Crawley Town manager Rob Elliot is preparing for his first game in charge as Reds face Wycombe Wanderers away in League One./ Elliot met the press for the first time and spoke about the changers he will make and how his first few days have been
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00:00Rob, thank you for joining us. Your first couple of days as a Crawley coach are done.
00:05How's it been?
00:06Yeah, it's been really good. It's been great to meet the lads and the staff. We come down
00:11Monday night so it sort of felt like it took an age to get into the training ground to
00:16meet everyone. Yeah, that has been the most enjoyable part, being on the pitch with the
00:20lads and getting to know them. Some really good characters. They're obviously a really
00:24close group. They're young but they're hungry and they want to learn and I think they just
00:29want to carry on from where they've been doing this season. But yeah, I think the best
00:34part for me was watching them on the pitch and seeing the talent and the group. I think
00:39the big thing which probably pleased me the most was how receptive they were for the little
00:45bit of different detail that we're going to add. Obviously I'd worked with Scott for a
00:51long time and they had a way of playing which was something I enjoyed watching. There's
00:55a few adaptations and evolutions from that that obviously we need to put our stamp on.
00:59But the lads have taken it really well and it's been a good few days.
01:03What did the first couple of days look like? Because I suppose there's an element of having
01:07to prepare for a fixture at the weekend but also yourself and the rest of the coaching
01:10staff having to get to know the lads. Was there a fine balance of everything in the
01:14first couple of days?
01:15Yeah, we sort of concentrate on ourselves a lot more and we always want to do that.
01:18We always want to concentrate on our strengths and us as a team and back our players in every
01:22scenario. Obviously today we sort of went through Wickham and their strengths and weaknesses
01:31to a certain degree but where we think we can hurt them. But obviously we know they're
01:34a very good team. But again we want to make sure that we're slowly transitioning the lads
01:41into any sort of small differences that they might see. We're not expecting it to happen
01:46straight away, this takes time. But so far we've been really receptive and the sessions
01:50have been good. One of my big things is that I want to concentrate on our strengths and
01:56our team and I want to develop our players and I don't want to get too bogged down on
02:00the opposition other than giving the lads as much information about what they're going
02:03to see on a Saturday. But I think the strength of this group over the last couple of years
02:06is that they've backed themselves in every area of every game to dominate, to step on
02:13and we want that to continue really.
02:15Is it going to work in your benefit that we've got quite a few games coming up? It's a very
02:18busy October isn't it? We've got pretty much a Saturday-Tuesday schedule for the whole
02:22month so is that going to work in our favour do you think to get those subtle changes and
02:26messages across to the lads?
02:27Yeah I think so. It would be nice to spend time on the training pitch but then the games
02:31is where you really learn and you get the detail. And obviously with the amount of games
02:34as well I think it would be good that we'll probably see a lot more of the players so
02:36Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday the squad becomes even more important and I've relayed that
02:40to the lads. Always someone that likes to use the squad to keep it fresh. And the big
02:45thing for me is that in terms of the scheduling especially is that we just need to be adaptable
02:51and we need to be able to reset and go again and we need to keep that freshness in our
02:56minds and our bodies and the fact that I said for me the game Saturday is our first game
03:02of the season really in the nicest possible sense for us and moving forward is that no
03:10matter the outcome, no matter how well we play or anything or what the score is I should
03:15say is I want it to be a case that that's our worst performance of the season because
03:19after every week we should be getting better and better and cleaner and leaner in terms
03:22of our understanding and that's whether we win, whether we lose, whether we draw. Because
03:27I think the processes we want to go through, the results will come of that. But we want
03:32to make sure we start this Saturday right and I can't ask the lads to take on all the
03:36detail. They've been brilliant at it. What I can ask is that they try and do everything
03:39we've asked and obviously the one non-negotiable which they've got in abundance is their work
03:43rate, the intensity and trying to do the right thing. So from my point of view I'm
03:48looking forward to the game and looking forward to not just this game but I'm looking forward
03:51to working with the lads on a regular basis in terms of over the weeks and the months
03:54and all the different games and challenges we're going to have.
03:57As far as our current negotiations, this is probably one of our more local away trips
04:00so we should be back by some good numbers in the weekend. How much are you looking forward
04:04to getting to know the fans and building a relationship with them?
04:07Yeah I think I'm really looking forward to it because the relationship I've built with
04:10myself and the staff around the club has been lovely. It's a real family-orientated
04:14club. Most people here support the club. It's very similar to when I was at Chorlton and
04:18Newcastle. Chorlton was my club and everyone who worked at the club was Chorlton fans.
04:22The same at Newcastle and it makes it a nicer connection. It makes it mean more to everyone
04:27around the training ground and I think that's a real special thing. I always say that it
04:32doesn't matter the size of your fan base, whatever club you support that means just
04:35as much to you as maybe supporting Real Madrid or Man United or the big super giants. If
04:41it's your club, it's your club and it means something to you. So far, all I can say is
04:46thank you to everyone for the welcome from the fans and the staff. I'm looking forward
04:50to that interaction and getting to know everyone, getting to know the community in the area.
04:56It's just obviously something that I think the lads take pride in and represent the club
05:01and I think that's when it comes from the work rate and the effort and the intensity
05:05that they bring. You can't always control sometimes the football in terms of whether
05:09it bounces the right way or your passing is just on but you can control how hard you work
05:13and the integrity you play with and the intensity you play with and I think that's one thing
05:17that these lads will make sure that we always bring.
05:21Hi Rob, in the training the last couple of days, is there anything that surprised you
05:27or exceeded your expectations from the players?
05:30I think their quality, yeah, definitely. They're seriously talented individuals and overall
05:35what I thought was really pleasing and tough for me is that the levels of the squad are
05:39really high and also they're consistent among the group in terms of trying to make team
05:44selections. One, it's hard to make a team selection but two, it's a positive in the
05:48fact that if we get injuries or if we need to freshen it up or if players need to come
05:51in, the levels won't drop too much. So that was really pleasing and I think also just
05:57the way they are as a group, they were really receptive to us and I think I call it talk
06:03about buy-in. I'm huge on buy-in because we ask the lads to do X, Y or Z and if they buy
06:08into it then they'll get all the love and they'll get all the opportunity and all the
06:11time from us and I think they really like that and they really bought into it and that's
06:18going to have to continue, it's not just the first few days. But yeah, that was a really
06:22positive start and I think just for myself, Lou and Sweens, obviously we said thanks to
06:25the lads because it's not easy walking in as a young manager in a new experience, a
06:30new environment but they made it as easy as it could possibly be and especially the support
06:35staff around us, Ricky, Jake, Tom, everyone at the club, that's really important as well.
06:42Haffey, they sort of set the standards of what the area is like and what the lads like
06:46and everything and it just helps you ease into it. It's only been two days but it doesn't
06:50really feel like it's been just two days, it feels a bit more comfortable. Hopefully
06:53the players feel the same but yeah, I think over time it becomes easier and easier.
06:57Yeah and in regards to you being a goalkeeper, or a trade as it were, how does that work
07:02in training with you? Are you given a little bit of focus to the goalkeeper or are you
07:05getting your own goalkeeping coaching?
07:07Yeah so I was the goalie coach the last couple of days as well, so I enjoyed that but it's
07:12good because I get to work with Jojo and get to know him and Jasper and yeah, Jasper's
07:19obviously a young goalie, he's coming in to get that experience and stuff but he's
07:22a brilliant trainer and he's got a lot of potential and hopefully when the goalkeeping
07:26scenario gets smoothed out we'll be able to get him out on loan and get him to develop
07:31but at the moment he's needed around the squad. And then Jojo himself, obviously he's an international,
07:36he's had great experience and he's been fantastic this year for us and he's someone I'm looking
07:39forward to working with. He loves his detail, obviously he's a lovely lad and he's got
07:45a serious ability. Steve Hale, who I know a little bit, has done a brilliant job, he's
07:53obviously gone and we'll look to bring someone in, ASAP really, but he needs to be the right
07:57person for the group and someone that's going to add to us and take us forward.
08:01Yeah but you don't mind doing it for the time being?
08:03To be honest with you yeah, I think I've got two more days in me and then my leg will fall off.
08:08And you've got Wycombe obviously on Saturday and then you've got ASU Wimbledon in the
08:12Is that kind of perfect because you get a chance to use most of the players over those two games?
08:16Because are you going to be looking to use a different squad for both games?
08:19I think it's a great opportunity to give everyone a chance to get on the pitch and show what
08:23they can do. I think whatever team we go with Saturday, squad we go with Saturday isn't
08:31my team or my exact eleven, that's my best eleven. I genuinely believe it's the squad
08:36that's going to get us there. If you look at every team over the course of a season,
08:40the first team of the season to the last team of the season, I guarantee there's four or
08:44five changes nearly all the time, even multiple around the squads. So all I want to see is
08:48the lads who get the opportunity Saturday to take it and the lads who don't to show
08:53why they should be in the team and why they're going to add to the squad and why they're
08:56going to add to the team on Tuesday. And hopefully we'll be able to manage it. Obviously
08:59there's certain rules but we'll be able to manage it. So on Tuesday lads who need minutes
09:03or lads that maybe didn't get as many minutes on Saturday are able to get that and want
09:07to be as fair as possible and then it's up to the lads from them to impress and if they
09:11get the shirt to keep it and if they don't to work their way into the team and when they
09:15get their opportunity to take it.
09:17And obviously Scott had a lot of success here last season. What does success for you look
09:21like at Crawley Town in regards to short term and long term?
09:26Sorry, very hot today. I think success is just continuing the development of the players
09:32and the club. I think probably the club, like Scott and the group players last season,
09:37lads who are still here, did such an amazing job. They defied almost all the odds and it's
09:42sort of a fairy tale. But now we've got to that point where there's still things that
09:47the club needs to develop on, there's still things the squad needs to develop on, the
09:50players especially. We've got a young group that maybe have brought more players in. So
09:55the fundamental thing is if we improve the players and we improve the squad and we keep
10:01consistent in terms of the way we play, then we'll end up getting the results from that.
10:07And obviously the obvious one is that we want to stay at this level so we can keep improving
10:12and develop from there. But I'll be honest with you, if we start thinking about that
10:17over there, we forget about what's happening now and the building blocks that will keep
10:20us to that. So success for us, as long as the players are getting better, as long as
10:23the team's getting better and as long as hopefully the results are coming as a by-product of
10:26that and the club's improving, the club's getting better and in a healthier position
10:30because, like I'm aware of, the last three or four years ago, where the club was and
10:35where it is now. I think it's important that the club stays strong and keeps getting better
10:39so that our levels as a club don't drop and we're able to maintain this sort of status
10:44or at least the club's growing and growing and growing in terms of player development,
10:48style of play and the enjoyment for the fans and the engagement for everything from there.
10:53And can you give us any squad updates? Is there anyone unavailable for tomorrow's game?
10:58No, as far as I'm aware, it's pretty much everyone who has been available will be available.
11:03There might be one or two niggles and whatnot but a couple of players have come back from
11:08injury, played minutes and have had to be rested. So, yeah, pretty much the squad's
11:13as it was and we'll monitor it from there and we'll hopefully be able to have as many
11:19players available as possible.
11:22Hiya, so you've made the step up to League One from the National League, that can be
11:27quite a big step. What differences are you expecting?
11:31I think it's probably like any level in jump. As a player I went from Step 6 all the way
11:37through to the Premier League and it's the stadiums, it's the fan bases, it's the
11:43size of clubs, it's the teams being more disciplined, the coaching being better, the individuals
11:48being better. I think every little thing has an increase. So, from managing the National
11:55League at Gateshead to League One, it's a big step up in terms of the size of clubs,
12:01the resources, the standard of the players and in terms of probably the consistency of
12:09being able to maintain, whether it's a defensive level or an attacking level. But the big thing
12:14is that one of the main reasons I'm here is because what I saw in this group of players
12:20very much echoed what we had at Gateshead and we just felt that coming into work with
12:25players who control games and dominate games is something we couldn't turn down. And to
12:31be able to do this level against some of the size of clubs as well is huge. So, that's
12:35what we're looking forward to doing is continuing our ethic and what we believe in using the
12:39experience that I've had in terms of the levels that I've played at and the managers
12:43and the coaches I've worked with to try and implement that for us to be successful.
12:47And obviously, you've been to the training ground not far from here, but have you actually
12:51had an opportunity to go around Crawley and have a look at what's going on here?
12:55No, not yet. Obviously, we've been down at the stadium, down at the training ground for
12:59a couple of games at the game. So, it was nice to be at the game and meet people. It
13:01was really nice. You can tell there's a lot of people here who have been here a long time
13:04and it's got that real community feel and I think it's something I'm looking forward
13:08to getting out to more. I know we've got the Crawley community here that do a lot of
13:13work and we said that we'll get out and meet the fans and meet the areas we work in with
13:20the different schools and the local area to help. No, it's a big thing for me. I've always
13:25been someone that buys into the area and the club because it's really important to help
13:30you settle and also someone that throughout my playing career spent a long time at each
13:35club I was at. They had three clubs technically and I really enjoy that. I love the long-term
13:40project, not the short-term. It's a part of the job that will be enjoyable because I know
13:47the club's talked about it, the fan base growing and more attendance and everything like that
13:52and we want to continue that. We want people to be proud of coming to watch the club and
13:56we want to get that engagement between the players and the fans. It's a great day and
14:00it's a great occasion for everyone and it's something to be proud of.
14:03Obviously you've met everyone at the club, all the players. Is there anyone you're particularly
14:06impressed with so far?
14:08No, I can't pick out anyone in particular. I think Dion, Jay, in terms of their captains
14:16and their leaders on and off the pitch. They've been brilliant settling in, helping us out
14:20with setting standards. You bounce off maybe the more, even though they're not as old as
14:26maybe you call senior players, but the more senior players that know the club. You speak
14:30to them, you bounce off them. They've been fantastic. Haffey, Ricky have been very, very
14:35good and helpful in terms of the sports science and the coaching previously and what's gone
14:39on. I think that's ultimately it. Every single person has the strengths they can bring. Some
14:44are quiet leaders, some are more vocal with their support staff and players. All I can
14:49say is I think everyone's been really welcoming and hopefully there's a bit of positivity
14:53and not stupid. Games of football, you're never going to win every single game. I don't
14:58believe you're going to lose every single game, but you've got to keep that consistency.
15:01You can't get too high, you can't get too low. You've got to look at every game with
15:05that neutral eye set and think, what did we do well? How did we get better? Give the lads
15:12the understanding so that then when we go out next Saturday, we're better than we were
15:16the Saturday before.
15:18Thank you and good luck.