During the hour-long episode, which you can listen back to, he covered a number of topics, some of which we have provided a synopsis of below.
CASEY PETTIT
“It’s not great news. He’s going to be out for several months. The medical team are still assessing what exactly needs to be done. He’s all in Casey with how he goes into challenges, and it’s one he couldn’t get out of the way of, and unfortunately the guy has landed on his knee. Casey is an unbelievable guy, and he’s never suffered an injury before, so he’s gutted, because he really wants to help the group. He’s going to be on the sideline for a little bit, but as always, he’s got our full support. We want him back on the pitch, and we’ve got an amazing medical team who will get him there, for sure.”
OTHER INJURIES
“Will Jenkins is going to be out for the full season. He’s, again, someone who has never suffered an injury before, so we’re devastated for him. The boys are unbelievable in the way they have supported him, which I know meant a lot to him, and shows what a good group we have.
“Laurence [Maguire] and Sam [Beckwith] are both back on the grass. Laurence is slightly ahead of Becks. They’re both a few weeks off and aren’t going to play on Saturday, but they’re doing work on the grass, and hopefully the balls will be back out for them in the next week or so. Then they’ve got to get fit and get their match sharpness that comes with that.”
IAN HENDERSON
“Hendo has gone to get married, which we’ve known about for several months. He’s obviously planned the wedding some time ago and the season has clashed with that for a variety of reasons. We obviously wish him all the best and hope he has an amazing wedding. He was devastated, but there wasn’t any way round it. We knew he was going to be missing for what was hopefully going to be some of pre-season, but the Carabao Cup has obviously come unexpectedly. He’s an amazing guy, and I can’t tell you how good he’s been with me since coming in, with the help he wants to give me. He and Skip [Ethan Ebanks-Landell] have been amazing and have really bought into what we’re trying to do.”
FURTHER RECRUITMENT
“We’re still trying to get a couple over the line. I’m not going to say we’re close with anything, but we’re talking to several players. What’s really key is that we get the right people and that we’re not rushing anything. If the window closes, I’m really happy with what we’ve got, but there’s quality out there that we’re trying to bring in. We always want to strengthen, and it’s different now with having a transfer window in the EFL. We can’t strengthen in November if certain players get injured or have a dip in form. We want to have everything in the building that’ll see us through until January. We’re going to strengthen if it’s the right thing to do. The owners have been amazing with us, and they fully back us wherever we need it.”
CONNECTION WITH THE SUPPORTERS
“The support on Saturday blew me away. I mentioned it to Carl [Magnay – Assistant Head Coach], because leaving South Shields, our local team, pulled at the heartstrings a little bit. But to see the supporters, how much they’re invested in the club and how many of them there were, was amazing. They are the moments you remember at the end of your career. You talk about moments that you connected with a fanbase or moments you connected with a player, and that support Tranmere game was a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It moved me. It reaffirmed to me that you have to work so hard for the supporters because they’re backing you so much.”
SATURDAY’S TIE AT BRADFORD
“I’m really excited for it. Graham’s [Alexander] teams are really difficult to play against, with the way he presses and the way his team run. We’re going to have to be at our very best to create moments to score goals and win the game. We’re going to have be really good off the ball too. I’m really excited to see how we do against that.”
The full episode is available to listen back to on BBC Sounds.
