Allan Hale post Spartans

Highland News & Media

Elgin City manager Allan Hale gives his assessment after his new side's 4-0 defeat against Spartans in League Two.

Transcript

00:00 Well I think what you saw was a contrast of one team being a team that's picked up positive

00:05 results, got momentum behind them which instils confidence and you've got one team that doesn't

00:11 have momentum behind them and a lack of confidence and I think that kind of summed up the game in

00:18 many ways you know because I think both teams were quite similar in terms of shots within the game I

00:23 don't think there was too much between them but yeah you had one team that were really clinical

00:28 with the chances who capitalized on defensive errors and individual errors and you had one team

00:34 who didn't capitalize on the chances certainly in moments of the game where we had them against a

00:40 team who didn't make any errors so fundamentally we've got to cut out those those errors because

00:47 that's two games in a row and we were making catastrophic errors that are leading to goals

00:52 fundamentally but you know we've as I said we're going to try and do things the way that we believe

00:59 in that you know we've done for the past 11 years wherever we've been and then you know it's

01:05 something that'll take time I think the players are prepared to do it there's a good group here

01:09 but you know we've got no time to feel sorry for ourselves we've got time where we need to get on

01:14 the training pitch we've got to work hard and we've got to put in far better performances because

01:17 rightly the supporters are going to accept it but we're not going to accept it either.

01:22 That's it and obviously a slow start as well two down after six minutes but which in this league

01:28 is kind of you know an uphill battle from that moment on isn't it? Yeah yeah and look particularly

01:33 when you know you're down at the wrong end of the table you know when you lose two quick goals like

01:38 that it makes you even more nervous it makes you even more anxious it makes you stop try to do the

01:44 things that we're asking them to do which is to be brave to be on the front foot to be aggressive

01:48 to go after oppositions and impress them and we never really you know we did it in stages here and

01:55 there but I think you know continuous over a period of time that we've done that so you know

02:00 we need to keep drumming that into them in training but you know we've got to get them fitter and

02:05 that's to play any system not just to play the way that we want to play we've got to get fitter

02:10 because it's a demanding league you know physically with the powerfulness of the

02:15 league and you know if you keep making basic defensive errors you're going to get punished

02:20 at this level and you know there's no getting away from that. From my end I think the easy thing to do

02:26 two weeks ago when Enquiry came in was to turn it down based on where Elgin were in the league and

02:32 stay in the position that I was in you know stay in my comfort zone in terms of knowing that the

02:38 squad were well versed in terms of what we're asking them to do and you know picked up positive

02:42 results and had them in a really strong position that would have been the easy thing to do but

02:46 every club I've been at I've came in in a period where it's been similar to where things are now

02:53 and you know we'll stick to our principles we'll stick to what we believe in we'll stick to what

02:57 we've done and you know over the course of the last 11 years and over time that's going to change

03:02 the one thing I'll ask is that the supporters stick with the team and I know that's easier said

03:06 than done because you know they've been here a lot longer than me and they've witnessed things a lot

03:10 a lot more than I have but you know the players need confidence and confidence will come from

03:16 the crowd appreciating chances when we're giving to them and that's our responsibility as a

03:21 management team to get the players in positions where we're creating chances where the crowd can

03:25 then get behind us and we've not done that the last two games and that needs to change

03:28 and we need to work on that and we need to work on that quickly because

03:31 yeah we need to start picking up positive results. Was there anything that you saw in the two

03:37 weeks you've been here and over the two results that surprised you? No I wouldn't say there's

03:42 anything that surprised us as such I mean you know obviously like we do with any club that we've done

03:46 our research before we came in which meant we'd watch a lot of games before we came in now you

03:52 know losing 3-0 and losing 4-0 the easy thing in the world to do would say right we're back to type

03:58 in terms of you know getting organised and being really defensive and being difficult to break

04:03 down but I don't believe that's what's going to keep us in the league I don't believe playing that

04:07 way is going to keep us in the league you know I don't think we're going to create enough chances

04:12 and get enough wins by playing that way and if it comes the end of the season where that doesn't go

04:17 to plan then that's on me but you know I've got a way that I believe to play and we'll coach that

04:22 into the players but I think there's a good group here but they need confidence installed in them

04:28 they need themselves to believe that the way we're asking them to play is going to be the right

04:32 approach they need to do more I think within themselves to get fitter but you know be prepared

04:39 to work and be prepared to change because if they do they'll start to enjoy that way of playing and

04:44 then they'll find things a lot easier for themselves moving forward. The timing of the goals today

04:49 one that's one that annoyed you I mean the two in the first six minutes and then right on half time

04:53 when you're just about getting in at 2-0 after a decent recovery? Yeah the second goal was a real

04:59 frustrating one because it's a straight long ball that we kind of spoke about before the game you

05:03 know we'd actually force them into a good area of the pitch but we didn't drop you know and then

05:09 we isolated ourselves 2 v 2 defensively we missed the first header and then the man runs in and

05:14 scores and you know that yeah that's the basics that at this level we should be getting right

05:20 and then the third goal in my opinion just comes from a lack of desire you know we win the first

05:24 header why there's a boy free on the edge of the 18 yard box and he's you know he's got 10 yards of

05:30 space to go and run into and get a shot away shouldn't happen so those goals are really

05:35 annoying the timing of them particularly the third one because I think you know once we got through

05:40 that first 10 minutes I thought we'd stay in the tide and I thought we'd control them you know to

05:45 very little and they were clear chances and we start to get a foothold of the game where you know

05:51 the players start to grow in confidence and then if you get in 2-0 at half time you've got the win

05:54 behind you and the crowd will then get behind the team because they believe that we can still get

05:59 back into it and then we give away the third goal the same as what we've done last week right on

06:03 half time yeah and then you know it changes the team talk it changes the motivation of the players

06:10 and the belief in the players and in terms of can they come back and get something from the game

06:14 and then second half it's a non-event really I mean I think the penalty is as soft as you're

06:19 going to see but I'm from you know 60-70 yards down the pitch so I can't really see whether it

06:25 was or it wasn't and yeah as I said that kind of kind of summed up the game and the performance so

06:32 yeah a lot of work to do but the players are ready to fight and you know they're on board

06:38 with what we're trying to do and you know if we keep working on them then I'm confident that

06:42 that we'll get out of it and things can change. The things that you saw from the substitutes

06:48 that impressed you at all that could be changes in the lineup for the next game? Yeah look there's

06:52 always going to be changes I mean we're new in the door right so we're only getting to know the

06:57 players they're only getting to know us we've only had less than four hours on the training pitch for

07:02 them you know which it's not a lot of time so you know I said last week we're not miracle workers and

07:07 things aren't going to change overnight but yeah I thought the subs gave us energy they gave us

07:12 empathy they were positive in terms of their approach they want to commit people and run at

07:18 people but again you know we then get into the wide areas to get crosses in and what have you

07:23 and there's not enough runners committing to go at the box we're not fit enough to actually get

07:26 there in the first place and the quality just wasn't wasn't there today but that's what confidence can

07:31 do but the quality and abilities is in the dressing room and you know it's our job to extract

07:38 that confidence and belief out of them and get them believing that they're good enough to pick

07:42 up wins and once they get one and two then things can change very quickly I've been involved in the

07:47 game a long time I've managed a lot of games now and yeah we've got to keep working at it stick at

07:54 it and when we get a couple of wins then the mindset and motivation and the attitude will

07:58 change and once that changes then we can start you know looking at things a little bit more positively

08:05 good and just away from the football more personal point of view have you found your first

08:09 first game at Burra Briggs on and off the pitch you were well received from the fans taking to

08:14 the dugout before the game yeah yeah and yeah obviously I appreciate the reception that we got

08:18 today it was you know good to receive that obviously you know devastating that we've not

08:24 given them a performance that they can get behind and you know they can come away believing that

08:28 things can change themselves but as I've said it's our job to extract a level of performance out of

08:33 the group where you know they get the support behind the team and what I've saw today is that

08:37 the support we'll get behind the team you know when we give them opportunities to get behind them

08:41 and we've got to do that more and that's obviously something that we'll work on and we'll try and

08:47 address but yeah it's obviously disappointing that it's not ended in the right manner but

08:53 we'll keep working you know it's as I said could have been easy for me to stay you know where I was

09:01 and being comfortable in that but it's you know I saw this as a challenge and it's definitely a

09:05 challenge but one we're ready to face head on we are facing head on and then as I said I've got the

09:11 confidence that we'll get the performance levels out of the players in the weeks ahead.

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