Press news in...

We have arrived at Colney Training Centre where Daniel Farke will soon speak to the media ahead of tomorrow's trip to the Hawthorns.

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DF: We have lots of good news. Alex Tettey, Jamal Lewis and Emi Buendia are back in training, fully fit and available for tomorrow. Carlton Morris did nearly the whole part of team training this week which is a good step, and Louis Thompson has also been back in team training and is available for tomorrow.

DF: The only bad news is Timm Klose has had a setback this week and hasn't trained for a few days. He has had an injection in his knee. He will travel with us tomorrow but we will see. Marco Stiepermann will be back 100% for Birmingham and will be back in training next week. Tomorrow is too soon.

DF: It is possible Emi could start as he is looking sharp. We have to be a bit careful with his ankle, but he hasn't lost too much endurance or strength. We will travel with a bigger group tomorrow because we have had a few injuries in the warm-up recently. Louis will travel and we will nearly have the whole group with us and will make some late decisions.

DF: It would be too soon to involve Carlton in the Under-23s game tonight. We will be careful with him but it's a good sign he is back in team training and we will see how things develop in the coming weeks. He could be a good option for us or we could look to get him some game time elsewhere. Grant Hanley is suspended for this game.

DF: Ivo [Pinto] is in Turkey having talks with a club. Because he has done so well and was always there with a brilliant attitude and there for the team, we have to allow those talks for his future as his contract ends in the summer. We are quite relaxed.

DF: There is no news on Nelson Oliveira. Nothing has changed.

DF: Harvey Barnes is a brilliant player and has had a really big impact for West Brom, but that's what you have to handle in this business and I don't pay too much attention on what is happening with the opponent. Of course I prepare the team for our opponent, but if someone is not available it's always an opportunity for another player to shine. I don't expect them to be less motivated or with less quality.

DF: Wes Hoolahan was there with a really good performance in the FA Cup. It's strange to see Wes not in a yellow shirt, but you have to handle it and we are looking forward to seeing him as he is a good friend of this Club.

DF: We will treat him [Wes] like each and every other player during the game, but after the game we will invite him in our dressing room and we can chat. But when he has the ball we will want to get the ball.

DF: It is one of 46 games and each and every point is important. But when you win such a game it means the opponent doesn't get any points and that is important when they are in your region in the table. It's important we travel in a good mood and don't feel too much pressure. It's not too big but like each and every game it's important.

DF: Each game has it's own story and there are always different topics. Of course it's important to be there against such a good side and if you can win one or three points against them it's more like a bonus point.
When I think about the next five games in the first half of the season, we didn't win one of these games and got just two points. But we still finished the first half of the season at the top of the table. It's important not to be too addicted to one game, but we will invest everything.

DF: You have to handle the expectation when you work in this business and it's just important how you handle this expectation. Our first step was not to be concerned about relegation and that is already done. The next step was to improve our position from the last season and make sure we finish in the first half of the league table with at least 60 points. If we reach this we will see what is possible after that. We don't look too far ahead and then we won't lose the ground under our feet. Of course we are self confident and greedy to go further on, because it's no coincidence we are in this position after 26 games.

DF: Darren [Moore] has done a fantastic job and all the players have adapted to this league. Our performance at the beginning of the season was on a really good level, but we have improve our consistency. When I think back to our game with them at the start of the season it seems crazy we didn't get any points as we started so well.

DF: I want the young lads to keep their feet on the ground, work hard and improve their performance each and every day. They still have to carry the ball bags and do the stuff the experienced players don't have to do. It's important they don't think after 10 Championship games that they are superstars, but I'm not concerned at all and my experienced players make sure they don't lose concentration.

DF: What I learnt during my career is that it's important to be fair and honest with the players. I'm not willing to drop any level in terms of performance and it's not important if it is a big name or a younger lad, you always have to be fair with the players.

DF: We are relaxed in this transfer window and we totally trust and believe in our group of players. These are the group of players who work hard for this Club and are proud to wear the yellow shirt. Sometimes when you bring too many players in you risk the spirit and togetherness in the dressing room and we are not willing to do this.

DF: We won't fall asleep and we will stay awake until the end of January, but at the moment I am enjoying a pretty quiet January.

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That's all from Daniel. There will be more news at canaries.co.uk throughout the day.

Posted By: DrDublin on January 11th 2019 at 13:49:07

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