Almost a week on now from that win at Charlton and much needed lift, I think, for the supporters, have you felt that positivity as well around the camp this week?
Yeah, for sure, but also before that, around the camp, so the boys have been all the time working hard, giving everything, staying positive, staying united. You saw that also during the game because we didn't have a good start of the game.
The team was struggling to build from the back to find the right solutions. You get a goal, you go behind and it's easy then to panic and not to find solutions, but with some communication we could find some solutions back to be better on the ball, controlling the game more, and out of that we started to play better.
Then we played a good 70 minutes after this first 15, 20 minutes in a difficult away game against an opponent that until now didn't lose at home.
I think they only conceded two goals in all the games before. We score three, so a lot of positives to take out of the game.
Talking about Watford now, they've got a very young squad, much like you. What do you sort of make it of them as a potential test tomorrow?
Yeah, they started the season with four in the back. They had difficulty to keep balance in the team. They brought in last minute a few players with a lot of quality that I know also, like Repert Diatta. He was on the market because he was end of contract in Monaco in the summer, but his wage demand was really, really high. In the end, he went to Watford.
I don't know if it's with the same demands that he had in the summer, but he's a really good player. They took also Myrom Boadu that I know also from Monaco time. So, they have several quality players.
They already had good wingers. So, a lot of offensive qualities. But they struggled keeping balance in the team. Then the last two games they went to back five.
They won against Charlton and then they had a Wolves game that they lost with 1-0, but they conceded only three shots on target.
We will see if they come tomorrow with five or four. We're prepared for both, but we expect more with five that they're going to stick to that because they had success with that and it's going to be hard to break open that wall and you need to watch out with all the quality that they have offensively with the transition moment.
They (Watford) did the double over you last season, does that maybe add a little bit of extra fuel to you this weekend?
No, because, if I remember they were two games that were really in the balance and we could have took more out of it. But it's a different season on our side, different players on their side, different players, different managers.
They’ve changed a lot in the last couple of years. So no, we're not busy with the past. We're looking forward to the next game to take the maximum out of it.
A chance to make it back-to-back wins just the second time this season as well tomorrow. With three games on the horizon as well over the next week.
Yeah, it's a big week. Three games in eight days. So, all the squad needs to be ready for that to give all their energy that we can get a maximum out of those three games, but it starts with the Watford game. We don't need to look further ahead yet. It's about putting everything into Watford first.
A few difficult results at Carrow Road recently as well, so trying to deliver that positive performance and result for those home supporters must be important as well.
Yeah, the last one against Portsmouth for sure, we were not happy and then the Southampton game, it was a good game, but you lose it you're disappointed, but the team played a good game.
I think the game before was then Bolton was also not a good game, and the game before that was Birmingham and that was a good one.
So, it's been too much up and down. We need to get more consistency with the group, more quality in what we do in our decision making.
We're working with the team to get them to their best level that they understand in every phase of the game what they need to do together, and that's important with this young team.
I'm not sure if you know, but tomorrow is your 50th game in charge of this football club, so I just kind of wonder what you're making of your journey here personally over that time.
That goes fast, 50 already, I'm not counting, clearly, but it's not about me, it's about this club and where we want to help them, to guide them with a lot of other people in the club, to guide this club where it needs to be.
I hope I can put a lot of extras and maybe even put a zero behind it (50) in the future because I really love being here.
Good to hear, and that relationship you have with the supporters as well, and even through those difficult periods this season, they've still been chanting for you. So that's a really special connection you have.
Yeah, I'm really happy about that, but the most important is that they support the players. That's the most important thing. That's also what was my first feeling after this Charlton game.
What was so powerful with starting the game badly, not good on the ball, not winning the duels. Then going behind, even getting a chance against after 20 seconds, but there was not one boo and the fans really got behind the players to push them, to support them, and that was a really big signal.
So, I hope to have a Carrow Road like that, but that we start the game much better than we did against Charlton, of course.