In the build-up to Rovers’ first game at Ewood Park in two weeks, where they play host to Charlton Athletic, Tony Mowbray sat down with the clubs’ media team to talk about Saturday’s opponents and their potential threats, in addition to speaking about the importance of home atmosphere and how the fans can significantly help the team.
“The most important part of my job, when we’re on a good run, is getting the balance of training right. We have to keep the lads focused on the next game, make sure that the preparation on the opposition is right, and we need to create a game plan that the team will be able to execute properly in order to try and win the next game. Saturday’s game is a big one, considering where both sides are in the division, so you need to make sure that the players are ready, which I’m sure they will be.
“Once one game has finished the key, especially during a good run, is to focus on the next game because when it’s not going well, you have to go back and analyse what went wrong and who could be doing better. For me, I generally, if the results and performances are good, just move onto the next game. When you’re winning matches, life seems a bit easier than when you’re losing as everything then revolves around the next game. We’re looking forward to Saturday, but I’m very conscious that there might be little training done due to the circumstances of playing on Wednesday, but also being in the Christmas period. For us now, it’s just about mental preparation.”
Mowbray was questioned about whether he thought that the team could believe they could continue their winning run.
“It’s part of my job to keep that belief going. It’s about using the big personalities and the more experienced players in the dressing room to drive the whole team forwards, and to continue that belief of being able to win each game. Tomorrow, I’ll show them the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition to try and focus on where we can attack and cause them problems. Saying that, Charlton will be a big test for us as they’ve got some really good players, some fast, athletic players, and some strong physical players who can cause us problems and I think their league position, in the top six, is evident of their quality. So, it’ll be a big test for us.
“I think it’s important to show the supporters who show up at Ewood to support the team, that we are playing to our maximum, whether it’s a silky, fluid performance, or whether we have to dig in and grind out a result. The players need to show the supporters that they’re playing for the football club, which has had better times, but we’re all fighting and doing our best to bring those good times back. We would ideally like to turn Ewood into a place where the supporters can turn up knowing that they’re in to see a good performance with a massive chance of their team winning. We’re striving to make the supporters our ‘12th man’ and I have felt that they have become that on a few occasions during my stint.
“I think the away support is showing the difference they make to the teams’ performances and I think that, we need to try and create an environment at home that is totally supportive of the team, whether the results are going well, or not so well, that for the ninety minutes, we are all together with the same aim. The eleven players on the pitch, in addition to the supporters being our ‘12th man’ is what we should be aiming for, by giving them good performances.”
