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
Any injury issues or anyone coming back?
No, nothing to report on that front, it’s as it was.
Squad depth and rotation
Practically, I always have the conversation. I’ve come across managers and been part of squads where managers weren’t as open and didn’t relish those conversations, but I’ve always tried to get ahead of things and be as up front with the players as I can, and I’ve always been really clear from the beginning about how I saw things growing and developing over the season.
Often, when they are in the team, it’s a conversation as well. I always like to have a chat about where players are at and be ahead of stuff, and whether they like it or not — which predominantly they won’t — that they understand the reasons as to why. Sometimes they’re bigger pictures reasons, and sometimes they may not agree if they feel they did OK, but they have to trust and believe in what I do for the whole squad.
At the moment they’re buying into that, which is lovely for me, and it makes it easier when they’re coming out of the team or back into the team. They’re never left in the dark as to a reason or what the pathway back into the team will be. The clarity is the most important thing for me and for them.
Do I at some stage envisage having less rotation? Absolutely. But we’re still in a fact-finding stage about the dynamics and relationships within the squad and the group know that themselves.
As I’ve said many times, we’ve got lots of good players and we want to give those good players opportunities.
If we’re at a stage of the season where we feel the dust has settled a bit, maybe things will change from there.
Relationships in the back line - risky to rotate?
We’re conscious of putting the right players in at the right times. The risk is more if we came up against an injury and we needed to put in a player who didn’t have the right minutes and match reps. We want to make sure everyone is exposed to what they need to be exposed to to be ready for the whole season.
We don’t want people thinking they only play in the cup or only play at home, we want everybody to be ready for everything and make sure we have a group that has trust in the whole group, not just ten or eleven players.
Surprise to see Stevenage at the top?
No, not surprised at all. I did some of my coaching badges with Alex Revell and I’m sure some of his character and demeanour will have rubbed off on his players. He’s a strong personality and we feel they’re going to carry that strong personality as a group, and they’ve proved it.
If you look at their goals against Port Vale you get an idea of their mentality and character.
Have Stevenage had an easy start?
Well, we played Blackpool [like Stevenage have] and they gave us problems. Regardless who you’re playing you need go into it with humility and the right mentality and the right mettle, and we need to be right at it at the weekend.
Any transfers out expected?
Nobody is close to leaving as we sit here right now. It’s all quiet on that front, which in some ways is how I like it. It doesn’t mean we’re not still working on things but we’re focused on what we have. Part of me is looking forward to that window being shut so I can hone in on this squad.
How do you deal with players who aren’t necessarily going to feature?
It’s important for me to be true to myself on how I treat people and my staff are the same.
Everyone that’s here in the building will be treated the same and get the same love, attention, care and effort to try and be a better player every single day. The ones who get the opportunities will be the ones who work hard and fit into what we do and buy into it as well.
It’s fortunate we have a close group and there’s no many who would be outside of that.
It’s really important to try and do right by people and my job is to coach and manage so that’s what I’m going to do. It really is the same for everybody, and part of it is having really open conversations with everyone. That trusts goes both ways more smoothly when that’s the case.
Joe Low
Reflections on Donny
Every game has different challenges so it’s about adapting. We got a clean sheet in the end so I think it worked out alright. We held our own against them and came out on the top in the end.
Castledine’s tackle
I was still in the other box at the time! But I could see him opening his legs and we think of him as a creative attacking player and he’s got that part of the game to him as well.
We talk about it a lot on the training pitch and if you can help out and do two jobs at once we’ll do that for one another.
Relationships in the defensive unit
We’re still learning each other and how each other work but it’s all about doing the basics well, the brilliant basics.
We always look out for one another. We’re always helping each other out and talking and just trying to do the best we can.
It’s still really early in the season, we’re still building those connections and [on the ball against Doncaster] it was only fractions away from working. We made those minor tweaks and second half it definitely clicked a lot better.
Squad rotation
It’s a team sport and people will start games and be left out of games, but you can’t see it as missing it. It’s a long season and a hard league, we have a good squad and we’re going to need everyone.
Nobody has the right to start so if someone is better suited to a game it’s their chance to step up and bring their best. We’re all shoulder to shoulder and with each other and we’ll continue to do that.
This is the best team I’ve been involved with and I think within the team we all feel the same and I think it’s really working.
Thoughts on Stevenage
Every game brings its different situations and circumstances, but if we want to be at the top of the table competing — which we absolutely do — we’re going to have to beat teams who are on good runs and bad runs.
To be honest I haven’t looked at the table. I don’t think there’s any point looking at it until after Christmas.
International prospects
Playing for your country is one of the best honours you can have. I’ve been in there before and had a taste of it but I want to make sure I’m in there every time. I just need to do my best and hope at one point they can’t ignore me.
I’ve not spoken to Craig Bellamy recently but I’m just going to let my football do the talking.
Debut goal
I had my family up in the stands and my dad always tells me to go and get a goal, but this time it was a little bit different and a surreal moment.
