Keith Curle on the importance of getting a response
United manager Keith Curle spoke about the importance of getting a response to the recent disappointing run as his team prepares for the home game against Crewe on Saturday.“It’s the start of what is a massive week for us,” he said. “We’re in a very difficult place at the moment but we know our supporters are desperate for us to do well. The time for hiding is finished and we’re in a situation where the players have to start performing.
“People are bound to be asking questions because of the run we’ve been on but I will turn the results round and I’ll turn negatives into positives, because that’s what I do. There’s an acceptance from the players that things have to better and I expect to see a response, starting on Saturday. Watch me do my job now because we will turn this round.”
Speaking about recent unrest amongst a section of the fans, he said: “When you’re on a run like this people question if you’ve lost the players and if the board are actually backing you, but I can assure you none of that is the case.
“All I can say is that the performance levels we’ve seen are nothing to do with the board of directors, because they back me 100%. Everything they do is for the betterment of the job I’m trying to do at the football club.
“I’m pleased with the backing I’ve been getting from them because they look after the footballing department and they go out of their way to make sure everything we want is right.
“I’ve told the players today that there is no way, in any way, shape or form, that they can hide behind any of it. There has been talk about the directors which I think is totally unjust and unfair at this stage of the season. What happens now is about what we do in that changing room.
“Not to hide, in any way, shape or form, behind anything else that goes on. I won’t accept it and I’ve told the players that they cannot use it as an excuse. Players making wrong decisions when they’re out on the pitch has got nothing to do with the owners.
“As I said on Saturday, it’s about getting back to basics and making sure we’re all doing our jobs, individually and collectively. We need to think about what we’re doing in our own third and we need to get that fighting spirit back into the team.
“The work we do this week will to be make sure we go out there on Saturday knowing what we have to do to get the three points.”
