ryan mason tottenham
Can you sum up your frustration after another early goal and defeat?
Absolutely. To go a goal down so early in the game has happened far too many times this season. We need to be better at that. It’s a very disappointing day. If I’m honest I thought they were definitely the better team in the first half. Though I don’t remember Fraser having to make many big saves. In fact throughout the match I don’t remember Fraser having to make many big saves. The first half with the ball we kind of got it wrong, we weren’t that great.
That changed a bit in the second half, I thought we were more of a threat. And to be honest their keeper pulled off an amazing save at 1-0 that maybe could have changed the flow of the game. But a few minutes later they score from a set piece from 25 yards so yeah it’s a difficult one to take.
Do you doubt yourself and how much you want the job on days like this?
Absolutely not. I’ve remained consistent. I believe we’re doing a good job in terms of what we’re trying to create. I understand we don’t have a huge amount of time to change too much, and we’ve seen this kind of thing too many times this season – going a goal down early and making it difficult for ourselves. But we understand we do have two important games, and it’s still in our hands what we want to achieve. We have to learn and be better for next week because we’ve got another difficult game.
Why is the team so bad away from home with no away win since January and none outside of London since October?
Many different things contribute to that, but ultimately it’s not good enough for a club this size. And you can’t expect to be competing where we want to compete and have that sort of record. So that needs to improve. That needs to be a collective, that needs to be driven from all of us. But it isn’t a good enough stat and it needs to change,
There seemed a lack of intensity today, what did you put that down to?
I’m not sure. We’ve conceded many goals early so I’m not sure what you’re trying to angle that one at to be honest. We’ve come here against a good side, in their stadium and you have to understand that you have to sometimes suffer and suffer as a team. Then the game changes and the momentum shifts and it’s a different game but you can’t get to that point being a goal down because it changes the whole dynamic of the football match. It’s something we definitely need to improve on.
If feels from the outside like the club is drifting a bit with the uncertainty over the head coach and sporting director, does it feel like that inside?
No, I think the outside world is the outside world. When you’re consistent and you’re strong inside that definitely transfers outside. We can’t hide from the fact that we are where we are. It’s a difficult moment, but at the same time everyone is pulling together and trying to create a togetherness now and going forward and ultimately results change that on the pitch for sure, but the environment that you set within is probably the most important thing.
Yes. We’ve been in that situation for a while now. We understand that. We understood that today and the importance of today and it’s a disappointing result but at the same time we do have two important games to focus on and try to finish the season strongly.
Can you reassure the fans there is a plan over the new manager as it feels like the last time you were in this situation that there isn’t one?
Obviously we’ve had a disappointing season in terms of where we are in the table but also many other things. There probably hasn’t been that consistency, that alignment, that togetherness throughout the whole cub. That’s probably the most important thing going forward that we’re going to change. I’m absolutely confident that will change. Football can change very quickly. When you’ve got people here that care about the club and want to make it better I believe that will happen.
Is there a plan in place with the managerial search though?
I think the obvious answer is that the current situation is the current situation and all of us here are doing our best to finish the season well and go into the summer in a good place as a football club.
Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga weren’t here today, are they both injured?
Yes, they’re both injured.
Will they available before the end of the season?
We’re not sure, not entirely sure on both of them. I wasn’t able to select either of them today.
