Interim Head Coach Mike Dodds spoke to the media this afternoon as the Lads prepare to face Swansea City at the Stadium of Light.
Catch up on what we said as we reflect on the key quotes ahead of tomorrow’s contest…
Dodds on the current fitness of several players in the squad…
“Jack Clarke’s injury is an interesting one. Jack rolled his ankle against Birmingham, played 90 minutes and was really relaxed. The plan was for him to have a couple of days off and train Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and that hasn’t happened so I think the game tomorrow is going to be a game too early for him. We will assess where we are on Monday.
“I don’t think him ‘being out for a month’ has been sensationalised. Leo Hjelde is fine, I don’t know where that has come from.
“The rest of the group are as you would expect but Callum Styles has trained fully for the last two weeks so he will be in the squad for tomorrow.”
Dodds on the Lads’ push for the top six…
“There is still a huge amount of football to be played. The league has shown that anyone is capable of losing back-to-back games.
“We have got to do what we have got to do. It’s not lost on me the magnitude and the expectation of this football Club. We have got to live up to that. Whether we are good enough or not good enough, that is the aspiration.
“My mindset is that I am going to try and win all 13 games. What might happen with that is that I might lose a game because I’ve been overly-bold and I will get criticised for that and then some games we might do really well and I will get praised for that. When you sit in this seat, I accept that is what comes with the territory.
“My mindset and the players’ mindset is never to shut up shop when we are in a game. Every focus is on winning that game.”
Dodds on Swansea City and what to expect from them this weekend…
“The performances aren’t as poor as what their league position might suggest. It is going to be a really tough game.
“The coach is really good. He did a really good job at Notts Coutny. You can see in terms of the way he sets his team up that he is a really good coach.
“When you look at the Championship now and the league table, when you are preparing for the game you would have a counter-argument to that.
“They have a certain style of play and a brand of football.
“I am really looking forward to the game. They will be saying the same about us in having good players so it will be a really good game.”