It was a slight change in schedule for Inigo Calderon’s pre-match press conference ahead of Bristol Rovers‘ home match against Barnsley in League One this Saturday with the new head coach opting to change the day he speaks to local media from Thursdays to Wednesdays.
The Spaniard has been looking at the schedule he inherited to see if there was anything he could change to improve productivity which has subsequently seen press day shifted 24 hours earlier.
Naturally, there has already been one update since this press conference took place with Bryant Bilongo departing on loan to join Harrogate Town and other factors may crop up between Wednesday afternoon and Saturday.
Here’s a full transcript of everything the Rovers boss said to local media ahead of a tough match against in-form Barnsley…
It’s nice to see you. We’re used to doing press on a Thursday but we’re going to start speaking to you on a Wednesday. Is this just an example of maybe making some subtle changes to the players’ schedule during the week?
Yeah, I think you’re right. I think we spoke with the medical and sports science department to see what we can improve or to change things and we thought that changing the week, I think, would help us to do more work in the week.
For me it’s key because now we train three days in a row, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, we work a lot. And then I think [it will] give us chances to work harder because I think we need that.
When we spoke last week, you’d had one full training session with the players. What’s been the outlook this week in terms of spending time on the training ground? I think you said if you could spend all day there, you would. How much work have you managed to do with the players?
It’s been two good sessions. For me, as I say, it’s the way I can share my idea and there were two good sessions yesterday and today and that’s really important because I can see the progress in the sessions. It’s a matter of bringing that progress to the game because I think it’s the most important time to show the progress.
But I am quite positive. I think it was a tough moment last weekend against Ipswich. I think it helped us a lot. It probably stopped a little bit that change of momentum. But at the end we have to obviously realise it was a really difficult opponent.
How much on Sunday did you account to the fact you were playing a Premier League side and how much were you still ambitious and thought, especially in the first half, Rovers should have done better?
Yeah, I think you have to put in consideration, obviously, they were a Premiership club and you can see that they were working for a long time together and I would say they are on a good run at the moment.
But even that, I was not too happy with the performance of the team. I think we can do much better. Obviously, the most normal thing is you don’t want to lose, but I was not too happy with the team. The players are the same so we are on the same page. It was not a good day and it doesn’t matter it was a difficult position, I think we could do better.
But probably it’s good for us, because it’s like, okay, that shows us again that we are still in a bad moment and we have to do a lot of things good to go out from there.
At least one of the goals was self-inflicted. How much of you wants the players to be brave, play out from the back, try and pass it up the pitch and how much of you sometimes, needs must, just get rid of the ball?
Yeah 100 per cent because even considering three goals for me the problem was like we couldn’t keep the ball at all and that means that you have to defend all the time and that means that it’s going to be more difficult to keep a clean sheet. But not because we defend badly, because I think we attack badly.
So for me, it’s a balance to find the balance that you obviously have to defend good but for me a big part is trying to keep the ball and be brave because it’s not easy. When you’re in a bad situation and you’re down the table and it’s not easy even sometimes playing at home when you want to do something for the fans.
But listen, we need to show the personality because I am really convinced that’s the way we have to do it and to go from there.
And to keep possession, is it a blend of confidence? Ability? A bit of everything?
Yeah but you know, sometimes when you talk about keeping possession it’s just the fact to keep the possession is not that. For me, keeping the possession means that [it] give us better chances to control the game, better chances to attack better and more chances to defend [for] less time.
So it’s not just keeping the ball so it’s not like a possession game. No it’s not. I want to keep the ball because I think, as I say, [it] give us more chances to score more goals and give us more chances to defend [for] less time and when you defend [for] less time, you can defend better.
And have you been at the club long enough now to start forming opinions about players’ strengths and weaknesses?
Yeah, I would say so. I mean, there are things to improve as always and the fact that I always say that the table doesn’t lie when you are down there because you’ve done something bad. It’s not unlucky. It’s not the referees. It’s because we have to improve a lot of things.
But at the same time it’s not a problem. That’s why we train. That’s why I like to be a coach because you have to improve things and because if you don’t have something to improve, I cannot do anything for the players or for the team. I think I can help them to improve and that’s why I’m here.
I’m sure every club in the EFL is looking to strengthen. I know it’s January so it’s hard. Is there any progress in terms of bringing more players into the football club?
Well, it’s been some work behind [the scenes], but as I said, it’s not an easy market because if they are playing well, they are not going to come here. You have to pay a lot so it’s not an easy one.
So sometimes it’s someone that’s not playing or sometimes someone [who] is young. So it’s a difficult one. So you don’t want to bring players just to bring. I say that if they can make us better, they are welcome. But if not, we will go with the ones we have and we’ll be happy with that.
Have you earmarked a part of the squad you’d like to strengthen in particular?
No. Listen, as I say, I’m open to everything. If they make us better, even if the coach is better, I can go out. It’s not a problem. I think it’s that mentality.
Everything that has to come has to be better than the ones we have and if it’s a position specifically, I don’t mind.
And in terms of outgoings, could any players leave in the near future?
I’m not sure. There are a few conversations but until it’s not done, I’m not going to say anything because they are players for us and everybody has been training with us and everybody at the moment is in contention for Saturday.
And in terms of health and fitness, how are the squad looking in terms of team use for the weekend?
I would say similar than the last week. [We’re] still missing Kamil and Promise. Missing them a lot but that’s the way it is and, as I say, sometimes when you are in a bad moment, things happen. But I think the rest are all fit.
There are a few ones that did some knocks but hopefully they’re going to be fit for Saturday.
Did Sunday come just a little too soon for Jack Hunt because you said last week he was available?
Yeah. He was training with us and he has been training with us but it’s true that, from the start, maybe it’s too soon and that’s what the medical department [said]. They sometimes evaluate that and they said maybe it’s too soon to start.
So after, when you are not starting, you have to try to do the numbers for the bench because, at the end of the day, for example we have Joel as well in that situation so there’s no point to bring two.
So now he is training better so I will say that we will use him because he is a good player.
Beating Cambridge gave everybody at the club a big lift. If you could beat Barnsley, who have found some form, what would that do for the football club?
Well, we need that. As I say, it’s just to keep believing in the one thing we were doing and the best way to keep believing is when you win games.
Listen, it’s going to be really difficult because, similar to Leyton Orient. I think they are on a good run and when you’re on a good run, you don’t need to do too many things to get the points and at the opposite, we have to do a lot of things right.
As I say, for me, it’s going to be similar to Leyton Orient in terms of we have to do a lot of things good because when you are not in that good momentum, the unlucky moments, the referee decisions, usually they go against you. So it’s nothing that we cannot control.
So listen, we have to do things good and that’s the most important thing. Stay focused on the things we have to improve and that’s the target.
Will it be a bit strange on Saturday? Often the fans boo the opposition team but Darrell Clarke’s the former Bristol Rovers manager coming back. He’ll get a good reception. I think there’s even a picture of him in this room that we’re talking in today.Are you aware of Darrell and the work he did at Bristol Rovers?
I’m not, to be fair but if he did a good job here he deserves to be clapped from the fans, 100 per cent.
How much do you take away from the four games you’ve had? They’ve been very different games but I’m sure there’s some positives to take away going into a game like this weekend?
Yeah. I think, as I say, I think Ipswich was a bit of a step backwards. I was seeing improvement in the team in every game. Even Cambridge, I think it was an improvement in every game.
It’s true that Ipswich was a step back but that’s as well part of the process. I think you cannot go in a straight line when you are in a bad run. It’s always you have bumps in the road and I think it was a good one. It was a tough one to take.
Listen, as I say, you have to know that they were a top, top team but for me it’s not a problem if we realise that sometimes make bigger the problems you have. For me, it’s not a problem because then we can make sure to know which ones they are and make sure we resolve them.
When you’re still early in the process of learning about a new squad coming up against Premier League opposition, to see how your players react to that must actually be quite interesting?
Well the thing is there are two ways of watching it. I think one, the difference was not real because I don’t think you can compare them. You can’t evaluate because obviously they’re going to be better than you.
So that, as I say, is a step back but at the same time [it] gives you the, okay, you cannot hide. So you can really see the problems we have or the things we have to do better.
So sometimes when you are playing against not a good team, you can hide a little bit those problems. Against a good team, you cannot hide. So that was good and that’s why that was the objective of the week. Try to get that to fit in a positive way or say, ‘okay, we have to fix that’. We have to improve it here and that was the meaning for the week.
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When Kamil Conteh was first said to be injured, it was said that it was a knock. I think the club have since come out saying it’s a knee injury but there still seems to be a bit of mystery around it. Are you any closer to knowing exactly how much longer he might be out for?
I would like to say yes. I mean, we are doing everything possible and they are trying to find, because a lot of things you can test. Some ones are easy to fix or at least to know what’s the problem. This one has been a bit more tricky but the club is doing everything possible. The doctors are doing a great job. Every day they’re trying to do everything possible to, even Kamil is trying to do everything possible.
So listen, the only thing we can do is try to do everything.
When you came in, Kevin Bond came in as well as a club appointment but is there any view to bring in your own staff on top of the staff that are already here?
As I say with the players, if someone better comes in, it will be welcome but I’m really happy with the ones we have with Dave, with Kevin, all the staff here. I’m really, really happy. So I’m not desperate to bring someone.
In the future I would like to, yes, because obviously you want someone you know, you’ve been working with and the one that can tell you really things to your face that maybe you don’t want to hear.
But I have that from the boys already so we create that confidence already. But the problem we have as well is the ones I’ve been working with are Spanish so they require more time to get the paperwork. So I’m not in a rush because, as I say, I’m really happy with the ones we have.
So at the moment there’s no one whose role is assistant it’s just yourself and then two first team coaches plus other staff?
Well to be fair, I don’t really understand the meaning of the names. We have Dave and we have Kevin. They are different but at the same time they are the same in terms of everybody always has a voice in the office and that’s important. Everybody tries to have his own view and, as I say, I’m happier because we start to discuss a lot of things in the office and for me I love that because when we discuss things we make us better.
On the transfer side of things, you’ve got two goalkeepers at the moment and one is on loan. You also have Jed Ward out on loan as well. Is there any view to bringing in another goalkeeper to add more security to that position?
Not at the moment. I think we are good in there. I mean, in an ideal world you have three goalkeepers but in League One you have to know as well about the budget and so we have to do everything. That’s why before, about goings out, goings in, it has to be a matter of numbers. We cannot afford to have 30 players here so we have to be in numbers and the goalkeeper is the same.
I would like to have three, yes, of course, but we have to have two, simple.