Chris Perry
12 November 2008 - 16:15
by Chris Perry
At Southampton we’ve got 2 difficult games coming up against Wolves and Reading. I think we’ll probably have more chance at Reading than we’ll have at home to Wolves on Saturday. Wolves are absolutely flying at the moment so it’s going to be a very tough game, and not many teams have gone to Reading and got anything.
That said, playing away again may suit us, as it has done a few times this season. If we play our football we’re going to cause problems for any team, but we’re going to have to be vigilant at the other end to stop them. Kevin Doyle’s the top scorer in the league at the moment and they’ll certainly be firing on all cyclinders.
Ready to return
I’m relieved to be back to full fitness and available to play again after missing the last couple of games through illness, which was frustrating. Whilst I was out we got the 3-2 win at Preston, and obviously if players do well they stay in. I’m just waiting for my chance and hopefully I can take it.
The victory over Preston a couple of weeks ago was fantastic, and to come back from 2 goals down with such a young team really gave us confidence. Obviously it’s important that you take that confidence into the next game, but unfortunately we couldn’t do that against Bristol City on Saturday.
We’re not regularly picking up wins at home, and everyone knows that needs to change. It’s also tough because St Mary’s is a big stadium, and it’s only ever half full at the moment. Football grounds can be quite eerie places at times when they’re not full
Good start for Kinnear
My old boss at Wimbledon, Joe Kinnear, has started really well at Newcastle, and I’m pleased for him. Like everyone, I was a little bit shocked at the appointment when it first happened but I knew exactly what Newcastle were going to get. He’s a fantastic man manager and a motivator, and he’s going to go in there, liven everyone up and make sure they give 100% each week. I think players are responding to him because he’s an infectious sort of character – you want to play for him, and you want to play well. If he’s got a good coach with him, as he has with Chris Hughton, then it’s a very good combination.
Joe certainly isn’t afraid to let you know if you haven’t done things right on the pitch. He’ll be throwing tea cups around the changing room and that sort of thing, but I think you need that. As a player you need to know that if you’re not performing, someone’s going to be having a go at you.
I think taking the job was a no-brainer for him. If someone comes to offer you the Newcastle job you’re going to take it - you’re going to bite their hand off. I’m just really pleased for him that it’s going fairly well at the moment, and I’m sure that he can get Newcastle out of trouble. He could be the right man for them in the long-term too.
Spurs going from strength to strength
Harry Redknapp really seems to be turning things around at Tottenham. The players were always top quality, but perhaps Juande Ramos couldn’t get the best out of them. Redknapp has come in and tried to play people in the positions they’re comfortable in and build some belief, and they’ve gone from strength to strength. I think Darren Bent has been excellent, and I’m glad to see him scoring goals because I always knew what he was capable of at Charlton. If he gets a run in the team and they can create chances for him he’s going to score 20 or 30 goals this season - he’s that good.
Arsene’s young Gunners looking good
I watched the Arsenal game last night and it was a pleasure to see that 4 or 5 of the lads out there were British, and they look fantastic. It’s great for the future of English football that they’re learning at a big club like Arsenal, and they can come in and show what they can do against a full strength Premiership side.