BALLARD HAPPY WITH PREM START

Dan Ballard has praised both Regis Le Bris and Granit Xhaka for their respective influence on the team, and says the aim is still survival despite our fantastic start to life back in the top flight...

XHAKA

“I was really young when I was at Arsenal and he was there, so I didn’t spend too much time with him, but to have him in our team is really special. He’s a real leader. I’ve never had a captain or a leader in the dressing room like he is – I didn’t think someone could be so influential. We’re delighted to have him. He keeps driving the standards.”

STAY GROUNDED

"The goal is still to stay in the Premier League. We’ve got a long way to go still. We’re not even halfway there. There have been a lot of tight games so far that could have gone either way, so we’re not getting carried away. We’ll just keep working really hard.”

RLB INFLUENCE

He’s [Le Bris] been so influential for me, the club and the team. I learned so much from him last year. I feel like I’ve got a great connection with him now, and I feel like he’s got trust in me to play, and that always feels good. He’s always tactically very good too.”