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Well, i would say: there’s a there’s, a tiny bit more experience, um we’ve all grown grown one more year and i think that’s that’s a lot for some of the young players, especially so yeah that’s, that’s, probably the difference in terms of the disappointment from last year. How much will that in the day or the hours leading up to the game? How much will that drive you on um? We try not to think too much about that and just keep the joy and the excitement that we have in the squad this year and just focus on where we are now and not what happened in the past. What what what what players do? Personally, i can’t what i can’t say: uh, if, if that’s, what they need to look back at to like really drive them, but me personally, i just i just want to play on saturday just go out and have fun and enjoy this is. This is why we play football. This is to play the big games and the big decisive games it’s a bit like like, like the world cup. You want to play those games, that’s that’s, where the fun is you don’t, look like a man who’s under pressure. You know what i don’t feel i’m on pressure. Uh again, i think we’ve done fantastic, so far. Uh to be here again is a is a huge achievement. I have a fantastic uh group of players behind me next to me, friends, so we’re just ready to go up just play football again again, have some fun and just not to worry too much.
I think that’s that’s, maybe that’s what hit us last last year. We we got scared of scared of winning or scared of losing, instead of yet not taking over so um. The the vibe in the squad is different this year it it it just. It just feels more relaxed and more calm. So how do you deal with that fear? How do you deal with that being scared of winning um? Well, i think the pressure from the media is is one of the big things and and also we we. We saw how to tackle it uh last year and uh yeah, hopefully we’re in a better position. This year, that’s that’s that’s the aim i’m, not the first person. I probably won’t, be the last to tell you that brentford have been in the class 10 times and they’ve never made it through. Is that anything at all that comes into the psyche ahead of this game, not at all, not at all? We one time has to be the first and that’s gon na be on saturday. In terms of the manager, i mean he’s, always someone that only looks at a positive. What has he given you that? Can he be a positive ahead of this game with swansea? You played him twice already this year very tight games, both won all drawers, um yeah. We know it’s going to be a tough, tough, tough game. Um again we try to focus on ourselves. I know it’s a cliche, but but i i honestly believe that if we hit our top level, then we’re going to be really really hard to beat and that’s that’s.
The only thing we focus about obviously there’s an opponent, but if, if if we make it right, then i’m sure we will we’ll make it just a couple more. You you moved to this new stadium, everything about brentford, which never before said it deserves a crack. At the premier league now says it deserves a crack at the premier league, the manager, the squad the stadium is. Is there a feeling a little bit of a feeling that having gone last year and just failed having gone the year before, just failed? If it doesn’t happen this time, maybe for a lot of players, you yourself included, maybe the dream of the premier league might be somewhere other than brentford uh. I would know because that’s not something we we’ve been thinking about at all. Um all focus is on on saturday and what happens after saturday? We just have to have to deal with that after we um again. We just want to go out and just have fun, uh go out and attack, and if we make it, we make it. If we don’t, then we’ll deal with that after finally, there is one more key component that’s going to be different on saturday to last year. Last year it was on an evening in an empty stadium. I mean it felt anything like a 150 million game of football. At least there will be somebody there this year might not be enough fans for everybody’s liking, but there will be some fans how much of a key part will they play.
You would have seen the cup final you’d have seen other games in the last, but you’ve had one game here with fans. How much of a key component could that be for you in turning your fortunes? Well, hopefully it will. It will give everyone energy, even the swansea players. I think it will give some some energy we could we could. We felt it last time we played here. It was just, it was amazing and you just it was just so positive. You wanted to crack on and just that next tackle, you wanted to win it because you know the crowd would be ready, um, so it’s it’s, hopefully it’s going to be a little bit the same. Even though there might not be that many um, we will be able to hear them compared to last year, so it’s going to be amazing. Hopefully hopefully they will allow more in but uh. I doubt they’ll make it good luck. Give me a score prediction. I don’t care as long as we win hi henry um, just referring back to, as you say, the experience of last year and maybe looking and analyzing the pressure that possibly was felt the experience of having been at wembley in that circumstance. Will that be of use? This time around, because you’re going to a ground that you’ve as a group got experience of playing in yeah. Well, i really hope so. Um again, the the vibe around the club just feels more relaxed uh than last year, and i think we have just um i’m saying we do it differently.
We just do what we’ve done all season, which i think is the key key part we’re just having fun. People are playing table, tennis, uh after we’re done training, just just relaxing just chilling and having fun um so and then again we do have one more year of experience, so i think that’s going to be key and there’s a group. There have been obviously exits from last year, ollie and and and um syed, obviously left and and ivan’s coming and vitali has come in he’s done very well in in the middle of the park, but in essence, it’s. Quite a a core of the group that was here last year has that helped with the with the team spirit. Has that helped with the culture that you’ve developed here as a group, um yeah, definitely like, and also the players we’ve brought in, have just adapted really really quickly, um and yeah. We can see christian got injured, just vita, just stepping straight in that honestly. That surprised me that he was able to just reach that level that quickly so that’s the kind of recruitment. We have that’s the kind of players that we recruit so it’s it’s it’s, just amazing to work with and obviously it’s it’s good, that we didn’t change. 10 players from from last season, so uh so yeah, obviously that’s going to be a positive thing for us um and you you talked about last last weekend. Great atmosphere in here with just you know, x, not full, but it felt like it was full yeah.
The nature of of winning that game or the or the tie against bournemouth um, the the delight on everyone’s faces at the end of the game, is that how much of a momentum do you take from that that sort of fight back? Well, we tried to take all the positive things we can from that game and the the drive the momentum uh we had and again for me, the joy of playing football because you can just see you could see it in everyone’s eyes. Obviously, we want to win that’s the that’s, the main thing, but you could just see everyone was happy. The pitch was perfect uh the weather was perfect. The fans on the understands it was. It was perfect that’s that’s what you want and that’s what we’re looking for on uh on saturday as well and thomas talks about creating the culture here, sort of sort of the the confident yet humble the hungry. Yet humble um, and also he talks about 24 hours to celebrate or 24 hours to commiserate and then just get on that that culture that’s been built by thomas and the coaching squad and the leadership group. How has that been important to what you’ve achieved over the last couple of seasons? Two third place finishes more points this year than last year. You know more less less defeats. You know, goals still being scored all those. How important are the elements away from just what you do in the 90 minutes on the pitch? As i just said, people are having fun after training, they’re staying staying, two three four hours, just playing table tennis or just talking having a coffee.
I think i think that’s really really important for us that that culture and that’s something we have really been pushing since, especially since since thomas took over and obviously the leadership group is a big part of that trying to help all the young guys, but again, the Recruitment is just it’s just key as well, because you don’t bring people in who doesn’t fit and who doesn’t want to adapt to to the squad. And you can you can say that ivan’s the star, but i don’t really think we have any big stars: it’s it’s it’s a one unit and yeah the brentford family. I know it’s such a cliche but uh that that’s how we feel and that’s you just enjoy. Coming to work every day and um yeah that’s a big that’s, a big part of it, and you talk about ivan, maybe people because of the goals, but he rolls his sleeves up or rolls his socks down. Whichever is but he seems to like the scrap as well, i mean that’s that’s he’s, not a player shy of that, whichever penalty area he’s in is that typified that that spirit that you need to succeed, i think that’s. The perfect example uh everyone’s, ready to i’m gon na, say break a leg, but uh really just go in to take a tackle if that’s a left, winger or that’s a central defender, it doesn’t matter, we’re all ready to to fight for each other and players.
Finally, for me, really there are players who are to miss out who have been an important part of the last couple of years. Injuries that have kicked in you know. We saw christian miss out last week as well late on just before kickoff and rico’s been struggling. You’Ve just come back from injury as well and and josh in the middle of the park um. But how much of a role does? Does the group play how much of the role will they play? I know christian gave the gave the speech didn’t he before last last weekend’s win. How much do the players, who aren’t even out on the pitch, still sort of lead into that and and and drive into into the group as a whole, yeah that’s, a funny thing. Even though you’re injured, you’re still like part of the family, so so they’re really trying to push you and encourage you and and obviously they’re going to be there on saturday, and i know, josh has been out enjoying limping out there, just uh trying to give a Give a small speech so uh: he really! He wants us just as much as the guys on the pitch and that’s that’s, that’s, yeah, so important for us and finally, then it’s 90 minutes and it’s going out there with a smile on your face. Whatever the rewards are at the end you have to forget about that is that is that the message is that basically, what you’re saying and what what is coming across? Of course you have to.
Of course, you have to to think about the rewards, because that might drive you just give you that extra 10 10, but the main thing is going to be just just go out and have fun and make sure we do everything possible to to to do well And then, if we hit our top level, then again, i’m i’m. I really hope that we’re going to make it brilliant. Okay! Thank you. Hey hi, henrik um. As has already been mentioned, you’ve got a long list of former teammates who have gone on to the premier league. When you see neil mulpi and ollie watkins playing there. Does that sort of fuel your desire further to you know to join them. Uh yeah, of course, because you can see that the gap might not be as big as you once thought. Um that players performing in brentford can definitely do well in in the premier league as well, so so yeah definitely and you’re going to be 32. This this summer, do you sort of feel like this may be your maybe your last chance to get there uh. I haven’t really thought about that. I don’t feel 32. Let me put it that way: um! Well again, we our main focus is going to be on saturday. What and then we take it, take it from there and see what happens but yeah. It could be a tough, tough discussion if uh, if we make it and on a slightly separate uh subject.
The denmark squad was obviously announced this week and you weren’t in it. How? How did you feel when that was announced, and was that to do with with your injury um? I don’t think it has anything to do with my injury. He just chose another player um, so yeah. Obviously that hurt – and it still hurts but i’m trying to to turn it around and uh. Hopefully, he’s watching the game on uh on saturday and i’ll go out and prove him wrong would get into the premier league with branford.
