00:00You've spoken about winning the Premier League by 2020, do you feel that's a realistic ambition
00:04for this football club and the direction it's heading at the moment?
00:08I think it depends on when you're talking about the direction it's heading at the moment.
00:12We've had a spell where we haven't won some football games, correct me if I'm on, five
00:18points off the top four or something, so perspective is important and football can change.
00:24I think when we came in January we were a lot further away from third spot and we ended
00:29up finishing third, so it depends what you focus on, if you focus on the things that
00:35may be issues or the problems that we need to fix or you focus on the things that's possible
00:39and what can be achieved, it's a very different mentality.
00:44For us to win the Premier League is a massive step, of course it is, but it's definitely
00:51something we're striving for and we've got to keep pushing for it, we've won one game
00:57in the Champions League, we've lost one game, we're still in that, we're still in the mix
01:01of that and we're certainly still in the mix of the Premier League of finishing towards
01:06the top, that's a challenge and it feels because of the results and everyone focuses on the
01:12negative side, it's up to us to turn that corner and it's actually not that far away.
01:18When you got a job in May, did Omar mention that goal, did Jason speak to you about it,
01:23was it mentioned at all?
01:24I think being in this football club the goal is always to win, there's no time frame on
01:29that from my perspective, it's as soon as we possibly can and I think we understand we're
01:34still making steps to get there, I've spoken about it enough, I think we're trying to build
01:39to get somewhere where we haven't been for too long and all that and sometimes you've got
01:44to go through different ways and different pathways to get to the top, we're on that
01:49kind of journey in some ways at the moment to try and get there, navigating that and we'll
01:57work through it, we'll work through it.
01:59James and then on.
02:00Michael, I know there's been a lot of scrutiny on Lissandro but just on Bruno, obviously he's
02:05been this team's standout player for years and very emotional, the care that he has for
02:12the club and the team is very obvious, Wayne was saying this week that he's looking at
02:18that Bruno this season, admittedly he's obviously been carrying an injury for a bit but he says
02:23he thinks he's fed up but generally look like he's oh here we go again and there's going
02:28to be an explosion with him if this carries on.
02:32He had a slow start last season, turned it around and it'll be player of the year, I just
02:36wonder where you feel like Bruno is?
02:38Do you feel like he's very frustrated as a captain and a player at the moment, he obviously
02:45wants to challenge at the very, very top, where is he at this moment?
02:49I think as a collective really, I think there's no denying there's been a bit of frustration
02:55and disappointment at certain things at the start of the season and results or goals and that's
03:05not solely anything towards just Bruno, that's all of us and again for me, I understand it but
03:15straight away a couple of games don't go into plan and a lot of the mentality is this has happened
03:24before,
03:24this is going to happen again, that's not our focus, we're thinking what do we need to do
03:30to get back to what we're good at. There's a lot of things there from the other night again
03:35that we can take forward, there's a lot of things in the spirit and the collective
03:38and the mentality of the group that cycle if you like or that downturn or that expectation
03:45of here we go again doesn't exist cannot exist in our changing room at this football club and we need
03:50to think about what's possible and certainly that's my way of thinking and looking up and
03:57looking at what's possible and understand that we need to do certain things to get there and that's not an
04:02individual thing, that's everybody.
04:06He's the tallies man and his performances and availability every three days has changed a lot of other players but
04:16if he's having a bit of
04:17how important is it that others actually take that lead that Bruno has always done, how important that others step
04:25up?
04:25We've got to share the load in all sorts of different ways, that's working, that's quality wise, that's performing, that's
04:32being available,
04:33it's all sorts of different things and sometimes that's players, sometimes that's staff, sometimes it's to support us, to carry
04:43us when we need them the most
04:44and again it's not an individual thing, when it's all good it's not always just Bruno and certainly if it's
04:56not so good it's not all Bruno, he has a big impact on our group,
05:01big impact on the squad, he's a fantastic footballer and just because maybe he's not hitting the headlines or the
05:09highlights maybe that he did last year
05:11doesn't mean that he can't and that he won't and I'm sure he'll do that pretty quickly.
05:16Sorry, just on Bruno again, during the break the Portugal manager said or suggested that they were having to manage
05:20his minutes a little bit,
05:21I know he's a type that wants to play every game but is he carrying something and are you having
05:24to manage him carefully?
05:26Yeah he was, like I said the other day, he had been carrying some sort of issue, a lot of
05:30players do carry them and it goes under the radar
05:33and sometimes you just think everyone is 100% fully fit and it's probably not very often the case but
05:41yeah,
05:41so he has been carrying a bit of an issue but he's pretty much over that now to be honest
05:47and he'll be back to his best.
05:50He came off on Tuesday because he was still feeling that?
05:53No.
05:57The man who sat there before you, for him, Ellen Road last season was his final stand.
06:02People will make those parallels at the moment, rightly or wrongly.
06:07Do you feel any pressure personally right now and people will say maybe Leeds away is the last game that
06:14you need right now,
06:15equally could you spin that round and say it's potentially the best game that you need right now?
06:19Yeah I don't think it's the last game I need right now for sure, I'm really looking forward to the
06:24game.
06:25I genuinely feel the drive for myself to want to push this club forward more than anything.
06:34There's always negativity if you want to look for it or you want to feel it but I don't go
06:39looking for it,
06:40I don't want to feel it, I understand the reality and I've said it enough in terms of,
06:46I feel like I'm saying the same things and accepting where we are but I don't feel that.
06:52I'm totally focused on what's best for this place and this football club and what it's going to take to
06:59win games
06:59and get the boys playing what we know we're capable of which we still don't think we're that far away.
07:07We can turn a few things in our favour and we'll be in good shape again and we can move
07:11forward pretty quickly.
07:12So as I said earlier, I really don't take it about me, it's not that, I don't think about how
07:18am I going to get through this,
07:19how am I going to survive this, what do I need to do to look after myself, it's not important.
07:23It's about this football club and winning football matches.
07:26You mentioned before about people from the outside having their say.
07:30Nicky Buck was saying this week that he was in some ways quoting you,
07:34saying that you didn't fancy management before coming back to this club.
07:37Is your chance to say something like that?
07:39I definitely wouldn't be here if that was the case at this stage.
07:43It's the best job I could possibly have, it's the best role I could possibly have.
07:46I feel a real privilege of being in this position and a real responsibility
07:50but equally a drive of wanting to make a difference and having success here.
07:56So yeah, I'm loving it.
07:58I love the situation when actually you get a little bit of some sort of struggle
08:05where you've got to find a way out of it.
08:07I actually really enjoy that because that's part of what drives you to have success
08:11and that's part of the end of it.
08:13And if you're not ready for that and you can't do anything that's difficult
08:16then you're never going to be great.
08:17So we've got to work our way through it and I'm enjoying it as we go.
08:23Hi Michael, since Marcus came back here,
08:25he's obviously had quite a few positive performances in some ways
08:28but not got a goal yet.
08:30Is that affecting him and does he need a goal for himself
08:34even if not necessarily for you, if you see what I mean?
08:37Yeah, I think he's done a lot of good things, Marcus.
08:40He obviously had the slight kind of injury while you pull out England.
08:45He's managed that a little bit.
08:48Again, he's doing some good things and not quite getting that little bit of a break,
08:52putting himself in good positions and had some opportunities.
08:54He had one the other night maybe that he'd feel he probably could have done better with
08:58but he's in there to make a difference.
09:02He keeps doing the right things.
09:05You know, you get the rewards in the end.
09:06So as long as he keeps doing that, he'll be okay.
09:10All right, guys. Cheers. Top.
09:12Cheers, Michael.
09:14Cheers, Michael.
09:16Cheers.
09:17You
