Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 31st Jan 201931/01/18: Transfer day deadline lunchtime update
Stevie Crawford told his Thursday media conference that he felt the draw last weekend at Cappielow was “a point gained”. The clean sheet for Ryan Scully on his debut had to be viewed as a positive for both player and club and something to build on.
Next up though this Saturday are the league leaders, Ross County and he knows how good side they are:-
“It’ll be a tough game but it’s one I would be looking forward to if I was still a player. I’m sure the crowd will get behind us. We’re very much focused going into the game and we’re hopeful of taking all three points.”
It will be Stevie’s first home game in charge and he certainly would like that to be a winning one:-
“It will obviously be a proud day for myself. But that’s where it stops and the focus will very much be on trying to win the game. Hopefully come quarter to five we’ll have three points on the board and that will mean more to me than actually leading the team out.”
The need to score goals has not missed the new Head Coach:-
“We’ve been working on our quality in the final third and working on our finishing and working on our final passes, and we’ll continue to do that.
“It’s one of the hardest skills to do in the game and it doesn’t just come down to the striker himself. When you go into a game not having conceded the week before we want to very much build on that, and it’s a matter of just being brave and continuing to make runs.
“It’s about pointing out when to play the ball to strikers, when to play passes to attacking midfielders to give them the opportunity to get shots at goal.
“We had twelve efforts at goal last weekend but we hit the target with two of them. So, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that’s part of the problem. It’s not maybe creating the chances, it’s about taking full advantage of them.”
Asked about potential signings before the transfer window closes, SC replied:-
“We are working as hard as we can and have been since I came into the job to try and add but sometimes you find yourself in the unfortunate situation that it also depended on the club’s you are speaking to for them to see what happens on deadline day.
“January is a difficult transfer window and it’s my first one experiencing it as a manager. I’ve been there and seen it when I was working under Steven Pressley and Robbie Neilson, that it can become a very frustrating window;as well.
“Everybody probably thinks it’s a good side of the job, that you can pick potential targets. Unfortunately it’s a little bit harder than playing Championship Manager on the laptop!
“With respect to other clubs we’ve been speaking to, and being respectful of other players we’re trying to identify, all I can say to supporters is that we are giving it our best efforts to try and bring in players who are going to make a difference. We’re covering all bases and we’ll try our hardest to add to the squad between now and midnight.”
Could it mean players might be leaving?
“It’s the transfer window and you can never say never - if someone comes in and it’s right for the player and ourselves. I am not going to put myself in the situation that someone could also leave us.
“But we’re very much happy with what we’ve got at the moment. If anything, we’re probably a little bit low on numbers. Whatever happens between now and midnight will be happen with the best of intentions of making us stronger between now and the end of the season.”
The players have trained indoors at the Michael Woods Centre in Glenrothes on Tuesday and Thursday and of course those the reserve match on Monday gave those needing matches a good opportunity to show what they could do.
Ryan Williamson has been back just short of two weeks and got ninety minutes under his belt for the reserves against St Mirren. Other than that still out are Louis Longridge, Andy Ryan, Lewis Martin and Mark Durnan (knee injury).
“They’re players that would add competition for places, but it is what it is at the moment and we can’t cry over it. We get on with it and look at Ross County and say ‘this is a game I want to be involved in’. It’s a chance for whatever eleven players start the game and whatever substitutions we make to show we’re up for the fight and up for the battle to propel ourselves up this league.”
Asked about the goalkeeping situation and Lee Robinson’s absence at Cappielow, Stevie explained:-
“We felt that we had to address the goalkeeper situation with a full team time goalie coming on board. We have reserve games early in the week and if you only have one goalie in n the Monday and Tuesday you are restricted to the work that you do.
“Ryan (Scully) came in and I had spoken to Lee who rightly so would have been upset and disappointed that we have brought in a goalkeeper but we felt it was right to go with Ryan and put Cammy on the bench on Saturday. Lee has trained today and he will train tomorrow so there is competition there for places at the moment and that is what we want at the club.”
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