 Hey, it's your boy Local FC and we are here with the Western Sydney Wanderers. We're doing pre-season vibes We're talking culture DNA and heritage of this amazing club We've got the main man in the building First big question gaffer. Mr. Robo or car. I Get called a number of things. Not those other names probably Robo is what I like people to call me gaffer is what players call me fair call fair call Firstly for me personally for you With your family and your pandemic away from football How has that been for you the past sort of year and a half? Everyone's obviously had a tough time But how's it been you know being in a foreign country and and your family? How's everyone dealing with it? Yeah, listen, I'm not gonna lie. It's been difficult, you know being without my daughter my wife has struggled a little bit with Her being in Vancouver not been able to travel not been able to be here with us She's 19 years of age so she's a young lady and able to want it to live on her own able to live on her own So we have to give her a little bit of freedom, but not being able to see her has been very difficult Exactly the same as everyone else that's been dealing with this pandemic. So that's why I say it's always important that you check in with people in general Whoever you know because everyone's dealing with the same situations And then people don't think I call it the Superman theory with football is like you put your superman suit on You put which is your jersey you get on the pitch and you've got no disagreements with your partner You're your kids are healthy like people don't think these things affect you guys for some reason like how's it being? Yeah, it's strange because people assume that you are this bait You are this superhero who can deal with everything you we're just human beings at the end of the day and we go through the same emotions the players go through the same emotions as as a Postman as a as a chef as a as a as a pilot and it's understanding them I'm one of my main roles as a manager is is to get to know the person because if I get to know the person get to know Their background understand what they like dislike what they need You manage people differently because you understand the different backgrounds of different cultures They're dealing with different things at different times But the one thing I do guarantee them all is that they will need my help at certain stages throughout their career So I keep an open dialogue with them and ask them to be honest and most of the boys are really honest Some of them don't like telling me things because they think it will hinder them But I keep reassuring them that you know anything that I do off the field is easy to help them advice If they need my support or someone's support I'm always there, you know And then when we cross that white line Then it's when I do my talking and I get my work across to them and then it's a different mind And have you had to adjust like obviously with off-season and things like that checking in with like make a Making sure you check in or just change your manager. Yeah, I generally do it anyway Whether it's throughout the season But especially throughout the the preseason the extended preseason there was a different situations were players They were stuck in lockdown unable to train there were players that were dealing with lockdown dealing with Family COVID issues within the family. So I tried to if I wasn't able to speak to them So a member of staff was able to speak to them. So we make sure we covered all the boys because You know at times like this, it's important. I'm not their manager. I'm their friend and I'm there to support them So it was mainly a checking in period for them and when we got back to work then obviously it's become manager again And these days modern management, how much is Football how much is people management? Yeah, I guess it's quite a lot and what I say the the general rule of thumb that I work to is probably 70% Is social confidence and 30% is tactics everyone just thinks you're a wonderful tactician And that lot but it's about managing especially when you have big characters and big egos in the locker room Everyone needs to be managed differently. So the management side of it is totally different. That's why you have your coaches That's why I've got a great support staff is because their job is to coach and they can be their friend The manager's job is to manage people and if you do that correctly and you delegate Then you're all going in the right direction. So JD sports Sponsors of the club have hooked you up with a pair of Addy Hamburgs. I've got the Gary as an ad as specialties Take us back to you growing up, you know casual terrorist culture in the UK. It has its highs It has its lows But you know the casuals fan any of the younger fans that don't know is when the fans used to go on away days into Europe They used to come back with the cost and such a tiny touch any and they're out of us things that they couldn't get in the UK But what are your first memories of you know being in the terraces and and those kind of things? Sky blue gazelles is my first Probably not a color you want to wear these days memory. No, we don't like blue these days We like red obviously, but now just growing up. We didn't from where I was from It's it's brilliant landrindod walls a small town in in Powys in Wales and people say nothing comes out of it And they're right nothing does unfortunately accept good honest hard-working people and the times when I got to actually go and visit Football matches Cardiff Swansea Wolverhampton, you know, I've got to travel to the Midlands a few times You really got your eyes open to see the culture to see that the trainers I was a Become a favor of trying to get trainers different to what everyone else had Whether that was Sergio to Keeney whether it was champion whether it was the adidas gazelles the classics Reebok You know all these things and I just learned that if you put the hard work in you're able to reward yourself with special things That's what you know, that's what the first memory I had it was a case of Lou Adidas gazelles, which were proper old-school and I still have them to this day my first period trainers that I Got many many years ago. Well, we see a pair of these on the pitch this year Yeah, maybe I go through, you know, I go through certain times my first job first job first-ever job first Mindset was to be a smart suit manager, you know, I did and I was Whistled up and I was I've done today. I've got my manager etiquette just yeah because just you know And as you get a little bit older and what happens is you sweat and your arms are swelling as a manager and you're Very emotional and and then you learn. Okay. Well, and if you lose a game you change mine You become a traction manager and they so what I've learned is I become a very casual casual manager in relation very smart I'm not gonna wear Scruffs on the sideline. Don't do that. But definitely retro stuff is something I've worn trainers a couple of times And I think they are they are the way forward But people follow trends and if someone sees Pep Guardiola, we're in a pair of trainers I'm sure that there's a lot of managers out there that we're trained Well, you've jumped ahead into one of my questions, which is something that's very important to me It's football manager etiquette. I think I can safely say in this country You're kind of you're right up there How important is that to you to as you were talking about before to portray a certain message like if you come out looking? Like you've just gotten out of bed like what does that portray to your players? What you're thinking about as a profession? Yeah, you know what I ask for the players is set high standards I want them to perform at the highest levels whenever they step on the training field Whether it's training or match matches and what I say if you if you look smart you feel smart and you feel good I try and set the standard myself, you know if if I'm Lazy get out of bed type style Then I think it allows them to look a little bit scruffy on the pitch and I don't want that You know, it's an honor to wear this jersey and the players understand that it should mean everything to you And they understand that But you can look the part and you do look the part And there's nothing better than a team that looks the part very smart very cultured and wins And that's obviously the biggest objective that takes me on to my next question. This is a big club massive club Big jerseys B. I just spoke to us about you know the home in a way the historic Iconic vibes that are in those but can you run us through the brand new third kid the now on the jet scene? Yes, all right. I'll snazzy kit this isn't it obviously it's got the light It's got the silicon badge obviously the great star which we want another of course Obviously 10 year anniversary on the back. So Excellent design obviously it's very trendy as well. I think you know You go through certain moments in in in your life as a player and and kits get remembered This is certainly one that will get remembered and just run the fans through it through the stripes All the lines coming through the jersey and what they mean to you guys at this club But it means a lot because it's it's from the Academy all the way to the first team You know and and we have to be a club and we are a club that values our Academy setup We value the the development that we you know There's no point in foundations in place if you're not going to actually use them You know, we are a club that values that what we need to do is make sure the pathways are open And that means everyone aligned on the same page because you can have so many tiny junsters in your Academy But they never get the opportunity to play my job is to try and give these talent junsters the opportunity to play But also on the other side I need to win because when you're a club that this size they expect to see levels of demand The desire to win is at the highest and that's what you want as a manager as well So it's just a lining to make sure everyone's on the same page. It's not about one individual It's about the team and that doesn't just include the players or any player within the football club It means the staff as well because we all need to be rowing in the same direction We'll touch upon the culture and the DNA of the club, but Coming into a club. How do you implement your own philosophy your own culture into what their non-negotiables are? Yeah, that's that's the I think that's the key component for any manager when they step in the door on day one It's it's finding out what the if you want to say the vibe of the dressing room is it's understanding the characters It's understanding what what you think you like what works what doesn't work But it's also if you do a total change around and you try and invent the wheel on day one It's not going to end well. So you have to sort of drip feed it You have to make statements you have to have a plan in place and literally the first month two months on the job is literally a case of Scanning analyzing reviewing and getting in your mind what you want for the first stage of that plan to happen And that's what I did nearly 12 months ago when I come in I said that I would identify yet talented young players from within our academy I would try and push them through I would unblock pathways But my job was to win games of football as well. And yes, we won games of football We didn't win enough games of football because we our target which was obviously is finals football every year We were unable to reach yes, so were positives But there were also things that needed to be tidy up and and we didn't reach So we have to own that and I will own that I've said to the players will own that But it's how you learned football is about learning as well You you came into the job last year. Did you realize that the term big club gets thrown around a lot around the world? But this is a big club. Did you realize how big it was it before you came in? No, I didn't I'd heard a lot about it and all the people in the know how here had all said to me How big the football club was, you know, I'd be fortunate enough throughout my career to play at some wonderful clubs and manage wonderful clubs and You know coming here was A challenge. I wanted to embrace the challenge and get my teeth stuck into it But I also knew what I wanted. I'm very clear with what I want to do at this football club Sometimes things don't happen overnight, which is the unfortunate thing because People in general in life want instant success. That doesn't happen very really happens What you need to do is make sure that the day you walk into the day you walk out The football club is about is in a better place than when you arrived And if you have a plan and you have a structure in place and you clear with what you want It's not about you. It's about the football club because one thing players come and go managers come and go people come and go But the one thing that is a constant and remains is the football club and the supporters. How do you? As you said you're in a results business at the end of the day. That's what it is But how do you have as a manager short medium and long-term goals? Well, that's the thing that keeps me up at night and that's the thing that makes me turn great Because you can you can spin it any way you want and when I say that what I mean is you can Portray this youth element factor and we have a big, you know, we've got a fantastic owner chairman, you know staff here that want to invest and are investing heavily on the youth development because there is so many talented young Australians here that I believe can go and play at the next level Without a doubt. We need to make sure that we are the club that takes these players, especially in our region And develop some and then gives them the opportunity But I'm also not naive enough to think, you know, you can lose every single game and play all the kids That's not gonna work. That's not gonna happen. Supporters don't want that. They want to win They want to win championships if you win then you but the hardest thing then becomes winning again and it's important then that you try and figure out solutions to Try and do a little bit of both because you can be a winning team and have no youngsters in your setup which Eventually catches up on you because the talented youngsters will leave because they're not given that opportunity And that's why I say it's not even a yes There's a short-term plan to try and come in and get a reaction and try and get to playoffs and finals football without a doubt But trying to win win the a league we know that but there's also a medium and long-term plan And yes the manager has to find out a short to find a short-term plan to get results because if you don't get results You're not in a job Well, I also won't go away from my medium and long-term plan and the day that I leave You know, I'll have a smile on my face But the medium and long-term plans will still be in place and the next person is up to carry that Plan forward and I'll obviously try and get the short-term results in that period So you got to enjoy it. You got to embrace it But the one thing I'll say you got of a plan if you don't have a plan then you'll ad hoc and that's not very good You talk about that combination of young and getting that mix right Which is that that's football but also how important is it having? Young guys or local guys playing in this team who know what it means to put on that jersey who know the history I know the tradition. Yeah, it's likely important. Listen, there's no secret There's no hide in place that I love young players, you know wherever I've been I've always gave in giving young players the chance and and you sometimes it's not the young players which everyone wants you to give a chance to it's the ones that actually I feel when I get to work with them find out what their values are what their their You know their understanding of the game is like And someone who's got a little bit in them that has had a little bit of adversity And had to come through it and has survived has dealt with it because they're the ones you can tap into their mind So, you know, I think that's why the young players love being at this football club because they now know that there's an opportunity For them to play if they do things right Identifying local talent was the biggest factor for me in in the off-season You know, I made no secret of it, you know I'm a foreign manager living in Australia and I've needed to get to know this place as well get to know Western Sydney It took me a little bit of time But you know the fundamental values of people here are a hard work spirit fight desire never backing down Which is my values in in the small town in Wales on from so it fits into my Mantra what I needed to do is get players to understand because you can sign as many players as you want if they don't understand What the DNA or the fabric of the football club is When you chips are down and you need them to roll their sleeves up and Really what it means to this football club. They won't know they'll look at you as if you got probably two or three different heads So I try to do that this this off-season I managed to manage to do that this off-season bringing in a certain number of players that had the values of what Western Sydney's about And I can already see it in training. There is a togetherness. There is a togetherness about these players They enjoy being around each other a lot of them are played together for local teams Not just in the a league, but you know in the MPL and the growing up and that was important because you're only as good as you Your teammate next year. There's no eye in team And I know everyone says that and throws it out and it's an algae But individuals do win things but they win individual awards teams are the ones that win things And we can't be in they can't be any eye in my team and they won't be you know There's the bigger picture for me is the collective always wins And if you ever if I ever wonder away from that then I won't be successful You talk about vibes in the team. Can you see that you see that in training? There's just a different kind of This is just something happening. I can yet whenever you sign new players anyway There's a freshness because competition Brings out the best in people, you know They might not like it because their place is at a little bit of threats It makes you better But it makes you better and then any walk of life in any business in any job that you have if you're bringing Someone it's not a case of someone's coming in to take my job If you look at it like that you'll be scared and fearful and then you'll step back and go away from what you want to do You have to embrace the challenge and you learn from it and say do you know what if a if a So-called bigger player better player comes in I'm going to make sure that I keep him at the team because there's two ways it goes You either sulk and you don't play or you embrace it You enjoy it and you push and get in the team or you push your teammate to be better And then we all progress and that's the spirit that has been instilled especially this year because I think we've got different types of characters this year I think we've got different types of values in people this year We've also got the elements and the DNA of people who understand what Western Sydney's about Which is what you need because when you pull on this jersey, you know You have to understand what it means and it means so much to these supporters. Yeah And we spoke to just like the Bernie earlier and that's you know, I grew up in the inner West I played yeah for Marconi. I played for Sydney United the biggest clubs in the old NSL for me But we said that it's maybe you know like playing with I felt playing in Western Sydney meant that if I could make it here I can I can fuck with anyone in the country like no one can and but There's also a chip on my shoulder that you can't get messed with if you're from Western Sydney Although do you see that in the young guys that have grown up and how about how important is it to have that? So then the bands then connect go. Hey, these are these are our guys I see that I see that in the value of people in Western Sydney. First of all, it's a it's a never-backed-down mentality You know and there has to be there has to be How can I say this? It's a great trait to have Obviously, you got to be sensible with it. I and the togetherness of it is brilliant And it's where I'm from in Wales Get told can't do this can't do that shouldn't do this shouldn't do that and we're like I'll show you It's us against the world mentality You know, I see that in people here because it is like that then you step across the white line And it's 11 against 11. So it doesn't matter about big names. It doesn't matter about who you are It doesn't matter about how many games you played. That's that's the mentality the spirit that these young boys have got Nothing's given for free in life. And I say this to my son all the time and Because he's smart ass. He'll throw at me you get tasters in Starbucks that are free So in theory, he is correct But he's not correct because in life in general you have to work and you have to earn what what you get and That is what Western Sydney is all about the inner West the fans as well There's a very high football IQ in Syria. It's it's the don't fuck with me attitude It's the chip on the shoulder, but the football IQ for me is the birthplace of football in this country This is where it all starts You haven't I don't think yet experience the full Wanderers rocking stadium, you know, I've been here since day one with these guys and walking to the ground and How excited are you to have that and how do you get that back? Yeah Well, that's a million dollar question because no, I haven't experienced it to the level that you you have But I want to and I need to and everyone tells me about it. I've sampled it, you know when we played Sydney at home You know, there was a special feel about the place in all our home games There is a feel about the place, but you know, that is with a three-quarter full stadium I want a full stadium, you know, so how do we go about that? Well, listen, it's important We engage in the community. We know that it's important. We reintegrate with the fans It's important. We get back to what our values are about and I say our values now. I'm involved What what it means to the football club what it means to the supporters what it means to Every single business around the place we want them in our building Then we have to go on to my part, which is I want to play a certain way I want to play an attractive style of football But I also got to play a brand of football that wins because no one wants to see a team that doesn't win and we know that It's modern-day football. No one likes a loser. We're not here to build losers We're here to build winners, but also I won't go away for you can play rubbish football And win well that only gets papered over for so long because eventually when you do lose people don't like the brand of football So I'm trying to create an identity a philosophy at this football club Which is instilled from Academy all the way up to the first team that this is the way we're playing This is how we're playing. These are the values. These are the fundamentals These are the non-negotiables and within that then our exciting football comes out and results come out And when we get a match of both then we know where we're aiming aiming for and our target is no different to any other team We want to win our expectation is to win and then when you do win Everyone wants to shoot you down again So you have to go that extra yard again But the DNA of Western Sydney is us against the world anyway, so we're like doesn't say people like that here If you want to shoot us down just just try fine. We'll take the fish and we'll stand up and we'll take it. Yeah From a football perspective, I always feel when a manager comes in Everything's about results, but for me a first season is it's a it's a free throw from the manager Obviously you wanted to make the finals last year and you should have made the finals, but for me second season is now Your squad into the third where it's completely on you. How do you how do you make that transition? How is that looking? Well, I think your expectations rise a little bit I think the People talk about pressure and and what I say with pressure is listen Every person in their life deals with pressure But they deal with it in different ways and they have it in different ways pressure is not having a job pressure Is not being able to see relatives people pressure is Not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from what we get to do is we get to do the thing that we love The thing that's ingrained in us and and they the boys get paid for it So it should never become a chore. It is a privilege to play especially at this club You know, we speak about the values and the the things that Western Sydney is all about And what I've done this year is I've tried to make them realize To be a special team to be a special club At times, you know, things don't come around too often But when they do come around it's special and I think people remember when we won the champions league It's special. Maybe not the best team wins, but the team gets through with team spirit gets through with the togetherness. So it's trying to Get all those things together With also the young players with also the club because we are one club with the supporters to get into the stadium again They'll only come and watch exciting football. So we need to excite them with our football We need to win because they'll come and watch winning exciting football And then when we do that we're there to be shot down and we've got to use our values to then say no problem Come and meet us head on but there's so many things and variables that go into managing playing Be building a club because said the club is there. It's been 10 years now in existence and We need to get back to where we wherever and wants us because there's nothing worse than A club not being followed by supporters. We want our club to be the best club. We know it's the got the best facilities We know it's got the best people now. We need to get the best team. That's my job. That's my young my coaching staff's job We need to develop the best players If you're afraid of that don't be a football manager Because if you're scared at any time you're in the wrong job because it's a privilege to manage this club It's a privilege to play this club and it's a privilege to support this football club I think you know one thing I realized I always took my football very seriously then and that's how you that's how you make it But I think when you get to a certain stage you don't get many shots of the big darts no and I think Players a managers like yourself that have played at the highest level know that and how how hard is that? I think like you know speaking to bernie gets that it's like I want to win I want to take these guys with me, but how do you get that into the young guys? Hey, you'll be 25 26 before you know I think the biggest thing and what I try and explain to young players is Again, bernie mentioned about dealing with adversity and bernie went through an injury bernie went through traveling to europe and And asia all over these places to try and figure out where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do It evolves you as a person, you know, I was told at 15. I wasn't good enough. I was told I wasn't gonna play I was too small too quiet too skinny So I got two ways of going out. I either deal with it and I accept it and I give in And I go back to clandrine dodwells run from or I embrace it and I try and prove people wrong and literally I did prove people wrong And a year later I signed a professional former and the guy who told me I wasn't good enough Said a year later. I knew I would get that response out of you so One person's view doesn't mean that you're a good or bad player what it does it means It's trying to test out your mentality because mental toughness is the hardest thing in football And you have to go through adversity and if you go through adversity It makes you stronger not just in sport in life Because if you think you're going to sail through your life where everyone tells you how good you are what you You know what you're good at what you can do and not deal with these problems on the field as well as off the field You're Totally mistaken because life is about evolving life's about learning life's about growing up life's about supporting people Oh, yeah, um, we spoke about it off camera before but how do you Break down player management football management and you know style over substance Is it you know scoring four goals playing beautiful breathtaking football? Is it you know sometimes parking a bus and hitting on the counter once Yeah, again styles evolve Sometimes it's dictated by the players you have like I'll use last year as an example last year as an example I thought we Our squad was unbalanced. We had too many attacking players too many attacking senior players that weren't playing That suddenly becomes a slight issue based upon Older players want to play the expectancy of them to play Younger players just love being around the place and want to show The opportunity whether it's for five minutes 10 minutes at the end We scored a lot of goals last year. I still generally believe that we missed so many chances and we were not clinical enough in the final third and chances I thought one thing that I you know saw a presentation Most goals of clubs ever scored. I didn't know that second most in the league like that that puts you in that should put you in game Well, it should and it did All right, but what it did was if you look at the statistical data, we missed so many guilt edge chances Add that to the goals that we did score Suddenly we're in a much better position than what we're at. You know, we're not trying to scrape into the playoffs We're firmly in the playoffs Maarin with that that we went through the first eight ten games of the season where we were very very solid defensively Yes, we weren't consistent because people got injured. There was a little bit of suspensions rotations things like that But then we ended up conceding a lot of set-piece goals and that become a big flaw in our game That wasn't down to take out the three games where we conceded seven set pieces add in six penalties Which are referees decisions three of them of art which were overturned and given against us One was a deflected free kick Take out those three games and then the corners where we conceded three off Corners in one game two off corners in another game We're not even having this conversation. We're talking about were we good enough last year to win it Generally deep down. Did I believe we were good enough to win it? Yes, maybe that was my head ruling my heart this year I didn't want to leave no stone unturned. So I bought in players that I know were As good as you can get guaranteed goal scorers guaranteed chance creators guaranteed in the a league had Experience of playing in the a league good values good people Good professionals and then mara min with the talented youngsters that we have I mean I was at every game last year and you're right like the set piece was like not another set piece But you know watching every game. I felt And we spoke about it off camera before barring the city one and then you said you were still kind of in that I felt that was the only game where you kind of weren't at the races But I also you know, I'd speak to be and I was like if you guys get in the finals You're the last team that anyone wants in that finals last year I think there was a lot of teams were very very happy. We missed out on finals We can't blame anyone else, you know, it was down to us. We weren't good enough because we didn't get enough points Did we throw it away? Yes, we did at certain times. Was it one particular game? No, it wasn't four times last year We played at home We were in total command of the games with the way we want to play with our identity And on the first chance at the opposition had they scored Brisbane was one central coast was one Adelaide was one the first shot they have on target They score yet we have four five six chances before that Those are the moments in gamers which define games, you know teams that score the first goal usually Percentage wise win games of football. We just gave ourselves too many mountains to climb You know after reviewing that last year at the end of the season, which I did every game every player that played every game I decided that I needed to change things, you know, bringing in additional defenders bringing in players with Different type of leadership qualities was a fundamental. I wanted and I found them obviously helps when you have the The the players that are from the local region that understand the values But I've also won. Yes, they want different clubs as well But they want to win at their football club. This is their football club, you know And what we need to do is make sure that we're all on the same page with that You speak about leadership something you said last year and Went everywhere. It was great I think you got the desired result and you know, you know speaking to Bernie That's something that he's really taken on and he says he's trying in pre-season to be a lot more Of a leader you brought in Reese who for me is a role for most of the defender and a gentleman a dharma Hamid like tell me what these guys bring bring to the table for the wonderers issue Well, you just you mentioned there Bernie and tomahamed you mentioned, you know, dimi patras we bought in we bought in terry antonis We bought a dharma Reese, you know the captain material Last year and it become a brilliant story Robbo had said something that we lacked leadership or we lacked people stepping up Anything I say publicly I've told the players, you know people who work with me people who know me They'll find out that you know people aren't inside my locker room So I'm not going to actually say something publicly and then not be proud enough or Or man enough to show my face in the locker room saying it in the public. I didn't do that So what I said was exactly what I said to the players We need our leaders to step up and then when we'd lost again my football I said I didn't think we had enough leaders to step up not when things are going well when things are going well And we got 20,000 28,000 if we can get to it this year Support us patterns on the back and singing our name. That's great. Everyone wants to be a hero then It's when you're losing you're under the cost. You're you're defending for your lives It's the little bit of adversity when things don't go your way in again That's where I want leaders to step up and that's what I didn't think we had when things were going great. Yes It's a sign of character You know, I actually find out more about my players when we don't win Then when we do win because when we win, it's easy. It's them when we lose It's on me and it's on us and the ones that are able to step up and go. Yes boss This is what I wasn't good enough You know, they'll be in the trenches with me all day long I have listened it's easy to easy to see it. Um, well when it comes down to the nitty gritty, we'll find out about it, but Building locker rooms creating cultures creating environments is it's not Has to be organic and you you can't just suddenly turn up a football club one day and go This is what I want because it doesn't happen. People don't like change, unfortunately So what you have to do is you have to drip feed them. You have to try and create this energy synergy between them You have to explain to them the reasons why we're doing it because some won't want to change what they're used of people don't like change But when they understand it's for the changes for better All right, and people do, you know sometimes Um, but we're also focusing on we're trying to change. We're trying to create We're trying to develop And we're trying to win and if we can do that and we're trying to be exciting and we're trying to create Example game style. We're trying to play a certain way We're trying to create more opportunities if we create more opportunities than the opposition create The likelihood is we're going to win more games of football That'll be dependent on the quality of players you have So if you've got better quality players and you're creating more chances, you have more chances of winning the game Teams get one chance. They can't score on us. All right, we have to switch on so it's a mentality thing It's a mental thing. How do you how do you train the brain? How do you try and mentally? Train yeah, so yeah When you're traveling, that's fine when you're not, you know, how do you mentally train the brain? How do you try and make sure that for 85 minutes you're not involved in the game because it's easy And you're in total control and then the five minutes when you think everything's fine You switch off and you can seed and that's what I like. I enjoy. I embrace You know, I do my work Monday to Friday. I say this the boys get to play on Saturday It's all down to them. That's why I'm very calm on the sideline You know, you don't see me ranting and raving unless I need to because it's not about me It's about them, you know, and and that's our big focus this year to try and put a product on the field where it's exciting It's where it shows what we're all about. But it's also a winning product as well I know speaking to you just briefly and speaking to people that know you you've coached around the world Are we doing enough? We always think about the multiculturalism and diversity in this country Are we doing enough to bring that forward? I know this club is doing A lot with, you know, the African Nations Cup here, but do you think from an outsider coming in The country's doing enough in terms of football bringing players through We're trying yeah, but we're not doing enough, you know Kids boys young young boys young girls from wherever, you know, a saying that stuck with me Off from my early age coming from Wales was It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter where you're from You should be given the chance and opportunity to play All right, just because you know people talk about paid football, you know in England There's a lot of it in America. There's certainly a lot of it and you have to to pay to play Well, my argument to that is what about little Tommy who's from a single parent home that can't afford to play Should he miss out? Should he not get get the opportunity that someone from a more privileged family Should no he shouldn't all right, so it's about you know, there's a lot of work that goes into it. I understand that there's a lot of Opinions. I'm not the one of the decision makers. All right, and all of these things But what I will say is the more people there's so many people worldwide that play the game You know, we need to try and create opportunities for them to play We need to actually find the best players I'm the best players, whether you're from Wales, whether you're from Australia, whether you're from any part of the world Should be given the same opportunities to play but After your first season and now coming in realising what this club is What can we expect from not only yourself and the team the team this season? Well, you can expect a demand a desire to win You know, that was there last year, but now there is you know, so I wouldn't say Excuses there were reasons which I knew which I've addressed now. There is no excuses You know, I've got to set my team up correctly to try and win a game But now I know I now know I've got good people with good values to understand what it's about because You know me coming into the football club a year ago me coming into the country 18 months ago You know, I had to get used to the football culture the football landscape here and I got kept getting told that Sometimes people look at the negative rather than the positive They look at what people can't do about what rather than what they can do You know, and I've never been that way. I've always been the person of What can they do? What can they bring and try and then implement that within how we want to play rather than well He can't do that because if you look at it that way Players don't get opportunities So what do what will you connect? What can you expect? Will you expect? What will I expect is a certain way of playing a certain demand a certain desire A certain certain fundamentals which become non-negotiable of you as a person of the players as people As individuals and collective But the one goal doesn't change. We're here to win and if we don't win We might not be having this conversation next year, which listen is okay Perfect. It was a pleasure. Thank you very much. I look forward to this season coming to watch you guys I look forward to seeing what trainers you have on the pitch, but all the best for the season