Managers post Arbroath
Saturday, 28th Aug 202128/08/21: link of audio of Peter Grant and Ian Campbell post match comments
- - Listen to Peter Grant`s post match comments
Dunfermline manager Peter Grant agreed that ‘disappointing’ didn’t start to describe his sentiments after suffering a 3-0 defeat at home to Arbroath. He told the media:-
“It has been a tough week for the club in general losing the players that we did lose in that period of time. It obviously upsets your build up to it but there is no excuses once we are on the pitch we had a good enough team to put a performance in.
“We lost a terrible goal and that put us on the back foot, I think it was Arbroath’s first effort on goal actually. We felt that we were getting a foothold in the game then but it wasn’t to be. I thought Arbroath thoroughly deserved to win the game.
“At important times in the game we never had that bit of fortune that you need to give you that boost, give you that lift or that energy boost that you need at times when Kai smashes the post. I think Todorov was very unlucky with the one that he scores only for the referee to chalk it off for a free kick. I’d like to see that again.
“They went straight up the park and scored from it so the goals that we lose were very very poor. On saying that we got what we thoroughly deserved if you defend the way we did. Deniz at the first goal obviously gives them a foothold but we should have reacted as well.
“You have got to follow things in. I always say when goalkeepers make mistakes and you always think that it is going to hit the post or come back like that. You have to think like a striker and we didn’t defensively. Deniz should have caught the ball and not made the mistake. From then on in Arbroath played the game very well and did what they do very well.”
It was a big day with a crowd back in the stadium but it just fell flat?
“Absolutely, I keep saying every week that is what you are here for, to bring the supporters here and not to send them home disappointed. If I had paid my money today, I’d be disappointed and I’d be saying the things that they were saying.
“I have absolutely no issue with that, that is what we are here to do. To try and make the punters go home in the evening happy not disappointed as they will be today. I have no qualms with that, criticism is a big part of the game and you have to accept that.
“Like anyone else, I don’t like criticism and I want to win games of football. We want to play games to win but we are not giving ourselves a chance with the mistakes and errors that we are making.
“We lost a few players for today which was important to us but we have to move on from that and just accept that. It was a real tough day at the office, there is no getting away from that. It is a massive disappointment.”
Do defeats make it an even bigger job to try and turn it around?
“When you are losing games of football it never changes. There is nothing worse than losing games when you are looking for that first victory. Of course you are desperate for that first victory and desperate for the performances that we put on earlier on.
“There have been different circumstances at times why we have not been able to get these energy levels. You can see that today, we had to play two guys who are just back but we had to start the two of them (Ryan Dow and Kai Kennedy). It is very difficult to start two guys in midfield who have not been playing for a long time.
“Unfortunately circumstances dictated that today. We would have liked to have put one on and the other one coming on for each other to keep that energy level up. They gave us everything that they had and had nothing left. That is the way the week has gone for us unfortunately since the game last week.
“We have had this covid issue which has been a problem for us. The preparation takes a completely different slant on it when you are keeping the boys away from each other. It made it a tough week, probably as tough as I’ve had because when you were part time it was okay because you were only meeting them twice a week.
“When you are full time it affects everything else that you are doing. You have to keep them away from each other, nobody to go near each other as we have done anyway. We knew that but unfortunately a couple of the boys have picked it up and it is lastminute.com when you are selecting sides.
“It is tough for guys who have just come back. The energy that you need to play in any game, and the way that we want to play is difficult but to be fair I thought that they were probably two of the shining lights to be perfectly honest with you, so we are disappointed with that.”
Did you get to train together at all?
“We have managed to train but it is watching because you know what it is like. We are not allowed to be together. People are not allowed to travel together, which has always been the case. You have less time together and you have to have less time with each other because we are concerned that other boys had caught it off the boys even though you are distanced.
“We are hearing that there is a hell of a lot of clubs affected with it so it was a situation that we put ourselves in and right up until this morning when you are testing, your team selection is hanging very much in the balance.
“We have had to adjust certain things there but unfortunately that is the life that we are living in at this moment in time, but it is no excuse for the performance. We had guys on the pitch who were more than capable of winning games of football.
“It has been a tough week but I’d just like it easier on the two guys like Ryan and Kai. After being out for a period of time it is difficult to ask them to play the full 90 minutes but I thought the two of them were excellent.”
- - Hear Ian Campbell`s views
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