Davies Comments
Davies was asked in the presser about players adapting and whether he is having to adapt to the level himself. Felt his response was both good and also a little pointed in what felt like a strong interview from Davies overall (also talked differences on the road, earning the right to play, style and substance).
(Nb: Not exactly word for word and you can watch via the club channel pre-match presser (penultimate question))
"It's not adapting to the level, I'm learning all the time. The day I stop learning is the day I stop the job.
The theory that we were entitled to walk into the Championship and stroll it is deluded. We are a team that have to compete and earn everything we get at this level. We're not a team like in League One, where we've gone out and ultimately put a squad together that should win the league. The expectation therefore should be yes, you should go and win that league and I completely agree.
When you are going into a league where a lot of teams have heavily invested then we have to compete and earn it and any idea that it was going to be a stroll through the Championship was incorrect. The last time this team was in the Championship, it finished 22nd. It's been 10 years since the team has been in the top 10 I believe. This is just a reality.
We have to understand it's a hard league, arguably the most unforgiving league of them all in terms of the competitiveness of all the teams. What we have to do is stay in there, stay in the games, be competitive. We'll win, we'll lose, we'll draw, that's football. By the end of the season I've got no doubt we will be sitting in a position we are very happy with but we are going to have to understand that this is a challenging league and not just for us. You can look across every round and the results. It's so tight. Anybody we can beat anybody.
We have to earn everything we get, work hard for everything we get and I have no doubt we will finish where we want to be."
(Nb: Not exactly word for word and you can watch via the club channel pre-match presser (penultimate question))
"It's not adapting to the level, I'm learning all the time. The day I stop learning is the day I stop the job.
The theory that we were entitled to walk into the Championship and stroll it is deluded. We are a team that have to compete and earn everything we get at this level. We're not a team like in League One, where we've gone out and ultimately put a squad together that should win the league. The expectation therefore should be yes, you should go and win that league and I completely agree.
When you are going into a league where a lot of teams have heavily invested then we have to compete and earn it and any idea that it was going to be a stroll through the Championship was incorrect. The last time this team was in the Championship, it finished 22nd. It's been 10 years since the team has been in the top 10 I believe. This is just a reality.
We have to understand it's a hard league, arguably the most unforgiving league of them all in terms of the competitiveness of all the teams. What we have to do is stay in there, stay in the games, be competitive. We'll win, we'll lose, we'll draw, that's football. By the end of the season I've got no doubt we will be sitting in a position we are very happy with but we are going to have to understand that this is a challenging league and not just for us. You can look across every round and the results. It's so tight. Anybody we can beat anybody.
We have to earn everything we get, work hard for everything we get and I have no doubt we will finish where we want to be."