Billy Reid Interview
With a two week gap between competitive matches the website took the opportunity to talk to Assistant Manager Billy Reid on all things Clyde (and a little bit of Scotland)…
Recent results have been poor and disappointing for everyone… – “I think that’s right. I don’t think we’ve played as well this season as we thought we would and definitely not as well as we did last season. It’s showing in the results.”
There’s been a lot of frustration amongst the Clyde support that last season’s standards, set by mostly the same personnel, haven’t been met… – “I think they are right to feel like that and our expectations are the same – to finish top of the pile at the end of the season. However, I think the fans have also got to be a bit more patient. It takes time and we’re only 6 points behind Inverness. They, along with Falkirk and St.Johnstone, will be our main rivals and we’re not too far away from them. I’m quite sure performances and results will get better.”
How much affect can the fans have on the players in this situation? – “Sometimes we pass the ball short and go backwards to come forwards again and the crowd don’t always like it but that’s the way the modern game is and we have to do it. If we started throwing long balls forward they would get frustrated with that as well. To take a step forward we have to play a certain way and we’ll continue to do it.”
The midfield in particular has taken criticism… – “I think you could look through the whole team and point out errors. We haven’t defended as well as we did last season and have given stupid goals away. In the middle of the park we haven’t played as well as we can and up front we aren’t scoring as freely as we did at the end of last season. It would be unfair to just pick out one area of the park. John Fraser and Andy Millen are two players who have set themselves standards that hopefully they can keep – but the same applies to everybody.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s match, we’ve got a good record at Stark’s Park… – “I don’t think that goes for anything. We take each game as it comes and I don’t believe in things like “happy hunting grounds”. It’s a fixture they won’t be looking forward to although they have had a decent start. If we go about our business the right way I’m confident that we can come away with something.”
Would you say it has to be a win? – “We’ve been playing 3 up front and going out to win games but it just hasn’t happened so far. Paddy Keogh has been out since St.Johnstone and we miss his strength. He played last week and, considering how long he’d been out, we were fairly pleased but hopefully with another two weeks training and a couple of half games under his belt he can start to lead the line for us.”
How is the mood in the squad overall? – “The players are fairly disappointed. They are the same as the fans and Alan and myself – they know that the majority aren’t playing as well as they can and that they aren’t performing as a unit either. They know they are expected to be in the top 3 or 4 of the league but they also know what needs to be done to get back up there.”
One big asset last season was the unity in the squad. Would you say it’s still as strong? – “Very much so. Confidence is low and that’s what’s showing on the park but once we get a couple of results it’ll come back again.”
Is confidence our biggest problem at the moment? – “I find it hard to put my finger on exactly why we aren’t doing as well as we can. In the main we have the same squad of players who were beating teams fairly easily at the tail end of last season. I’d like to stress again though, it is very early doors. We’re still in the first quarter and I’d rather wait until the end of the second quarter before getting worried about our points situation.”
What do you think about the Scotland v Holland play-off? – “Everyone is saying it’s a foregone conclusion but I don’t particularly agree with that. It’s 180 minutes of football and one thing Scotland has is spirit in their side. Holland will be expecting to win and anything else for them will be a disaster. You never know in football as everyone knows.”
Anything else you’d like to say? – “I would to ask the fans to believe in what Alan is trying to do. Football is a rollercoaster ride and we’ll have our ups and downs. Last season we had a lot of ups, which hasn’t been the case so far this year but if the fans stick with us I’m sure we’ll turn it round.”
————————————————————————–
Pictures courtesy of Frank Tocher and SNSpix.com