Pompey boss talks to The News after his side's 3-1 win against Preston at Fratton Park
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00:00What's the overriding emotion?
00:03I think there's a few mixed emotions, really.
00:05I think there's massive relief and we are delighted with the fact that we've got the result.
00:10There's this real slight tinge of frustration because
00:14of what could have been, I think, over the previous 14 games.
00:17But that's gone now.
00:18We've got to deal with it.
00:19We didn't pick up the points that we probably deserve to pick up and we've got to move on.
00:23I think we've really got to build on that as we go into the next batch of games
00:28and take a lot of confidence from the performance.
00:30The first half was particularly dominant, two goals for a third.
00:33Very different goals but of equal importance.
00:35You must have been thoroughly impressed with both in different measures.
00:38I mean, the strike from Merth is outstanding and then another set-piece goal for Merth.
00:42Yes, I thought we were outstanding in the first half and we started the game properly.
00:46Restricted pressing to very, very few opportunities.
00:49And, yes, it was one of those.
00:51That sort of strike from Merth hasn't been going in previously.
00:55That's been one of those where, yes, we've got a bit of luck, it was a brilliant strike,
00:59but we've got that goal from nowhere where we've been missing chances from close range
01:05and not quite putting the ball in the backing net, as we did for the previous two games.
01:09So, really pleased that that went in.
01:11My only worry at times in the first half, when it was 0-0, was that we weren't going to take advantage of the pressure that we had.
01:16Because I knew that Preston were going to change something regardless at half-time, which they did and made it difficult.
01:21But I thought the first half were outstanding.
01:23Tricky period in the second half for 15 minutes, but then we got back control of the game,
01:28got to grips with it and deserved to win it.
01:30Talking about the tricky period at the start of the second half,
01:32Nicola Smith makes an outstanding save at 2-1.
01:35People to win the game and many people forget about that tonight, but I'm sure it doesn't go unnoticed.
01:40Yes, I mean, Nicko has come into the side with a lot of competition for those goalkeeping spots.
01:46It was a very difficult decision.
01:48I think, first of all, bringing Will out and then bringing Jordan out after his performance against Cardiff
01:52in Sheffield Wednesday and Nicko has repaid that faith with that massive save at Hull at 1-0.
01:59I thought he was pretty faultless up at Plymouth and, yes, he's done that.
02:02Again, that's what we rely on the goalkeepers for.
02:04So, we've got a really, really competitive department there and I'm really pleased that he's come back into the side and hit the ground running.
02:10It's a special moment of threatening Colby Bishop on a personal level.
02:13You know him for a number of years now, it must just be delightful.
02:17Yes, I mean, I'm delighted that we were able to register him
02:19because I think a Colby training and available to play would have kept knocking on my door going,
02:24I want to play, I want to play.
02:26It's a delight we were able to register him and I just, you know, it was amazing.
02:30It's brilliant to have Colby coming off the bench and affecting the game like he did.
02:33I'm really pleased for him to get the goal in.
02:35Actually, probably a bit more pleasing was his overall performance.
02:37I thought he didn't look like someone that had been out for the amount of time that he's been out and had open heart surgery.
02:43He just looked like he slotted straight back in.
02:45And Marlon Platt back in at centre-back.
02:46I mean, what was the thought process behind that and how did you review his performance?
02:50I think to answer the last question, I thought his performance was superb.
02:53And I think you take the context of everything that we've asked of Marlon.
02:56He's come out of the side for three games and he's been incredible around the dressing room.
03:03He's been a really, really important part of what we're trying to build here.
03:07And having lifted the Ligue 1 title last year.
03:10And it was something we've been thinking about for the past couple of weeks,
03:13because he was slightly short at centre-half.
03:14Tom McIntyre has been really good.
03:16But I think those three game weeks have sometimes taken their toll.
03:20And we just think he's got the attributes to be able to do that,
03:23certainly today on a one-off.
03:25And who knows going forward?
03:27Certainly after today's performance, I think it's a really serious consideration for us going forward.
03:31He can physically compete.
03:32He can play in terms of the ball at his feet.
03:35And there's a few things that we'll have to keep working on and adjusting.
03:38But it seemed to us like a calculated risk and thankfully it paid off.
03:43Cheers, thanks very much.
03:44Can you just develop the events that led to Colby coming this afternoon?
03:49Yes, so Colby's been training with us for about six weeks now.
03:52And what we had to do this week was do all the final checks.
03:55And I think Colby had three scans this week.
03:57And then he saw a specialist to make sure that he was actually able to come back inside.
04:01And it was safe for him to do so.
04:02And he had his final one, I think, on Thursday.
04:04So, yes, there was a bit of, I suppose, a bit of
04:08kidology, but there was slightly making sure that we were
04:12selective with the truth.
04:14Because what we didn't want to do was something comes back on Thursday,
04:17the specialist says, no, actually, we spotted something on the scan.
04:20And all of a sudden, he's going to be out for another six weeks.
04:23And us having said, oh, no, Colby's ready to come back.
04:25So, that was very, very deliberate in terms of the way that we did it.
04:30We were never going to do it any other way.
04:32And we're going to make sure that we were comfortable having him back in the squad.
04:34And once we were, I think, on Thursday,
04:36we were delighted to be able to name the squad with him in it.
04:40There's eyes and ears everywhere in this city.
04:42Do you think you'll be able to keep up with that?
04:44I didn't. I don't know, really.
04:46I mean, he's been training with us and everybody can come and watch our training.
04:50So, yes, I don't know.
04:52I probably didn't.
04:54But one thing to be fair to the fans that come and train at the gym is that we...
05:00I probably shouldn't say this, but sometimes if you want to come
05:04and get a gym membership on a Friday afternoon, you probably work out our team.
05:07And they may have been able to work out that Colby Bishop had been training with us.
05:10So, I was slightly surprised.
05:12I think we were able to keep it under wraps.
05:13But we did that deliberately.
05:14We didn't want to...
05:15We've done it with a couple of other injuries, not deliberately,
05:17but where we thought players were going to be back sooner than we were.
05:20And I think it just deflates everyone when they're not back in.
05:22And we didn't want that this week with going, yes, Colby's ready.
05:25And then all of a sudden, he's not in the squad.
05:26And it could have been another one that he's not ready for a few more weeks.
05:31So, we want to just protect him from that.
05:32Conversely, however, when it's under wraps and then you drop the loser an hour before kick-off,
05:36I think it's a massive lift to have one of our midfielders around the club.
05:39Yes, and that was the intention, really.
05:42I thought it was one of those that can really just boost everyone.
05:47And I felt it.
05:48I felt it when we came into the ground and when the side was named.
05:54I'm sure everybody was delighted with it.
05:55And it was a very, very difficult game to be able to bring him on to see the game out and get the goal.
05:59That was the most important thing.
06:01Yes, it was about all of the other benefits that we got from it.
06:05But the most important thing was having Colby back on the pitch.
06:07What is the process now for Colby?
06:10He's just back in full training now.
06:12There are no issues that we have, no worries that we have with him.
06:16He's passed every single check that we could possibly pass.
06:19And that was always my take, was that the second Colby is back and ready,
06:23knowing that we had the available spot, the second he was back and available, I was going to play him.
06:27It wasn't a reaction to Tuesday night or anything like that.
06:30It was just something that we wanted to do.
06:32So, Colby's just to be treated as just another squad member now.
06:37Yes, I mean, the people were debating about his involvement, would they get him involved when he was on the bench.
06:42Knowing yourself and your mindset with that, I knew that he'd be back in the infants' centre.
06:46And obviously, that's the mindset now, can you move forward with that?
06:48Yes, there's no way we would have involved him on the bench if we wouldn't have brought him on.
06:52And yes, it would have just been a wasted spot.
06:54So, it might have given everyone a big boost, but we can't afford to waste spots like that.
06:58And so, we've got other players that are competitive and champion at the bit.
07:02And there are players that are out of the squad, that don't deserve to be out of the squad.
07:05So, there's no way we'd have wasted a spot in the squad.
07:07What can Colby obviously do for the striker, not only in what he brings to the table, but also in sharpening that composition up there?
07:15Yes, I mean, I'm not saying this was the reason, but I thought it was the best that Kass has played this season.
07:19Probably slightly sluggish for the first 10 minutes, maybe because of the double travel.
07:24And then really started to get into Preston's centre-halves.
07:28The second goal comes from us.
07:29I'm taking the throw properly.
07:30Kass pins two centre-backs in the box, rolls them,
07:34does get to the shot on the edge of the box and we score from the corner.
07:36So, I thought Kass really, really grew into the game in the first half.
07:39It was a much, much better performance for him.
07:41So, I was really pleased there.
07:43And yes, all the centre-forwards have got to be on their toes.
07:45We're willing to play all of them at any time.
07:47And I think now we've got five in the building, if you include Christian Sadie.
07:51So, it's a really healthy competition.
07:52With Kass, that's quality, with De Manto and everything.
07:54With those attributes together,
07:56Kim Loach's play does not play up to him, as he's sort of been more today successful.
08:00Yes, and I thought he caused some real issues.
08:02And once one of those ones goes for him where, you know,
08:06the ball drops and he nearly gets in or slips a couple of times in the second half.
08:09Yes, once one of those goes for him, then, you know, it's going to be brilliant to have him around.
08:14How important now that this result this afternoon,
08:17after a balancer and a full of positives, is it for Kass to move on?
08:21Yes, it is really important.
08:22I also felt that the catalyst was the whole game and the performance there.
08:28And that was where I was slightly concerned on Tuesday night
08:34because of the midweek away performances.
08:36So, really assured after that Tuesday night performance.
08:38I felt very, very confident going into the game today.
08:40I felt much more confident about the game today.
08:42And that's not just me speaking now.
08:44I said it to the lads before and said it to the staff.
08:46Because of those two performances, it looked like we were a team that meant business
08:50and a team that, regardless of the result, Tuesday night,
08:53we were going to go for it and we were going to come back and dust ourselves off and go again.
08:57So, yes, the challenge is that we've got to keep that going because we're still in the lead position we're in.
09:01We've got a huge amount of work to do for the rest of the season.
09:03When we come back here in two weeks' time, we have Blackburn away, Millwall at home, Swansea away.
09:09Very, very, very tough fixtures at this level.
09:11We have to be at it every second of every minute of every game.
09:14And we need to use today as a springboard to be as good as we can be.