 Brought to you by DIS, keeping companies connected with cloud-based solutions. Come on, City! Stuart, good to chat with you again. I know we spoke about it on Saturday after the game with Reese's injury, but now the club have put out a statement just confirming the length of time in which he's at least going to be out now, which is 12 weeks. Just how disappointing is that for him and the club as well? Yeah, first and foremost obviously for the young lad. He's down in London today being assessed properly by the specialist, and then obviously we'll know furthermore if he needs an operation or not, so we'll just have to wait and see. But yeah, listen, it's bad for us as a football club, but for the boy himself. But, listen, it's pan-passal football, we all know that, and you've got to come back as good as ever hopefully, and I'm sure he will be with all the support he'll get here. Yeah, as a young man and as a young professional, 18 years of age, a first real significant injury. What's the best course of action for him now to get back fighting fit, and just for the presence of mind as well? Yeah, it's a mental thing as much as anything. Listen, you've got to get through it. It's not a life, it's not career ending injury or anything. I remember Brian Robson, I think, he broke him two legs and something before he was 16. So it's things you get on when you deal with, you've got to have the support, the mental and physical work that you will do. But again, I would have 11 months with a knee injury. So four months is long enough without a doubt, but it's a muscular injury. It's not like a serious knee ligament injury or a break or anything. But they can be as bad, I know that. And it's just about when he gets back, if he has an operation and working through that, if he doesn't have an operation, then just exactly the same, but be guided by the specialists and obviously the physios. What does it mean now then for the way that you set up your system, your shape, do you alter things now? Rhys is going to be out for a significant period of time? Possibly, yeah. I mean, listen, there's no doubt when we decided to go through at the back and we're going to try to play out from the back, then Rhys would have key component of that. So, you know, we look what we've got at the minute and we're struggling a few departments, if I'm honest, but we've just got to come up with the best solution, whatever that may be. And, you know, we'll work around that. On the solution side of things, does it present opportunities at all for someone like maybe George Secora to put his name forward or Fin Cousin Dawson who can play in that position? Well, yeah, not naturally left-sided though. We're asking people to bring out the ball on a certain side or to play it. Listen, lots of people play three-center arches, should be strong, big and solid, Northampton last year. We were actually playing it because there's two boys either side, Rhys and Antio Conner. We're good at bringing the ball out. I'm giving his overloads, a la trying to do what Sheffey and I do at the time. And we were getting a lot of crosses in the box from as high as a higher up wingbacks, you know, Woody, Rhys, Tyler, whatever it may be. There's a lot of opportunities created by them. So, but yeah, it's a different, I don't say George going and playing on the left-hand side. It's not his game to bring out the ball as it is within on the left-hand side. So, you know, you have a system and that system will tell them we're made to suit certain people. As I said before, Ben playing in the three, not as comfortable, Rhys playing in the back two, not as comfortable. Everyone's got their own different strengths. How then make a centre half or a ball playing centre half a priority in the January window now? It has been in the last month going to be a priority, but obviously more so, left-sided one probably. Don't have to be ball playing. As I said, once we start going into the winter months and the pitches chew up then, you know, and listen, I'm looking at Cheltenham, you know, we've got to play tomorrow, three, six-foot, two, six-foot, three centre-backs, actually decent on the ball. We do come out with it, there's no doubt, but big, physical, strong. And I go back to years and go from my first management to time at Bradford, I was going back a long time when I was speaking to Danny Wilson. You've got to be big and strong in both boxes, especially back end of the season, you know, when it's not about playing football, it's about being physical, being strong. Defending long throws, corners, free kicks. So that's something going forward. We've got to look at in the recruitment side of it. We've got some nice, tidy footballers, but when it comes to the physical side of it, it's something certainly a mark that we've got to look to to bring into the football club. How are you doing on the other injuries? How's the extent of Zellie firstly? Zellie's away for a scan now. So, you know, I expect that not to be a short-term one. And listen, you know, you feel for the lad because he's worked, since I've been in here anyway, since pre-season, he's worked tirelessly. He's got much power on string testing, he's hamstring than anyone at the club. He played more minutes, I keep going back to pre-season. And nobody can understand, you know, why this has happened. You know, we give him a bit of run out at Salford. He's trained well all last week. He starts the game quite brightly. And then what, 10, 12 minutes in, he has to pull up with the hamstring. So again, that's, it's disappointing for his cells, but it's usually disappointing for the lad because it's been a stop-start injury since he's come to the football club. And Levi Sutton and Harry Pritchard, how are they faring? Listen, I'll be honest, Jimmy, it's not a great news again this morning. Three of the lads that were available to us on sat, they're all out now with mine and muscle injuries. But I don't want to be doing gloomy. It is what it is. You know, I'm looking at the board. I'm looking back. I remember speaking a couple of months ago, I just looked back at the program. I think for the first, well, certainly in league games, we've lost one out of six. And we, apart from having suspensions to Levi and the two O'Connor's, we're actually injured, right? And I think if you throw the cup games in there, I think we've lost two out of the first time with a relatively strong sport to pick from. Unfortunately, now we've got seven out tomorrow, possibly eight. Certainly all is in the way that we would, I would like to have played against each other. And that's for sure. And it's, you know, we've had a lot of discussions this morning as a staff, watched lots of things and we will do this afternoon because, and again, we can't do any work today because one of the lads is a 50-50. If he's available, it'll probably change the way we play or try to play in a shape. We've got, but we add out of the bare bones and certainly middle to front areas. We haven't got a lot of options, if I'm honest, but listen, we've got to get on with it and be competitive. We can be tomorrow because we're up against a really strong side who built on from last season, big, strong, physical, good at set plays, long throws coming in your box all the time. But they also play off from the back as well. So I think the manager's done a really good job there. They've got a strong, strong squad. And I would probably, you know, think, you know, they've been one of the strong favourites to be top three at the end of the season. But that's a challenge we have. And it's a challenge we've got to rise to. Have you decided yet how you'll set up, or are you specifically waiting on the 50-50 player? Yeah, we've got a little idea at a height going into games and not looking where we can be a threat. We've got to be a carrier threat of some sort. But likewise, you know, the, I mean, I've just watched a clip of one of the games there. They've got eight in the box, some corners, and they're all six foot plus. So, you know, defensively, airily, they get a lot of goals from set plays and long throws and free kicks and corners and load the box. And they're good at it. You know, they're well-drilled, they're well-organised. So you've got to come up, you've got to look at that factor without having the biggest side available to pick from as well. So it's a challenge, but it's one that we've got to come up with something that we can be resolute. And that doesn't matter about your system. Resolution comes from within. But then we've got to have a way that we can try to hurt them and create and get opportunities. We can't go into game thinking, yeah, we're struggling, certainly middle-of-front with threadbare. But we've got to have a plan to at least, you know, carry a threat and can't just sit in the full 90 odd minutes and hope to defend the box with the quality they've got that they put in and obviously the size that they've got. Just going back to the injury side of things, Stuart, for a moment. What do you put all the injuries down to? Is it just unlucky for you as a squad right now? Or is there a wider context to it, do you feel? No, we're looking into everything, because a lot of them are. But I think the thing as well, that's a bigger problem at the moment is that we're getting two or three back, but maybe can only use them for an hour. And then you're losing many longer, they're going to be out for a couple of weeks and that's what we're finding. So it's really difficult, frustrating. I'll defy any team in the league to go through what we're going through at the minute. It's probably the worst injury problems I've encountered. And more so because it's, you know, middle to front. And the ones that I mean, we're playing clay in every minute of every game at the minute, you know, a 36-year-old. We've nothing to give him a relief from really. We've got lads who are playing, who are wanting to play and committing to play, carrying little tightnesses and muscle injuries. And then they come to the after the game, Saturday and Sunday, they're struggling. And then you look what's happening to restart and you look what's happening to Zele. You look what happened to Gareth Evans when he tried to come back slightly early from training. It's just so hugely frustrating at this moment in time. You know, we would have used, if it had been five subs on Saturday in the cup, we would have used all of them. I would imagine come tomorrow, we will, I would imagine use all five substitutes tomorrow because there'll be lads that are probably starting that I'm getting told can only do maybe an hour. You know, we had A mark Zele for an hour. He gets 12 minutes. We'd A mark restarting for an hour. He gets 53 minutes. So it is challenging. There's no doubt about that. But in that, the people that are going on the park, I've got to take their opportunities. And it's, it's tough times, but it's ones that we've just gotten back and down the hatches and drive through it and, you know, be the best we actually can and be difficult to beat, but also as I said, try to carry a threat and, you know, score. We've just spoken to Clayton and specifically about him at 36 years of age, knowing his body better than anyone else, having a vast career of understanding injuries. How important is it for you as a manager to have that dialogue with a player who fully understands his own body and his limitations and his expectations, maybe in contrast to someone who is at the early stage of the career, who is dead keen to get out in the field, but hasn't got that air of hesitancy because they know what injuries could incur. Yeah, of course, experience. That's exactly what you said, you know, your own body. But, you know, needs most at the minute and, you know, he's having to play. And again, he's one of the markers in the team. You know, you even go to, I mean, I watched the Chelsea game talk to me yesterday and they discussed in the last 10 minutes. And normally we'll think, well, you just get your best players on the path, but they're not about taking every hands off and being drew on because they're looking at the marking, they're looking at the size of Tottenham, set pieces, et cetera, et cetera. And it's a key part of any game, especially at our level, there's so many goals scored, and, you know, at the minute, you know, Clare says, another one will pick up. We've got a relatively smallish team scored, if you like, a lot of footballers. So that's something we're going to try in the coming windows without a doubt. Dee Wolves' Arsenal game after the Chelsea Spurs game caused the head injury to Raul Jimenez and there's been a proceeding amount of conversation about a Troidini on talk sport this morning talking about how, you know, more responsibility needs to be handed to the players in those circumstances. What's your take on that conundrum at the moment? It's been going on for a long time. There's no doubt about that. I mean, the clash, the sound was sickening. How both players didn't come off there and then I was amazed to be honest. Obviously, really stayed on to half-time and unfortunately for the Wolves players, you know, the serious injury. But yeah, I think anything like that. Again, I'm like you, listen to talk sport and listen to the people talking about the past experience. I think Stephen Warner was on the TV this morning. I've had the head knocks and it depends on what time you play. I just want to get on with the game but then I have to be a little bit. But it did a few years ago a bit, taking out your hands and, you know, if you lose consciousness then you were out for two weeks. It was a give me and then it started changing a little bit different rules. But yeah, it's something everyone's got to look at. As a manager, you're always wanting to keep people on the part but it's about play safety. There's no doubt about it. More important than a single result. They watch right for the player. Do you feel like there could be more to come in that respect that there needs to be more precaution taken surrounding head injuries? Yeah, possibly. Yeah, as I said, they did a few years ago if you lose consciousness. Now, sometimes I'll have to go down and bang his head or maybe a couple of seconds, but that's enough apparently, you know, once you've done that. Because listen, I've been there as a manager years back and somebody's gone down had a head knock but he wants to carry on. He wants to carry on. I'm saying he's got to carry on and the physio's going on. Listen, the rules have changed. You can't do it now. And the lad feels okay, but you've got to go by science as we keep saying. Stuart, good to chat with you. Go well tomorrow night. Cheers. Yes, thank you. You're very full-fledged after the game about the performance. And you said you wanted to see more energy and more just better play really. Have you seen a response from the players in the short time you've had so far? No, to be honest today, they've all have done the lads at play with a little passing drill. We can't afford to do anything. Honestly, we've got to bear bones in training and some of the lads were not playing well. We've had a small fiver side, but it's almost non-contact because we're struggling so much with injuries. But what was it about the game the other night or the other day, should I say? It run parallel to a couple of games we've had recently that we started okay, we get a goal ahead and yet in fairness, their two goals are worldies, both 30 are, there's outstanding goals. But when we concede one, I think it was the first shot they'd had against us and they scored a great goal for their play. We then seem to mentally, I don't know, lose focus, lose concentration. Maybe we think we have to go and score straight away because we then give opportunities up on the counter attack. And the other day was the poorest we've been in possession of all. When we've been looking to play out, when we play it well and getting good areas, as I said, and we've got good possession, we get through teams and get it wide and get crossing, we look at good team. But all we need is a bit of slackness and sloppiness, which we've had Exeter, when they scored, they got two, they could have got two or three before halftime, Salford were the same. And certainly on Saturday before the game, before halftime, Odell could have had another couple of goals. And that's as much a mentality thing. But also we were just sloppy throughout those two or three or four players had the poorest day in possession of the ball. And we just got to hope that obviously that doesn't happen again. Don't be sloppy, don't be casual. And that was the key, that little period just before halftime. Then we come out half time. And obviously they scored another fantastic goal, second half would have looked a bit better. But we don't really create a great deal. But as I say, middle to front at the minute, we're body wise and personnel wise, we are struggling. So we've just got to make the best of what we can and be difficult to play against, but also carry a threat. And at the moment, it's easier said than done. I suppose that is the difficult thing, isn't it? You can talk to the players and tell them that they've got to concentrate. I mean, it's not like practicing your skills. It's down to them having a load that they've got to do that. It is, it's focused concentration. As I said to the players often about defending, you don't have to be the biggest and strongest and quickest. You know the game, read the game, be aware of where the dangers are. That's why people like Clark, it's a tremendous plan to 38 and 39. And there's other examples because they might not have the pace and anything, but they've got the experience, they know the game, they read the game and understand, you know, where the dangers are coming from. But as I said after the game, we were flopping possession and that, I think again, there are better chances came from us giving the ball away as it did against Exeter, as it did against Saltford. So we're like causing his own downfall at times. But you know, in fairness, when two players who were good players on the day and showed that the other day, McAlaney and Raw, two fantastic strikes, if you're honest, but it was a bit in between that, you know, we could have done better. As you said, you probably use all five substitutes tomorrow night. So are you now having to look sort of bigger than you start at 11 and think, I'm going to have to have them on the bench because they're the one that can replace whoever needs to come off after an hour? Yeah, but I think tomorrow we will use every fit available body. They'll probably be only one of the young boys that I'll miss out tomorrow. So we've got everyone available. We'll be involved. I would imagine looking at the board and that's if we get OK news in the morning. So yeah, we'll just have to see, and then we'll have to, as I said, try to come up with a plan that makes it difficult to play against. But once you're out there, it's about running harder than your opponent, jumping higher, tackling stronger, whatever it may be, the quality that we might be lacking middle to third, we've got to make up with energy and tempo. Just good luck tomorrow. Yes, thank you. Stuart, you were saying about, obviously Chilton were quite an imposing team, you know, a very physical, tall team. I mean, the current make-up of the squad and of the team, can your team match size like that physically in a physical battle, do you think? Just being speaking to Kenny about that, and a good chat there about we look at how we scored, what we've got. Obviously, we inherited, you know, the, I think, seven-cent and a half, some four-cent of forwards at the time. We had to bring in the midfield was an area. And certainly in that area, we knew we would probably like to start with a big physical presence. But the way we wanted to approach the game, you know, with Cook, Elliott, Clarky, Levi, you know, get a bit of energy in there, pass the ball well, certainly up to Christmas. Certainly, as I've always said before, I think you can get the ball down and play on good surfaces if you set out that way to do that. Thereafter, you know, when you go into the sort of winter months and the pitch is deteriorate, you need a bit more physical presence certainly in there. And, you know, that's an area. Obviously, we put on the O'Connor in there on Saturday, but it was a different game. He didn't go in just as a holding midfielder. He had a lot of work to do in there against their midfield three rotation or diamonds are starting. Yeah. So it is a, it's an area. And I've got, at this level, I think you've got to look at that. You've got to look at, yeah, teams can play the way out. But when it comes down to the physicalities of set players, I mean, we're missing, for example, you know, even a Novak, and I go through and start the season or a Novak and a Donaldson up front, our physicality up there, ball's not coming straight back. So you go try to find a different way. We haven't got imposing big fullbacks. Now Tyler couldn't come into that as a wingback, six foot two, the three stroke four centre half. So we've got a reasonable sizes, although Finn and George are not huge imposing ones like six, three and that. They're okay in the air, but you're on the poor day and Ben are the stronger ones, you know, aerial obviously. But we do miss, in certain, I look at the team last year that the Bradford put out against them, you know, and he likes a big Kelvin Mellor in there with the three centre halves, which helps so much. When the game's so tight, the game's going to be really tight and it's going to, but a few games this season have a challenge and then they don't, you know, maybe with a long throw or a flick corner, it's a key area again. Obviously you're saying about the weekend about, you know, tough times need tough characters. I mean, you know, for yourself as a manager when your team's in this situation, particularly when you're sort of restricted of who you can play, I mean, how difficult is it to sort of pick yourself up and sort of see a light at the end of the tunnel currently? You've just got, because I've been saying through times, maybe not as bad as this injury-wise, but certainly difficult times. And there's no other option, really. You've got to get out there, you've got to front it up, you've got to come in on a Monday, you've got to have a plan, you've got to be bright and you've got to focus on what you can do and just believe in that, not long around the corner, a little bit more reinforcement's come back. We get a couple of results. I mean, I know it's different and it's easy saying it, listen, Neil, and again yesterday, you can talk all you want about, you think you're going to turn the corner, but it's got to start happening. Again, you know, we are, you know, hurt with opportunities, what we can do and what we can change at this moment in time, there's no doubt about that. But we've got to stick at it and look at ball and we went to ball and in the league game, three, four weeks ago, don't know how long, shouldn't have lost the game. I don't think anyone, a fair-minded person, could see ever losing or shouldn't have lost the game. And they've now won four on the bounce. So that's what you've got to look to. You've got to look to past experience that you've had as a player, as a manager, as a coach, when there's been difficult times. But we could do with just a little bit of look turning our way and getting something and trying to build up. So there's a long, long way to go, as I said, there'll be certainly changes in January when we get to the window. And I keep saying, hopefully we'll get players back, but we seem to be getting maybe one back and then from Saturday, we've got three out of the 18, which is tough and challenging. But what's the other option? Do you see what's going on in the world today? You get on with it. And the phrase I heard the other night with all this young phrase, it is what it is. I know it's a love, but it is what it is at the minute. And you've just got to get on with it and you've got to do your actual best. And you've got to be prepared and you've got to be prepared for battle mentally and physically. And a challenge and stick it out. And keep going, because when you get the results, things can be a brighter place, naturally. As you say, when it's a challenge as big as it currently is, if you can get through it, as and when you do, I suppose it feels more satisfying as a result than it, because you've had to really fight quite hard. Yeah, 100%. Yeah, I mean, I've got to be honest, if we're going through this now with a fully fit squad or just a couple missing, it would be really, really concerning. But you do see people hopefully available. That's going to be available and make us better once they get up and running. We keep saying this. It's been a stop-start season for too many of the players. But we've just got to... Yeah, listen, we've got to do the best. Like I said, the other option is to go lie down and not have a fight in us. So have a fight in us. Do the best we can. Keep battling. Keep believing. And let's get this turned around. Brought to you by DIS. 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