We talk about the positives at Preston and then came Blackpool and a 3-1 defeat, can we just establish some perspective about Saturday and the loss at Bloomfield Road?
I think it's a really disappointing result for us. I think it was a game that we looked at, every Championship game that we are in we say which teams are doing well and I think it was a game we were expecting to get something from.
Again we're conceding goals and the frustration of some of the goals is coming from stuff that we really worked on which is very, very frustrating. You sensed that with Nigel after the game, but we've had our debriefing this morning, we looked at it yesterday with clips as we've always done and we will persevere and we'll get ready for Reading.
Football's always going to be a team game but how much about the goals conceded on Saturday was down to individuals?
I've told you before about it and given you a number of stats at times, five different mistakes that led to the goal in the build-up in play, the cross can it be stopped? And the marking but two of the goals are definitely individual - if you're given a job you work on it.
We can't replicate a game day, we can't replicate a matchday because we haven't got 18,000 people, 15,000 or 12,000 people - what we do is we study, you know, 50 set-pieces or we study every player and we know their strengths and what their weaknesses are when they have it or when they're dribbling with it, where they want to go and we show that and we work on it. Like we do on set-pieces and I thought two of the goals we could've done a lot better.
In fact the three goals, that was the disappointing and frustrating part. But we cannot just wallow in self-pity and think the world has ended you know we have to go get ready to go again because the Championship is an unbelievably tough league you know it's Saturday, it's Wednesday, it's Sunday and every game is winnable and every game is losable.
It's all about balance as well, there's no doubt your players are playing more attacking football this season, you're creating more chances. I think Sheffield United was the last time you failed to score in a match - on the flip side, it's nine games where you've conceded two or more goals. Do you have to sacrifice the attacking play to tighten up the defence or can you find the right balance?
I think at the end of the day, we need to be a threat and I think we are a real threat in the game. What happens when we're not a threat? You know, we can't have to score three goals every game to go and win it. We have to have that solidity and backbone of steel.
The goals, you know over the last few weeks and we talked here we go through it and guys, we know it's an elephant in the room and we're not afraid to talk about it because it's happening.
That's what happened. And we have to work on that and we are working on it. There's no doubt you know, as a coach, you're disappointed when you're conceding goals and you're disappointed if they're coming from things that you've preordained and you said this is what they do.
So yes, we are playing attacking football, we have to be more organised when we're attacking. And a lot of that comes down to communication, strength and real determination.
And I think that's what we have to keep working on it. And it's something that we are doing.
In terms of team news, you've been working pretty much with the same squad for a few weeks now is that the same again for Wednesday?
Yes, yes, it will be. You know, Bents missed Saturday, he had Covid. So we had a five day kind of isolation that he had to go through so that's good.
He's back in this morning and that's great. And Matty James, that's really a kind of every two days check-in to see how he is because of the injury that he has and as Nigel has said Andy had an operation last week and he's going to be out for a while.
And the goals conceded on Saturday, I don't think Max could have done anything about them. I think Dan Bentley, he's a leader and a captain, isn't he? Is that something you consider when picking a goalkeeper for the week ahead?
That will go down to Nigel. I don't think Max had much of a chance ( with Blackpool's goals).
You can see what Max's strengths have been since he's come in and yes we've conceded goals but I think that's a team effort.
We spoke to the guys that every attack has to start somewhere and it starts at the back and when we defend it starts from the front. People always think it's the defence that has to defend on a Saturday and it's not. It's the 11 players and it's the 11 players that have to go and attack and play into that.
It's great to have Bents back in and it's another decision for Nigel to make. I think Max has done really well for a young guy playing regularly in the championship and I think Nige is not afraid to make any decisions so it depends on how he is feeling.
That was the case on Saturday, Callum went off at half-time. Can we have some perspective for Callum because he's playing left wing-back and I guess he's still developing into the role... he's only been playing it for the last few weeks.
You know, he's an experienced player and I think the position has suited him. And I think he's put on a real front foot, as I've said it's a really tough league and I think it wasn't working on Saturday, we needed to change it. Something needed to change.
We were lucky enough to get Joe and have Joe available to come on. That it's no slant on Callum at all. Really, it was for us to try and win the game.
Because at half-time we're two goals down. And as I said to you before, I'm the eternal optimist. I'm still thinking we're in this game. And we make a change, we start well and we concede again from a very, very poor goal again.
The manager said when the players get an opportunity they need to take that chance, did Nahki Wells take that chance by getting on the scoresheet on Saturday, was that a positive?
It was a positive. If you look at everything, and everyone is talking now, you as press and media and fans are all talking about the attacking threat that we have. And he's been unlucky because they've been a real threat, the three of them up there.
So he's been waiting for his chance. He's trained well, Nahki, and I think everyone was thinking he was going to go here and then go there in January. And he stuck to his training and he got a chance to come on in and get us a goal. So we know what he offers us.
And the best thing for us is that he'd be happy to come out and say 'Ok I'm here now.' You know, maybe clubs were in for him although I wasn't on those calls. But at the end of the day he has to knuckle down and play and he did. He didn't come on and sulk. He made an impact, that's what you want from your substitutes and for him, there's nothing better than scoring.
Reading are going to be dangerous aren't they? I don't think they've won in eight league games - were knocked out of the FA Cup by Kidderminster but they're fighting for their lives.
There's no doubt that every Championship game... you know it's unbelievable. I think people don't appreciate the intensity of the Championship.
Pep Guardiola's just come out and said if you're top of the championship, you're a good side. When he was speaking about Fulham he says it's such a tough league, week-in-week-out. Reading, when you look at the last game they played against Queens Park Rangers, they were in but only for the goals. They played some really good stuff they got some good footballers, they've got good quality but they conceded goals so we know it's going to be tough and we have to be at it.
Every game for us is a must-win game every game that we play because if we can win three games a week, three must-wins, then you don't know where you're going to end up.
So think is a big game it's going to be really, really tough as it is but we have to be ready we have to be up for it. We had our debrief today and were quite frank in an open form about talking about different things and then we get our heads on now ready for Reading, we're really looking forward to it.
Just going back to Matty James, is there a timeframe in mind to get back into the squad or is it a day-by-day thing?
It is, it's a difficult one we've got to be careful. It's right at the sole of his foot so literally every bit of weight goes through that there's nothing you can do. They've got a special test thing, it's too technical for me but they've got the help
Jamo, from the goal he scored at Hull where he could barely walk, is desperate to get back, he's desperate to play in the team and we're desperate to have him back but we can't rush him.
We don't want him coming back, playing for 20 minutes and then we lose him for six weeks. We'd rather give him that little bit more time. He's a huge player for us - we know that, you know that so we're looking forward to getting him back in.
Is he taking part in any sort of training whatsoever?
Not with us, he's doing some stuff with the physio.
I wanted to ask you about Robbie Cundy's absence at the weekend, was there any reason for that?
Yeah, it was just a little bit tight, his back and tightened up his hamstring was a little bit tight and he just had a worry because of his injury history that you know, you don't want to be thrown in the thing is when you're on the bench you know people think you put subs on for 15 minutes, or you can only play 8 minutes.
When you have a substitute on the bench you want someone who can come on, so if something were to happen and we had to throw him on into a Championship game after two minutes and we just felt... he's been in with us in training today.
Going back to Saturday, was the most frustrating thing for you the lack of consistency and failing to build on from the Preston performance and from the weeks prior?
We can't lie can we? I think it's consistency and performance will give you consistent results, if you keep that and you really believe in it. And I think that's what shocked us the most probably because we're in a good place.
We're in a good place. Now we, we feel we're a threat, we're playing some really good football, we're working very hard. But it's those fine details and those things are letting us down and shooing us in the foot.
At the end of the day is an individual or team but to help your team-mate, you've got to concentrate. So I think that was a frustration that was too many players on the day that didn't think playing as consistently as they had to previous weeks. I've been lucky to win a couple of promotions as a player. You know we have a lot of players that are around six or sevens every week. Every week, we don't want a nine and a two we want to a consistent level of performance.
That's what Pearson alluded to after the game on Saturday, there wasn't enough 7/10 performances in there - does it give the feeling that if one or two players have a bad game then it reflects in the whole team's performance?
It will for any team. It's about the individuals - why are we not 7s? We're young players, there's no doubt they'll plateau there's no doubt they'll make mistakes.
Blackpool was a different game to Preston, there was torrential rain it was not one of those where you could take the ball down I think they're a ball playing team and I think the goalkeeper hit every goal kick from the D and they played from that so I think they probably played the conditions better than us.
There's no doubt that if there's a couple of players that aren't at it then it has an effect on your team, it does with every team but the big this is why? and how?
Because you have to adapt in the Championship you can go from Fulham to Peterborough but you have to adapt, you can talk about the shape the way you're going to play, but you don't know what the opposition have worked on for the last few days so when the game starts then you have to be ready to adapt and see where the spaces are.
I think you've referenced it in one of Richard's questions as well that you've been putting a lot of work in to try and prevent the set pieces from going in. Is that something you've been putting more hours into the training ground more recently?
It's something that we have been working on and we have worked on. Looking at the stats for the Cardiff game we had 13 first contacts out of 15, and you would say that's unbelievable but that's only one game.
You have to have that consistency and there's no doubt that we're working on the really finer details by talking to individuals about their blocking positions and how we defend, whether we defend zonal or with markers, we've looked at everything.
The best thing about it is that we want to, more than anybody, is to not concede from set-pieces. So if I need to stay here till 9 o clock tonight, I've got no problem, that's grand.
Sometimes the decisions are on the day.
Has there been a temptation to change the formation to prevent the crosses coming in from wide positions?
We've looked at everything, we've looked at what shape helps us most attacking wise. You go a goal up or two goals up, whether you lock up shop or go into shape, you know we've talked a lot about it.
Sometimes I think it's the personnel, sometimes I think it's the personnel who are happy in the positions.
You know we don't want any square pegs in round holes. Jay Dasilva has been brilliant for us at right wing back, he's had to come in and has done very, very well. But I think he's a different kettle of fish because I think he's so technically gifted but you don't want too many people out of position.
A lot of the fans ask, as yourself being a former defender and Nigel being a former centre-back, just how much is that frustration on a defensive side on set-pieces. You guys must be tearing your hair out at times I would have thought?
Yea, if I had any hair it would definitely be coming out there but I think it's a big bugbear for us. I think more first and foremost. You probably think it's because you're a defenders but it's because you're a coach and you want to do the job to the best of your ability and work on it not just think about it.
You've got to have a go because sometimes it's just sheer bloody-mindedness, it's just saying you're not scoring today, you're not scoring today with these set-pieces and I don't care what happens, there's your man and you're not scoring today and if you do that and everyone else does it then great but switch off and they make a move or if this happens or that happens and sometimes you're like 'hold on a minute, just do your job'.
We cannot tell you (the players) exactly what they're going to do, we can show you 50 of the last set-pieces and look at all the different movements that were made and all the different personnel and sometimes it's down to the individual and that's the frustrating bit.
Coupled with that and I've seen Nigel said before about the team being a bit more street-wise at times and obviously, you've got some younger guys in the team, just how much can you get them guys to scrap in those moments and give you the dirty side of the game to an extent. Can you get that into them or is it a case of when these guys have developed and got the experience?
Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both. I think that you can't take you know, Han-Noah, and start saying smash it over it people's head and don't dribble because you're taking away 90 per cent from his game but I do think that they need to adapt to all the different games, I think, if you're going to try to affect it, you know, you may say we're going to to do things that they don't want to do if it makes you a match-winner.
It it helps it make it a battle in there you need to be in the battle. We can't say after a minute it's going to be a battle so we're going to have to substitute you, you need to be in the battle. You have to be. It comes down to determination and belief which is a big thing. The belief that they can do the job, we've got good young players here who can do a job week-in-week-out in the Championship and yes they need to get experience.
You know, Pringy was gutted last week at Preston when he ran for the goal when he should have gone for the corner and I bet if that happens on Wednesday we all know where he's going.
He'll just go 'I don't care what happens, I'm heading that way' and he'll learn from his mistake so I think it's a learning curve. They're learning on the job, they're playing against experienced Championship players. We can't use that as an excuse, conceding some goals which is not from lack of experience.
There's a few injuries in the middle, Kasey Palmer as well. I was just wondering on Josh Owers, he's made the 19th man a couple of times. From what I've seen of him he's a gritty, destructive central midfielder - what have you made of him, do you like what you see?
Yes, yeah. And that's why we've kept him with us. He's come in and he's shown that he's not out of place.
I spoke to him and Benny in fact that you know, I've told them they're training with us and they're in the squad because they deserve to be. You don't bring nice lads on trips. You need footballers that can do a job.
So when we look into we say you're in and you have a chance because this manager will give you a go, he has to be gritty and gritty may mean putting your foot in and I think like you, how well he's going to do, we're not sure because you've got to put him in. The one thing he has is great energy and he'll put his foot in. He's a good lad and he doesn't shirk anything which the fans love. So he's definitely given us something. He's not too far away especially with the injuries we have.
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