North End’s Gibraltan defender Scott Wiseman admits the countdown to the start of the season is well and truly on.
The Lilywhites No.4 spoke to PNE.Com ahead of the final pre-season game and admitted that the days and hours were being closely watched on the clock.
“Of course it is,” he said when asked whether it was like the countdown to Christmas in the dressing room currently. “I can’t wait for the season to get started, the same as any of the fans.
“It’s a brilliant time for the lads, it’s a brilliant time for me and it is a fantastic time for the Club.
“Results are an irrelevance in pre-season, but it helps that they have been positive. We don’t look too much into it if we win, lose or draw. When you look back and reflect on how we have played, as well as the results, it has been a very good pre-season.
“The performances have been there for all to see and it sends out good messages to the teams in the division when we get the wins; whether they look into it or not, they will notice what we are doing.
“Scouts have been to watch us already to see what we are doing and how we are setting up, so they will have seen how we set up, the different formations we have at our exposure and the qualities we have in the squad and how we can chop and change.
“Everyone is excited in the dressing room.”
This is the international’s first pre-season at Springfields and admitted it has been hard work, but enjoyable, especially in the dressing room, with the new recruits.
“From day one everyone has been together and the gaffer has brought in players with the same nature and the same attitude that was already here, which is why everyone wants to stay and be part of it, that’s an atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of,” he continued.
“I’m 28-years-old now and I have seen enough bad apples come into the changing room where managers haven’t done their due diligence on the player off the field and they can create a bad atmosphere, but fortunately we don’t have that here.
“There is not a question mark over anybody, including the new lads that have come in and it has been fantastic.”
With just one more game before the big kick-off against Notts County he says that the disappointments of 2013/14 are gone, but not forgotten, as the fire in the belly will linger a long time yet.
“After last season we can see our way forward. We know what went wrong we know what we did right as well and how we can improve and what we have to do is capitalise on those areas we can improve and we have done that over the summer.
“There have been some good additions to the squad; we’ve worked even harder in pre-season than I’m sure we did last summer – even though I wasn’t here – it’s been brilliant and great to be a part of it.
“You can never look too much into the start any team makes in a season; that’s the same in every year that has gone before this one. The first ten games mean nothing as to how it will finish, but after that things begin to take shape and even then there is plenty to play for.
“What we have to do is not look much into it and get off to the best start we can,” he added.
“Of course it is,” he said when asked whether it was like the countdown to Christmas in the dressing room currently. “I can’t wait for the season to get started, the same as any of the fans.
“It’s a brilliant time for the lads, it’s a brilliant time for me and it is a fantastic time for the Club.
“Results are an irrelevance in pre-season, but it helps that they have been positive. We don’t look too much into it if we win, lose or draw. When you look back and reflect on how we have played, as well as the results, it has been a very good pre-season.
“The performances have been there for all to see and it sends out good messages to the teams in the division when we get the wins; whether they look into it or not, they will notice what we are doing.
“Scouts have been to watch us already to see what we are doing and how we are setting up, so they will have seen how we set up, the different formations we have at our exposure and the qualities we have in the squad and how we can chop and change.
“Everyone is excited in the dressing room.”
This is the international’s first pre-season at Springfields and admitted it has been hard work, but enjoyable, especially in the dressing room, with the new recruits.
“From day one everyone has been together and the gaffer has brought in players with the same nature and the same attitude that was already here, which is why everyone wants to stay and be part of it, that’s an atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of,” he continued.
“I’m 28-years-old now and I have seen enough bad apples come into the changing room where managers haven’t done their due diligence on the player off the field and they can create a bad atmosphere, but fortunately we don’t have that here.
“There is not a question mark over anybody, including the new lads that have come in and it has been fantastic.”
With just one more game before the big kick-off against Notts County he says that the disappointments of 2013/14 are gone, but not forgotten, as the fire in the belly will linger a long time yet.
“After last season we can see our way forward. We know what went wrong we know what we did right as well and how we can improve and what we have to do is capitalise on those areas we can improve and we have done that over the summer.
“There have been some good additions to the squad; we’ve worked even harder in pre-season than I’m sure we did last summer – even though I wasn’t here – it’s been brilliant and great to be a part of it.
“You can never look too much into the start any team makes in a season; that’s the same in every year that has gone before this one. The first ten games mean nothing as to how it will finish, but after that things begin to take shape and even then there is plenty to play for.
“What we have to do is not look much into it and get off to the best start we can,” he added.