Dean Smith's pre West-Ham press conference will begin at 9am.
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DS: "The Covid situation is good at the moment. Normann is back in rehab. Gilmour is out for 3-4 weeks, has returned to Chelsea for treatment but will be back soon. No fresh injuries from the weekend."
DS: "Todd Cantwell has been ill, we Expect him to train today and be in the squad tomorrow."
DS: “Gilmour has an ankle injury that puts him out for 3-4 weeks. He’s gone back to Chelsea for them to assess it and I hope he’ll be back for treatment over the next few days.”
DS: "The performance wasn't great on Sunday but progressing to the next round was the most important thing. We can take positives from the fact Milot Rashica and Grant Hanley got some much-needed minutes under their belts."
DS: "We look at the running stats after every game, there have been some games where we've fallen short of expectations."
DS: "'I think there's a slight ignorance about the football club from people outside Norfolk and Norwich. We were decimated for the last three games and had players playing with illness. It's hard enough to win after promotion with your best players, let alone 10/11 out".
DS: “The non-negotiables are the work-rate and togetherness I want to see in the team. We’re working hard to keep our place in the Premier League.”
DS: "The next two weeks are big for us. We need to look at it almost as a 'mini table' at the bottom of the league. We will be boosted by the return of Rashica, especially."
DS: “I’m hopeful Milot can start, but it would be silly of me to expect 90 minutes from him tomorrow.”
DS: "The Leicester game being called off offered us an opportunity to press the reset button".
DS: "We have been looking at a three at the back, as well as a few formation changes ahead of this game. We did that at Tottenham, of course, and performed better than the 3-0 scoreline suggested."
DS: "Max Aarons in line to make his 150th appearance tomorrow night at West Ham. Max is coachable and supremely talented."
DS: “I’ve been really impressed with Max’s mindset and defensive capabilities. He’s working on improving his ball in the final third.”
DS: "I'll be honest, I don't like the sarcasm from the fans. We need to be together. There are reasons for our performances in the last three matches. I would urge them to get behind us."
DS: "I don't think we will (do any significant business this month). We would like to but we have a big squad."
DS: "Grant Hanley is feeling better than he expected after the Charlton game. He had one fall where he felt his shoulder again, but he's okay."
DS: “Hanley played well in the first few games I had here. It’s great to have his leadership skills back in the team now.”
DS: "We need to build the play better through the thirds and sets a challenge to those in that area of the pitch to contribute at the top end of the pitch."
DS: "I'd rather fans show their frustration after the game rather than during, especially given some players are suffering from a lack of confidence."
DS: "I did say we could have the best transfer window out of anybody by having players back and not signing anyone. I still believe that."
DS: "I'm close friends with David Moyes, we played golf together in the summer. But that makes it more satisfying after beating them."
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That's all from the boss this morn.
Posted By: DrDublin, Jan 11, 09:38:43
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