How ready do you feel as a club for the new season?
Yes, I think we’re ready. We trained on Thursday morning and the lads are in good shape, so we’re excited and looking forward to it.
Do pre-season performances and results allow you to go into the season with some confidence?
I am not too fussed on pre-season results. You are looking for certain things in the performance. I have confidence because I know the group and I know the work that’s been done. As I said, I think we are ready.
No Curtis Davies on Saturday due to suspension. How big a miss is that?
We brought him in because first and foremost he’s a really good player. He ticks a lot of attributes we were looking for. You guys have just spent some time in his company and you can probably get an idea of what he’s like as a character and a person and exactly why we were so keen to bring him in, for what he’s going to give us off the pitch as well.
Does he still have a role to play this weekend despite being unavailable?
Yes. You see him around the place and the way he speaks to people, encourages and supports, he’ll certainly have a role. Of course we want all of the players to be available, but we'll still have a decent XI and some good defenders out on the pitch.
It's a young team, so that experience Curtis brings must be so useful
Yes, it's a young team, but it was young last season as well. We have five or six players now who have had a season of it, know what it's like and what the league is about and what it's like to go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. It's not saying they've arrived, or we've cracked it because I genuinely don't think that's the case, but they've been around the block once at least.
At the other end of the pitch, no Alfie May. How much does that put responsibility on the goals to be shared around among the strikes and the whole team?
Yes, everybody is responsible for the goals, but Alfie was brilliant for the club. There does come a point when we have to accept that chapter is closed and it's time for someone else to write their own chapter.
And as well as the goals, you want the hard work ethic and the example is there isn’t it?
Whichever combination of forwards we put up top, they are going to work their socks off. It’ll be a slightly different dynamic and it’ll look a little bit different, but what you lose in one area, you potentially gain in another. I still believe we’ll carry a threat at the top end of the pitch.
How difficult is selection?
We don’t have the biggest squad at the minute, but if you talk to a lot of clubs they are in a similar situation right now. There will be one or two more coming through the door before the window closes. Everyone that we have got in the building will feel close to it and a part of it and will feel that they can go and compete and contribute to the team. It’s certainly a competitive squad.
Anything more in before Saturday?
You’re asking the wrong person!
The fact that it’s Shrewsbury Town on the opening day, is that the fixture computer having a sense of humour?
It’s an easy thing for people to latch on. Micky (Moore) and Marcus (Bignot), from our end, there is a lot of respect. They were both good for me and the football club. They’ve moved on, we are playing them on Saturday. After Saturday, we’ll wish them all the best. Over and above that, we know we are facing a really good side, who finished 12th last season. Matty (Taylor) has gone in and inherited a really good structure, squad of players and he hasn’t lost loads of them. He has (Dan) Udoh back, who was unavailable last season. Park all the nonsense up off the pitch and concentrate on what’s going on, on the pitch and we know we are in for a really tough game.
You went there last season and won and there was obviously history with that fixture too because of your Steve Cotterill links
Yes, Matty has inherited a really good structure and squad. Steve did a really, really good job there. They finished 12th in the league last season and that was only because they tailed away in the last four or five games, when they ran out of bodies. We know we are going up against a good outfit.
New rules from the FA this year, including players not surrounding referees and how managers act in the technical areas. What’s your view on that?
It’s probably a good thing. Sometimes we scream and shout at refs and it’s almost become accepted. We need a little reset on that. Me and Graham (Coughlan) both got booked last Saturday for very little, if I am being honest. But that was probably the referees saying they want to draw a bit of a line in the sand. Managers, coaching and technical staff are going to have to be a little bit respectful of that. You don’t want to see what you saw with Anthony Taylor in the Europa League final last season and the extreme ends of it. I might end up getting caught out because it’s an emotional game and it’s difficult not to get involved in it at times, but we do have to try our hardest to be a little more respectful of referees.
Some fans say you aren’t the most demonstrative anyway, so you are probably at the correct end of the scale anyway aren't you?
I try not to get involved too much, but it’s difficult because we are all emotionally invested in it and we all care about it. Certainly something early on, it’ll be something we have to be mindful of.
From the players’ perspective, discipline could be absolutely crucial in not losing games
Well, it’s something we’ve been really good on. If you look at our disciplinary record over the last three or four seasons, it’s always been towards the top. Not many red cards, not many bookings. I want all my players available to me.
How are Sean Long, Will Ferry and George Lloyd fitness wise?
We’ll make late decisions on all of them. They were all on the grass on Thursday in different various states, but we’ll make late decisions.
How pleased are you with your summer transfer business so far?
We are pleased with what’s come in so far. We think we’ve brought in, first and foremost, good characters, which is really important to us. We’ve been quite specific about the attributes and skill sets we are looking for. There are still one or two areas and attributes we’d like to bring into the building, but we are pleased with the work we’ve done so far.
You are 55 games in as a head coach now, so how much more prepared do you feel for this season compared with 12 months ago?
It doesn’t sound that many does it! But I spoke about the players earlier being better for having a year of it. I don’t think any of them have cracked it after one full season and I feel exactly the same. Better prepared, yes, and my eyes are a little bit more open about what I am going into and what the challenges are going to be. But I certainly don’t feel like I’ve cracked it, or arrived after 55 games.
Is it a different emotion this year compared with last season, in terms of excitement or more confidence, rather than nerves of the unknown?
Not any different really. You get to this stage and you’ve done your work in the off season, done pre-season for five or six weeks, you're just desperate for the first game to come around, getting a crowd in and getting an atmosphere back and getting it all going again. I am looking forward to it as much as anybody, as much as the fans, the players and I am probably in a similar place.
A big day for Rob Street on Saturday too, going back to his old loan club for his Cheltenham Town debut?
I am sure he’ll get a warm welcome back because he did very well there. Supporters respect players who give everything and have a good work ethic and Rob certainly has that.
