Bielsa Press Conference: Pre-Bolton

[Team for Bolton unchanged except Roberts for Roofe]


1.37pm: Here we go....

Marcelo is here, cameras just finishing setting up.


On Spygate saga being over...

I am happy that it is over.


On Jack Clarke...

He is not available yet.


On Roofe...

We don't have a final date for his return - it will be between four and eight weeks.


On Izzy Brown...

He is making constantly positive steps. And we have to link his improvement to other needs of the team to see when he will be able to start again.


On Bolton

It's difficult to see rankings in the games - the difference you find in the table. If we have a look at the table we would think that Birmingham couldn't lose against Bolton but Bolton won. We have opposite examples to but the norm in the Championship is you won't have any team that will easily beat another team.


How important is this game?

In any case it's important for us to get points. The final games we have to play are very important. We don't feel any obligation because the rivals have positive results. And we don't feel that we don't havbe the duty to win when the direct rivals don't win their games. All the following points at stake will have a very significant importance.


On Douglas and Forshaw...

Barry Douglas will play tomorrow with the under-23s. And it is his final step before getting back to the group if evertything goes well. But it's not the case with Adam Forshaw. Because of his injury he will need more time and it will be hard for him to come back in the next two games. And the same thing for Kemar Roofe and Jack Clarke.


On Bamford....

When you have been absent for such a long time you need time to develop your sports performance and he is making constantly positive steps to reach his best level.


On being expected to beat Bolton easily...

I think that the expectancy is due to the fact that Norwich won 4-0 against Bolton. We are focused on winning. That's our first goal and then we are focused on deserving to win and then we will try to get the most important difference possible. This is our idea for this game. I couldn't make any opinion on winning convincingly or not.


On the recent break before three games in six days

It all depends on the results of the next three games. If everything goes well we will say the rest was a good one. And if it goes wrong we will say that the break stopped the development of the team. We always have explanations for everything. But the difficult thing is to find beforehand the right explanation. I never get tired!


Do you enjoy this period when things are decided?

Of course. The axis of our profession is competition and when the consequences of the competition are final that's when we are more happy.


On fans being desperate for promotion - and his role in that..

I think that the expectancy of the fans are legitimate ones. We know what a fan feels thinking about the possibility of having a team promoted but we have the same hope as the fans. First of all because we desire the same thing as them. And second because we assume that we are representing the feelings of many people.


One change to his side

One change is Roberts for Roofe


Will it go down to the last game?

In football it's very different to forecast what has not happened yet. Because among other reasons, one of the things that makes football one of teh most attractive sports in the world is because it's possible that the team that doesn't deserve to win actually wins. So if you want to estimate or calculate the results of eight teams in the remaining 14 games it is something very difficult and if you add to that the fact that you can't make a fair and logival analysis because it can happen that the team that wins is not the best one, taking into account all these elements, it's impossible to give an answer.


On Berardi and Dallas

Gaetano Berardi will need more competion and as a matter of fact tomorrow he will play (for the under 23s). And for Stuart Dallas it was a little less hard for him to recover his sports fitness and he will be in the group on Saturday again.


On relationship with the fans...posing for pictures

I do it because in football I think the most important element is the people who love the shirt and the club. Actually they are npot asking for an autograph or a picture of me, they are actually asking for a picture with the head coach of Leeds United. And as I understand the feeling that klinks the fans with the one who reprseents the club, I never say no to anyone who asks me for an autograph or a picture but they don't ask the person, they ask what the person represents.


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