Despite losing against Middlesbrough last night, Tony Mowbray saw a lot of positives and believes the future is bright on Wearside...
RIVERSIDE RECEPTION
“I was so focused on the game, I wasn’t really aware of the reaction, positive or negative. People were saying to me in the last few days, ‘Will you get a good reception?’
PROFESSIONAL
“Listen, I’m a professional football manager. I want to work, I have to work, it’s what I do for a living. My life-work balance is good now. I’m managing a team where I can go and work as hard as I can, then get in my car and either see my children before they go to bed or get up early on a morning and see them before they go to school. “That hadn’t been the case for five and a half years. That’s all secondary to me though. I have to try to build this club to where it can become ultra-competitive and people expect us to be challenging for promotion.”
DESERVED SOMETHING
"We had a big chance early on and overall I thought we did enough not to lose it. I spoke to the players about personality at half time, you've got to have it here. It's a team many people expect to be top six by the end of the season and they could well be. I felt as if it was a game we should have got something out of because we grew into it, and we're left frustrated. I thought the young lads stood up to it fairly well, if I'm honest."
BRAVERY
"First half, I felt we had to be braver. If you're going to play Patrick Roberts and Alex Pritchard, you've got to be brave and get the ball through to them on the half turn. We grew into that, and then we made some changes."
YOUNG TALENT
Young Amad Diallo and Embleton have shown me in training that they're good players. Watching these players in training, I think we've got some exciting times ahead. Some of the young players who the supporters haven't seen yet, they're fast and dynamic. I am excited by the young lads that we paraded on the pitch the other day, last Wednesday. Diallo, little clips today. We know he’s sharp, he’s quick, he’s nippy. He has to bring it really. In every football match he gets his opportunity and he will get opportunities.”
BRIGHT FUTURE
"They haven't played for five or six weeks so it was too early to put them on the bench, but I think the future looks bright. They've shown they can compete with a team with a lot of pedigree and experienced players."
BORO
"They had chances, I can't deny that, they're good players. Their midfielders break into the box, they have real width and good delivery. They're a dangerous team, but generally I thought we managed it and in the last 20 minutes it was going to be us who scored. It wasn't to be."
BOUNCE BACK
"The players have to deal with the adversity of losing a game and bounce back against Millwall on Saturday, that's where you grow character and personality. The Stadium of Light will be bouncing I'm sure and hopefully we can get three points. I see enough in these players that they can compete with anyone in this league, and that's a great credit to them and the work that's been done before I got here obviously."
