 Sean, first of all, can we start with fitness updates to Coray and Idrissa Gay? Any word on when they might be back for you? Idrissa's got a calf injury, certainly not for this weekend. We'll see how that slows down, sorry how it improves. Early signs are better than first thought, but we'll have to wait and see. Dukes 1M touch-and-go ones, you know the risk and reward scenarios is super, super fit fellow as we know. Desperate to play but we might have to make a judgement call when the game comes around or certainly by tomorrow afternoon. And Ashley Young out on the grass, we saw at training today, how far away is he? Yeah he's still a bit away after having a few weeks but he's a super fit fellow himself as you're probably aware with his age and still his prowess to play in the Premier League so we're hopeful the deal will return pretty quick. We were out at training as well, there's no Dominic Albert Lewin, no James Tarkowski out there, actually you weren't out there so, well take it no underline issues with any of you. I didn't break through it sometimes, I used to go throw like this if you stand out in the weather like that all the time, that's for sure. No underline issues? No nocks, yeah purely nocks, purely nocks and me hiding. What frustration is there Sean that no points from the last two games when there's been no real discernible drop-off in performance? I am well pleasing for the performance levels so I speak endlessly about it over a season that is seasons work. I'm also at Tottenham I thought, I mean Man City, I thought we'd play very well at Tottenham, they're a very good side but I think Man City for all the local or late noise sorry, they're still a top side, you know top professionals, excuse me, and a hard nut to crack and they proved that in the end. We you know a couple of soft moments from our point of view which and like us to be honest and that can happen but as you rightly said I mean the bigger picture the performance levels were stretched at a minute but you can clearly see the people coming in the side are ready and fantastic that the way they're looking after themselves away from playing regularly, that's a pleasing thing so the squad mentality stays very strong. What feeling do you have that at some point decisions will even themselves out because it seems that decisions are going against you at the minute thinking of the disallowed goal at Spurs and obviously the penalty against Manchester City? Well you don't want to cry it in, I don't think any manager does by the way but it's hard not to speak about very early season if you remember the Michael King goal you know the keeper drops at the end of the day and it's not turned around sending off at Liverpool not turned around you know the one at Spurs I mean I watched it back you know and for all and bless him afterwards said yes definitely didn't even respond you know he goes through and scores he's just like yeah they've scored end off so easy with hindsight we're all guilty of it and then when the other night I think last night sorry I think everyone's confused by the handball situation manager spoke very clearly to the powers that be early in the season including myself that one's a really poor one for me I don't know where the game if they think that's a penalty like I said afterwards if that's a penalty and no one should be a goalkeeper he must have some reflexes to get his arm and stop that if it was deliberate and I know deliberate doesn't count anymore and natural you know when your arms are it's all nonsense at the end of the day it should do back to the old days if it's deliberate you can tell referees that's why they're referees that's why they have the experience the feel of a game the knowledge of a game or should do the other frustration news give him what I said after the situation at Tottenham I said who's giving what the linesman gives this one is 50 yards away the rest 12 yards away I don't see that we've just had the opposite happen at Tottenham would you know so I think it's more the confusion I think they're under enough screwing anyway referees they're all about putting the microphones on them all sorts of mad stuff I don't know why I think we should be taking it away allowing them to referee the game and giving them a bit more use of their knowledge you know they're understanding of the game and putting these rules so that basically is everyone can judge it all but the rule of the rule states and you know footballs that always had a kind of interpretation side of it you know that's part of officiating such a topsy-turvy sport and I still think there should be a little tolerance of that and I think last night I'd be amazed if most referees did now to go that can't be a penalty I'd be surprised if they thought if all of them thought it was anyway my initial thought was it was a penalty only because the way they talk at the moment is that you've made your frame bigger by having your arm up there at the same time I saw Odegaard's handball and I don't even I don't think that's not a penalty apart from the people on the pitch yeah the mitigation there was these slits but there's no mitigation then for Amadou Anana who's making a genuine block for the ball and his arm meant to go so yeah well that's how confusing it is so the officials are officiating that moment as it should be by the letter of the law I think that's fair you know I went and asked the officials but not in a demanding way because they're trying to work with what the rule states but it's a bizarre rule in the first place and no one quite understands it no one quite gets it the managers don't understand it almost half-spoken so everyone's frustrated by it fans are frustrated by it the pundits last night seemed equally frustrated from what I gather I only read a few bits this morning so therefore if it's that confusing well someone's got to get old about me and start tidying it up like I said I used to like it when it was deemed you know the deliberate handball I don't really see what was wrong with that we'll be more or less know the difference and many of them were right certainly as right as they are now the hours are really good tool I think particularly the obvious thing offside I know there's a big debate and these tow was offside he's offside that's it I'll take that but these decisions I just think it's getting more and more confusing I don't think there's a need for it to be that confusing but to state again by the letter of the law seemingly the referee made the right decision but I think by that interpretation of the the rules of the good of football I think that's a nearly impossible that's given us a penalty so it needs to go back to I'm not saying it needs to go back I think there needs to be more of a variance of the rule in and what it stands for but it's really there for I think we all know they're trying to get more penalties I think we all know ironically we haven't had one never used to get any at Burnley that must be a strange thing I don't know where that lives but you know I think you know the power to be want more goals but there's a way of giving more goals in the sense of still making it fair and even way of officiating for the game to be played in the right manner and delivered in the right manner and I think I think the biggest word is confusion I think everyone's confused and certainly with handball now Shane if you are obviously despite the fact performance has been good you're now just a point above the drop zone again does it feel like it's become a more pressurized situation once more no I think it's a reality if you look when we got the 10 points taken where we were then and where we are now I think there's a pretty pretty healthy shift we don't know the outcome of what might come next we'll have to wait and see performance levels are good mentality is good we are a bit stretched that's sometimes the the challenge of what it is so yeah we just get on with it and keep working hard what do you expect from all's because only a couple of weeks ago they were losing 3-0 to West Ham yet then they've hit six in the next two beats in Chelsea and Brentford yeah they've turned into a good outfit they've varied their play and I think they're doing a good job there Gary when he went in there a lot of noise about you know players leaving and all sorts of things but seems to have calmed it and they've been a good outfit this season so I think like anything you know I speak endlessly about the strength of the Premier League you know you've got to be on top of your performances I think we have been mostly we've got to continue in that vein we've got to hope we get bodies back fitter fit sooner rather later sorry so we can get the squad back together within that I still think people are coming in as a side and giving very good performances currently so that's an important factor with our squad just finally for me Sean how much was a way towards last season a step in building the mentality that you've got here going right to the death and and getting a point there in the end yeah I mean different group of players different circumstances different situation but it was it was laying down some of the groundwork of you know what we want to stand for and that is that relentless attitude I believe in it wholeheartedly I thought it was there against Tottenham I thought it wasn't there last night I thought we were beginning to get back into the game put some doubt into Man City and then of course the third killed that situation but I think it's a good mentality to have I think it's growing all the time and yeah I mean it was literally more or less the last kick of the game and that mentality is very pleasing for me as a manager and I think it's growing all the time here excuse me sure 19 games gone in the season halfway point what's your mid-term assessment of where ever tonight given what you've had to do yeah I mean in spite of the the obvious I think it's a assessment of the end of last season saying when people are asking what do you expect in the new season I said well we've got to do better and I think in spite of the obvious situation 26 points would be a healthy return as regards a step forward from the last couple of seasons I think what you see as well not just the points return I think the way the team are going about it the way the squad are going about it and it feels I can't guarantee it feels like we've got a more aligned club I think the fans connection with the players I endlessly talk about because I think it's important the staff the alignment between us and the players and I think that's beginning to mature they're all important factors and let's say the unfortunate news of the 10 points has put a dent in that but hasn't broken anything we're still there we're still working hard we're still fighting and I still believe we're we've got certainly the players to to get more from the season than what we're currently getting when you look at Everton and Wolves the two teams you know come into this season of obviously undergone some degree of change you look back at that first game the result didn't go your way but the general consensus was the performance was good how different did you think these two teams are now to the teams that took the pitch there I think both teams have developed in different ways I think they found more of the players that they think can mold together as a side hence they're good results I think we haven't I think our performances were good at the beginning of the season but I think we've started taking our chances we've started keeping clean sheets I think the balance at both ends of the pitch has been better last night our kilter but generally speaking so I think both teams have developed in different ways you know we're just really focusing and concentrating on what we're doing how we're looking to achieve it now we're going about it and I'm sure Wolves will be doing the same and when you look at the performance of the tickets Mollin you I think it's seven games without defeat they've had playing at home obviously your waveform has been very good of late as well on the face of it it's two teams playing well should make for a good game so how do you approach it well we're approaching the way we have been that's for sure because the the waveform was another massive talk in what we've got here over the last couple of seasons we've somewhat corrected that more work to be done but I think the the improvement and the way the players got about it away from home has been clear not just from results I think the actual performances you know consistency there's another big thing another big word that I use all the time and I think we're growing with that and I think that's the next step is to go into place like Wolves take the game on we did do last season we'll look to do that again thank you it's the final game of the year how on earth do you sum up the last 12 months interesting there's no better word interesting you're an experienced manager Sean but how much have you learned from from 2023 would you say you're a better manager now after all the experience you know being a better manager I think is is a constant process you know learning as you go you've got some knowledge of course to get there in the first place but you use your wealth and your bank of knowledge but equally there's different things happen there's plenty happened here I can assure you navigating your way through it finding ways through it some what you believe in some stuff you learn putting pieces into place that you think are valid and important taking some outside influence as well and outside impressions and what's going on yeah and formulate in a way of working that you think can be successful and relatively speaking to the situation I walked into then I think there is a shift forward I think everyone knows that and I think the players certainly know that and the staff so I've been pleased with that side of things but the but the league table doesn't suggest that because of the 10 points if the league table did have the 10 points I think everyone would agree I think they go yeah there's been a a lot of work done by so many by the way not just me and a big shift in where it was to where it is now the 10 points thing obviously swerves that little bit sways it sorry but yeah generally speaking a lot learn a lot more today but does that 10 point deduction and we don't know the outcome of the appeal obviously at the moment but does it make it harder when you at one point got yourselves away from the danger area and then for a couple of defeats and other teams picking up results you back down nearly the dotted line again is it hard no that's just no that's just the reality of taking you know 10 points away from a team you know and if you look at the run we've had them where it could have been compared to where it is then you take it you know when the 10 points went and you look then at the league table and you look now you take it you go well okay they're there and certainly going in the right direction again even after that knock adding a few injuries and things like that and suspension then you go yeah actually that's a good return and a healthy return so like I say there's a lot of positives to what we're doing we can't stay at the league table all day long we know the realities as far as I speak to the players it is literally what it is now and anything else is a bonus the mentality has to be that when we keep playing well we keep working hard on the training pitch in the games and you get your rewards so that's what we've got to keep doing it's it's half season's work there's another half that's going to be very important I just wanted to ask obviously january's coming the window are there any concerns for you at the moment about the depth of the squad there's obviously been a number of injuries but bigger picture any issues of the depth I knew when I got here the squad was overloaded in certain areas it had to be skinned down we knew that both for literal reasons because it was too too many bodies and for financial reasons finding the balance and correcting that I think we've done that pretty well there's always a stretch if you don't carry big numbers that's the situation that I got that's the realities of it that's the bit that I'm managing we're managing the bodies we're managing the players we're managing the outputs we've got internationals as well you know all these things put a stretch on the side but equally we're believing the squad we're believing the players we've got so you know there's no excuse situation it is the realities we move forward with a group we've got and I believe in the group we've got so that's the biggest thing for me to stay focused on what we're doing and how we're working and there's been speculation about one or two Everton players potentially being eyed up by rivals would you want to hold on to everybody you've got at the moment yeah I think it's fair to say with such a slim squat you don't want to be losing players I don't think there's much reality in them situations to be honest I think in one way it's a back end the compliment you know when I don't think many were talking about too many players on a god era now they are and that's pleasing and some of the players development within the team development within the clubs recent development if you like or or sort of rejigging the club to make sure we're on a better foot old in what we do so yeah it's a kind of compliment in a way but I don't there's much reality at the moment in them stories okay thanks any further questions in the open section before we move on