Grayson-intervjuer

[Promotion 2010]

15.juni 2010:

Fra WACCOE's Fax Man, som forøvrig er ganske så god til dette:

What Grayson said - Tuesday's LUTV interview, On selling players, World Cup and fixtures

Firstly, this is the second half of an interview, you can tell by the way it cuts in at the start. I imagine LUTV have recorded Grayson's comments on Fede Bessone signing first and then this is the second part, which doesn't mention it. The fact he's doing an interview with LUTV at Thorp Arch suggests we've signed someone - IMO this is definitely Bessone.

Anyway, here's the interview from today...

Any interest in the players you deem surplus to requirements?

Yeah, there has been one or two enquiries. Sometimes it's difficult for clubs to take your players in the middle of June because they'll be getting paid for doing nothing. It might be the case that over the next couple of weeks that things develop but we've had a bit of interest in all of them so we'll just wait to see what's the right options for us as well.

Have you had any time to watch the World Cup?

Yeah, there has been bits. It has been a bit of a mixed bag so far a few decent games, some average games. Obviously England game was disappointing the other night to draw the game. It will all develop over the next few weeks that's for sure and I'm looking forward to it.

What do you say to Robert Green, if that was your keeper?

Probably what the England players have done and be supportive of him. We probably forgot that he made a great save in the second half to keep his team in it and he'll be a strong enough character mentally and he'll have the support of the manager and players and now it's down to the manager to see if he picks him - and don't ask me would I pick him because I'm not answering that!

Moving away from the World Cup, the fixtures are coming out this week, do they make any difference to your plotting and planning?

Not really. We're excited because we're back in the Championship and there ar some good clubs there that we're gonna to be playing. You look at certain dates which will be very encouraging for everybody and I can't wait for them to come out and we can start planning what we need to be dong in our approach and preparation for them all. As soon as they come out, you want it to start and that will be the case.

There are some local games that will really whet the appetite.

Last year we had a division that was really southern based, we were on the road a lot of times. This year there's a lot of Yorkshire clubs, Lancashire clubs and Midlands clubs and few tasty derby matches and that can add to the spice of the division. It's a division we're not going to be frightened of, we're not going to be going into it with any negativity, we're looking forward to the challenge every week and hopefully we can do really well.

And who do you want first up?

I'm not bothered to be fair. Everybody will have different options and ideas and whoever it is we'll be trying to put the team out to be fully prepared and ready to win the game.

[Promotion 2010]

Fax Man's PS:
Forgot to say, they did this one recording split into two interviews for LUTV when Paynter signed...

[Promotion 2010]

BESSONE INTERVIEW NOW TYPED UP FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE (se Bessone-tråd!)

As I suspected, this is the first half of the interview that Grayson did yesterday.

There's some quotes on the OS, but here's the interview in full...

You've made your fourth signing of the summer, what can you tell us about him?

We've signed him on a free transfer from Swansea. I watched him last year and he's very comfortable on the ball. He's been at Espanyol and played a number of games in the Championship last year with a successful team and we feel he's going to be another good aquisition for the team. He's got a good pedigree with where he's come from.

Was he one of your top targets this summer?

Yeah he was. We knew that we needed another left-back because Ben has been injured a little bit and Andy Hughes filled in there last year. We looked at different options and we felt that this was one of the best ones to go and get because he's a good age and speaks good English, which obviously helps with foreign players coming in, but he was also part of a Swansea team that played attractive football and can defend and did very well in the Championship last year. I'm delighted we've got him because he had an option to re-sign for Swansea which he declined because of our interest, which speaks volumes for the club.

What's he said to you about coming here?

He's excited about it. He's had a look around the facilities and he's obviously aware of the size of the club and the fanbase and he's excited about the challenge ahead of him. He finished just outside the play-offs with Swansea and wants to go one better this year. Hopefully that will be the case with us.

He's got a similar background to Luciano Becchio too, do they know each other?

Yeah they do. More so through Andrea Orlandi, who is a player for Swansea that Luciano knows him well and they have caught up, so yeah, they have a very similar background and hopefully he'll turn out to be very similar player in the way that he plays and works hard and get a good technique.

Are you happy with how things are shaping up transfer wise?

Yeah, we're getting there. We're still on with other things as well. Different options keep coming available all the time so yeah, the pieces of the jigsaw are coming together nicely. You'll find that through the course of pre-season that players come available then it's a bit quiet because of the World Cup then it starts again just before we come back. We're on with things all the time, I still know where I need to strengthen and hopefully we can do this before we get back.

Bit more work to do? Three or four?

I think so, but I'm not going to put numbers on it. We're actively trying to bring players in, whether it's one, two, three, four, whatever it may be, we're trying to improve the squad and build off what we did last year.

[stian94]

godt å høre at simon har planer om å hente 3-4 spillere til

[Promotion 2010]

What Grayson said - Thursday's press conference, On MOTM, Nunez, Faye, transfers, Naylor, Kis, BJ, Scunny

Enjoy

Simon, congratulations on your award. How pleased are you? Is it about time..?

Well it's up to other people to decide if you're due one or not but obviously delighted. It's good for the football club, there has been a lot of hard work gone into it from the players and the rest of my staff so it's a combined effort and obviously recognition of what we have done over the month of December. Hopefully we can continue with the success we have had recently.

Does it mean much to you personally, these kind of accolades?

Well it's nice that you're rewarded and people show that you are doing a good job. But the bigger rewards that you look forward to are getting teams promoted, if that's to be the case. It's a testament to everybody at the football club, how hard we've worked not just in the month of December but over the last few months and years probably.

News to come out of the club this week… Ramon Nunez has signed a new contract until the end of the season - how has he developed over his time here?

Well we looked at him and he's a talented player. Obviously he has been limited in first team options at this moment in time. He's away with the Honduran national team at the moment and was over Christmas too. The team has been doing well so it's hard for him to break into it but he is learning and developing and understanding the English game and what we are trying to implement at this football club. So we just felt there's enough technical ability there to have a look at him for a longer period of time. So I'm delighted to have done that and I'm sure over the next few weeks and months he'll be in and around the squad a lot more than he was.

So you can see him featuring for you this season?

Yeah, look, it might be in the longer term even but it's hard to get players into the squad when the team are doing ever so well. We have had Sanchez Watt for example who was out of the 18 for a number of weeks because he was ill and couldn't get back in and Ramon fits into that as well. We have got good footballers at this club and you have to be patient for your opportunity at times and Ramon is aware of that and he has adjusted to life in England and what we do at this football club.

One player out though is Amdy Faye - what was your reasoning behind that?

Well his contract finished last weekend so we had to make a decision on it. We just felt mutually really that he wasn't getting as much football as he would like to as a 33 year old. At that stage of your career you want to be playing and we just felt we could go our separate ways and let Andy (sic) get on with the rest of his career. He has been great around the training ground, his experience has helped in the games as well and obviously now it's an area of the pitch we probably do need to strengthen because with Andy's departure and Neil Kilkenny being away as well.

How quickly do you need to bring someone in in that position?

Well I'd like to have somebody in for the weekend but I think it's probably highly unlikely that we're going to do that. The next game is the Arsenal game in which you have to go with the same sort of players that were registered for the first game so realistically it might be somebody before the Portsmouth game but we'll have to wait and see.

Grella and Michalik are back from their loan periods, what's their futures like? Is it here at Leeds or can you see them going out again on loan or permanently?

Lubo's situation hasn't changed from pre-season when I said he was available for a permanent move away from the club. He's back here and there's one or two options for him to consider. That's really down to Lubo what he feels his future holds and where he is going to be. Mike Grella is different really because he has got a lot longer contract. He went out to play games and he did that at Carlisle. We'll just assess him over the next week or so and see what we want to do with him and what he feels that he'd like to do as well. There's no point bringing Mike back here if he is not going to be featuring in the 18. We have got some good strikers who are in the squad at this moment in time but the one thing you can say about Mike is that he's a good goalscorer, a good player and he has looked very fit and sharp when he has come back. That's what he needed, a good spell out on loan. We don't want to disrupt that by bringing him back and having him sitting in the reserves and not the first team. So if we feel it's right and he's got an opportunity to go back out on loan again then we might consider that.

In terms of players you are looking to bring in, how confident are you that you can land your number one targets?

I've said in the past that I think we're a big football club and there's lots of players that would like to play for our football club in terms of the facilities, the fanbase and everything connected to that - the ambition, where we are in the league. So there's a lot of good things going for us, we have to make sure we go for the right ones ability wise and that they're here for the right reasons. We'll assess all those ingredients so that they come in and fit in with the squad because we have got a great team spirit here and any new player has come in and fit into that. We're working hard behind the scenes to make things happen but things sometimes can happen quickly and sometimes they can take a bit of time.

In the January transfer window, can you get a bargain? Is there good deals to be had or do you have to pay over the odds nowadays?

I think with the chairman and Shaun we're always going to try and get a bargain (laughs). It's trying to get the right players at the right price. If you're in a position where you want to try strengthen then you probably have a budget where you think it's acceptable to spend and if other clubs want to hold you to ransom then you'll go spend that money elsewhere. Whether it's in terms of loan money or permanent transfers, you do what's best for the football club. We won't be held to ransom for any player to buy or loan and they are the options that you have. You try and bring the best players in and hopefully your number one targets in any position within the team you try and succeed in bringing them.

Richard Naylor made his comeback from injury the other day, how do he get on?

He had 45 minutes after being out for six or eight weeks so he has a process of building up his match fitness on the training pitch but also in the reserves over the next few weeks. It's the first step of his recovery from his knee injury which is pleasing for him and us as well.

Is it a case that you have to just nurse him back rather than rush him?

Well we don't need to rush him back because we've got some good cover in the two lads that started at the weekend and Neill Collins, who has played a lot of football, and Leigh Bromby too. So we don't need to rush Nayls back but I'm sure he'll be itching to get back ASAP but we'll be judging him on his fitness and the physio's reaction as well.

How's Patrick Kisnorbo getting on?

Yeah, very lively. Players are glad to see him back. He's a bubbly character and we're delighted that he's back here doing his rehab. There's no timescale on Paddy and we've said that all along. He will be fit when the surgeon and the physios decide that he's ready to step up his training again. Hopefully it's some time this year and if he's back playing for Leeds in the kit then that's great for everybody and that's his aim and our aim.

Scunthorpe on Saturday. They're not doing too well but they have a decent away record. Have you seen why they are so good away from home?

They have got some good players but it is quite a unique situation. I think they have won once at home and eight times away so that tells you something about them. They're hard to beat, they're determined, resolute and have got players that can win them matches. We've got to make sure that we're fully focused. I know people will be look for the reaction after the Arsenal game but that's been put to bed after the Arsenal game. Concentration levels went straight on to the Scunthorpe game because it's the most important game out of them two games. So we know that they have got some players that can hurt you but obviously they are going to be aware of what we can do. It's a strange situation that you can feel comfortable away from home, maybe on a bigger arena. Maybe at Glanford Park the pitch is a little bit smaller and you don't get as much time and room to play so they might enjoy coming to Elland Road and those grounds that they have got the results at in the past.

Have you had any bids for Bradley Johnson yet?

There's been one or two people with polite enquiries, I suppose. That is always going to be the case. I think a lot of clubs will be look at a list of players who are out of contract in the summer and have not agreed new contracts and they might think they can prise them away on the cheap. But as I've said, we don't give our players away cheaply and if we have to do then we'll let Bradley's contract run down in the summer and see what happens is we think that is the right thing to do.

Would you be able to let him go at the moment, with the number of midfielders you have?

No, no. I couldn't let Bradley go anyway until we maybe get some more in and maybe Kilkenny back as well. So it's an area that we're a little bit short in at this moment in time so we certainly won't be doing anything, if at all.

He's had quite a good month since he was transfer listed. Any thought of revisiting that situation and trying to resolve it?

Well that's down to the Chairman and Shaun really and Bradley and his representatives. If they want to get down and do it, it's up to them. I'm just getting on with the football side of it. I'm pleased with how Bradley has played and how he has reacted. Obviously when he came off the other week he got a bit of a reaction but since them he has got his head down as I expected him to do and he has put in some real good performances. He's playing a sightly different role at this moment in time which I think is probably suiting him really.

The Scunthorpe game over there started a good run or 12 matches unbeaten. Are you looking to get back on that sort of run?

Yeah, it's ironic isn't it that we lost against Cardiff then started a run against Scunthorpe and hopefully that will be the case at the weekend. As I said, I know we're in for a tough game against them but we are playing with a lot of confidence and belief and determination to start a new run and keep up in those play-off positions.

How about Sanchez? How's he doing?

He has trained this morning, so hopefully he should have no reaction and be fit for the weekend. One or two of the other lads were carrying knocks from the weekend, which you expect from a tough game but most of them should be OK.


(Faxman på WACCOE)   

[Sleivind]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/9361026.stm