PRESS CONFERENCE | Frank Lampard and Bobby Thomas preview Coventry City vs Leicester City 🎙️

What sort of week has it been on the training ground? Yes, a good week. A very good performance last weekend from the team. So, some training, a bit of rest, always aware of the players that are not playing so regularly this part of the season to get the work into them as well. We've got a big understanding it's a big challenge of a game at the weekend but the working week's been good. And how is Kane Kessler-Hayden because you were without him last weekend? Yes, he's ready to train next week with us. So, we're hoping he'll be available for Birmingham onwards at the minute. He was out on the grass yesterday on his own. So, hopefully he'll be back with us. This game needs no dressing up. You've been at the club for 10 months. You know what this fixture means to the Coventry fans, don't you? Yes, absolutely. And it's a good thing. It's the beauty of our game when you play games of this sort of rivalry. So, we need to feed into it in a positive way. Understand the game, the level of the game, the extra emotions that come with the game. It's a good thing. But we also have to stay with a calm head and focus on the opposition, who are a very good team that have come down from the Premier League. They've retained a lot of their players. So, it's a big game for us. And you'll have played in a lot of London derbies, particularly during your career. They are different, aren't they? You try and explain that to people who don't know football and they look at you gone out. But they are different, aren't they, derbies? Yes, for sure they are. We know our fans anyway, but with the added ingredient of that for our fans, and theirs of course, a player should love that. I do. I love that. The atmosphere that that creates, the intensity of the game. Again, we have to be very calm with it in terms of our focus. The extra bit is good. That's what we're here for. And what have you made of them so far this season? Obviously, they had a change of coach in the summer with Martí Cifuentes moving from Queen's Park Rangers. Yes, like I say, he's a good coach. We played him against QPR last year. I think he did some really good things there. And it was clear when we played against him that he's tactically nosy stuff, as you'd expect. So, I wish him well in the job generally, as manager to manager. But they're a strong team individually. Some big threats in an attacking sense. As I say, experience of the Premier League throughout their team that maybe we haven't got. So, we have to understand that we must keep our current form, which is good. We must keep that and go there with a feeling. A feeling that we want to win. I think maybe last season I came into it halfway through, but I think there was a clear feeling when teams, maybe ourselves, played against Leeds and Burnley of a difference. And our idea, even though we have the same group of players that we're developing, is to try and lose that feeling. To try and think that we can really compete at the top. And that's a challenge for all of us. I want to drive that. And we'll see on Saturday. There's absolutely no need to have an inferiority complex. I mean, that's what you're driving at, isn't it? I mean, look at the way the team's played. Not just this season, but the back end of last season. That must give everybody a huge amount of confidence going into a game like this. Yeah, and I think at some point you have to own that. Because it's the strength of any team that wants to do anything really positive. It has to feel that way. Because mentality and mindset is a huge part of the game that we play. But, to caveat it slightly, a good team will be challenging. They have individuals that can change a game in a moment. So, we've got to understand that the different challenge of this game is to what we've played so far. We've played very well. We've dominated. We've had a fair share of a lot of the games we've played so far. We have to be ready to deal with their strengths. But, yeah, not to feel inferior in any way. And it's a cliché, but it's true. Play the game, not the occasion. Have that strong mentality. Because we know the atmosphere is going to be pretty intense, isn't it? Yeah, it goes back to the talk of what the derby brings to the game. But the reality is, when you get on the pitch, you have to focus on the job that's in hand. I'm pretty confident with the lads to do that. We will prepare as well as we possibly can. And then, when the players step out, they have to deal with that. We've spoken a little bit about Haji Wright in the last couple of weeks. He really is in a zone, it would seem, at the moment, isn't he? Yeah, he's playing really well. And it's great to see. He's great to work with. As I said, we've majorly put him in the number nine position this season. And he's given teams all sorts of problems with using his attributes, his talent, his physicality. And he's got that real positive mindset at the minute. And to do anything, in any level of football, as a coach, you need your players to really grow and be your better players. To affect games. And we've got different players who can do that. But at the moment, Haji's doing that. And I just think we always go back to the work that we're doing with him and the training pitch. And him himself, the work he's doing. So, we hope that continues. And just one more word on an individual. I mean, he seems to go from strength to strength. He was outstanding last season. But he's almost hit a new level, I think, this season. Which proves how vital it was that you were able to keep him during the last window. Yeah, I said it before. You have to keep your best players if you want to succeed. And they have to grow with you and the team grows. Or you have to have incredible succession plans. And at this point with us, that's not exactly where we're at. So, you want to keep all your best players, not just Jack. So, that's one thing. In terms of his personal development, I've seen him grow from the minute we walked in. And I liked him as I came in. I thought he was a talent. It was about probably finding the best position for him to play. To work on the training pitch. To work with his mentality. I mean, he's got a great mentality. He's a very positive boy, wants to improve. But to hone that and decide exactly where it can help his game. And when stories like that happen, then the player owns it and takes it on. And he's done that so far. So, he's a hungry boy. A very good player for us. And again, he needs to continue with his form. To keep creating. To keep being a problem for opposition. And obviously, the goal threat that he is. And just one more for me. Luke Wolfen did another week's training. He's settling in properly now? Yeah, settling in really well. Training well. Very happy with him. It's a good option to have at centre-back if you choose to use him. That's why we brought him in. Absolutely, yeah. Thank you, Fred. Thank you. Obi, good to see you. Summing the season up for us so far, it's going pretty well, isn't it? It's going not too bad. Better than the past couple of years. I think we're pleased with most of our performances. Just a couple of results here and there, which we could have grabbed a couple more points on. I think overall, on the main, we're pretty happy with how everyone's playing and how it started. What do you think the differences have been between this season, where you got off to a fairly rapid start, and the couple of previous seasons you were here? It's hard to put your finger on it, but I think we've kind of took off from last year, where we were playing quite nice football towards the end of the year. We had a good period from January towards the end of the season, and then we kind of just picked up where we left off at the end of last season. I'm not too sure what made it different from the years before, because it must just be the system that we're playing at the moment and how it suits the team and the players we've got at the moment. You and Liam Kitching have established a centre-back partnership. How do you feed off one another? What are your respective strengths, do you think? We feed off one another by just knowing each other, to be honest. We've played a lot of games in the division now together, and our previous clubs, so we do know each other pretty much in and out, and how to get the best and work each other. I think just knowing when to cover him, when to egg him on, when to push him in, and vice versa with him and me. I think we work well together. I think this season, the amount of goals conceded have been pretty unfortunate for the pressures we've faced and the shots we've faced. We've been conceding pretty championship goals. I know that's the division we're in, but the type of goals we're conceding, deflections, nipping into the far corner, taking it away from the keeper, and we're not getting opened up. I'm sure that will all start clicking. That's a frustration, isn't it? The goals that you are letting in, the percentage of chances from the opposition is very high, isn't it? Yes, the shots on target we face this season must be very, very low, but the goals conceded will speak for itself. It's not great. It's something we can definitely improve on, which we're trying to improve on every week, every day. It's just been pretty unfortunate with that, but then at the same time, we're scoring the most numbers we've seen. Outside you two, you and Kitch, obviously Milan and Jay have started the season very well as well, particularly going forward, haven't they? Definitely, yes. They haven't really had to do much in the defensive third, because the majority of the games we're playing at the moment are in the attacking third and the mid-third, where they can push on and not really worry too much about the defensive side of things, just because of how the games are panning out and how much ball and time in the opposition's heart we're having. You've got a new goalkeeper playing behind you this season, Karl Rushworth. How's that relationship developing for you guys into the season? It's going well. We're all working out how everyone works and we're still getting communications and attributes and just seeing what we can do to help each other even more. I'm sure it'll click as soon as possible, because there's only a couple of errors here and there, but it's not something that needs drastic change, if you know what I mean. Exactly. And every goalkeeper's different, aren't they, really, in terms of whether they come for every cross or rely on you and Kitch predominantly to head the ball away. I suppose that's what you mean when you talk about working on communications. Yes, definitely. It's better for us to deal with it, because he can stay put, but when he needs to be, he will come and be aggressive and take the ball. He needs to know that we don't mind him hitting us as well, if it means he's going to take everything and claim the ball. That's brilliant. Of course, you've scored once at Derby. This season, still looking to be a threat from set players in the opposition's penalty area? Yes, for sure. It's something that I think comes with my game. I'm quite aggressive in my nature and seem to sniff out a chance. I'm always looking to score more goals and the more I score, the better it feels. And Leicester, of course, this fixture doesn't need any dressing up. You'll know from being in regular contact with the fans how much it means to them, particularly, and you as players as well. Yes, it's a big game. It's the local Derby. We played them in the first season I was here. I think it was one apiece, one win, one loss. Two very good games and we'll be hoping for more of that tomorrow. I think we're all very confident going into the game. We'll take nothing away from Leicester, because they're a good side. Obviously, we're going to try and focus on us and take our game to them. Confident will be enough. The atmosphere will be quite intense. Obviously, you're expecting that. But it's about channelling that and feeding off the visiting fans who are obviously going to be there in a lot of numbers. Play the game, not the occasion, I suppose, is the cliche. Yes, I'm sure the support will be amazing. That doesn't really need mentioning, because it's a constant throughout the time I've been here. They've been top. It's a big occasion for the club and it's a Derby. There's not much need saying. I'm just trying to keep everyone level-headed. If we play our game, we should be fine.