With pressers no longer being live-streamed. This season we intend to bring you the highlights of each press conference as they happen — this will be a rough summary 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 new injury issues?
No, which is always nice, especially with the games coming thick and fast.
There’s no situation with players like Kasumu and Charles. We have a big squad and can only select 18, so there will be players who don’t fit into that unfortunately. It won’t be the same every week for every player.
For any player it’s not easy when you’re fit and available and you’re not in the team, I’ve been there myself. They’re not conversations I particularly enjoy but you have to be head-on with the guys. Everyone is aware they don’t have a divine right and everyone needs to be fit and to challenge.
Lessons from Blackpool
We spoke about it as a group today and we had the weekend to look at it again. It was actually a nice process for me, as much as it can be. We were executing some things really well and there were some things as a group we need to do better.
We’ve talked about how to keep momentum in games. At times it was hindered by a small foul or a decision where the opposition get some air time and they’re able to get up the pitch. There were occasions we had to restart from the wrong end of the pitch and get back into the attacking pattern.
Some of our attacking and threat to the opposition goal, we know we can be better. Some if it is decision making, some is execution, some if speed. We’ve reflected on that and thankfully we have had the chance to learn some of these things really early on.
I can sense the group are relishing having a game on Tuesday. That’s an advantage, but there’s also no guarantees, and we have to make sure the next fixture goes how we want it to and we don’t have to take some more lessons.
Performance has been the focus from the beginning. We’ve not spoken about winning or losing full stop.
Transfer position - Miller replacement?
The stance is still the same. We are really happy with what we have in the building and are also mindful there’s still more than a week to go in this window. If there’s someone we think is right for us and can help us push on we’ll look at that, but we’re happy with what we have at the moment.
Dangerous to face an in-form Doncaster?
You look at how they ended last season and the lack of fear they’ve had this season, they’re not fussed. They’re used to winning, they’re a settled side and have a manager with settled ideas. Full credit to them, they’ve made a wonderful start and adapted really well. I really like a lot of what I’ve seen of them and the feeling they have in the club and as a group can make them really really dangerous.
I have been part of a group that’s been on a special journey, but there was never a moment where I felt comfortable. It really did come down to hard work and process, and I’m sure Grant McCann has put in a real process and structure that’s given them a chance to win every week.
I’m also pretty certain they will have a healthy fear of everyone in the division and that will be driving them. We know they’re been dangerous but it’s one we’re really looking forward to.
How important is home form?
We know each game is important and we’re not going to place special significance on an away game over a home game, but we’re also aware there are some things you just have to do if you want to be successful. Having strong home performances and a stadium that’s hard for the opposition is one of those things. It’s critical.
We want to make our support the loudest and give the opposition a really hard time when they come to our ground, because we also value the work we do in front of our supporters.
Do you need more height up front?
It’s not something I lose sleep over. We’ve got good players and good players are what we want, we’re certainly not heightist. I don’t feel players can’t perform because of their height. I think what we have in the building currently gives us great opportunities to affect and hurt teams.
We’re going to have games where we have a different situation to what we planned for or even started out in — on Saturday it was two very different games. We have to be prepare to react and perform and adapt to all different kinds of tough situations. We have the qualities we’ve already displayed in such a short amount of games, but we had a different challenge at the weekend and we just weren’t able to find the last bits.
After looking at it I think we’re all clear on why that happened and how we’d do it differently if we another crack of it today. That’s important. We certainly don’t want to hide away from those things so we take the time to assess and understand it.
Are there some players you feel the side haven’t quite work out how to get the the best from yet?
We’re at a stage where nearly everybody has had a good opportunity and over the course of the next two three weeks everyone should have had a chance to stake a claim. Within all of that, you want to see players performing at their maximum.
The group is growing and evolving and learning about each other, and some are finding themselves in a new club or new structure and it might take a few a bit of time to get into their stride fully— and that’s OK. Obviously the quicker they get there the better, but our job is to help them with that.
Responding to different game states and results
We talk a lot about game dynamics, and if you have a smart group you have a group with a real chance to adapt and work stuff out in games. We work on things and highlight things, and the group have responded really well to that.
We’ve talked about trying to get as much learning into the group as quickly as possible. I see Saturday’s game that’s just gone as a really valuable one. It’s a great lesson and one we don’t want to forget in a hurry because that will stand up in good stead in future. Knowing a situation and whether you need a bit more risk or adventure in the final third can be really valuable.
When we sit as a group and go through a game, the openness and willingness to receive my ideas and put forward their ideas and feedback that mirror my own, it’s always very refreshing. I’m not having to spell things out or use a big stick. We’ve got a smart group who know what’s required. It’s important for me to see that from the group and it tells me they know what’s important and how to move forward.
Donate to Walk4Pounds
While I’ve got you, just want to ask if you have two minutes and a few quid to spare for a very good cause. I’ll be taking part in the shorter 10-mile route for Walk for Denis in September, which culminates at Accu Stadium ahead of the League One clash with Burton Albion.
Organised by Huddersfield Town, the walk is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society and the Huddersfield Town Foundation in memory of the late, great Denis Law.
You can make a donation here - any amount gratefully received.
Even better, if you’re interested in signing up for the walk, details on how to sign up for the walk are here. Thanks!
Ben Wiles
Blackpool reflections
It’s a difficult one for us to accept. There’s positives for us as well as the negatives but at the end of the day it wasn’t good enough and we all know that. We’ve watched the footage back and we know what we need to do to stop it.
It was just out of possession, we showed them too much respect in parts of the game. If we’d got a bit tighter it might have been different. On the ball we’re moving it well and rotating it well, but out of possession we could have been a bit more aggressive.
It’s still early on and it’s important to remain calm and iron out the creases. I know it sounds silly saying we’re glad we’ve lost now, but it does give us something to reflect on as a team and make us stronger.
We scored a couple of goals and we need to keep moving forward. Balance is so important and there’s no point getting down about it because there’s so much football to go. We want it to be now rather than later in the season so we can be that team that’s dominant and kicks on from on.
This morning there’s discussions going on, people are taking responsibility for things, and the reaction is a positive one. You can see the manager wants us to get it out of our system.
On Lee Grant
It’s very different. Every manager has their own ideas and where they want to go with the season but we’ve had clarity from the beginning with the new gaffer, and you can see it with our results and performances.
It’s a new team and a new staff so we have to get to know one another, but it’s about sticking together and being as one. I think we’ve really glued together and we’re a team now. We’re all getting on and doing things outside of football. We feel really connected and we’re going to fight together this season.
We’re doing more stuff like we’ve got a coffee group or we’re going for a walk on the morning of a game…it feels more like we’ve been together a couple of years.
That’s the difference between nicking a win away at a tough ground and getting a victory over the line. We’ll need that with some of the difficult fixtures we have this season.
Goals for the season
I want to pop up with some goals, work hard for the team, be more of a leader, keep threatening the back line and be positive every time I get it. I want to add more goals and assists and be a bit more consistent.
Huddersfield and Donny both started well - how key is momentum?
It’s so important. It’s important for us to take the wind out of their sails and play our own football. We know if we play our best nobody’s going to match that.
We’re expecting a similar sort of game in terms of them putting it on us and trying to be a bit more ugly at times. They’ll have looked at the Blackpool game and thought there will be things they can do to hurt us, so it’s about making sure we do things better to respond to that.
How important is home form?
It’s a massive area where we want to get better. If we make this place a fortress it’ll be difficult to get points off us. The fans are going to make us better.
Have you worked on how to break down a low block like against Blackpool in case you face that again?
Yeah, we’ve look at it this morning, and areas we can be more dangerous and how we can get more shots
Does being part of the leadership group make you think about your responsibilities a bit more?
It does. I think sometimes when things have gone against me in the past I can be my own worst enemy, and just that second or two of reacting to things can be important.
