 Brought to you by DIS, keeping companies connected with cloud-based solutions. Come on, City! Right then, Stuart, we'll start with team news and on the injury front. How are you shaping up going into Saturday's game? Yeah, as every week goes by, you've always got a couple of niggles after the previous game. But the good news, we've got Zelew's back joining him with the lads today and look very sharp. Probably he'll be added to the group. Gareth Evans isn't far away. As I said, he'll join in, start joining Monday. Probably Kurt is probably another week away and Noves a little bit longer than that because he's, say, a little bit bigger. So, you know, not too bad, just the usual suspects at the minute. A real plus with Zelew being welcome back into the squad, I imagine, for you, because another attacking option? Definitely so. And as I said before, he played more minutes this pre-season than any player. So it's been a huge disappointment for him because every, you know, before I come here, I know last pre-season, they have a good pre-season, the fact that I got injured early, but it was flying. And then he got an innocuous sort of strain, a small-grade strain. Came back, was looking sharp again and then just did it in the gym and tweaked his hamstring again. So, but listen, he's desperate to be involved. He's working hard. His attitude has been really good. His application has been good. And as you say, you know, for him to come off the bench, we walk 20 minutes, half an hour, you know, he can be a real threat. He's a, you know, a talented player and, you know, he can get up players and teams. So when we're looking for a bit of creativity spark, then he's a good one to call upon, definitely. Gareth, like you say, Monday start of next week. Again, OK, yes, we'll be too soon for Saturday, but another experienced player that you'll be able to welcome back into the ranks. Yeah, and he's desperate to get up and running. And, you know, in the way that we're playing at the minute with attacking midfielders, it'll suit him down to the ground. And obviously he's got to get himself in the side and that. But, you know, we will be, you know, because of the amount of games we have in the person, I will change. So another attacking body to have involved is more positive for us, naturally, yeah. How's preparations been this week and after Tuesday going into Saturday, Stuart? Yeah, I mean, I've said it a while now, you know, when we're training well, but I'll also tell us if we've been sloppy and we've not been on it. But obviously the game on Tuesday now, we should set a debrief with a lot of the young lads there showing what we listen. Listen, coaches, managers and players obviously will always make individual errors. Obviously the least you make, the better you will be. But it was much, the chances we conceded the other night was more from a positional sense, communication, things like that. Things that we can actually go through on training grounds and on a video. Somebody lets the ball run under the foot of the goal, literally through his legs, you can't do anything about that. They're individual errors. But for the shape of where we went the other night, there was a couple of things we just needed to tidy up on. And, you know, especially going through with the younger boys, they get that. And the key is then once we've shown them and they understand it, is then not to be having to show them in three weeks time and lose the same goals again. So it's a learning process. So that was good. I've got to say the training session today with the 12 lads that weren't involved, give them Tuesday and Wednesday off to recharge the batteries was very, very good today. Really slick, sharp crossing and finishing that we ended up was very good. The two keepers were very good. So as I said, hopefully this, I said some afterwards, hopefully they've saved some quality for Saturday, but it was good to see today because before, I think it was last season, I gave them a couple of days off. They came like came back like a bag of washing and they were on Thursday with rubbish. They didn't get the head on it, but today they were all attuned to it. So it's easy to do it in training, but it was a positive session. So going back to it's been it's been a good week since last week. Obviously the disappointment was all the other night, but there were a lot of good things to take out of it. And taking that disappointment out of Tuesday's defeat and with the south end results and the tumbridge results in mind as well. Is there a much more confidence around the side after Barrow going into now Saturday? Has it been a good couple of weeks for you? It's got to be for the individuals as well because like anything, if you're not on top of your game or you're a 5 or 6 out of 10, you go into the next game, you want to be better. But you look at everyone in that group that we've had today, certainly as well. You know, we've had two clean sheets yet. You obviously got to take in the opposition, but you can only be what's there. So clean sheets, but then you've got like Woody the other day, you know, scored one made two, pitch has got two in two, Cookie scored one and create a couple. Elliot's playing well. Clarky's bounce back since his penalty miss have been instrumentally in three goals against south end and scoring two. Clay, it's got on the score sheet. She can go through everyone. Everyone, you know, at the minute, you can tell in training, sort of having a confident about two or three a year, but there's a confidence now that only lasts as long as well as you're doing. So it's their job to keep it going. But there's certainly in their positive frame, there's a bubbliness to them. And that's what not only decent results, but certainly good performances do. And we're not getting carried away by by any means. You know, there've been two results that people would have hoped and expected us to get, but it's been the manner that we've done it. And we've got to continue it now naturally. Now you've had a good period of time with these players and the players with each other as well. Are you seeing as a manager a growth in relationships on the field and in training and an understanding of the tactics and system that you and Kenny are setting out? Yeah. And, you know, when you always analyse things and go back over things, I think, you know, Porty being out for three games, sort of, although we changed the system at Forest Green, you know, we will probably have gone back to what we've been playing recently, but for Porty's suspension. So that we topped and changed a little bit. So we're back into a more, more recognised system that we're doing preseason and that we've done recently. And the players are tuned to that. But that always can always change again against the opposition. You know, you play the same way, but you can have different measures of success depending on how other teams go, if teams match up against you, go diamond, whatever it may be. I was quite, no, I won't say that because I've given too much away, but yeah, we're quite happy where we're going at the moment, but everyone knows the roles and responsibilities. But that can change in enduring games and then. But to, yeah, there's a lot of relationship being made and forged. How do you weigh up Exeter then? I imagine it will be one of your tougher tests so far this season. Yeah, if you look through it, obviously I think about 12 games undefeated. I don't know if they've lost away from home yet. They've carried on from last season. They've kept most of the squad. I know they lost a couple, obviously brought big Rory in, but they've kept most of the group that was successful last season together. And I think that's always important. I remember saying that the last time when we got to Wembley and, you know, got beat by Millwall and then the squad was decimated. But I think they've managed to keep majority of the key players together and some of the young ones have come through. But there are certainly a good footballing team. I think it'd be a good game Saturday. Both teams can play a couple of different systems, but I think they've got certainly good players as we have. And I think it could be a good footballing game. Has the message been from you to the players to get out on the front foot early doors when playing at home? Will it be that kind of approach from you? Yeah, it's got to be. That was a disappointment the other night. When we look back at the goal we lost to Oldham in the first 10 minutes, it was so avoidable. Although from their point it looked a good passage of play in the ball, the second runner goes through one-on-one. But, you know, if we positionally had been better, we could have cut that out. But then it gives you that little bit of a mountain to climb again. So yeah, I think the lads only know encouragement from me because they're feeling in a confident manner. But we're up against the good side, we know that. But we'll make sure it's tough for them. I just wanted to get your thoughts, Stuart, on some individual players, if I may. Anthony O'Connor was awarded the Give Me Sport player of the month. I've never heard of that award before, I shall add. I thought you wanted to made it up. It was his family voting. No, but how good has he been so far this season? Because, actually, take the award out of the equation. He's been Mr consistent for you. That's the words, exactly. He has in everything we wanted him to do. I think he's defended really well. I go back to, he gets caught once at Forest Green and obviously gets sent off and gives a penalty away. But on the ball has been very good. Off the ball has been good. He's defended well when we've needed him. So, yeah, I think it's well-merited, that award, if I'm honest. I don't know what it's for, but it's well-merited. Maybe it's for bad haircuts, I don't know, because he's certainly had a G.I. Joe recently. But, yeah, we were discussing, as we do as a staff, the group over each week, and certainly Anthony's been there as one of the most consistent players that we've had, yeah. And the other side of that, back three, Rhys Staunton, who we've spoken to already today. Just your thoughts freely on what has been a bit of a breakthrough season for a young man like that? Yeah, well, I go back to last season when he played at Burnley, as he actually played left back against Aaron Lennon and did really well. But also, when we played Blackburn, I think he played him back three, and I thought he's suited to a back three. Now, I played him in one game in a back two, and, you know, it's a different game. You know, if you've got to be a dominant centre half, because Rhys isn't always a good sizing, he can compete, you know, at this level, if you've got a couple of bruises up top, you know, but in a back three, it suits him down to the ground. And, you know, on the ball, he's very good. Probably, you know, one of our best passers, and certainly crossers in the team. We did some crossing today, and Woody were exceptional. But, yeah, and he's just one that he knows he's on a learning curve. It's not as a defender. His first and foremost job is to defend, to be strong. But what he gives us going forward and building up from the back is one of his strengths. Do you think the role of a centre back, the modern day centre back, has changed somewhat as time has gone on? Is there an expectation now that a centre half has to be better on the ball and less physical in their natural game, or maybe not? Certainly at the top level. A few years ago, John Stone's coming through. You know, he got signed from Barnes. He came through, because he was good on the ball. Harry McGuire at Sheffield United, when he was a young kid. Although he's got the physicality and the decent in the air, he was good on the ball. And I think if you're looking away, the top-end player. But we're in division two. And as much as a lot of teams do try to play, you know, they'll have physical big centre forwards. The ball's going to be reined in long throws, free kicks, corners. So you've got sort of that physicality to stand up to that challenge as well. And sometimes players so better playing in a higher level than they do in a lower level. You know, if you bring, say for example, John Stone's down in division two, you think, oh, well, absolutely. But not on a horrible bouncy pitch and a windy night when the balls are raining down on your head. You know, that's not his strength, sort of like in compete. So, yeah, it can be horses for courses. But I certainly think over the last, yeah, 10 years. Same with fullbacks. You don't look at fullbacks, how well they defend. It's how many crosses they put in the box. Things like that. So that has been a swear to that. And that's because maybe the European managers have come in a more football-orientated. Obviously, you guard the oilers and clubs and potatinos and that, you know, football. But yeah, it's certainly gone that way more so over the last 10 years, I would imagine, yeah. And it's interesting you mentioned fullbacks. The final individual I wanted to ask you about was Bryce Azana, of course, not one of your own. But he, of course, is with you on loan and he signed a contract extension with his parent club Leeds earlier today. Testament to him. How good is Bryce? And as someone who's experienced the top level, what is his potential, do you feel? Yeah, well, I saw that on the TV. This one, I kid him on that. I got a call from Mr. Bielsa saying, he won't get a new deal until he came here after ending with a top-class fullback. But yeah, no, I think that was always on the cards. He was going to get another deal prior to him coming to us, but he settled in really well. He's quiet, unassuming, but obviously he's got good ability going forward and one-on-one defender. He's got the pace. He just needs to learn naturally as we're all learning, especially the young ones, defensive positions at times. But with his being playing with us as a wingback, we expect him to do more going forward than defending really. So yeah, he's certainly a good one for the future and I'd be delighted to have him. Final one from me, Stuart. I won't keep you too long. Just wanted to get your thoughts on the bailout package that's still up in the air at the moment. The reason I ask is that Richie Wellins at Salford City has been quite vocal about it, the fact that the Premier League and the EF haven't come to an agreement yet on some financial support for clubs. Is it something that you affiliate with yourself too much? And if so, do you have any thoughts on it? Not really. I'd like to just keep me on, not long counsel, quite on things. I'm not that opinionated or something I'm not really sure about. But I think what happened, we were going to get bailed out a little while ago, but it was only to Division 1 and 2 and the championship weren't getting anything. So, you know, where the fairness in that, obviously the championship and lots of money were through other ways as well. But EFL is 1-2 in the championship. So I think that was a stumbling buck early on and whether they can come to some sort of agreement. But I think as time goes on and more clubs are set to be really struggling over the Christmas period and the next couple of months paying wages, then if there is something going to get done and it looks like there is, then sooner the better. I think that's common sense really. But it's getting through the nitty-gritty and the red tape and seeing what can be done. But there is certainly clubs that need their help in hand at this moment in time, yeah. Stuart, good to chat with you. Go well Saturday. Cheers, thank you. You mentioned earlier there about Zellie and how he tweaked his hamstring in the gym. And with the season like no one's ever had before, the compactness of it and Christmas coming up, is this where sports scientists and the like really show their worth in how players look after themselves? Yeah. And, you know, that's the sort of frustrate. I think it listened to inevitable. I saw Nathan Ackie the other night come off after five minutes in the international game. And lots of people are getting these sort of muscle injuries. But it was only what probably a month ago looked on my board and we had a clean bill of health. And then within a week we had four down with muscle injuries, little fatigue injuries, players that are playing probably too many minutes in a compact time and things like that. So yeah, you know, the physios and the sports scientists, Ben, they're doing everything meticulously. But, you know, when you see, if it was only your club giving it, then you'd be looking to see what's going on. We've had a couple of hamstrings, a couple of calves, a thigh. So it can be frustrating. But I think the most frustrating thing is when the players work so hard to get back and they're almost back and then they just get a little setback. Now, whether that's the players wanting to get back too early or those having to hold them back a bit or just being unfortunate. But everyone's early, I've been almost back. And then we've just had to pull them back for the week, 10 days. So again, with the other ones, like, you know, back and go threes, who are eager to get going, we've just maybe got to put the brakes on and make sure they come back. And when they are back, they're back for good rather than being, you know, struggling again. Is it a case of having to say to us, particularly maybe younger players, that you're not playing for the full 90 minutes or whatever because it will have an effect on your life's growth? Yeah, to young players and to supporters sometimes. You know, I remember, obviously, we got a good result at Mansfield and then we had the game on the Tuesday and, you know, naturally, I would as a fan. Oh, you've got to keep the same team and winning team. But behind the scenes, you don't know what's going on. You know, you're getting so well, you know, playing more than 60 minutes. Even the other night, you know, Levi's been, he's had a stop-start season at the moment with suspensions, et cetera, and a bit of illness and a little minor muscle injury himself. And as much as we would like to give him 90 minutes of the night, after 70, 75, you know, he started cramping up. Now it's just cramp, get on with it. We need you on for the next 15 minutes. And he wanted to stay on. But it was a sensible decision to bring him off because it'd been crazy to keep him on for that last 10, 12 minutes. And then, you know, to pull them. When you start cramping up, it's a sign that your muscles are fatigued and it's time to come off. So, yeah, there's, we've got to take a lot into account with what's going on at the moment and the games we're playing, et cetera, et cetera. But, yeah, we've got a good back room staff and we try to be on it every day, naturally. Does it mean that, although, naturally, footballers and managers, they always say the next game is the most important one. But with the compactness and Christmas coming up, does that mean you're having to look a bit further forward than you might do anyway? Yeah, we do sometimes. Yeah, when we go, I think the fortunate thing just in the next week and last week there, obviously, we made a lot of changes on Tuesday. I think 89, 10 of the boys got a good rest. No game next week, which will help, certainly. It'll help the ones that have been playing regularly. They've been nice of a, try to organise a game for some of the other boys, but we haven't just got enough bodies to do that. They've been nice to get a game in Fazzelli for forever next Tuesday, a bounce game. But we just haven't, especially with the young lads, being in the youth cup at Carlyle on Thursday, we couldn't even borrow any of them. So it's something I thought about for next Tuesday, but we'll just have to have a really good training session and try to get them up to speed match fitness in the training session. But yeah, it's something you've got to keep an eye on. Obviously, as you said, the next game is most important, but you do have an eye on the second and third games regarding people and who can play that amount of time. Yes, good luck on Saturday. Yes, thank you. Stuart, you've got 10 games into the league now, coming up to about a quarter of the way through. I mean, results have been a little bit of a mixed bag so far. I mean, did you sort of expect that at the start of the season, bearing in mind all the upheaval and the way things have gone? Yeah. I would have put a sort of, you'd like to obviously be higher, but probably mid-table to seventh or something, just to start getting, because, you know, we're only in a little by last year, you know, and we had a lot of games, so we didn't really have a chance, but we had a pre-season there to put a stamp on it. And I think, yeah, listen, there's been a couple of games we felt, obviously, we lost a goal at 96 main, there's been little things where we could have picked up more points, but our Spartan shot every manager will say the same. But we have had, in the last month, probably like five or six players out each game, which doesn't help. I think a lot of teams might be the same, but it'd be good to get a settled group together. And as I said, you know, a few weeks ago, for the consistency for players, we probably, myself probably need to be consistent in the shape of the team if we can. We will change it at times, but in the majority, it was a system I wanted to go at the beginning of the season. We did it successfully in the pre-season games, but you always want a few other options to do, and we've managed that. But yeah, I think we could have had a few more points, had been slightly higher. Obviously, we've had a game called up at Grimsby, which, you know, if you win that, you're higher up the table. But I'd like to have done better, but with approaching where I'd like to be with a group, so we expect for results and performances to improve as the season go on. But it is a long season. It's not where you are in November. We know that it's not where we are in November. If you had to give me an option, if we were going to successful, how would you have it? I'd rather have had a slow start and a strong finish, because I've been the other way around when we've had strong starts and finished poorly. So now there's still great belief. I've got good belief in everybody here, and we've still got a strong desire and belief that we'll have a successful season. And the fact, as you touched on earlier, the fact that players are starting to feel good about themselves, you can see the confidence coming back. I mean, hopefully that will get a bit more of a consistency about the overall team display. Yeah. Yeah, I'd like to think so. You know, I think we've got a couple of key individuals that'll come back into the group and make us better. But at the moment, the team that we've been playing and the lads that have been coming on have been strong. But it's no good to pack ourselves on back and say, we've done all right for a couple of games. We need that consistency. And we need to carry on on site, which we know will be a difficult game, but it's one that we believe that if we can play in the manner that we want to play, then we'll got a good chance of success. And I'm obviously talking about Exeter. I mean, they've got this system. They've brought a lot of players through their academy probably to keep costs down as much as anything. And it's proved pretty successful. Is that, you know, and you looked at the other night, I think you finished the game with seven players from the academy on the pitch. You know, it seems to be coming more and more of a thing. And presumably in the current sort of environment, that's so important now. Yeah, I think if you look at Exeter's group, they've got, you know, a few, I've got about 20, 21 year old who maybe been out on loan last season or on the fringes and they've given their opportunity now. But yeah, I think it is a way for most clubs if you've got good young ones. I think over the years, we've had a great record at the football club of getting young ones but selling them on when they've been 14, 15, 16, which has kept the club going a lot of it. All the way back to, you know, obviously Fabian Delph, I think the second day I was in or the first day I was in, Andre Wisdom was signed for us. Knowing that he was going to go sign for Liverpool, you know, the late Peter Horne or did a terrific job was the one who got him in and, you know, we've always done that quite well but if you bear in mind Bradford's a big city, you know, so we've got some, we had some decent kids and we've not say farmed them out but we've released them to go to higher clubs but we've already always had a good financial package and reward and, you know, we've got a couple lads now in the 15s and 16s that have been hired up by two, you know, quite high Premier League side. So, yeah, it's, listen, it's a way to survive for clubs at our level. Now, hopefully in years to come, we'll be getting hired up the league and moving up leagues and we won't have to sell us best players, etc. or the young ones and we can get them through to playing in the first team. It's also nice to see some of those playing in the first team now, isn't it? Because before it's often got an impression, perhaps down the years, perhaps wrongly, of always being like a token opportunity for a young lad gets the old game but now they see, you know, they're part of the squad this year and they seem to be, well, they've already made a good mark on it, haven't they? Yeah, and that's down to them, Simon. You know, you can have a dozen young kids and think, oh, it'd be great to give them a go but if they're not good enough, I've always said, I think everyone knows me as a manager as a coach. I can't remember how many young kids I give debuts to at Motherwell. I've gone through and done well but it's because they've been good enough. It's not been a token gesture, as you say. In pre-season, I sat down, I thought Leaston could be a main part of our side. Now, it's down to input to perform and there's other ones that we've looked at and thought, yeah, you can come through and in years to come, they can be key parts of our club and that's how it's got to be. It's like frustration, obviously, you're not in the next round of the league trophy, which would have been good for them again, but... Yeah, I think, yeah, when you find out you're out of it, the only sort of probably positive was that it's, you know, the week, the midweek before the FA Cup game. And obviously Oldham will be playing in that. Now, there might be a chance that we might have a game rearranged for that, but, you know, the positive is that it wasn't going to be that we wouldn't be playing a game prior to the FA Cup, which gives us more chance to prepare. Unlike Oldham, we're obviously going to be playing that night, Tuesday night. Yeah, and in terms of obviously the young lads, they've all made them up, you know, to a degree, they've had their opportunities, Tom, and, you know, they've probably got a taste of it driving each other along now for a bit more, haven't they? Yeah, yeah, they all are. They're always lasting from training. They're in the gym. They're doing things correctly. They've all got good attitudes to the game. They all want to learn, you know, the credits to the family because the good kids, you know, they've got a real desire among themselves to all be successful and to push each other on. Now, don't make a say because you've got the desire and the right attitude that you will be a success and you will make a living out of the game, but you've got a heck of a lot, far better chance when you've got the right attitude to make it than if you're not really caring and haven't got the desire to put the hours in and to learn and improve and ultimately succeed. Cheers, Joe. Thank you. Cheers, thank you. Hi, Stuart. I've just got one, mate. I know, yeah. Are you still awake? I was just about how you did that. It's a little bit of what Simon said. It seems a lot of leagues it's going to be about how you finish this season. I mean, you look at the Premier League and, you know, the table hasn't really settled and, you know, a lot of teams have brought players in. The bad injuries that come just scheduled is getting used to playing without crowds. So it always looks like the second half of the season in nearly all the divisions, especially in this of all seasons. Yeah, you know, and, you know, if you just look back in history, as I said before, the times that this club has got promoted, you know, Chris Kamara's area, they were struggling, you know, and they came strong. Certainly with Phil Parkinson, you know, they were 10th, I think, with 10 games to go, or how many games to go. And they had a great surge. And not only that, they're finishing strongly going into the playoffs. I think the season, Northampton, obviously the season got curtailed. And I think the year before that, other teams have finished strong. You're going to play them strongly and then you've got a better chance. But, yeah, listen, you'd love to start well, with great middle and finish great as well. But if you had to pick, I think, finishing strongly would be the one. But we've just got to make sure we do that and start amassing enough points. And then when we get to January, we're certainly, at the moment, the club's in a decent position. We're not near the salary cap. Then we can go and strengthen and bring two or three more players in if needed. But, you know, the group that we've got, as I said, we've got five lads out, who are all would be in the squad of 18. So if they can get in and around it and push each other, we've got a healthy squad. But one that can be improved comes January. 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