Chelsea F.C., Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Burnley F.C., Leicester City F.C., Liverpool F.C., Thomas Tuchel, Manchester United F.C., UEFA Champions League, Leeds United Sheffield United Chris Wilder Pre-Match Press Conference
Obviously a huge challenge with trips to the to the top too. Do you just have to try and embrace that challenge and rise to it? Yes, um. We have to um, i think both both of the uh, the the two clubs are incredible. Football clubs have been hugely successful over the last 20 years, uh at domestic level and um, and obviously i was um gaining uh entry to the to the premier league. We know what we were up against and uh, and even this year, when we’ve not got the results that we’ve wanted. You know they’ve they’ve not been runaway victories um at uh, our place, uh against manchester city and uh, manchester, united and um. I think, looking at the reaction from from both teams, they would be delighted to have got the results that they did um so up to us yet again to uh to to try and close the gap, which is obviously an enormous one. On the pitch in in. In both games, starting on wednesday night and um yeah, it’s it’s a huge challenge for for us and the players. But i think it’s been already been said. Nothing to lose, not expected to get anything um and go out there and and give it a go. And you know that, regardless what happened to tim uh between now and the end of the season, one thing that i will be judging the players on is: is the attitude uh, the body language um.
You know uh we’re playing up against some fabulous players. Um groups of players managers said it last time. Um watched the wickham game last night and you saw the the quality uh of the spurs squad, um and it’s no different to when you’re playing the likes of your manchester united and your manchester city. So you know it’s a it’s, a huge challenge to to to get nearer, but that’s the biggest thing that i’m. Looking at from from my group of players that i’ve brought in what? What is their attitude like? What is their approach to the game and have we got an identity uh, regardless of the results? You know we have to, of course, pick up some some results um between now and the end of the season for uh, obviously to close close the gap and, of course, pride and respectability. Um and we’ll only do that with with uh we’ve shown an identity that has has been the forefront of what what uh we’ve tried to achieve over the last four and a half would be a special result to go and win at manchester united. But could a special result like that, be the catalyst for something special in the second half yeah i mean we have to. We have to produce something special to uh, to get out of the position that we’re in um, statistically stats. History are all or get all stacked against us. So yeah you are uh you.
You are required to do something out in the ordinary and one result as we know, um can galvanize and kick kick start that um. But to get that result you know you have to, you have to show show the qualities that i’ve talked about and uh and put in a big performance and don’t hope. Um hope that the opposition, you know have one of those days and you have a of a day or a night that uh that that you need to to get that type of result, frank, lampard’s, departure from from chelsea that the big story this week. What do you make of it? He’S a club legend, does anything. Surprise you in football anymore, uh. No, as i’ve said before um. I understand different clubs and and and different sort of uh back stories to to to all different situations. I’Ve got to know frank uh through uh through a couple of really competitive games when he was at derby uh and watched him um. I was delighted um, even though we were you know, rivals in both of those games and obviously, last year in the in in in in the premier league as well. Uh, two favorable results for us. Um i’m really disappointed uh for frank um, because time yet again, as is the is the key uh issue here and um, you know as always whether it’s signings or building teams, um, it’s, it’s, instant, it’s, it’s, immediate um and, i i’m sure um i’ve, messaged, frank And i’m sure that they’ll go again and um.
I think stephen gerrard said it as well. You know uh he’s, a football man he’s such an intelligent guy and uh. I was hugely impressed what he did last year under the circumstances and he’s brought in players this year that that he won’t have the ability to to see that period through um. So i think that’s disappointing. I think it’s disappointing for for for, for, for the premier league for disappointing for english managers as well uh because um, you know, he’s gon na have to take a step back to move forward again but i’m sure that will happen um, but yet again, patience and Time is, uh is something that um you know: uh frank’s not being afforded and and ultimately pray pays. The the the price thanks chris all the best tomorrow cheers tim. I chris hope you well it’s andy from radio sheffield here um. How do you approach this tie at manchester, united tomorrow they’re, knowing what you do about them and the form that they are in? I can’t really affect the form that they’re in i can’t really affect the players that that we’re up against you’ve all seen it we’ve seen it um. Our supporters would have seen it. What how they’re playing all we can do is affect um and control um. Our team, our attitude and the way we go about it um. I think we all talk about without being defeated if they say yes and it’s it’s their night and they they play to the top of their ability.
It’S gon na be a really tough night for us to get a result, but we’re hoping that’s, not the case and hoping we flip that around and we play to the top of our ability and have a have a really special night. As as tim said, to uh to to to gain that result and um and we’ll be doing all we can do to to uh to to try and fake that you were talking a moment or so ago about some about identity. I mean it’s been a season of near misses in terms of performances along the way. Yet do you still feel that some of that has been lost potentially of that identity of this team? No, i don’t uh because i think it’s always a team that gives everything uh, which is the key to the identity bit um. Listen. I can’t add from the fact that individually, we’ve not played as well as we we can do and, and that affects the team and the team performance. I think always in a season um there’s, this there’s, some performances that you know you really don’t enjoy and i’ve said that all along in the four four and a half years here, even in the in the league, one days there’s a couple of performances that i Didn’T enjoy first year in the champ and obviously the promotion season, and even last year, so that’s been the case which we we we uh, we understand and that can happen to everybody, um, the the obviously the rhythm, um and um.
The momentum of the the team has as uh as has not been in a place where i would have liked it to have been through various reasons um through things, that we need to look at. Of course, individual performances, team performances and other stuff that we really can’t do anything about. You know the the uh, the ridiculous injuries that we’ve had um right, the way along a a a longer campaign and keep saying it the big moments and – and i keep saying it harry kane 25 yards out – make a mistake ultimately ends up in the back of The net an incredible goal by end on ballet and that’s what that’s, what you’re up against in this division? Um and it’s not going to change, but we have to try to cut out those mistakes play a near perfect game because that’s what we did last year, um there’s no margin for error with the players that we’ve got that’s a fact uh and uh, and those Are the margins that we’re dealing it? You take some hope and confidence from the fact that chevrolet united have been involved in some epic games against man, united in the premier league in the last couple of years, but that doesn’t affect that doesn’t affect the result or or the performance. In my opinion, what happens three or four years ago um? You know um this year. Of course it they’ve been they’ve been tight games. We can take confidence off the back of that um.
We can look at the games that we’ve played against these. These super clubs, which that’s what that’s, what they are in in every aspect: they’re super clubs and um and and that’s what we’re up against uh. Incredibly talented teams as i’ve talked about and and everything that goes with these. You know top european clubs um because that’s what that’s, what we’re up against you know: tottenham chelsea coming up manu man, city, they’re, top top european clubs and um and we’ve been on a journey. You know, as i said six years in in league one and and bounces way through pretty quickly and and having a season that’s. You know not sitting right with us, but um still tight games that we’ve been involved in last year, um against both the manchester clubs. Homing away uh, sorry, apart from the um, the away game after after lockdown, so three out of four games and two games this year, so we’re doing bits and pieces right, we’re trying to close that gap and um and we have to produce you know or recently From recent performances, take all the good things out of those performances and try and take it into uh into old trafford on wednesday night and obviously the etihad on on saturday. Just finally from me, at team news, have things eased or changed at all as regards to mcbernier musee osborne and their potential availability, no we’re waiting on musee uh, but the others won’t be involved.
So i think we’ve got potentially nine players out of our out of our group unavailable for the uh for the for the trip on on wednesday fingers crossed that there might be one or two of those boys back uh for the weekend, but that’s a day to Day observation and a situation thanks best of luck tomorrow, rebecca hi chris. Thank you for your time today. No problem you’re through to each other’s different with the fa cup. Do you feel that that could be a confidence boost for the squad having those wins behind you? Well, definitely yeah if we’d have obviously been knocked out. We’Ve not had that opportunity to to get the result against plymouth. So i was pleased with the attitude the application, the professionalism in both games. I think you know it’s it’s, it’s tough. As you know, i’ve just mentioned the tottenham game. Um last night you know star studded team against gareth ainsworth’s team, that you know he’s done an incredible job to get into the championship. Really so um. You know they’re not always straightforward games so to to gain the two wins, we’ll, take them and use them, and i believe we we did in the in the week after the bristol rovers game, to get a big result against newcastle and decent enough performance against spurs. Hopefully we can learn from that now. You know uh through the plymouth result, and hopefully don’t don’t make the mistakes that maybe we made against uh against spurs and uh allow ourselves to be punished very harshly in a in a in a division that does no.
No. You said you can’t reflect too much on on old results against man, united, but the last time you did face them in december. You did give them a very good shot, shot result kind of. I know you didn’t beat them, but can you take at least a little bit of experience from that game and take it into the game on wednesday night yeah? Of course we can. You know and uh. You know i i i think that i i 100 believe that that our results don’t reflect our performances. This season, statistically, they don’t, i think royalties, said it’s an anomaly um. I think everybody’s everybody’s talked about it that you know they they can’t. They can’t understand the position that we’re in and shake the red and and me included at times, because certainly we should we should have another. You know eight to ten points on on the board, but we have to look at ourselves and we haven’t and um, and what we have to try and affect is these up and coming games. Second part of the season going to the second part of the season. Now, to make sure that our performances, uh are matched up with results and um and and taking those chances that we’ve talked about um taking those big moments that we’ve talked about. Hopefully the injury list easing um, which i’m sure it will do. We don’t pick up any fresh injuries and and allows us to to gain points to change the the position of the football club aaron ramsdale i spoke to this morning on our ics.
He was obviously in the same position with bournemouth last year. Is there anything you can kind of take from him and his experience well he’ll take his own experiences from it um but um. You know still a huge amount of faith in aaron it’s been tough tough for him. You know everybody’s, quick to make comparisons. Everybody’S, quick to make comparisons on on last season. I think you know if you honestly sat down and talked to aaron he’d say that maybe you could have done a little bit better in certain situations, but there’s there’s been a lot of things in front of him. As well that have uh not helped him and not helped us in terms of in terms of results and um, and hopefully, if we can affect them, then then um then you know everything is uh is, is, is and will become better for for us as a Club, thank you christopher james, rebecca thanks, yeah yeah, sorry, chris. How are you i appear: no lose on zanderberg it’s another week on mate, no news! Okay! Where did i want to ask you anyways? As rebecca said, the last time you were at old trafford, it was a difficult one, but but the fact that you maybe go there this time not expecting too much and cannot be be a thing that help your players relax a bit and just enjoy the football Yeah i mean there’s pressure that we all put on ourselves.
The players will put the pressure on themselves, so there is nothing to lose we’re up against the team at the top of division and a team that’s cut adrift, so the odds, the opinions will all be favored in manchester united’s a favor, so we can’t we can’t. Do anything about that, and i suppose i would i would you know if i was a neutral – would expect this to be a pretty comfortable night for man. United and we’ve, got to try and make it as uncomfortable as possible for them. And since you don’t have any news on on sunday burger for me, i want to ask you: are you? Are you impressed with where goldie is doing at man, united after the difficulties yeah, i mean, i think, one of the things that we understand as managers, this instant um, instant reaction and um an opinion on on you on you um and none so more than than The nollie at manchester united, it comes with the territory and he he knows the that football club inside and out and and knows from playing with it playing uh playing for them. In his period there and working as a young, coach, um and now managing that that’s uh comes with the territory and he’s handled it fantastically well and um and they’re they’re, going along superbly at the moment and we’ll do our best to to try and derail them.
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