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00:00Going 4-1 pre-season win against Chelsea and another impressive performance tonight, building on what you've done previously.
00:08Yeah, definitely. Obviously, we haven't had the results. We said it's not always about the result. Tonight's not really about the result, although it's good to get a 4-1 win.
00:19We're looking for the players listening, implementing what we want.
00:23And I've got to say, tonight's probably the best performance I've seen from a team that's played for us, if I'm honest.
00:32Both halves I thought were good. Second, probably better than the first in terms of, listen, pre-season or not, I thought we were fitter, sharper, hungrier.
00:44Really made them look very, very average tonight. Maybe they're pre-season. Were they that bothered? I think some of them were. I think maybe some of them weren't.
00:55But I'd be looking at myself and going, we've just been taught a lesson.
00:59Yeah, so really, really positive from our point of view. The decisions are getting harder and harder because people are coming in and doing a job and excelling at the minute.
01:08So we've got a lot of decisions to make, which is hard, if I'm honest. Really, really hard because I can't look at anyone and go, they're not good enough.
01:18If anything, the only thing is there might be someone who's just a little bit better than them or done a bit better at the minute.
01:23So it's going to be some tough calls and some harsh chants to have.
01:27But I can't knock what all of them have put into pre-season and the way they've turned up so far.
01:33And that was probably, like I say, we've just got to build from that now. We need to take that into training, take it into Saturday and just keep building momentum.
01:41Because they're a really young bunch. I reckon the average age is under 20. A lot of them are 19, 18.
01:50They're just listening, listening to Vic, doing what's asked of them and enjoying playing their football, which is what our philosophy wants to be.
01:58Enjoy having the football and doing something maybe a little bit different to what other teams do.
02:03So that's sort of the best performance you've seen?
02:07Definitely. I've got to say it. We've had some good teams, some very good teams.
02:11We've lost some very good players over the years and they've all done really well for us.
02:15And we've had some good performances, but I haven't seen a team pass the ball like that with such quality in our time.
02:25Like I say, they've got some big shoes to fill because we've lost some very good players.
02:30And winding up at half-time, does that be so? And in the second half, just kept powering on?
02:36Yeah. Listen, they probably should have scored a couple more goals. They should have scored the penalty.
02:43We've rode our luck a little bit, if I'm honest, but I also feel we probably could have scored some more.
02:49So, you know, there's things we still need to work on. People switching off, people not quite grasping what they're being asked.
02:55And we feel if they can do that consistently, constantly through the game, always being switched on,
03:01which is a hard thing to do at this level, because sometimes that's the side of the game people struggle with a little bit.
03:07It's just that switching off. If we can get them right on it, then I don't think we'll have a problem.
03:12At half-time, was it more of the same or anything you wanted to say especially?
03:17No, we knew we were going to make a change, obviously, to get people on.
03:22And then just let them, Vic had a word with them while he was doing the warm-up,
03:26remind people of what their jobs are, what they're meant to be doing.
03:29And they just went out and implemented it. And they looked like they enjoyed themselves, most importantly.
03:34And a couple of pretty special goals to wrap off as well.
03:37Yeah, yeah. Very, very good. Jeremy was sat on the bench and we obviously changed the midfield three where he'd been.
03:43So he didn't want to move any of them. And he was like, I can go out wide to right if you want.
03:47I don't want to cut in and shoot.
03:50So, yeah, showed very, very good quality. Two great finishers.
03:55Something maybe we've missed, if I'm honest.
04:00Just that clinical, because I remember last season saying it was just that final bit sometimes at times.
04:05It is. And some of them need to, like Jaheim gets in some good positions, very good player,
04:10probably needs to work on his shooting and his decision-making in the final third.
04:14But obviously Jeremy's just that little bit more clinical. Good striker of the ball. Two great goals.
04:22Harry made a couple of good saves and he just loses the clean sheet right at the last minute.
04:26Yeah, disappointingly, because we have been conceding. I haven't been worried about conceding.
04:32Obviously, the goals we've conceded have been soft, in my opinion. No one's really earned them.
04:37They've pretty much been gifted to them. So we've got to try and address that and tell the lads,
04:42it's got to be about winning games and keeping clean sheets.
04:46It's not always about what we want to do and how we want to play. It has to have a result.
04:51It can't just be play well, play well, look good, lose 4-0, lose 4-1, lose 3-0, 4-3, conceding too many goals.
04:59So it was positive that it was 4-1 because we wanted it to be more ruthless.
05:05Looking back at the stats from Saturday, we did everything better than Gosport bar scoring goals.
05:11We got more shots, more corners, more free kicks, more possession.
05:15Just the final thing, and that's the difference as you go up through the levels,
05:19is they had clinical players who, when there was a mistake, they scored.
05:23So that's what we need to be better at.
05:26You said you got some harsh conversations, difficult decisions, because everyone's done so well.
05:32How does that look like, when you've got to start thinking about that?
05:36This week, I would say we've got four friendlies left, which isn't loads.
05:41The problem we get is the lads have done really well, but then someone else comes in and he's another good player.
05:50We've got to try and do what we think is right for how we play and what we think will be successful going forward.
05:58It's going to be tough, if I'm honest. It's never nice, and we've already had to do it with about 10 players already.
06:05But ultimately, it's the right decision for us, and it will be the right decision for them
06:10because it means they can then go and find some football elsewhere, which is important now.
06:16Teams will start establishing what they've got, and no-one needs to be without football or a club.
06:22It's going to be tough, mate.
06:25Just keep the momentum now into training, and then another game on Saturday.
06:30Training's always good. We've got a good group, all similar fitness levels, all athletic, all quick, all sharp.
06:37Training's always good. I never worry about training sessions. They're always decent.
06:42I'm hoping they don't get carried away, which can be a problem with young players.
06:47It's one pre-season friendly result, and there's loads of positives to take from it.
06:52I wouldn't knock them about being confident, but can they then go and do it again and again and again?
06:57That's the next steps for them.
06:59Churchill got promoted last season, so another Step 3 team tonight.
07:04But they'll be interesting to play Bashley, Southern League, in Step 4.
07:08Is that interesting?
07:10Yes. Obviously, we set up to have tough games at the start against teams where we'll have to work hard.
07:17It's not to say we won't have to work hard on Saturday, but it's more a case of, can you do it against Step 3?
07:22Can you do it against – listen, the Aldershot game was a bit of a miss for them – but can you do it against good sides of a higher level?
07:31If you can do that and show your qualities, then you should still be able to do it to a good level when you play someone of your level.
07:38Then it's about maintaining your standards. We've got a couple of Step 5 teams, but who are good by the way?
07:44They're not poor Step 5 teams, so it's then, can you then go and do it against a team that maybe you should be better than?
07:51That's always the challenge, not saying you are better than, but in reality, we're in Step 4, they're in Step 5.
07:57The Step 4 teams we're playing are looking to get promoted, so they're no different to what we were a couple of years ago,
08:03where I would expect us to beat a Step 4 team if we played them.
08:08That's how it works really.
08:10You say four more games now before the competitive stuff and just feeling in a good place?
08:16Like I said the other day, I feel we're in a way better place than we were this time last year, further ahead,
08:23because it took us probably three weeks into the season to really kick-start our season.
08:29We had some tough games at the start, obviously against Southall and South Park, who had both done well.
08:35I can't remember what the third game was, but we lost all of them.
08:38Played well, but lost, and then it took one result really against Thatcher, and then we went on a run.
08:43That coincided with probably a couple of players coming in at the time, and just the process starting to pay dividends.
08:54They're listening to Vic, and that process implies that bit earlier.
09:00Yeah, listen, we've obviously got loads of bodies in. Vic's been excellent in his coaching, the way he delivers what he's saying,
09:08implementing the ideas that we want. I told him the other day, he must be really pleased with himself,
09:16how well this group has settled in, being pretty much a brand new group of players.
09:22A lot of credit's got to lie with him and what he's done. I'm not going to big him up too much. Keep going!