Setting the record straight - 09/09/2003

After conceding eight goals in our defeat against Italy at Pavia, the whole squad

Were more than a bit sick with disappointment. It was embarrassing – it’s as simple as that. If it doesn’t hit your personal and professional pride, then you shouldn’t be playing the game… we were very poor. Every Italian attack seemed to end in a shot at goal, they hit the post, they hit the side netting, and most importantly, they hit the back of the net. It’s probably the busiest night I’ve ever had!

It wasn’t just a case of us playing poorly, the Italians were excellent. They scored the first goal and then just went for it. Their confidence was high, and they played a very intelligent, relaxed and impressive game.

Luckily we had the game against Finland last night – and it was an opportunity to set the record straight. We’d sat in those Italian dressing rooms and were so glad we had the chance to put things right so quickly. But we still needed to perform, I in my opinion, that’s exactly what we did. The 0-0 score line didn’t tell the full story, we passed and moved very well. Although I had one or two things to do, it was a totally different story to Italian game.

Possibly one of the reasons behind the improved performance was the fact that we gelled as a team. During the Italian debacle there were a few negative things being said within the team. No team will play to it’s ability unless everyone pulls together, and as captain of the team it was good to see that we’d learn our lesson from Pavia.

The Gaffer seemed pretty pleased too, and as a result we’re now in a positive state of mind and looking forward to the visit of Serbia and Montenegro next month.

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