 Brought to you by DIS, keeping companies connected with cloud-based solutions. Come on, City! Kenny, good to chat with you again. Can I start on the injuries from first and foremost? How is Billy Clark in Callum Cook? Billy Clark was out this morning working with a physio. It was good to see him outside and Cookie was inside. Probably I would imagine Saturday would be a little bit too early, certainly for Cookie. But it was good to see Curtis Guthrie, Billy Clark, Bryce Hosanna. These three lads were outside working today with Lee Novak and Callum Cook indoors. Some positive news on firstly Curtis Guthrie. We have not heard his name for a little while. Is he progressing well then on his rehabilitation? He's rehabs going well and we're happy how that's going. I think it's no secret that every club would like to have a full quota players to choose from. We certainly have missed these lads just to give us that bit of competition. We've had to go with three or four players shot every week for the last few weeks. It's important that we get these lads back as quickly as possible. Zelli Ishmael a Gareth Evans, two players that I know Stuart has mentioned previously, that are very well likely to feature on Saturday, all being well. Are they expected to be available for you? We'd be very disappointed if they weren't involved. They've both came back in the fold over the last week to ten days and trained well. Gareth, I've been on record saying that, is an important player for us, as is Zelli. Both have different attributes and we're looking forward to having them both involved on Saturday. Gareth in particular, we haven't really seen all that much since his return to the football club. I don't want to say this in a general statement, but is it almost like having a new signing available to you again? That gets flagged up a few times, that one with a new sign. No, he's important for us, he's got great experience and his time at Portsmouth as well. He was a really important player for them. I think he'll be as frustrated as anyone that he's not got off to the greatest of starts, only because of the injury. It's kind of hampered them a little bit. So, as I say, it's good to have them back. Fits into the system that you're sticking with now as well. I would assume it's something you'll continue to use going into Saturday? Yes, I mean, Gareth's quite flexible that he can use on the two or three positions, but certainly the way we are going to play or hoping to play, he ticks the boxes in the right areas. He's a quality player. I think it's important that we get these lads on the pitch as often and as quickly as possible. How big a bonus is it then when we've been talking about the injury list and players coming back and having as many players available to you as possible in a squad that you've now got the opportunity to make five substitutions? How much does that influence the way that you tactically set up the game plan? Well, we always take a great deal of care with the lads who are going to occupy the bench and, as I say, the attributes that they bring to that particular game. So it certainly gives us something. I think it's something that each club will be happy with. Obviously the teams with the bigger squads will be more happy than others, but I think just with the pre-season was kind of crammed in a little bit because we've had loads of games recently. So I think it does help, or hopefully will help, the fact that the players are injury-wise and the prevention of injury shall we say. So it's certainly something that we've been really positive with. Yeah, do you think it was needed really? Yes, definitely. I think it was just because of the situation that we find ourselves in just now. I think it will certainly loosen the strain for the physio door and people collecting aches and pains and knocks just through soft muscle injuries. It's a little way ahead yet, but how much does that influence at all your tactics in the transfer window for January? Do you have to factor that into consideration given that for the second half of the season you'll be able to make more changes to your squad? Well, I'm sure that Stuart's had conversations with the hierarchy at the club and glossed over that situation. But it's certainly welcomed news for us at this moment in time and it's something we will probably look at coming into the December months leading up to the transfer window, as you say, in January. How nice has it been just to have a week with the players and not have a midweek game in between to actually spend some time with them? Well, it's been great. I think we've benefited from that, I think, this week. We've had Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday for a number of weeks now, even with the EFL trophy. So I think it's been good this week with a chance to take our foot off the pedal a little bit with certain players. But we know that we're just round the corner again from another game on Saturday. We're a full midweek fixture list. Having more time, what opportunities does it present to you as the coaching staff towards the players? Does it give you more time to be able to discuss tactics, videos to reflect on games? What does it enable you to do? All of these things that you've just mentioned, that enables you to spend a bit more time than you would, certainly with the tactics and looking at the video analysis from the previous game and for the forthcoming opponents. When you do have Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, you know, you still want to get it done, but you can go into it with more greater depth. And I think, you know, the fact we've had the injured players as well, glad to have just come back from injury. It gives us the opportunity of looking after them a little bit. But we know, as I say, just round the corner, there's another load of fixtures coming up from midweeks. Having a chance to have looked back on the extra game, then what did you learn about your performance and what did you learn in that game that you can take moving forward, can you? Well, we knew it was a very open game. Probably looking back on it again, we did have opportunities, probably not as many good opportunities as they had, but I thought it was at 90 minutes of open-end stuff. You know, we attacked them, they attacked us, and they're a very good side. Over the last few years, you know, they've been involved in the playoffs, in the playoffs final last year. And I think it had all the ingredients of a really good game from start to finish and we were disappointed with the goals that were conceded. You know, but we could also, after this quarter-second goal, very quickly, we could have been 3-1 in front. So we showed a better character, and I think us getting the goal bang on half-time did help us as well. But I think it was, you know, the second half, we had to go at them and they had to go at us. I think it'd be fair to label them as promotion hopefuls and to get a result like that against the side, who, as you say, in the playoffs finals last season, it must give you a great deal of belief as well in what you're doing. And you can take that into again what will be a side who will be pushing for those promotion spots. Yeah, we've come this Saturday against a side who, as you say, will have all the ingredients of another game against a team who expect to be up there challenging for, if not top three, but certainly the top seven. And they say there's a few teams that we've played already this season. Newport comes to mind, but it's a very, very competitive league and you really have to be at it every single Saturday and Tuesday to try and get that consistency to keep yourself up the top half of the league table. What will be your approach then? Do you go there in a conservative nature, or do you stick to your game plan? Do you try and keep on the front foot and play the attacking football that we've become so accustomed to seeing from the side in recent times? Well, I think you want to, similar to Saturday, you want to go and try and have a go at them, whether you're home or away, there's bits and pieces in our game that we think we can cause them problems. We've also highlighted factors in the way their team is set up and they've got players that can hurt you and they've got a decent squad assembled at Salford. Myself and Stuart went to watch them on Friday night at Bolton and they'd been disappointed probably with certainly the second goal that they conceded, but certainly with the first goal as well, there was a couple of mistakes in there. There are a team that dominate the ball or try to dominate the ball, so it's got all the makings for a game. But yeah, we will go there and we'll give them every respect, but I think we've got to try and have a go at them as well and try and cause them problems. They'll be naturally disappointed with the result of that evening that you went to watch. How wary do you have to be that they'll be looking to come out and try and rectify that very, very quickly? Well, you fact at the back at home again, even their FA cup tie that they got through against Hartlepool, but they again dominated the ball, but they got through in extra time. So I think with a new manager coming in, it takes time to get your game plan in place shall we say, but every player is out to impress the new manager. So we're mindful of that, but as I say, we take to one side, but we can hopefully bring to the table on Saturday. Finally, Kenny, I just want to get your thoughts on one player in particular, Levi Sutton, who we've spoken to already today. He's back fit and available from his suspension as well. How big an opportunity is this for him as a player to maybe press the restart button and just, you know, revitalise his Bradford City career? Well, I use a word frustration with Gareth Evans and probably do the same with Levi. You know, we had them at Scun Thought. When you all what he's got, what he brings to the team, very, very committed, and I wouldn't say he's a dirty player. I think he gets some, maybe gets some challenges that may be a more experienced player when they take a little step back from, but very committed. And you know, I think, as I say, when he's sending off at Barrow that afternoon, it was, you know, a difficult challenge that he put himself under a bit of pressure with that. But he knows, as I say, I think students had word with him anyway in regards to going to these challenges. Sometimes you've just got a corcani, as I say, in Scotland, just to try and take a little step back and not be as, want them to be committed and be on that front foot. But he brings a lot of different things to your midfield area. And it's good to have them back. Thanks very much, Kenny. Go elsewhere today. Thank you very much. Kenny, just going back to the five substitutes thing. Is that a case now that, because you can make more changes, that you'll be able to bring players who have a lot of experience and can make more changes, that you'll be able to bring players who are almost ready to get back into the first 11 in knowing you can bring them off. You've got more chance to bring them off when they're getting tired after they've come back from injury. Well, that's one thing you look at with players coming back from injury is to see they can do all the rehab with the medical team. But getting back into a game situation, a physio for Chris and Dale, the sport signs with Ben, how long do you think they're going to get depending on the type of injury they've been out with? So certainly, if you're just going to start a player, you'd maybe get an hour. Did they get 70 minutes? But yes, certainly we're having that option of the five subs. Even bringing someone into the squad to come off the bench maybe for 15, 20 minutes. It's a useful tool to have. Of course, the other big talking point in football this week has been the heading of the ball and the problems it's caused. But it seems through medical evidence with players in the past. With some of the suggestions that are coming forward, that's going to change the way clubs train. Is this something you're already looking towards at Bratford City or is it you're waiting to see what happens? Well, I think it's very much waiting to see what happens. It's been well documented over the last few months, years about the concerns, shall we say, for the heading of the ball. We keep preaching as well that it's something that I think it's a dying art in the game now when the crosses are coming into the box. Players, modern-day players, in my opinion, tend to go with their foot or any other part of the body apart from their head. But I do understand the concerns that everyone has with the research that's been done on that. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the developments. Excuse, Kenny, best of luck on Saturday. Thank you very much. As you were saying, Kenny, about the substitutions and obviously the clubs with the biggest squads, perhaps it will benefit more. Presumably you could put someone like Salford in that category, couldn't you? Because, obviously, perhaps they've got more scope to bring players in. Yeah, they've gathered a decent squad at Salford. I think there's a number of teams in Leeds who will be quite happy with these. I think we are happy with them also. I think the fact with the injury concerns, the lads coming back, as I mentioned earlier, but yeah, the teams at the top half of the table who do carry big squads will certainly have a slight benefit for that. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, and obviously it's a good challenge playing Salford. They were the team being talked about, the bookies had them down, and Stuart was signing the summer, Salford are probably the team to watch. It's quite an expectation to live with though, isn't it, when you're sort of held back there from day one as the team, so to speak? Well, the two teams at the start, the season everyone was talking about, or should we say, the bookmakers were bolting in Salford. Now, I think there's got to be an added pressure. I don't know, but bolting had that and they have had a better and different start, although they've got a really good result on Friday. Salford are the same. They've got to live with that expectation where the expectation level is Salford, and I'm sure for the people behind the scenes, we're looking to get promotion this year, so that comes there, as I say, with added pressure, and they've got to maintain a squad that can handle that. Obviously, they made the managerial change early. As a coach, that must have come, I think you came quite surprised to everybody, but when you're in the game you must be thinking that was pretty soon. Well, it was a situation, I think there was in fifth position, I think, when Graham left his post. You should never be surprised what happens in football, it does turn up when you look at that. I mean, Graham had off to a decent start when he was in fifth position, but the people that make the decisions at Salford are the ones that count, and obviously they've made that change now, and as I highlighted earlier, the players of Lobby Buster have got to try and impress the new manager and get themselves. The ones who haven't been playing will be trying to force away into the team. Obviously, it's a great challenge yourselves, and also I've probably put a result right from last season, because I know that day was very frustrating at that game there. Yeah, it was frustrating with a capital F, you know, it was a really disappointing performance that day when we lost at Salford, and you know, we need to go and certainly take part in the game a lot more than we did that day. We need to compete, and certainly we've got the squad I think this year round to go and do that on Saturday, fingers crossed. And the belief you can take from last weekend presumably against another team, we're all currently on a great run, isn't it? That's right. I was happy watching the game back last week, obviously there were bits and pieces with the goals that we conceded and the chances they created, but as you say, they're a very, very good side. After the game, they were complimentary about the way we played also. So that's what we need to do. The more of these performances we get, the better we'll be, and I'm sure we'll gather more points in playing the way we did on Saturday. It's about consistency this season of games in the short sphere at a time. That's what we're looking to achieve. The consistency of gathering maybe two or three victories, you just looked recently at what's happened at Scunthop, looked down and out for the number of weeks and all of a sudden they've had back-to-back wins so it's given them six points. That's the type of thing we're looking to do to try and get maybe a group of three or four games, one, two or three or even four of them, and push yourself back up the league table. Brought to you by DIS, with Cloudbase Solutions. Come on, City!