Cheltenham Town 2 Swindon Town 3
What’s been going on since your interview today, and have you had a chance to talk with the guys more?
Don’t worry about what was said in the locker rooms after the game. I’m more concerned about our team’s defense, which is nowhere near the standard required for
professional football.
Angry? You’ve watched it. I am absolutely furious. We’ve been working on blocking crosses and dealing with balls in the box for weeks since we noticed a similar
trend. We’ve conceded ten goals from crosses into the box this season, which is unacceptable, and we’ve done so after 11 games. I’ve just told them that if they can’t
do it, I’ll have to wait till we have people in who can.
Can you put your finger on what it is they are not doing?
They are not getting close enough.
In three of your last four games, you have allowed a goal in the first two minutes of the second half. What’s your rationale for that?
Let us rewind. I thought we were the better team at initially, given how we started. As soon as the first goal was scored, which Swindon had no control over, heads
slumped and a few players went into their shells. Second goal, they didn’t have to do anything about it; a ball into the area, guys switch off, and he scores a free kick
at the back post to put them ahead 2-0. At this point, you’re scratching your head and want to see a fight. Players went into their shells. There is also a lot of
animosity left over from last season, and we’ve been brought in to attempt to counteract that, which is difficult. It’s tough. I am aware that what I do does not align
with the goals outlined today. It was too simple, and even after they scored the third, we did our best to give them a fourth. After that, I told them that, while they
didn’t throw it in, that was a given and should never have happened. It’s a derby, there’s a full house, and it must be hurting them far more than I believe it is. How
many of them just get into their car, go home, and not look themselves in the mirror and thought, ‘I could have done better today’? I don’t think that’s just us; it’s a
societal issue in which individuals refuse to look in the mirror and accept responsibility for their bad performance or mistakes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life,
and I’ve admitted to every single one of them. I’m not flawless, but I won’t let someone get away with a free header or a tap-in without putting up a fight. I felt Joel
McGregor, their 18-year-old right wing-back, scored the winner, and I believe he won about 15 headers today. That is an 18-year-old with fire in his gut, and he will
have a bright future. The question now for our men is, how many of you want to kick on or let your careers pass you by?
Are you questioning your players’ desires?
Not want, but how much pain it causes them. You can see they were rushing about and trying, but it’s that final…sometimes you can blame it on in-game
information; it’s just too easy to score against us, which can’t be. It cannot be. 10 goals from crosses isn’t good enough.
In-game knowledge, however there are players on the team who have played many Football League games.
Yes, and there are several players who, I must be careful what I say, are falling short of the standards that I expect for this football club.
You made three changes at halftime, so it must have been quite demoralizing to concede so early in the second half.
Yes, it is not good enough. We were in complete control at Barrow last week, and they didn’t look like scoring. We switch off, giving the home team the advantage.
Today, we give a struggling Swindon team a 3-0 away advantage. It was not good enough.
As you stated, you have looked in the mirror throughout your career and will again tonight. What will you believe you could do differently?
You have to keep working with them and striving to enhance them. Unfortunately, kids are learning on both my and the club’s watches. Those who do not take it on
board and do so promptly, I believe, will no longer have a lengthy career in the game.
But there’s not much you can do at the time, is there?
No, but this season was always going to be challenging. Forget about descending from League One. competition Two is an extremely difficult competition; wages and
squad quality have risen dramatically. We signed 19 players, including many who had no prior experience. But when you lose players like Harry Pell, Ryan Haynes,
and Arkell (Jude-Boyd), who I know is one of them, he is someone who can really go for it. Those three are huge misses for us. Long-term injuries to important
players complicate matters.
Did you think it would be this difficult?
Yes. I am not one to back down from a fight. I believe I am capable of carrying out my responsibilities here. You need time, more than one transfer window, and you
must work together. People might think I’m blaming the players, but I’m not. I’m just letting them know that it takes a lot more to have a long-term professional
career than what they’re demonstrating right now.
Were all three half-time substitutions tactical, and is Scot Bennett’s foot fine?
Scot was OK, and I doubt he did anything wrong today. He wasn’t to blame for the goals; it was only that we were 2-0 down at home against a team I thought we
could get to and score against, so we simply put more aggressive players on the field.
And they did make a significant impact, regrettably after the third was in.
The third goal, scored immediately after halftime, is inadequate. Let us be honest. The second goal: I have a player who does not even glance at the players he is
meant to be marking. I’m not going to name names or make it personal, but he’s not even looking at the player who is blocking Ryan Bowman, who was marking the
one who scored. It’s academy football. Where outcomes do not matter. They need to liven up quickly.
Jordan Thomas has returned from injury, and he does provide something different, doesn’t he?
He does, although I believe he could have done better in several areas today and added a few more crosses. He is returning from an injury. He is a prolific creator.
We had nothing to lose, so we might as well go for it and not worry too much about defense, which we aren’t very good at. We’ll have to fight fire with fire and be on
the front foot, so players like Jordan will be called upon to start.
Arkell Jude-Boyd another one who would offer that, if he was fit
He’s a big miss. And we brought in Ethon Archer to work with him and give him time to progress before selling him in 18 months. We are currently using him as one
of our primary attacking players due to our current situation. Eight months later, I believe he was playing Sunday league football. Let us not get carried away and
forget the fact that we are now dealing with this situation. George Miller has returned, needing games after a lengthy layoff, and he looked much sharper today, and
not just because he scored. He got dug in a little more, backed in, and made it more difficult for opposing defenders to get clean headers, so he’ll need games. It’s a
delicate balance that must be maintained without causing injury.
How is Matty Taylor doing following his hamstring injury?
He trained on Friday and didn’t feel very comfortable. Matty was not accessible. He got off, and I’m not saying he did his hamstring again; he just didn’t feel
completely comfortable, so we couldn’t risk it, especially given his hamstring history.
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