 Graham, good to see you again. I'll just start with any team news that you might have going into Saturday. I know that there was a bit of a cramp between Donal Ego, Kane, Tariq, Ryb, I think you said this week that hopefully this should be okay. Yeah, they both trained today and yesterday so we think they're good to go. We'll just assess them again on Friday just to make sure but no significant issues from those two guys. Apart from the couple of lads that I mentioned last week that will be missing to the end of the season, everyone else is fit and available. Four games unbeaten on the back of four straight defeats. I imagine for you that is such a pleasing period to be in now and I know that it won't be fundamentally where you want it to be but from where you are to where you are now it must be so pleasing. Yeah, it's frustrating that we can't keep these periods for longer and extend them and not go through what we had to go through in those two weeks. None of us wanted to do that but if you look back ten minutes after the game at Harrogate in that change room and we'd have thought we'd have won ten points from the next four games we would have snapped the hands off and everyone would have as well. It's not just the points, I think the way the players have played, the teams played has been superb and every credit to them. I'll keep repeating myself and be consistent with this message for consistency but that's what we aspire to get because we know what this team is capable of in any given game but on both sides of the spectrum and we need to make sure we're the significant end of the spectrum on a more regular basis but I've been really pleased with the players because they've had to dig deep from that real low point after Harrogate to pull ourselves together to show that we can be a good team and show the spirit and the sort of collectiveness that we need to take the team forward. Four of those ten points have been from losing positions as well, so dealing with that adversity, I wonder just from your perspective it's easy to say that the confidence might be a bit higher because of the results of late but psychologically have you seen anything that's been a notable shift from as you say that ten minute period after the full-time whistle at Harrogate to where they are now and anything that they're maybe doing differently collectively as a group? Well we've tried to change a little bit, we've tried to add a little bit more control to our game, not as gung-ho as we have been almost all or nothing, we've had a little bit more patience with our play and we have spoke to the lads about the approach if something does go against us, you know instead of trying to talk about avoiding it, we obviously want to avoid it but actually bring it out in the open and say okay if this happens how do we respond, what do we do, why do we have to change or catastrophise everything, the games are long enough and we still got to do the things that we do and train in and almost not ignore it but almost ignore it really and just continue to play and I think maybe speaking about it openly with the players and saying this could happen you know almost like a crisis management if you so to speak you know of actually saying well you know this could happen this could happen but we have to maintain our behaviours and how we go about the game and there was a couple of games where we obviously didn't concede and we won the games so it was pleasing that we didn't have those moments but for me after what we went through the two away games conceding first and not falling apart and actually keeping our performance together and then getting back into the game that is where we need to you know to go to as a team that whatever gets thrown at us whatever challenge in front of us and whatever happens during the game that we keep our composure we keep our control and we believe in the way we do things and it's great to see the players get the rewards from that in those games so there's a bit of everything really a little bit just communication a little bit of changing tactics a little bit and you know and yeah we've been really pleased with how the players have performing those games you know in all of them and in dealing with those setbacks and talking about things openly and I suppose as you say that boring it to a point do you think that is at the heart of achieving that that consistency that you talk about moving forward yeah I think you have to understand it you know it doesn't always go your way you know I think and if we there's a lot of talk you know people want to be perfectionists they want to strive for perfection but it doesn't exist it doesn't exist so you know let's you know understand that some negative things are going to happen we're going to make a mistake or something's going to go against us and actually accepting that so it doesn't become a massive drama if it does happen you know we obviously don't want those things to happen but the best teams in the world go a goal down or lose games it no one's perfect so it's getting that out of our heads and understanding that these things happen and then right how do we approach those I think for our consistency because you know if you look over a season there'll be so three teams have they've already been promoted out of our division top three positions there have been spells this season where it was going against them and the results didn't go their way but they they they found their way back into a rhythm and found the consistency because to get promoted with two three games to go you know and you've obviously been consistent over ten month periods so and but it's not been playing sailing for any of those teams so it's just a and understand that and I think I've spoke about the amount of start English League starts throughout our team there's quite a lot of boys in there that haven't got a load you know and and and they're playing for a big club with a big big expectation and big support so maybe you know going to go down having that negative thing happen and it becomes bigger than actually what it is and so it's just having that come post of these players and a little bit of experience you know they've got to get it by going through it you know that's that's what we see so and that's why we we've been really pleased certainly look we've got good experienced players but certainly those young boys would have learned a lot from that four game period where we everything went against us and and we didn't manage it ourselves and very well to then turn it around and that's that's how we get become about a professional footballer you go through tough times you find out about your character you learn about that experience going forward and then you make it better the next time and that that's all we try to do is just continually find ways to improve and accepting will have flaws and but we're still ambitious to be the best person best footballer and best team we can be and I think we've shown that in last four games but the challenge is still there we're not the team we aspire to be and there's still plenty of room for improvement from us I know you said this week that you as a club are pretty much there on your decisions regarding the future of players that are out of a deal in the summer but you don't want to talk about that with them just yet I wonder Graham how the squad and those players in that squad have dealt with that four game run of losses and then responded how bigger a part they dealt with that has gone into your ultimate decisions on who you want to keep a hold of but for next season yeah I think it's been a big part of it because you know we wanted to see who who's going to respond in the right manner because next season however good we will be we will not be perfect we will have difficult moments we will have bad bad results you know or a little bad run of form or in game moments where it doesn't go our way how do we manage those and if you can't manage those with the expectation at our club then I don't know how you can help us go forward but if you can and you can show that experience and all that that potential to change and improve you know that's what we've been talking about as as a coaching staff right let's let's challenge each individual in this aspect or certain aspects that has been a lot lots of one-on-one meetings and analysis and reviews to see if each individual can respond in the way that we know they'll have to for us to be a successful team and yeah the majority of those guys have done that for us and for themselves and for the team so yeah there's always a learning curve that players go through but also coaching staffs about the players that they work with so I've been really impressed with how the players responded but this is still the period where okay can we extend it again can we extend it again so it's going to go all the way through to the end of season that sort of judgment call because if if we go back a step then you know how far have we improved if it only lasted for four games so the challenge is for us all and I mean us all is to continue to where we left off in the last game. I know you've also said this week in regards to the the futures of Tyreek and Daniel obviously their loan deals respective loan deals are up in the summer that they fit the player profile that you're maybe looking at moving forward I just wonder if there's been any inclination at all from your perspective from their parent clubs that there is any opportunity or appetite for that to maybe continue for them maybe into next season. Well we're sort of currently trying to make contact with those clubs now and we had a meeting yesterday myself Chris, Ryan, Stephen about all group of players and we just mentioned about right well we have to sort of take these conversations further to see if there's any possibility if the player is representative if the parent club see that happening you know because we it's all right talk it to one of the parties over the club or the player but without all the information from all sides we know we can't make decisions or ultimately we're not in control of this decision you know it's it's got to come from the other two parties the parent club the player and then we're you know third on the list really but we have to show our intentions you know we haven't got control of the situation but we can show our intentions and communicate our intentions of what we potentially want to do going forward with these players so but like I said I think you know when we talk about how we want our team or when we think about how we want our team to play how the the standards the levels we want to require in the training ground how we how we go about our business then those individuals certainly you know represent the the best of those attributes that we want so you know it'd be great to do something but we're we're a long way from it in terms of the available budget to you for the coming summer in regards to recruitment obviously in Stefan's letter he intimated the fact that there will be a greater push from himself to make representing or competitive in the coming transfer window is that been a set figure have you found what that figure is or will that be fluid based on on what you might need as that that window progresses yeah it's difficult to have a set figure at this stage because obviously our season ticket sales go into that into that figure you know so we don't know where that will finish up I think we have a lot of contracted players for next season and you know and looking at it will they all be here we don't know so we don't know what we'll bring in in player sales or trades or things like that you know players moving on and so there's a you know it's a little bit of a fluid sort of figure but it's it's certainly one that we feel would be competitive in in next season's division you know there's we've got a few details about what other clubs will have we've got estimates as well and and listen I'm I'm not part of that doing budgets and figures so I've only been and that's been communicated to me it's it's it's not something I've worked out myself or tried to figure out so and but certainly there's been there's been communication there's been assurances that it will be a competitive budget that will allow us to compete against the the better teams in this division you know or what that division might look like because obviously it's not 100 assured who will still still be in league two or in league two next season so yeah so long way of saying it I don't know the exact figure but I do know if if the the general ballpoint of that figure is achieved with our budget and if we spend it wisely because that's it's not just about having the finance it's actually spending it wisely and if we do that then we'll be a competitive team at the at the right end of the table but this is not just the finances a lot of hard work that has to go into that as well you mentioned there about and potential player sales or or what that might do in terms of the overall budget and there's been particular suppose focus on on young harry abitson this week there was a report suggesting that a number of category one Premier League clubs are looking at him because of the wonderful season that he's had with with the academy I just wonder how you see harry's future at the football club we've seen some pathway for bobby points and obviously you know wadsworth has come through as well and as I say harry's had such a wonderful season for the academy yeah he has yeah and we've had limited time with harry he's he's he's had a couple of illnesses he's he's ill now at the moment unfortunately yeah because he would have trained with us today and yesterday as well so we've had I think when we first came in we had a lot of forwards in the first team squad so the the chance to give him exposure to us was was very limited and that's you know part of the reason why I wanted to get the numbers down is to open up the pathways for these young players to to come in and compete and potentially flourish so that's another positive side of of having a more structured squad and a lesser number to it was impossible to do before before christ before january impossible to even bring no up with us and stuff like that so but since then we've had a more exposure to not not just know about harry at bison and a couple other players and so we yeah we're assessing yeah we he was part of the the the conversations we had yesterday we got in that squad he's obviously not in the senior squad but you know he's he's a player that his numbers and his data from this season are really good as in gold scoring and he's trained with us probably 10 15 times since january and we like him we like him and we just wanted to that's why we're disappointed he's ill this week because we're actually you know won the opportunity to potentially involve him in the squad because we feel that it's he needs another challenge now if possible and so let's see let's see what the future brings like like i said in january at this level every player has a price tag you know and that's the reality of the food chain in football but right now our our ambition for harry is to continue on the pathway through to the senior squad and and see where it takes him and just finally from migraine given that we're on the topic i mean how do you found your relationship with neil redford and obviously he came into the club earlier this season as well and he's looking after the that age group what's the dialogue like between yourselves and how often are you monitoring what they're doing as much as you want monitoring what your main responsibility is yeah well he was part of the the the meeting we had yesterday neil and mark and a couple of the other coaches so discussing all the young players or the ones that are close enough to the the senior squad you know lads who we've had trained with us you know like i say we've probably had exposure to nine 10 11 players because we like to you know we we train on the same site which is a massive positive for us we like to involve them you know we have in-house games against the youth team with players that haven't played in the league game or the cup game on the for the first team then we'll get everybody else together and have a lmv 11 against a youth team so we can see how they compete against the senior guys the the first team players and vice versa and then we'll mix the teams up so we have we have plenty you know exposure to them i think it's important to do that anyone you know when we're talking about a few players yesterday you know we'll we'll either want someone in a certain position which then you know we pretty much know is or we'll ask for someone who we feel has done done well for them in the last two weeks and then it's down to their judgments to just go right take him take this guy take these two you know use it as a reward use it as a challenge for them so yeah we're in we're in a constant communication to make sure that we know exactly what these players are capable of but the the biggest connection we have is on the training pitch where we can't see having young players come through to train with us and it's always good to see them it's always it's always great to see them see how they take the challenge on see if they stay within themselves see if they put the chest out and take on the challenge and we'll try to encourage them to do that to do what they do in the youth team continue to do that if you want to if you want to be a first team player then these are the guys you have to dislodge I think it's a great experience for those for those lads you know to you know see them up close see the speed that they work out the physicality their their their movement and that's where we we we really get the opportunity to test these young lads so yeah it's a big part of what we want to try and do here it's it's been there before I think it will be there in the future and but it needs nurturing all the time with with that sort of communication. Brilliant still thanks Graeme I appreciate it. Okay Graeme thanks. Hi Graeme. Hi Tom. You were obviously saying about the you know the budget a competitive budget for next season I mean from a sort of point of view you know this point of view seeing the three teams that have been already confirmed for promotion we're sort of slightly glad that that there's three of the probably you know I'll be three of the biggest budgets are sort of disappearing from the division in terms of competition you know from other teams. My first thought was jealousy if I'm being honest and that was it I just I wish it was us you know that's sort of the thing I think I've been fortunate enough to be part of those sort of feelings and and scenes at the end of a season before and it's an amazing feeling that's so when you see somebody else doing it and and it's not you I think any competitor feels a tinge of jealousy that it's it's not them but it's also an indication of the work you have to do going forward but I think English football especially is always competitive I don't think there's any easy divisions I think obviously I think the the budgets of those clubs you know I wouldn't say dictate that they finish there because that doesn't dictate it it obviously helps it and supports it be each of those managers and players the squads have have done what it takes to to be consistently winning and so they do you know at the end of season if you're promoted there's no luck involved over the course of 46 games or whatever it is you deserve that and so fair play to them but we we feel we have to get our best game and what we have to do so rather than look at what other teams might be doing or might have or who's coming into the division we know where we have to get this team to perform week in week out and to win at this level we know we already know where that the data the the feeling the teamwork the hard work the work ethic the the physicality the fitness levels the organization set piece output all those things regardless of what who we're going to play against next season and we'll have to be in place from us so for me that the challenge regardless who comes down who comes up who's still in here will still be the same we we know where we have to get this team to perform on a consistent basis to to be successful and you say so broaden in the out of it you sort of saying you're a bit jealous sort of seeing these celebrations I mean obviously the players themselves you know this team of when you look at the sides have gone up I think the six games you played against have you only lost the one obviously the Mansfield game I think you know two draws we stopped some good games with rexson obviously winning at rexson you know it's so these players have proved that they can match these you know these teams at the top but obviously it's doing it more than about twice a season isn't it yeah that's that's the thing you know and that's what I mentioned before you know it's we know what this player team is capable of at one end the spectrum and also the other you know and we've seen that in the last month haven't we really in the in the in over the course of the last eight games we've had two extremes in performances so you know and this and so we're trying to educate instill the consistent habits the consistent behaviors that happen day in day out to be able to perform a consistent level it doesn't just happen I guarantee every player or person that is at this football club now it doesn't just happen by wishing it along and it's it's about a consistent sort of mindset and it's not always motivation because sometimes you you you won't be as motivated as other times but your discipline takes you through those periods so it's about the discipline in how you train how you prepare how you live your life and those those things get you through the difficult moments or they make those difficult moments really short because you you're already a really good state of of competing so that's where where we have to improve we we thought and and it's part of the reason or part of the it's not just on the players it's it's myself you know I'll get to know the team the squad there's different spells you know the there's really good spell we had when we first came in just before January then it was a difficult one then we learned about players through January and and all that sort of thing the physical output although all the things that that come into creating or having a successful team I was learning myself about this group of players so it takes a bit of time to do that and so it's not just on the players having those levels of consistency it's myself as well and all the coaching stuff and but we feel we we've got a good good grip on what we got right in front of us now as a squad and I think we have a clear idea and where we have to improve it and and hopefully that will allow us to have that consistency but the consistency we're looking for starts in preseason it starts in the off season program the players taking that through sort of ready to go from the day one in preseason and then the six to seven weeks that we have in preseason that will all build up into how we perform next season and we will we have to take on the challenge of filling the gaps where we we play at that level and we drop to this we have to get that we have to bring that line up to that the other one really and you said about obviously the motivation of mindset I mean this stage of a season you know when players can sort of see the end the end in sight is it sort of does it change in terms of as a manager sort of make sure the focus is there you know and nobody you know inadvertently drifts a little bit thinking well there's only two more Saturdays sort of thing a little bit but that I don't know that makes it look like you've done like playing football you can't wait for it to be over I don't I don't really get that mentality to be honest you know that's it listen we all like holiday and we all like the summer and we'll spend time with a family but you know we're in a we're in a great job here you know I mean so it's not like grinding through at the bottom of a pit hoping for the end of the day you know we're we're playing professional football or coaching professional football so there's that aspect but I did that was a that was a concern after the Harrogate game that you know how do we how does we as a club the team the squad each individual staff members how do we approach these these next seven games after it looking like boom it's gone and and then I said at the time that comes down to your personal pride your personal mentality and whether you need something a massive big character to still do the right things or you just do those things anyway regardless and and what's it as impressed me that there's been a load of players in the last four games have shown that they can still perform regardless of what it potentially might mean or not mean and that's where we have to get to because you can't differentiate between games whether one's more important or the other it's every day every day every game every session a lot always have to be there so it's um it's important for us that we work we and listen we've still got three big challenges to make sure that we go in to the summer with this mindset mentality and so they're the three in the next three games are just as big a challenge as the last four games have been for us you know we haven't done anything so let's not part ourselves on the back that we've we've won 10 points for four games and and and just relax a little bit let's keep driving our standards for let's keep trying to improve let's keep our levels high because there can't be a player that's played in those games going home and not feeling good about themselves i've seen the supporters leaving the stadium feeling good about themselves you know i mean why wouldn't you want that feeling as often as possible so that's that's that's our challenge and the game itself tomorrow obviously also you know they're point off the top seven now i think their manager sort of saying the game the other night should have been sort of four or five up before swindering cries now they score again in the last minute so it sounds like it's going to be called an open game i think they're going to come in over it looks like they're going to have a real go at you yeah but i think yeah i think at this stage of the season you know clubs might be in a position where they go well look it's it's all enough and you know we have to go for it or whatever and and they might be thinking that because of the you know the the close proximity to the playoffs so and you know what what they do how they approach the game listen we we've got a good idea tactically how they how they'll approach the game you know we we obviously have our analysis to do that and we they've been quite consistent in how they've played and but they're they're inward motivation that that doesn't come concern us it's it's it's about us you know it's about us going then and continuing all and proving the the things that i've just been talking about first and foremost every team we come up against you gotta you gotta think that everyone's motivated to win you know and if they're not then it's it's up to them but with our motivation has to stay the same so yeah look i think it's i think what the players have done into english football the last 30 odd years has been amazing because it's kept the season alive for so many teams and and it means all the games virtually for all the season mean something and but you know it needs to mean more to us than anybody else and that's that's that's my focus that's about right thanks mate that and i agree um i hope you well i mean you're talking about how you know i envy you with you know not to carry reps and but i suppose you do you sort of look at someone like downcast as well today that could have been you couldn't it really they've gone on that wins trail and of you know that could have been and you sort of gets into playoff that sort of things they're always going to be a side who leading the couple of sides who can break into it and i'm more jealous of the ones that have have done it you know to be honest you know i mean that they're there they've crossed the line it's not it's not about the potential to cross the line it's it's the ones that are there you know that's it they've achieved they've achieved success it's that it's it's the scenes it's the it's the feeling the emotions that you get with those occasions and the the forward thinking the anticipation of of what's coming next season it's all those things that i'm i'm envy of envious of because yeah it's it's rewarding and that's what it is no one there's and there's players in our squad and that have had those times and listen i think once you've had it it wets the appetite to do it again but there's also a lot of players that haven't had that and i can assure them it's worth the work that they have to put into to achieve it it's you know took me a long time in playing career to to get to level when you're in my late 20s when i'm a first success and it was something i i always wanted to taste again because it was it's a fantastic feeling but no one lets you do it yeah you have to you have to you have to grind and you have to work exceptionally hard you've obviously got two waltz and barrows while on Tuesday the games with a bit of an edge on it through you're playing the good games to play this type of season is need a company that it's not like games that just not dead rubbers or anything like that they've got a bit of an edge to and that's what you're pulling useful in that regard at least yeah but i think our edges come in the last few games come from ourselves yeah i don't i don't think you know soul for the last week there but they weren't going from promotion i think they were relatively safe i don't i don't think there was anything there but we we had the motivation going into that game our our ambition was good our intent our desire all the way through the game i thought we were you know from minute one all the way through i thought we were the best team so that's where we have to you know this is it this is our aspiration is to to we're alive we're alive we're awake our eyes are open so we're fighting you know i mean that's it we're ready to be ready to perform we're ready to win that's the that's the level we have to get to so what's pleased me most in the last few games is we you know not all the teams that we played have had massive prizes to play for but our performance has been really high and that's um that's really good to see you took some that arrogant game i was tough at the time and you've sort of got strength and improved from that supposed psychology for that could be big that'd be a game that you remember aren't you really you know you take it you took some strength out of it a bad situation going forward you'll that'll be one that was sticking to your mind for the good reasons and bad mainly bad to be fair you know but it's the games after that that have been good so um but it shows that you know when you think the worst thing happens that there's opportunities to come back and and show you real you're all the self that you want to be you know we're not always that person we're not always perfect but you can always aspire to be that and do your best to show that and i think that's what the players have done so i like to use reference points you know good ones bad ones because i think it's important it's that you go you know everyone talks about experience in life so what is it it's actions and it's things that have happened to its events so um so the more you can go through but actually come out better and it will improve from that i think you make sure a better person you know i think until you go through those periods you know you might not think they exist you know if you certainly start your career as a young player but you know believe me by the time i got to 30 i was a lot stronger than i was at 20 maybe maybe a lot more and well experience of that you know and sometimes experience can be a negative thing and knock your back but if you've got the right character and personality i think it can make you better and what i've seen from this group of players it's made us better how quickly do you move on from a season i mean you've had a lot of seasons in the games of player and manager now does it take long can you turn the page pretty some sort of quicker i think you have to i think you have to um regardless of the uh the outcome i think you always have to look forward um you know i've been you know part of you know as a coach as a manager a couple of promotion winning teams now i remember 48 hours later talking about recruitment for next season and unfortunately i'm going to make changes to players who had you know won us promotion you know and stuff like that it's um yeah you know it's it's it has to be that way you know you can't sit back and look back too often listen it's it's importantly certainly if you've been successful that you enjoy it um but i just think the nature of the game now and life is it's the next thing and i think that's how it should be it's about the next next event the next campaign so um i think you learn a lot from it and you can use it as a reference point but carrying it on carrying it on your shoulders whether it's a negative whether it's a positive i don't think it helps you going forward i think you've got to reset a lot of values and a lot of uh a lot of ideas and um so i think you know in this sport you can't see looking forward so like even after the harrick game on the monday i was just looking forward to the next game that was it that was it and we had to make sure the players were doing that and that's what we'll do as a as a club when um whenever this season finishes yeah i was actually actually finally to be very organized for studious manager are you the sort when it comes to play whole season you know bringing in players if you can bringing them you know a relatively early juncture to get them you know assimilating to everything that into your e-class and everything that the clubs are about and you are about um like manager seems a lot yeah yeah i think um i think it's important but i think it's also important that you have the patience to sign the players that you you know will take you forward and and so there's a there's a patience out i think um we have a we have a clear idea the profile player that we want to bring in and we've got names for those some of those players but not not all the positions and yeah so it's a case of you know if that player is still available and he's our first choice but he's not here for the first week of preseason or so forth but we still have a real good opportunity to get him or we feel that then we have to be patient but you know it's so it's it's not about just making sure we've got the 22 players or 23 players in place for day one but we've gambled on a few and and and just just for that purpose we have to win games over a 10 month period and so i'm not going to rush things to get them in by the first day but if we feel it's the right player then we'll work exceptionally hard to make sure that happens