18-10-2024, 17:18
Robins view
Mark Robins told how him and his team are looking forward to getting back playing in front of the Sky Blues supporters this weekend.
City head to Deepdale to take on Preston North End, looking to bounce back from defeat last time out.
The Sky Blues have had six players away on international duty during the break, with Robins confirming those players have all returned back healthy ahead of the weekend.
The City boss also provided an update on Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Jake Bidwell.
International players returning to Ryton…
“Everyone back by yesterday, some were back a day before, but they are all back in the building now ahead of the weekend.
Mixed fortunes for them, but they all go away and enjoy being in those environments for their respective countries and then they come back and fit straight back in.
When they come back in, you’re gauging where they are at and how they are feeling, but they’ve come back in good nick.”
The week leading up to facing PNE…
“They’ve done some training, and they’ve worked really hard, and the sessions have been good, so we’re looking forward to getting back in front of our supporters and playing and turning our fortunes around.
The results haven’t been what we’ve wanted, some of the performances have been great, but ultimately, we have to try, and pick points up.”
Coming up against Preston North End…
“There's always opportunities, there’s no point hiding behind it, it is what it is and for whatever reason we haven’t won a game there.
Since I’ve been back here, it’s been a tough place to go, and it will be no different tomorrow.
Paul Heckingbottom has gone in and there has been a slight change in what they do, maybe a fundamental change over time, but they are a good side with a lot of talented players.
They have a really good squad, and we expect another difficult game, but we have nothing to lose, because at some point it has to change.”
Conceding too many goals…
“We’ve conceded too many goals of a poor type that we’ve contributed to ourselves, and we’ve shot ourselves in the foot a few times.”
Working their way into the season…
“I said at the start of the season that I was concerned with the level of expectation, and you have to manage the expectation, but go into games knowing we have got some really good quality and capable players.
We’re going to make mistakes and there are going to be ups and downs, but we have to have an understanding of why things happen.
We’ve started seasons in the Championship not particularly well apart from one season, when we won the first seven games at home, but we couldn’t win away from home.
Those other seasons, we’ve worked our way into them, and it feels like that’s what has got to happen again, but there are good signs earlier, whereas last season I don’t think we performed particularly well at the start of the season and we were struggling to pick up points.
We’ve got to face facts and move through it as we always do.”
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s injury healing…
“Tats is fine, he has trained well and has got himself back into the reckoning and it’s good to have him moving freely and he looks close to being back to where he was last season.”
Jake Bidwell update…
“He’ll get himself back really quickly. He will miss tomorrow but he won’t be too long. They are looking at about eight weeks, it’s been a few weeks now already, but I think he will be quicker than that.
It was similar to Jamie’s injury and they might be back around the same time, but it won’t be long.”
Mark Robins told how him and his team are looking forward to getting back playing in front of the Sky Blues supporters this weekend.
City head to Deepdale to take on Preston North End, looking to bounce back from defeat last time out.
The Sky Blues have had six players away on international duty during the break, with Robins confirming those players have all returned back healthy ahead of the weekend.
The City boss also provided an update on Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Jake Bidwell.
International players returning to Ryton…
“Everyone back by yesterday, some were back a day before, but they are all back in the building now ahead of the weekend.
Mixed fortunes for them, but they all go away and enjoy being in those environments for their respective countries and then they come back and fit straight back in.
When they come back in, you’re gauging where they are at and how they are feeling, but they’ve come back in good nick.”
The week leading up to facing PNE…
“They’ve done some training, and they’ve worked really hard, and the sessions have been good, so we’re looking forward to getting back in front of our supporters and playing and turning our fortunes around.
The results haven’t been what we’ve wanted, some of the performances have been great, but ultimately, we have to try, and pick points up.”
Coming up against Preston North End…
“There's always opportunities, there’s no point hiding behind it, it is what it is and for whatever reason we haven’t won a game there.
Since I’ve been back here, it’s been a tough place to go, and it will be no different tomorrow.
Paul Heckingbottom has gone in and there has been a slight change in what they do, maybe a fundamental change over time, but they are a good side with a lot of talented players.
They have a really good squad, and we expect another difficult game, but we have nothing to lose, because at some point it has to change.”
Conceding too many goals…
“We’ve conceded too many goals of a poor type that we’ve contributed to ourselves, and we’ve shot ourselves in the foot a few times.”
Working their way into the season…
“I said at the start of the season that I was concerned with the level of expectation, and you have to manage the expectation, but go into games knowing we have got some really good quality and capable players.
We’re going to make mistakes and there are going to be ups and downs, but we have to have an understanding of why things happen.
We’ve started seasons in the Championship not particularly well apart from one season, when we won the first seven games at home, but we couldn’t win away from home.
Those other seasons, we’ve worked our way into them, and it feels like that’s what has got to happen again, but there are good signs earlier, whereas last season I don’t think we performed particularly well at the start of the season and we were struggling to pick up points.
We’ve got to face facts and move through it as we always do.”
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s injury healing…
“Tats is fine, he has trained well and has got himself back into the reckoning and it’s good to have him moving freely and he looks close to being back to where he was last season.”
Jake Bidwell update…
“He’ll get himself back really quickly. He will miss tomorrow but he won’t be too long. They are looking at about eight weeks, it’s been a few weeks now already, but I think he will be quicker than that.
It was similar to Jamie’s injury and they might be back around the same time, but it won’t be long.”
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?