Q&A With… Steve Masterton

Midfielder Steven Masterton spoke to the Official Website’s Grant Morton after Saturday’s derby disappointment and answered the questions put to him…

GM: Obviously it has been a disappointing start to the season so far. What do you think has gone wrong?
SM: I think the main reason is that we have lost a lot of players over the summer and they have not been replaced.

There is understandably a level of discontent amongst the fans at the moment. How does this affect the players?
We know that the fans aren’t happy and the players aren’t happy either. It is up to us to make the fans happy but it has been hard so far. Hopefully though if we work hard and new players are brought in, we can improve.

What do you think needs to change in order for results to change?
I think we need to bring in players, quality players though and not just numbers. I also think we need to start taking our chances early on in the game. I think in a lot of games so far we have lost a goal and heads have gone down.

Could this be down to inexperience?
Well a lot of the players have had 2 or 3 years now, but maybe there are a few younger players being drafted in at a younger age than usual.

How is morale with the squad?
Everyone is disappointed but we need to lift each other up. We all know that if we can get a victory on Saturday then it will all be forgotten.

Colin has reiterated that he needs players coming in. How does this make the current batch of players feel?
All of the lads are in agreement and the gaffer knows that. We are all hoping it happens soon as we can’t carry on with the squad as it is. We need to improve.

Where do you think the squad needs strengthened?
We have Craig (McKeown) to return so that will hopefully strengthen us at the back. I think we need more in the final third as at the moment we are struggling to create and take chances.

How do you think your personally performance has been within the first few games?
Up and down. I think I could have done more. My free kicks have been good but I think I can get more involved in games and try to take control of them.

How are you feeling ahead of Saturday?
We are all desperate to get it out of our systems. Over the first couple of weeks we had games coming thick and fast so it was easier to forget about the previous game, however it will be a full week since last Saturday this time. We really want to make amends for last week, as we know we let folk down.

You are Clyde’s free kick specialist. How did this come about?
I scored a lot when I was younger and when I was at Kilmarnock. When I first came to Clyde there were other boys taking the free kicks so I had to wait. But over the last 6-12 months I’ve become first choice and managed to score a few.

You are the top scorer so far this season! Can you finish the season as top scorer?
I don’t see why not. Although I would prefer that we had a twenty-goal striker who finished top!

You came to Clyde from Kilmarnock. What did you know about Clyde before you joined?
Not much to be honest. Being at Kilmarnock I didn’t know much about the lower leagues or the players at Clyde. It was good, though, that a lot of us joined at the same time meaning there were a lot of players in the same frame of mind. Being in a team where everything was new really helped us settle into the club.

Where do you see yourself in two years time?
At the moment all the boys are just concentrating on now and not the next year or two. I do have ambitions of playing at a higher level – ideally I’d like to play at a higher level with Clyde. But the club has lost a lot of players. I think that if we’d kept a lot of the players that have moved on we could be playing at a higher level.

Which footballer would you like to emulate?
Stevie Gerrard. I think his drive, passing ability and aggressiveness in the game is something that I look to add to my game.

I’ve heard you like to wind the lads up?!
I’d like to say that I don’t slag the boys, as it has been said by some! We all like a good laugh, although with the new training ground being in Grangemouth and a lot of the boys travelling far to get there, we don’t get as much banter as we used to. Hopefully that will change as the season goes on.

Who is the easiest to wind up?!
Dougie Imrie. Anything gets him going! Any little comment and he’ll snap. Although Dougie does like to wind me up too and I can snap just as easy as him!

Do you have any message for the fans?
I’d like to say that we hear your frustrations and it has been disappointing for us too. Hopefully we can put things right, starting on Saturday.