This is a rough summary of the press conference with the answers to some questions collated together for easier reading. The full audio from the presser is available at the top of this page on our website or in the podcast feed.
Lee Grant
Team news
We’ll be without Herbie Kane. He’s in London today with a specialist. His groin injury is a lot more serious than we had hoped for and it looks like we’ll be without him for a good period of time. It’s a real real shame, for him most importantly — he’s been a really important player us. I don’t have a timescale, I just know it’s considerable. We’ll know more once he’s been with the specialist.
Ruben Roosken will be available for us. Apart from two black eyes and a wonky nose he’s OK, there’s no concussion to worry about.
Jack Whatmough and Lynden Gooch are back in their boots and on the green stuff, which is really good to see. We’re likely to see Lynden a lot sooner than we are Jack but they’re getting close.
Frustration on Saturday
In terms of chance creation and significant moments in front of goal, you work really hard, particularly last 45 minutes, to create those chances. There’s nothing we’d want to change about Bojan’s header or Joe’s chance or the one Sean had off the line.
But having said all that, the first half we certainly would have liked to have created more. We gathered more momentum and speed second half and it’s more learning for us and the group. We talked through it this morning and we have to take that into the next fixture.
We’ve had lots of respect from teams that have come here and teams are working really hard to stop us scoring. Only one team has managed it, but we have to adjust and look for ways to be bettter.
Reaction to criticism
I’m not on social media so I don’t subject myself to any of that. The support we had through the game was incredible. I watched it with the sound on this weekend because I wanted to sample the atmosphere and they really got behind the team and helped us, then at full time I think they feel what we feel and they go away frustrated we’ve not been able to find the winner.
We have another opportunity on Saturday and an interesting fixture in the middle of that to go and express ourselves.
Learning as a manager
Loads, in short. I’d be disappointed if I hadn’t and I was sitting here either thinking I’d cracked it or that I was in the dark as to how the team are looking and performing.
We’ve had a reeally diverse range of games and great moments, special nights — we’ve had games where we’ve scored three, we’ve had five clean sheets…and it’s looking at how we want to react to different dynamics so in six months time we know where we are with things. We’re banking it all and it’s going to stand us in good stead at some point.
Goodman back in vs Man City?
What we’ve done across the summer is put together a squad we can trust. I was really clear with the goalkeepers they have to fight because they both deserve to play. I think my quotes before the season said as much: both goalkeepers could and will play. That remains the same. Neither keeper will get me telling them from week to week ‘you’re my main guy’ because they both know they have to train and play really well.
I love speaking to the players about the things that are challenging them day to day or week to week or from the previous game or whatever, and it’s the same in any position. Perhaps the keepers have less wiggle room knowing I was goalkeeper and I know what I’m talking about, but I’d hope that’s the same with all the players.
Man City ahead - preparation any different?
You have to prepare like you’re going to have significantly less of the ball and be humble enough to accept that, and that you’re going to have to work so extremely hard knowing their star quality could find a way to undo you at any point, while still remaining positive on your own goals and aims for that fixture. They are tough to plan for because they’re so good and the technical level is so high. The understanding of the system and the level of execution in moments is frightening, but it’s one you have to relish and be excited about.
For where we are on our evolution it’s a wonderful wonderful opportunity to share the pitch with top players and coach against an incredible coaching team, and you do all know while knowing it’s going to be incredibly difficult and painful — but it doesn’t take away the hope you can create something special and be part of something that is rare and unique. It’s one for me that the club and the players have to enjoy.
It’s certainly not a free hit because I imagine if you went into a fixture against Manchester City with a very free and easy attitude, it could go the wrong way very quickly. I’ve been part of teams that have put an outrageous amount of time and effort into preparing for these games and still come out with horrible scorelines, and I’ve done that by the way in a dressing room full of Champions League winners and World Cup winners as well — I’m not just talking about my time at Ipswich.
Yes, you want to enjoy it, but we have to be ready to compete. That’s the name of the game for me.
Head to head with Pep?
He’s one of the best. I certainly don’t look at him and think “I can’t wait to get to where he is” because it feels like a chasm with everything he’s done and the teams he’s coached and how he’s affected the game in the bigger picture. It’s a pleasure to pit your wits up against him and be at the front of a football club that’s going up against one of his.
His impact is probably immeasurable at this moment, because you could probably go to a Sunday league game anywhere in the country and find teams inverting a full-back or building in a 3-2 or doing all the things he’s done over the years in football. Perhaps with time somebody will be able to quantify it but the effect is huge.
Dan Vost and Cameron Ashia in with a shout?
Everyone who got us to this point has to be in with a shout for Wednesday. Just because we’re playing Man City doesn’t mean we’re going to overlook the young boys, and those who got us here deserve to be in contention.
Potential opportunity for Vost in the league with Kane, Evans out?
You build a squad hoping you have enough to go through the season, but sometimes lady luck means one position can end up short no matter how well you prepare. We’ve seen Cam Ashia in the league this season and you need that support from the academy at times.
Do you need to reprogramme players for a game like this?
No, because you do coach players on different dynamics you can encounter in games.
There’s some nuances on that that we’re still working through at the moment, but there’s some big key fundamental ones like “we are pressing or we are not pressing” are more simple for the guys to be really clear on and we practice them a lot anyway. We do practice different scenario based stuff and because that’s part of our diet anyway, I do think that puts us in a good position to make those kinds of adjustments when we come up against a game like we’re expecting on Wednesday.
Being content in that suffering during a game like that can go against your instincts , because you want to go and express yourself, and what they do better than anybody is hurt teams who can’t handle that. It’s a fun challenge, but I say fun now — it may be less so when I’m five minutes away from kick-off. But I can see the energy in the group and I can tell they’re excited.
What is the mindset for the players at City in these situations?
Every team will face that in their own world at some point. When we faced Newcastle’s U21s, for example, you have to have your mindset really locked in and be ready for the things that can undo you in those games that aren’t necessarily about the other team having loads of players who are better than you.
Our aim now with the shoe on the other foot is to be the team that’s nipping and upsetting the balance and pinching the ball and time and even goals. From my point of view, it’s hard to find chinks in the armour because their level is incredibly high. I don’t expect them to turn up on Wednesday and not fancy it, and I don’t want our players to expect that either. We have to be prepared for them bringing their best selves. It’s a really exciting challenge for us.
Looking forward to post-match meeting with Pep?
The list of questions, it wouldn’t be five minutes! I’m fortunate to know some of their staff because my son played for the club for a while, I know Richard Wright and Scott Carson, so I’ll be glad to see them.
It’s a good question because I probably should write a list of all the questions I might want to ask him!
Alfie May
Reflections on Saturday
It’s a point gained. We controlled the game and were the better team, on another day we win that 3-0, 4-0 probably. We could have been better in the final third but it’s just one of those games. I’ve seen a lot of frustration of social media but they’ve put their bodies on the line and blocked a few on the line. I think it’s a point gained and something we can build on.
Frustrating not to score
You can probably ask Joe Taylor as well - we want to score in every game. The players who come on are hungry when they come on. It’s massive for the squad to have that impact. As a striker you want to score every game but unfortunately it just doesn’t happen
Dealing with criticism
You laugh at it, it doesn’t affect you. I read about myself on social media and see some bad news, some good news — you’ve just got to take it with a pinch of salt. It’s a perfect platform to criticise anyone you want but I don’t read too much into it. I’ve been criticised over the weekend because one of my friends who plays for Birmingham scored the winning goal and I wrote something on his page and people are saying “we’ve just drawn with Burton”…I’m supporting my mate.
Bouncing back from disappointing results
You have to stay level headed. You’re not going to win the league before Christmas. If you’re in and around before Christmas you can then go on a run.
As a striker I have had goal droughts but then you’ll go and score five or six in the next few games.
Experience at Town so far
It’s been really positive. The lads and the staff are unbelievable. It’s not going to be overnight that we bond and go unbeaten for the rest of the season. It’s what happened at Birmingham last year: we didn’t start amazing but then it clicked and we went unbeaten for a little while.
Defensively it’s massive, you have to be relentless in both boxes and having the togetherness is huge. I believe that brings you success and I believe that dressing room has that. There’s players here who probably should be playing a lot higher, so that’s a credit to the club and the manager that we’ve got those players. We just need to be ruthless in both boxes and get as many points as we can.
I always feel I have a point to prove and I put so much pressure on myself. I know I’m not going to win games on my own but I always try to. I go into every game wanting three goals and three assists - my wife says I put too much pressure on myself, but I think you should want that mindset.
Man City ahead
They’re one of the best teams in the world and we’re going to give it a right good go. We want to win the game, we want to get through to the next round. Man City could do anything, they could change the whole team but then they’ll have players on the bench who are worth millions.
The build-up to the game, you look at it and go “well, we’ve got Man City” — but the moment you step over the line it’s just another football match.
But when I scored against them [for Cheltenham] it’s the best feeling ever - up there with when my kids come, and my wife knows that. I want to do it again.
When you go into a game as a massive underdog…
Are we?
Well, that’s what I was going to ask! Do you treat it as just another game?
I don’t think you can treat is as anything else than just another football match.
I know we drew against Leicester and Sunderland but penalties are part fo the game and Nicho has come up with some big saves.
It’ll be a big atmosphere and we’re looking forward to it.
I think the crowd can give you a big lift and sometimes they can almost suck the ball in the net and they’re really important on the day.
It’s in the build-up that it’s really important. If you can get the ball out you get that big roar and it encourages you to keep going.
What’s the big difference from League One football?
I think their brains are just wired differently. I don’t know if you’re born with it but their awareness of the game is unbelievable, and they have one of the best managers in the world and he always finds solutions. It’s interesting for me because I’m doing my coaching badges at the moment, and just like as a player you want to coach at the highest level you can, I always want to coach as high as I can.
Confidence from a performance either way?
That’s what we’re looking at, is how we approach the game. It’s important we don’t really change much and if we get a positive performance we can build on that.
