Tony Mowbray is looking to energise his team for today's clash with Millwall. Hopefully the Fulham FA Cup replay is a welcome boost rather than an unwanted distraction...
LONDON FIXTURES
"The fixture list is what it is, we drew Fulham away in the cup, and now we have to go to Millwall. We have a replay midweek, and I said after the game both managers would have done without the replay, and yet you don’t want to be out of the cup. I’d rather have the replay than be out of it, so we have to get on with it. We have to go to QPR in ten days time, and that’s another trip to London. So, what I’ve been telling the Lads is that when I was 19 I would have sat on the bus for 20 hours if it meant I’d play football, it doesn’t even feel like work. I hope they all buy into that, and ultimately they get judged on their performance on the pitch. In modern day football, we will arrive there on a Friday, so they can have a good sleep and get ready for the game. Then we will get back on the coach, and leave. The days seem to disappear when you get in routines, do a lot of travelling and play a lot of games. There are some days where you're sitting on that coach forever, and getting back at midnight. Then you’ve got to go again, so I hope they're young enough, full of energy and don’t feel too fatigued. Hopefully, they just want to play and show their qualities and contribute to the creative nature of the team."
FULHAM DRAW
"It’s important when you’ve got the ball against these teams they feel your threat, and realise they can’t just run over the top of you. I’ve managed in the Championship for a while, and when you play against a bright, strong Premier League team you have to make them feel like they can’t just roll you over. I think we did that. When we had the ball, we gave the problems and came forward. So, they had to be wary and if you don’t do that, and instead accept that they will have the ball it becomes attack vs defence for 90 minutes, and they eventually come through and score. I felt with the quality they had they would create chances, and they did. They had 20 odd shots, and their quality was evident. What was really pleasing, is that our quality was high as well. It wasn’t a case of we just fought hard, and we should be proud. I think we showed Premier League quality in spells, Fulham are seventh in the Premier League, so that was really pleasing."
FULHAM ON WEDNESDAY
"Roberts, Clarke, Diallo, Neil all of these young talented footballers showed that they could cope with the level, but they have to try and do it again next Wednesday. It’s a tough game, so I don’t sit here and think we’ve done all the hard work because it’s still really tough. They’re still going to be really talented with the ball, and play through you. So, it’s another huge test for us, and we have to be positive and go for it."
ATTACKING FOOTBALL
"We’re trying to give the players confidence and belief. We have to play to our strengths, when I look at us now I realise that we aren’t the biggest team in the world and we can’t just sit back and soak up pressure. We have to go and play, and some days we might leave ourselves exposed. This may lead to us having the odd 3-3, somewhere down the line. But, I believe with the players we’ve got, and the talent we have, we need to be able to get the ball forward and play with our feet. Joffy is not 6ft 3, so we have to get it to his feet, and I think they enjoy that. We will try and continue to do it and see where it takes us."
MILLWALL FIRST THOUGH
"The league is always the most important thing, and we know that three points are at stake on Saturday. We have total focus on the task ahead. The balance for me is to try and not taper training down too much, because we need to keep everyone fit and sometimes the intensity that we train at puts demands on the players. Trying to get that balance right of not underplaying the next game, because the three points are massive for us. Millwall away is as tough as you get in this league, whatever people think about Millwall their support base are a massive help for them. It’s like playing against an extra man, so it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere. We have to get to the levels we know we can get to, and if we get to those levels we can give any team a tough game. If we are not up for this game we will get beat. We need to perform like we did against Fulham."
STICK TO THE PLAN
"I think as long as you're aware of the opposition, and understand their strengths and weaknesses, we will try and impose our style on the game. It’s important that we don’t focus too much on them, because it might stop us from doing what we’re good at. When we went to Fulham we had to be good with the ball because they can really punish us on the attack. Against Millwall we have to bring our sword and shield, because we are going to war, but we must not forget to play the way we want to. If we get wrapped up in a fight we will most likely come out second best, so we have to make sure they know they’re playing against a football team."
