Dennis Cirkin shared his thoughts on pre-season preparations in general, and spoke about Sunderland's defeat at the Wham Stadium...
WANT TO WIN
"I think first of all you want to win the game, and that's how we've set out every game so far, but I think in pre-season it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is preparing for the first game and getting minutes, which is happening. We've got our eyes locked in to the first game of the season, so it should be good."
GAME OF TWO HALVES
"It was a game of two halves. The first half we dominated and probably could have scored a few, including myself, but then in the second half the game management went out a little bit. It's definitely something we'll look at and hopefully improve on in the next game."
FIRST GOAL
"That's what I'm hoping for (a goal vs Coventry). I was speaking to Ross just there wondering when I'm going to get my first goal. But the most important thing is helping the team, whether that's through defending or hard work, that's just what I want to do."
PRE-SEASON
"I think it's been good. We've got a few wins and a few things on the training ground to look at. The most important thing is no injuries, minutes in the legs and just preparing for that first game, and I'm looking forward to it."
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPECTATIONS
"I can't really expect anything as it's new to me. I'm just trying to apply myself in training and stuff, working as hard as possible. Mentally as well, I'm preparing myself because I know it's a challenge. Just apply myself as best I can to give myself the best chance."
FIRST SEASON
"I look back at it and it's flew. It was a very good season for me in terms of there being highs and lows, and learning from the lows. At the end of it we won at Wembley and that was one of the best days, so I think it's been good."
