Duff: We need to compete better

» What’s your overriding emotion after that game?

DISAPPOINTMENT. It’s an opportunity missed. It’s a bit like that at the minute in terms of going 1-0 up, then we hit the underside of the bar and I don’t know if it’s in or not, but they have scored with their only shot on target, so it feels like we are down on our luck at the minute. But it’s another point on the board and we are fourth in the league. That’s not me trying to cover things up, we haven’t been as good as we have been. We’ve been poor, but that’s only because of the standards we’ve set. We didn’t do the basics well enough.

» What do you mean by the basics?

HEADING, tackling, things like that. We need to compete better. That was the most disappointing part.

» The goal from Liam Sercombe and the Alfie May effort off the bar were real moments of quality

YES and Alfie has got in again and that could have fallen anywhere and it ricochets to their lad, who blocks it on the line. Supporters need to recognise it’s weird at the minute. There is a weird feel as you walk off the pitch. It’s difficult for the players and it’s not easy for me because I have to think of something different to say every two or three days.

» Is there less time for you to work on things in training?

I CAN’T remember the last time I did a coaching session. Other than a Friday when we do a bit of walk through shape. That’s not me moaning, it’s a fact and it was the same when we were winning games We’ll have a look at it as a staff, see if we can freshen it up a little bit in January.

Are you considering making changes in January?

ASK any manager, give me X amount of money and I’ll spend it. The group looks like it does probably need freshening up a little bit, but whether there is any money available I don’t know. If I have to take that group forward, we will. They know they’ve not quite hit their standards. I don’t know if there is any money available, but if there is we’ll try.

» Do you think your team is too nice?

The group looks like it does need freshening up a little bit, but whether there is money available I don’t know. If I have to take that group forward, we will. They know they’ve not quite hit their standards. I don’t know if there is any money available, but if there is we’ll try

YOU need an edge. If you can get someone 6ft 3in, who can run 12km and keep the ball, he wouldn’t be playing at this level. There’s the other side too, we can go 4-4-2, get the lads organised and boot it every time, but we want to play a certain type of football. It’s getting the balance and we didn’t have enough of an edge to see the game through.

» Sean Long was doing some running and having him back will be like a new recruit

YES. The difficult thing is going to be getting him minutes. There is no time or bodies left for reserve team games, so it’s something we’ll have to gradually increase his intensity in training.

» Have you got lists of players in certain positions you’d like to strengthen in certain areas more than others?

I COULD give you one to 11, who will improve the team. But there is a cost. You’re always trying to improve and it’s like ‘if he comes available, we’ll take him’ but if there is no money available we’ll move forward with the group that we’ve got. You can tell from the tone of my voice, it just feels a bit flat at the minute. Even if we’d got over the line, it still had that weird sort of edge before it.

» How much of a blow was it not to have fans after three games with some here?

REALLY disappointing and if we’d have gone 1-0 up with the crowd here, I think we’d have gone on. I am not making the rules, the club had sold out the tickets available. It’s just unfortunate. It doesn’t feel like proper football.