Nobody too big for the boots
Thursday, 7th Aug 2008"Macca is saying if you are in and you are doing well, you have kept the jersey which is right. That gives you competition.
"Nobody is too big for their boots. That is what the Manager has installed in us this year" claimed Greg Shields. "Last year when Jim McIntyre came in he said that he was going to try and press it. Pre season he worked us hard and got his point across.
"I am not saying that we are the finished article yet but I have been really happy with the way the first two games have gone. From a personal point of view and a team point of view, I have enjoyed it."
Dunfermline Athletic have done reasonably well in cup competitions in the last few seasons but have failed to take that form into their league campaigns. Everyone hopes that last Saturday was a temporary set back and certainly the ease of the victory at Balmoor Stadium on Tuesday night breeds optimism for the league campaign ahead.
The feel good factor has returned to the Pars with the players plainly stating that life at has returned to being enjoyable. That is reflected in their play as Greg confirmed:-
"I think its good if you are coming into your work everyday and enjoy what the Manager puts in front of you. You enjoy training and there is a bit of bite in the training with a winning mentality in amongst the young boys coming in. They are just oozing in confidence.
"He has played the same way most games since the first game against the Romanian team (FC Timisoara) when he played a 4-3-3; he seems to be playing that every time. We have some many good players like Stephen Glass, Nick Phinn, Alex Burke, Steven Bell, Graeme Holmes - they are good ball players.
"Last year we were maybe stretched in midfield, teams played five in against us and we found it difficult. We didn't have a shield but this year we have got the legs of Nicky, Burkie is putting in a shift as well, Glass is the old head - the one who is calming. He is great on the ball and played at the top level."
Even within the relatively small squad that Jim McIntyre currently has, the competition for places is evident. The hamstring injury to Scott Wilson on Tuesday night might make him doubtful for Saturday but Greg claims that if you have the jersey you have to hang on to it.
"With the previous Manager, if somebody played in my position I would have been back in and played. Maybe that is wrong. Macca is saying if you are in and you are doing well, you have kept the jersey which is right. That gives you competition.
"What a difference, we would have gone to Peterhead last season and struggled. We were well aware that it could be a banana skin but we started the game really well again. Wee Harps got in behind several times but then we sort of took the foot off the gas a bit. We cannot maintain that. We did that on Saturday, for the first twenty five minutes against Partick we were brilliant, then we took our foot off the gas.
"We must take our chances when we are on top. Against Peterhead we didn't take them in the first half and went in thinking the same thing is happening again. The main thing was that we scored even though it was a hoof up the park"
Greg agreed that Nick Phinn was well worthy of the sponsors Man of the Match award. With goals so far this season against both Stirling Albion and Peterhead, Dunfermline should benefit from this midfielder who can get forward:-
"He is like a new player and gives us something that we never had. Last year he was in and out but this year the Manager is heaping praise on him and giving him plenty of confidence after games. He is telling him what a player he can be for us and it is up to him to believe that because he can. He has everything in his locker."
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