Alex Neil has acknowledged the magnitude of tonight's first leg semi-final fixture of the playoffs against Sheffield Wednesday. With that in mind he has focused more on the mental side of the game to make sure his players are comfortable heading into tonight.
FOCUS
"Focus is the big word I use with the players. You can't be overconfident, thinking you're just going to go out there and do this and that, and it becomes a shock when you can't. Equally you can't be fearful, you have to get into that zone of believing in what you're doing.”
MINDSET
“Mindset is a massive, massive thing. We need to make sure we have the right one, and I think we've displayed that previously with the amount of late goals we've scored.”
BOTH BIG TEAMS
"They're a good team, a big club, but so are we. We've got processes and if I was to do it different, I would ask why? Because every game is massive for us. We know what we want to do, how we want to go about it. But what you definitely need to do is be attuned to your players."
HEAVY GAME
"No disrespect to any other team but playing a team near the bottom of the table at home, for example, doesn't have anywhere near the same amount of weight on the shoulders of the players as is this.”
BIG GAME MODE
"So it would be very naive of me to say they're in exactly the same mode because they're not, they understand the importance of the match and the expectation. For these lads, this could be the biggest game they've ever played in.”
LEAN ON EXPERIENCE
"I will speak to individuals because everyone is different, we have got experienced players who have been there and done it, who we'll lean on. It's about giving each player what they need to get into that mindset, that zone that I've spoken about."
PROUD
"Because of the points we've had to get, I think that's what makes it an achievement. To get to the play-offs first and foremost, you might only have to come in and win a few games to get there. To hit two points-per-game over 15 matches and to hit 84 points, that speaks volumes of what the players have done.”
ACHIEVEMENT
"We picked up a squad where some of the younger lads had been flogged and weren't particularly ready, some of the lads we signed in January were lacking game time. Some of these variables made it more difficult so to come through unscathed, pick up the points we have in, not a comfortable manner but for it to be in our hands on the final day, was an achievement.”
MOUNTAIN
"But as ever, football management is a never-ending mountain climb isn't it? You think you've reached the summit and then all of a sudden you look up and there's another one you're facing."
WAR CRY
"We need to go again."
