Barry Robson speaks to the media ahead of tomorrow's trip to Tannadice
Barry Robson | Dundee United Press Conference
Interim manager Barry Robson spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s game with Dundee Utd. RedTV subscribers can watch in full by clicking on the above video.
Question: Will it be strange coming up against Jim Goodwin so soon after he left Aberdeen?
Answer: “Well, not strange for me. I’ve never come up against Jim Goodwin as a coach or anything like that. So for me its not strange at all. I think for Jim its great, he’s left a huge club in Aberdeen and he’s managed to go straight back in at a top club in Dundee United. So I think for Jim it’s, it’s worked well for him, I am sure he is pleased.”
Q: How difficult could it be for you as an Aberdeen team given he clearly knows the squad inside out going into this?
A: “He will know all the players but I don’t think he will know all the stuff we’ve been working on over the past two to four weeks. We’ve been working on a few different ideas. Listen any manager you come up against starts to know all the players that you’ve come up against. You play each other that much in the Scottish game so for me, I don’t think that’s a huge distraction if you like for us. I think the things we’ve been working on, we won a few games, we’re looking sharp, probably more confident, braver with the ball. We look better in transitions. So for me, that’s the thing I’m concentrating on most of all.”
Q: Alan Burrows has obviously started this week, have you had any more discussions in terms of your own future?
A: “I sat down with Alan for about an hour this week, it was good and we got on well. Steven Gunn was with us as well. I’ve seen him a couple of times about the place. It was good. The thing that we sat and spoke about most of all was we’ve been building a model at the football club for the last year three to four years. It’s away to get put out to all the young staff and coaches. He was intrigued by everything, all the work that had been getting done and that’s been really busy for me. It’s been a lot of work over the last few years to put this together and so we’ve shown him everything that we’ve been doing. He really enjoyed it. He was quite pleased with all that.
“This club was built on the Youth Academy, it was built on bringing players through and a lot of the conversation, 95% of the conversation was on that and what we do. Steven Gunn is huge on that, as is Dave Cormack, Stewart Milne is, all of these guys are. That’s what the hub of this club is. So that was mostly what our whole conversation was on. I know the first team is the most important part but a lot of things need to be right underneath that to make the first team work as well.”
Q: What sort of game are you expecting and how will you impose yourself?
A: “I think we all know what type of game we’re going to expect, it’s going to be a battle. As always, high energy I hope because that’s what we want to bring. We want to bring speed to it. We want the fans with us, we’re going to have over 3,000 again. It will be a good game. It will be a really good game and that’s what we’re all here for. That’s why I’m positive, I want the players to be positive. You can see them being positive at the minute. They’re enjoying it. We need to go down there and work as hard as we can and be the best that we can be. Whether that’s making a pass, winning a header, winning a tackle. Give it everything you’ve got with every single one of those things and you’ll have a chance to win it.”
Q: There is a huge Aberdeen support travelling down the road, what does that say for the appetite for this fixture among the fans?
A: “It’s a great game. I’ve played in it many a time. I’ve played in loads of these games and they’re great game to to play in. Players thrive on it. The more fans we’ve got there, the better. In my opinion we’ve got the best travelling support in the country. It’s always been like that, no matter what clubs I was at. I always thought Aberdeen had an unbelievable travelling support. When we’ve got that behind us, that gives us a bit extra. That gives us a bit extra as well so that’s all positive for us.”
