With Rovers having to wait until Sunday to play, Tony Mowbray spoke to the clubs’ media team on Friday regarding the threat of Bristol City. The manager also talked about the fitness of the squad, whilst also reflecting on the 3rd round draw of the Carabao Cup, as well as the summer window, before stating whether his latest recruits would be in contention for Sunday’s game.
“The injury situation is easing up a bit, as over the last 2 weeks, we’ve had as many as 6 first-team players unavailable due to various injuries. We found a way to get over the injury situation against Brentford, and some of those who have healed will travel with us to Bristol. I’m always wary of disclosing too much information in a press conference, but I’m confident that we’ll have selection issues on Sunday, following a great performance against Brentford last Saturday.
“All the lads have had a few days off and I’m looking forward to today’s session (Friday), where all the lads can get together and meet the new signings as they train together for the first time. Both (Ben) Brereton and (Harrison) Reed will travel to Bristol, but I’m in no rush to throw them in at the deep end because we’re playing well at the moment.
“In terms of transfers, deadline day was always going to be about whether a player became available that we liked, and we could afford. It’s the age-old equation of time against money, which is what tends to occur on deadline day. Although we haven’t brought anyone in who could aid the first-team, I’m happy with our business over the course of the summer. Somebody like (Joe) Rothwell is a perfect example of our window. He came in early on and struggled to get to grips with our demands, yet every time he’s been on the pitch, he’s been brilliant and everyone I speak to has asked me, ‘where has he come from?’, which is a credit to the lad for managing to get up to speed with our work-ethic.
“I’m sure Jacob Davenport will do the same, once he’s fit and ready. Harrison Reed, who has played in the Premier League and had a full season at Norwich City last year, is a good signing for us as he adds competition to the midfield. Ben Brereton, is someone who caught my eye as he played against us when I first arrived at the club, and he blew me away. He’s only just arrived, and we shouldn’t put too much pressure on him. Ben’s only a young boy, but I’m sure that he’ll be a good acquisition over a long period, as he’ll be able to show everyone how talented he really is.
“I think the Owners have shown good intent in this window. There are loads of players that managers like, but for one reason or another, some deals may not happen. The deal for Ben, was one, when proposed to us, we didn’t think we could manage, yet we’ve now got the player on our books. I think the Owners need to be given great credit for funding this deal, but ultimately, Ben and the squad, need to keep finding performances that gets us results. Our aim this season is consolidation, but beyond that, we’d like to push ourselves up the table, in order to compete to get out of it.”
After praising the Owners and talking about his transfer dealings, the manager turned his attentions to Sunday’s clash away, against Bristol City.
“I’m expecting a tough challenge on Sunday and I’m sure Bristol City will be looking at this fixture, thinking that it’s an opportunity for them to get points. We’ve started alright on the road, as we won at Hull and felt that we should have done the same at Ipswich. We go to Ashton Gate full of confidence, however. Last weekend’s game against Brentford was our toughest challenge yet, against a team that I believe will be challenging for a place in the Premier League by May. Bristol City were in and around the top 6 last year, then fell away a bit, but I still think that they’re a good team who will provide us with a test.
“The team I picked in mid-week against Lincoln was more to do with giving the players who played against Brentford, a rest, rather than giving them a rest to be fit for Sunday’s game. The work-ethic and the desire that they showed against Brentford made me make the changes, knowing that we’d be playing on Sunday, rather than Saturday, which would have given the lads an extra rest day. We’ll go down to Bristol and give it our best shot, whilst also continuing the hard-work and spirit of the team, which will no doubt be on show on Sunday.
“We need to see how long we can keep the unbeaten run going. With the international break, those who are not going away, will have time to rest and recover, in order to return, fully fit and raring to go. The team are going to be ready physically, mentally and tactically on Sunday, so it’ll be up to them to see whether they can continue the unbeaten run.”
The manager concluded his interview by reacting to Thursday’s Carabao Cup draw, which saw Rovers pitted away from home, against Bournemouth in the 3rd round.
“At this moment in time, the game is a long way from impacting my thoughts on a day-to-day basis. I saw the draw and thought it was good, as it allows us to test ourselves against a side in the Premier League. The logistics of getting there for us aren’t easy and on top of that, with it being a mid-week game, we’ve got some tough games either side, so we’ll deal with it when it comes.
“We mustn’t lose focus on the games we’ve got coming up. I know that we’ve got Bristol City on Sunday and Aston Villa after the break, but beyond that, I couldn’t tell you. Hopefully, from our perspective, Eddie Howe makes a few changes and gives some squad players a run-out, which will give us the opportunity to go down there and make an impact.”
