Play off place still a live target
Tuesday, 12th Oct 2021PG:- “We have to get a performance and have to get a result and you’re hoping to get it sooner rather than later.
Despite sitting tenth with only four points from the first eight Championship fixtures Peter Grant claims that Dunfermline can still challenge for a top four place:-
“Absolutely, 100 per cent. If I didn’t think that I would not have come here in the first place. I expected to be much higher, I expected to be challenging as champions, that’s what I want to do. The way the league has been with teams beating each other, it has kept us well within it.
“There is absolutely no doubt we can do that and I know the players are capable of that but we have to get a performance and have to get a result and you’re hoping to get it sooner rather than later. I know from my own personal point of view I have to start winning games very, very quickly.”
Peter was as disappointed as anyone after losing to a late goal to Queen of the South and he revealed that he had contacted Thomas Meggle and chairman Ross McArthur after the game and then on the Sunday:-
“I thought it was really important to get in contact with them. For me, I’m very proud to be the manager of this football club and I want that to continue but I understand you have to win games of football to make that continue.
“I understand the disappointment of supporters, I’m never a manager that is going to come out and try and curry favour with the fans and say this and that, I’m very honest and I deserve the criticism that comes with the results, I’ve no problem with that. I don’t like that, I wish it wasn’t happening, 100 per cent.”
Thomas and the chairman understand and see the work Peter, his staff and players are putting in and the manager continued:-
“That’s probably been the beauty, if they’re seeing it from afar you are not seeing the full picture and we’ve worked really, really hard. I think they’re surprised by the way we’ve not performed at certain times. You cannot really legislate for that, you can’t prepare for that.
“Especially the first half at Queens the game wasn’t great at all. It was one game that I did not enjoy at all and I understand the flack and the criticism that comes with it, I have no argument with that.”
Urgency is understood by Peter who says that has existed since the day he got the job at East End Park:-
“That’s the way I am. I wanted to win every game and wanted to be sitting top of the league, that’s what I want to do. That pressure comes from myself, I want to win every game and play well in every game.
“You want to win every game and every game you don’t win there is more pressure. We know the rules of the game and I know the squad is more than capable of winning games of football. That’s why I understand everyone’s frustration.
“We go everywhere expecting to win, I’m not hiding away from that fact. That’s why it has been such a big disappointment.
We’ve not taken enough of our own chances, big chances at important times and the games seem to drift away from us.
I want to be the manager here for a long, long time and do that I’ve got to win games of football.”
The manager feels that levels have not been at the levels he expected from his group of players and that has been disappointing:-
“It’s massive moments in every game where we’ve not taken that opportunity and given easy opportunities up. It’s annoying for me but I understand it because I’ve been there before as a player. I see it during the week and would love to see that on a Saturday.”
Without a fixture last Saturday, due to being unable due to Covid to field a team against Elgin City in September in the SPFL Trust Trophy, the squad has really hard with the manager being delighted with them:-
“It’s been fantastic in that we’ve had an opportunity to work with the boys that we have got available. Usually in this period people sort of down tools if you don’t have a game or whatever but to be fair to the boys it’s been the complete opposite. I have been absolutely delighted with their attitude towards their training.”
A couple of players have not managed to train and some were actually playing against Queens under duress really having not trained or played in the run up to the Palmerston match. Peter was pleased when they were suddenly asked to play in the match:-
“It’s a willingness to do that that’s impressed me more than anything else. During the week I see a lot of good stuff in their preparation and their attitude to do the right things but we know when you pull the curtain back that’s when you are expected to do, put the work that you do into fruition.
“Unfortunately that has not been the case for us and that was the big disappointment and the performance in the Queens game was way below what we are capable of.”
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