Q: Chris, going back to Tuesday..
CW: Do you have to?
F... Off Rob (lots of laughs)
Amongst the fans there was a lot of shock by what happened in the first half. Sadly it was also reminiscent of QPR away but it was a totally different back line to that game and you are saying individual mistakes are costing us. You must be concerned that they were different individuals making those mistakes?
CW: Yes because they are good players and they shouldn't be making those mistakes and that is the top and bottom of it. But they do and we got punished for it and it was unacceptable and I totally understand the crowd's reaction. As I said before you, if you are at Liverpool and you are 3-0 down and we are no Liverpool and 3-0 down at home on a Tuesday you are going to get some. And you have to be big enough to receive it. And we did. The pleasing thing I have to say was the way they came out second half from a professional point of view. There's no hiding place out there. I am telling you. I have been out there when you are 3-0 down and the opposition have got their tails up and you can't find a pass and everything is disjointed cos it was first half.. because of the goals and the atmosphere about the place, that could turn into a tough evening. And there will be some players at certain clubs when they get in that position that will just want to get off the pitch and will want that 45, 46, 47, 48 minutes to be the quickest 48 minutes of their life. I don't think my players did. I don't think they did and don't think they've shown that. I thought they put everything in to try and get back into the game. And I think the work that they did, the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, they push the opposition back and I get whatever anybody says about tactically they were brilliant (Cardiff) well played and all that.. B****s... we pushed them back , there was desire in our play, we had 24 crosses. You don't go in at half time and say I tell you what we'll do is we'll sit right on the edge of our box and we'll enjoy defending 24 crosses for the next 48 minutes. And we'll balls flying across the face of the goal, or their players missing really good opportunities or us not getting out of our half and not getting into their half because they didn't. So, the players in a way said to me.. answered a little bit of a question for me... what is it like, possibly the first time at the Riverside that they've had to endure that, not a nice scenario and understandable as well, a really negative atmosphere set by us. The positive atmosphere when we've played at the Riverside has always been set by the approach of the players in tandem with the supporters but there's no hiding place when you are 3-0 down and you have to expect that criticism and that negativity that flies around the place.
As I said, from a manager and from a player it is a lonely place out there and it is a lonely place in that technical area but for 45 minutes I enjoyed watching my team do whatever they needed to do to get back in the game. So, I don't really want to give credit for a defeat because no one deserves anything but the game was ultimately decided by us in terms of what we did in the first half.
And going back to your question we definitely have got good enough players not to be giving up these opportunities and chances to teams and allowing them to get on the front foot.
Q: In the second half v Cardiff we saw some of the intensity that we started games with last season and we also a feature of last season was (over) loading the box with players. It is something we haven't seen so much getting so many players into the opposition box.
CW: I disagree. Our stats compared to last year are better stats in terms of penalty area entries and stuff like that. I think sometimes you look rose tinted glasses maybe at some of the stuff that happened last year but we've got the stats in front of us and we are crossing the ball more, we are getting more touches in the penalty area so obviously that means we are getting more players in the penalty area. There is all stuff like that, it might look like that, as I said Rob, sometimes to the naked eye it might look like they are not trying, it might look like we are not getting forward, it might look like we are not playing 2 up front, we might not be as positive.. we have had more passes in the opposition third, we have had more touches in the penalty area, we have had more crosses than last year. But what we haven't done, when we absolutely look over everything, is we haven't kept the ball out of the back of our net.
So, going forward for me is not an issue. Even though I don't think we are the strongest. New players coming into the team. Maybe not the options we would have wanted at the top end of the pitch at this moment in time but hopefully that will change when Chuba comes back. But definitely we have had more control and more of the key stats with the ball. There is not an issue going forward at all in my point of view. The only issue from an xG point of view. So, the xG is the expected goals. We are in the Top 4. I don't think we were in the top 4 last year for xGs. So, that says that we are doing more going forward.
xGgs against, expected goals against is 8. Which would put us in the top ten from a defensive point of view. But it is 15, so that is double.
So, what I am saying is the pressure we are putting on teams is as much as did last year. Stay with me with this Rob... is Lionel? (I was wearing a Burning Hell band Tshirt with Lionel Richie on it)..
Q: - Yes..
CW: All Night Long?
Q: Yes (laughs)
CW: And the other way. Expected goals. Is that we are not under the pressure that we should be in terms of goalkeeper making save after save after save after save than we were last year. But expected goals are 8 (from stats) and our goals are 15 (we have conceded 15 in real terms). So for me.. Going on those stats. Going on the eye. Going on watching games of football is down to stuff we are doing individually that is basically putting ourselves in that position. I think you will always look at points as well which is understandable because that is what we are in it for.
Did that make sense?
Q: Yes, yes.
CW: And this is what I am saying about the structure of the team. If the structure of the team in possession was poor we would not be high up in the xGs. (goals for). And if the team was unbelievably struggling we would be in the bottom 3 or 4 for xGs against but we are in the top five or six for expected goals and in the top eight or ten for expected goals against.
So, then you are talking about not putting the ball in the back of the net enough and the ball going in the back of our net too many times, not through pressure, not through possession, not through areas where they are getting into, not through shots that they are having, not through chances that they are creating BUT OUR MISTAKES.
But it is quite a difficult want to take. And I hope that has sort of explained it a little bit regarding the system and stuff. It doesn't really need a wrecking ball to it because it didn't a wrecking ball to it last year I don't think it needs a wrecking ball to it this year but we have to be better at stopping the ball going in the back of the net and cutting out those individual errors..
You look at Watford and you look there were two individual errors that cost us the goals against arguably the most talented attacking team in the division and if we had come away with a point everyone would have said Oh that's alright.. We beat Swansea who are possession based, we changed the way we played. We beat Sunderland.
So, it is quite difficult to take at the moment.
Q: Hopefully we can start putting it right on Saturday night...
CW: Definitely.
CW: Do you have to?
F... Off Rob (lots of laughs)
Amongst the fans there was a lot of shock by what happened in the first half. Sadly it was also reminiscent of QPR away but it was a totally different back line to that game and you are saying individual mistakes are costing us. You must be concerned that they were different individuals making those mistakes?
CW: Yes because they are good players and they shouldn't be making those mistakes and that is the top and bottom of it. But they do and we got punished for it and it was unacceptable and I totally understand the crowd's reaction. As I said before you, if you are at Liverpool and you are 3-0 down and we are no Liverpool and 3-0 down at home on a Tuesday you are going to get some. And you have to be big enough to receive it. And we did. The pleasing thing I have to say was the way they came out second half from a professional point of view. There's no hiding place out there. I am telling you. I have been out there when you are 3-0 down and the opposition have got their tails up and you can't find a pass and everything is disjointed cos it was first half.. because of the goals and the atmosphere about the place, that could turn into a tough evening. And there will be some players at certain clubs when they get in that position that will just want to get off the pitch and will want that 45, 46, 47, 48 minutes to be the quickest 48 minutes of their life. I don't think my players did. I don't think they did and don't think they've shown that. I thought they put everything in to try and get back into the game. And I think the work that they did, the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, they push the opposition back and I get whatever anybody says about tactically they were brilliant (Cardiff) well played and all that.. B****s... we pushed them back , there was desire in our play, we had 24 crosses. You don't go in at half time and say I tell you what we'll do is we'll sit right on the edge of our box and we'll enjoy defending 24 crosses for the next 48 minutes. And we'll balls flying across the face of the goal, or their players missing really good opportunities or us not getting out of our half and not getting into their half because they didn't. So, the players in a way said to me.. answered a little bit of a question for me... what is it like, possibly the first time at the Riverside that they've had to endure that, not a nice scenario and understandable as well, a really negative atmosphere set by us. The positive atmosphere when we've played at the Riverside has always been set by the approach of the players in tandem with the supporters but there's no hiding place when you are 3-0 down and you have to expect that criticism and that negativity that flies around the place.
As I said, from a manager and from a player it is a lonely place out there and it is a lonely place in that technical area but for 45 minutes I enjoyed watching my team do whatever they needed to do to get back in the game. So, I don't really want to give credit for a defeat because no one deserves anything but the game was ultimately decided by us in terms of what we did in the first half.
And going back to your question we definitely have got good enough players not to be giving up these opportunities and chances to teams and allowing them to get on the front foot.
Q: In the second half v Cardiff we saw some of the intensity that we started games with last season and we also a feature of last season was (over) loading the box with players. It is something we haven't seen so much getting so many players into the opposition box.
CW: I disagree. Our stats compared to last year are better stats in terms of penalty area entries and stuff like that. I think sometimes you look rose tinted glasses maybe at some of the stuff that happened last year but we've got the stats in front of us and we are crossing the ball more, we are getting more touches in the penalty area so obviously that means we are getting more players in the penalty area. There is all stuff like that, it might look like that, as I said Rob, sometimes to the naked eye it might look like they are not trying, it might look like we are not getting forward, it might look like we are not playing 2 up front, we might not be as positive.. we have had more passes in the opposition third, we have had more touches in the penalty area, we have had more crosses than last year. But what we haven't done, when we absolutely look over everything, is we haven't kept the ball out of the back of our net.
So, going forward for me is not an issue. Even though I don't think we are the strongest. New players coming into the team. Maybe not the options we would have wanted at the top end of the pitch at this moment in time but hopefully that will change when Chuba comes back. But definitely we have had more control and more of the key stats with the ball. There is not an issue going forward at all in my point of view. The only issue from an xG point of view. So, the xG is the expected goals. We are in the Top 4. I don't think we were in the top 4 last year for xGs. So, that says that we are doing more going forward.
xGgs against, expected goals against is 8. Which would put us in the top ten from a defensive point of view. But it is 15, so that is double.
So, what I am saying is the pressure we are putting on teams is as much as did last year. Stay with me with this Rob... is Lionel? (I was wearing a Burning Hell band Tshirt with Lionel Richie on it)..
Q: - Yes..
CW: All Night Long?
Q: Yes (laughs)
CW: And the other way. Expected goals. Is that we are not under the pressure that we should be in terms of goalkeeper making save after save after save after save than we were last year. But expected goals are 8 (from stats) and our goals are 15 (we have conceded 15 in real terms). So for me.. Going on those stats. Going on the eye. Going on watching games of football is down to stuff we are doing individually that is basically putting ourselves in that position. I think you will always look at points as well which is understandable because that is what we are in it for.
Did that make sense?
Q: Yes, yes.
CW: And this is what I am saying about the structure of the team. If the structure of the team in possession was poor we would not be high up in the xGs. (goals for). And if the team was unbelievably struggling we would be in the bottom 3 or 4 for xGs against but we are in the top five or six for expected goals and in the top eight or ten for expected goals against.
So, then you are talking about not putting the ball in the back of the net enough and the ball going in the back of our net too many times, not through pressure, not through possession, not through areas where they are getting into, not through shots that they are having, not through chances that they are creating BUT OUR MISTAKES.
But it is quite a difficult want to take. And I hope that has sort of explained it a little bit regarding the system and stuff. It doesn't really need a wrecking ball to it because it didn't a wrecking ball to it last year I don't think it needs a wrecking ball to it this year but we have to be better at stopping the ball going in the back of the net and cutting out those individual errors..
You look at Watford and you look there were two individual errors that cost us the goals against arguably the most talented attacking team in the division and if we had come away with a point everyone would have said Oh that's alright.. We beat Swansea who are possession based, we changed the way we played. We beat Sunderland.
So, it is quite difficult to take at the moment.
Q: Hopefully we can start putting it right on Saturday night...
CW: Definitely.