INTERVIEW: Only we can change it

“I don’t think there’s much any of us can say after the performance we gave on Monday,” he said. “We saw the reaction from the fans and you know people aren’t easily fooled. They know what they see, so you’ve got to take the criticism and get on with it. 

“It isn’t nice to be questioned as a professional so all we can do now is prove people wrong. You’re in the game because you’ve got a point to prove, whatever stage of your career you’re at. We have to react positively and get points on the board.

“I think whatever was said after the game, to lose 3-1 in a game like that should give you a kick up the backside anyway. It was embarrassing for us whether somebody said anything about it or not. We’re also all part of it, whether we played or not. We all have a role to play because poor results affect all of us. Everyone has to be on board to turn it round.

“The only positive to come out of Monday was that the other teams around us lost as well. However, we can’t be relying on that going forward. We have to do it for ourselves.”

“As senior players we can use things like what the manager said to help with what needs to done in the dressing room, but I think we’ve been saying things like that for too long,” he commented. “We keep listening to ourselves talking about what we should be. We have to get on and produce it now. 

“We all know what’s wrong, and it’s easy to say this or that about it, but it comes down to the fact we need to be better as a team and a squad. Talk is cheap if you’re not doing it out on the pitch. I know it’s a cliché but it’s only us who can change it.”

“I’m the type of player who always wants to help people around me, and that’s not just down to being a senior player,” he added. “It works both ways because you need the young lads to help you along with their energy and enthusiasm. 

“Experience and youth all helps but you need everything to click together for it to have an impact. You’re not out there on your own so you need everyone in the team to be with you every step of the way.

“It’s hard to single out one thing as to why we aren’t getting consistent performances. The one thing you can single out is that the players haven’t been good enough as a team. If you aren’t good enough as a team then you’ve got to be even better as individuals. That hasn’t happened either. As I say, we can talk all we want but the simple fact is we need to get more points on the table.”

On the role of the fans, he said: “It’s up to us to get them behind us. They have every right to boo us if things aren’t going well because they pay their money. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing on a park or playing on our pitch, if that happens you have to blank it out and do your job. 

“Playing football isn’t pressure and we shouldn’t see it that way. We have to deal with the situation and make sure we don’t hide away in our shells. We need the fans behind us and we’ll get that if we concentrate and look after each other. 

“They have a big part to play, as they always have at every club, but the only ones who can get us out of this is ourselves. If we do that the fans will be with us.

“We need to get the good feeling back around the place for them and I would ask them not to give up just yet. We have five games left and the situation can change quite quickly. We’re looking to win them all and if we can do that I’m sure people will be happier. 

“You have to be confident that you can win every game you go in to, and there isn’t much between the sides in this league. I can’t guarantee we’ll win all five games, but I can guarantee we’ll go out to try to do it.”

And on being back in the fold, he said: “It’s great to be back because I don’t think anyone likes not being involved. I’m here to play football and that’s what I want to do. I want my football to do the talking.

“Everyone knows about the disagreement but that’s gone now. Stuff happens in football and I don’t think there’s too much to say on it. It’s in the past and there are worse things going on in the world than me needing to be a headline. 

“We want the headlines to be about good things happening on the pitch. I think it was all dealt with professionally and I don’t think there’s anyone here who isn’t a good professional. I’ve been at clubs and seen things going on people don’t know about, but there’s a real honesty in everyone here.

“I’m not having it when people say we aren’t trying. That isn’t the case. We’ve got to perform better and work harder and we’ll get the results off the back of that.”