Press news in...

We await Mr Manning at Colney to preview a #NCFC midweek cup trip to Watford.
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*We start with injuries. Amankwah Forson has a hamstring injury and won't be available at Watford. Scan today. No other serious issues but "a couple of bumps and bruises", says the City head coach.*

Lm: "It feels like we lost it rather than they won it and we played them at their game. We expected them to come out at half time and look different, and naturally Alex (Neil) came in and solved the problem for them. We made it their game in the second half."

LM: "I spoke to a few individually and then we had a team meeting," says Manning of the process of dealing with the Millwall loss. "If we want to improve we've got to be really open and honest. If we want the team to be successful that's what we need to do."

LM: "It's the first time that team played together at the weekend. We'll develop those relationships but not under pressure. It's how we do it together. We'll use those bits and maximise the learning."

LM: "Vlad had one save to make (against Millwall) and theirs had two. I felt relatively comfortable from set-pieces. But we need to better convert the first half control we had into final third entries and chances. We got into some half decent areas. There were some decent moments and opportunities."

LM (On Kivstgaarde): We have to get him into positions to utilise his strengths: his running, getting on the end of crosses. Wehether that's up front or slightly behind, it's how to get him into those positions. He's definitely pushing [for a start] and moving in the right direction."

LM: (On team for tomorrow): "I think it's a blend. We want to give opportunities to people who haven't had minutes and build that in players. We need to find that continuity and consistency but also with some changes as well. "I'll be doing everything to win tomorrow night, just because we make changes doesn't mean we're not trying to win the game or belittling it."

LM: (On fringe players): "The most important bit is players grabbing that opportunity. It's about them giving me a headache and focusing on what they can."

LM: (On Watford): "To be honest I've just looked into their games and their setup. I haven't invested too much time into the changes they've made, just taking the information we need. We'll have to be good at everything. How do we control games with the ball and be aggressive without it?"

LM: (On transfers): "It's about refining it a little bit now," says LM. "But even then there's noise. We'll continually have these chats until the window shuts, so it'll be controlling what we can and dealing with what we need to when it arises."

LM: "Ben (Knapper) and Lee (Dunn) are doing a great job, not just in terms of Sarge but everyone. That's where the game has evolved in terms of the forward planning."

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That's all from the City boss today. Onto Watford.

Posted By: DrDublin on August 11th 2025 at 14:39:49

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