Rotherham United boss Paul Warne spoke with iFollow Millers prior to Saturday’s hosting of Portsmouth in Sky Bet League One.
The Millers go into the game off the back off a small pause from league action, having had their league fixture with Charlton Athletic rearranged due to international call-ups.
Chiedozie Ogbene and Joshua Kayode both found themselves on the scoresheet for their respective sides, with Warne reserving praise for the pair.
Also up for discussion was the visit of Portsmouth, how the team have used the ‘break’ and team news ahead of the clash.
The highlights are below and full video content will available to view shortly, HERE.
Warne on taking a few days to recharge the batteries during the international break…
“I spent a couple of days off just watching loads of sport.
“I came up to watch the youth team on Saturday morning, watched Sheffield Wednesday Saturday afternoon, ice hockey on Saturday night and then went to the NFL on Sunday.
“It was an absolute ‘sportsfest’ for me and I really enjoyed it.”
“The lads were in good spirits when they came back to training on Monday. They trained probably harder than what they expected.
“The focus is now looking ahead to Saturday’s game.”
Warne on internationals…
“It was strange to see Chieo score a header, I can’t decide whether he meant it or whether it was an accidental contact!
“It is fantastic to see him score for his country and he followed that up by getting his first start in their friendly game with Qatar.
“It was great for JJ to score as well, he’s someone who probably hasn’t played as much as he’d have liked recently, but that doesn’t mean he’s not developing. I think he’s doing really well.
“To get goals for a striker is always crucial, Smudge, Freddie and Griggy all scored against Scunthorpe and JJ scored on his travels, that can only be a good thing.”
“The lads on international duty will be back on Thursday to go through the tactical stuff and then we’ll have a good look at them to see how they are.”
Warne on another ‘block’ of fixtures…
“I’m not in the habit of setting points targets, or anything like that. They are all tough games for different reasons.
“You look at Wycombe for example, if you finish near them this season you’ll have had a really good year.
“There are some really big clubs and some big hitters like Wycombe who are really prepared for League One.
“Portsmouth had a great win over Sunderland and will come into the game with real confidence. These next two games are hard and MK Dons are in good form themselves.
“It’ll be a hard run of fixtures, but these are the games we want to all play in.”
Warne on the team’s clean sheet record…
“I said to the lads earlier that all the games we’ve won are the ones where we haven’t conceded a goal, so that is pretty fundamental.
“We try to be really attacking and get the ball in the final-third as much as possible. I always say that clean sheets aren’t just down to goalkeepers and defenders, but the whole team.
“We do a lot of work with the coaches here on out of possession, because you’re never going to have the ball 100% of the time.”
Warne on the system…
“The system at the moment is working for us at the moment, we can change it any time obviously, but at present it gets our best players on the pitch.
“You’re judged by results and not performances, but I do think we create a lot of chances. I like the system, but it doesn’t mean that if it isn’t working we aren’t going to change it.
Warne on team news…
“Currently there are no new issues. Joe Mattock trained yesterday and we think he’ll be fit for contention on Saturday which is great news.
“Jamie Lindsay is back on the grass, he’s still a few weeks away, so I don’t want people to get excited, but he’s closer.
“We’ll keep an eye on the three internationals and see how they are. Hopefully they come back unscathed.”
Warne on Portsmouth…
“What I do know, is that they will be very organised on and off the ball. They are really good at set-pieces and have great delivery. They are a team that want success this year.
“The game will last all of 95 minutes and we will have to be at our best to compete with them, which is our intention.
“They have a way of playing and are comfortable on the ball. We have to try and stop that as best we can and try to impose our style of play.
“Loads of teams will come here with a way of playing and we have to respect that and coach the lads on how to deal with it.”
Warne on Danny and Nicky Cowley…
“I get on really well with both of them and as I’ve mentioned they are incredibly studious in their preparation.
“They went from Lincoln to Huddersfield, did a good job there and now they have a new home.
“It will be good to come up against them, but fundamentally for me, it is not about the managers it is the players who are the most important aspect of any game.”