Rob Edwards
Luton TownAndoni Iraola
Bournemouth
Meeting Highlights…LACK OF WIN
The players know the pressure will only increase but that’s okay because we can deal with that – we’ve dealt with it before. We had in last season, there was pressure on us to keep winning and we won the play-offs so we’re capable. The players have also spoken amongst themselves and they know what it means and they’re okay with the pressure. We’ve just to hope it brings out the best in us. It’s a huge weekend and a huge game. The players have spoken about winning, about focusing on winning a game of football – however we do it. We’ve performed well in this run where we haven’t picked up results but I’d take a bad performance if it meant we got a good result.
…ABOUT MATCH
It’s an important game and one we can win. We had a tight game against them a few weeks back in which we can take the positives from the first half and learn from what happened in the second. But we can only control what we can. That’s our work-rate, mentality and spirit. I want the players to play with emotion, passion and wear the hearts on their sleeves. Those are the things we can control – the result we can’t but let’s see what happens.
…FANS
The supporters will play a huge part and they know that. All season they’ve been incredible. On Wednesday they were amazing and that gave me and the lads a lot of belief, especially when we went over to them at the end. They know they saw a team that kept going, kept fighting. They were proud of the boss and we’ll need them and we’ll need the place rocking. Watford was a year or so ago, and those kinds of atmospheres can play their part.
Rob Edwards
Manager on Luton Town…LACK OF WIN
The players know the pressure will only increase but that’s okay because we can deal with that – we’ve dealt with it before. We had in last season, there was pressure on us to keep winning and we won the play-offs so we’re capable. The players have also spoken amongst themselves and they know what it means and they’re okay with the pressure. We’ve just to hope it brings out the best in us. It’s a huge weekend and a huge game. The players have spoken about winning, about focusing on winning a game of football – however we do it. We’ve performed well in this run where we haven’t picked up results but I’d take a bad performance if it meant we got a good result.
…ABOUT MATCH
It’s an important game and one we can win. We had a tight game against them a few weeks back in which we can take the positives from the first half and learn from what happened in the second. But we can only control what we can. That’s our work-rate, mentality and spirit. I want the players to play with emotion, passion and wear the hearts on their sleeves. Those are the things we can control – the result we can’t but let’s see what happens.
…FANS
The supporters will play a huge part and they know that. All season they’ve been incredible. On Wednesday they were amazing and that gave me and the lads a lot of belief, especially when we went over to them at the end. They know they saw a team that kept going, kept fighting. They were proud of the boss and we’ll need them and we’ll need the place rocking. Watford was a year or so ago, and those kinds of atmospheres can play their part.
Andoni Iraola
Manager on Bournemouth...ABOUT TEAM
It’s going to be difficult, this time. Sometimes I am very clear and I tell you this will be and this will not, but this week is going to be difficult. Because like I told you after the Crystal Palace game, we have some cases of I don’t want to say ‘illness’ but they are not probably feeling 100 per cent, but we still have two days. Tomorrow they could come fresh and they are available for the game. It is true we have some players who are let’s say in doubtful conditions to perform if the game was today. Luckily for us, we still have two days and we hope they can recover and help us. They are not fresh injuries, nothing injury-related, but it is true we have some situations we are dealing with day to day.
...LUTON'S FORM
I think not the last two games, but the last two months, they have been facing very, very difficult opposition. I think they have been doing good things, but it is very difficult to win against these top teams. It is very difficult for them and it is very difficult for us, for everyone. I am sure they will be looking that 'we are playing at home against Bournemouth, it is a very good chance for us to put us in a better spot'. But we also are thinking the same way. We are coming from two hard-fought wins and we want to finish the week strong and put us in a good position, because we also know that the other games we have until the end of the season are, in theory, really difficult.
...PROGRESSION
Obviously we are in a good place in the standings. I think we have improved a lot since the beginning of the season, obviously. We are more solid. We started the season conceding too many goals. Once we balanced this better, I think the results have been better also. I think we have always been a threat offensively. We have good players there and normally have chances. But once we’ve improved our defensive numbers, I think the results have been better. But we still have more games and we can improve and want to improve the points we have right now, knowing that it’s not going to be easy.