone off. Everyone that is here now has an opportunity and will get a chance in the next week, one way or the other. The door isn't shut and the reason we didn't take them is because rather than sitting on a coach for 14 or 15 hours, they got a training session in the morning. That was for the benefit of everyone really, for them and for us. Ideally we'd have kept them as part of the group, but I think 14 or 15 hours sitting on a coach, would have been more beneficial for them to train. The door is absolutely open for them.
That bravery you are looking for, is that more important at home now because you haven't won at home in the league and the fans can get on your back if things aren't going well?
Absolutely. That is the key because the supporters are edgy and the players are edgy, which goes hand it hand as they are feeling the same thing. But it's important that we are brave, we do get on the ball and try to pass it and create opportunities, while having the structure. That's the next part as we have done all the stuff off the ball, it's now growing, coming off your shape and making the pitch a bit bigger, being more expansive and trying to create a few more chances. Ultimately you are not going to win a game if you never have the ball. It's almost like step one, step two, step threee. We have had the little pre-season and most teams will work without the ball so that's the structure now and the players should know that. Yes, you have to keep touching on it now and again, but it shouldn't change no matter what the formation, the principles are the same. The next phase and the hardest part is creating chances and scoring goals but it's something we have to do better and all season we haven't scored enough goals.
You said you'd pick the bones out of Tuesday night. Have you watched the game back yet?
I have watched it back and the players will have a presentation after training. It won't be overkill, just four or five clips of the goals and examples of how we could have used the ball a bit better and get people in better positions. The games come too quick to be in a classroom for 45 minutes saying we need to do this or could have done that because the next game is coming. Sometimes Saturday to Saturday you can go into a bit more detail, but the chat we had after the game and the chat they had with each other after the game, it's trying to evidence that really and that's what the analysis will be.
