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Joe Williams press conference | Bristol City vs Watford · Bristol City

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Joe, it's good to catch up.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: I imagine you were you were kicking every ball in the stands on Tuesday night.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, obviously um frustrating night.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um obviously want to be out there all the time as much as I can, but minutes, managing minutes at this stage of season is quite important for me, and um yeah, hopefully we can put it right on tomorrow night.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Michael's talked about managing you this season when he tells you on Tuesday you're not involved in the squad.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do you accept that, or does a bit of you say, Come on, Gaffer, put me in, I want to play?
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_02: I I obviously want to play every game, um, but I also trust the manager and the staff to manage me at this period.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I was out a long time last year, it was basically a year out.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_02: So um, especially at the start of the season, I think managing minutes is important, and then as we get on, I'm sure I'll be able to play three games in a week, so it's not enough.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because watching from the stands, I mean you you've you've had such a very positive start to the season.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: How much are you enjoying being back on the pitch and contributing for Bristol City?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's nothing better than playing playing football, you know.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um every player just wants to be out there in the pitch and playing.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm competitive, so I always want to win and I always want to do well for the team.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been it's been really good so far.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um barring a couple of results, I think we've we've started okay.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: How's Bristol City different this season under Michael Scabala um as to some of the previous managers you worked under?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, he's obviously got um different style of play, uh, which I think suits the club and the and the players.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and obviously we've got 10, 11, I think 11 new new signings, I'm not quite sure.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and getting everyone to gel together, it it's quite different because we had a we had a group for about three years that was that was the same, really.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been a lot of change and a lot of new characters and a lot of new players, everyone learning new relationships and stuff like that.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: So um yeah, it's a lot of change managing and players.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I know this is a subjective question, but how does this squad compare to some of the previous squads that you've been involved with at Ashton Gate?
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's exciting.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: You know, obviously, we've had some good uh teams down the years.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: You had Alex Scott and Samenyo moving for big money, and they were they were once 21, 22 as well, learning, learning and stuff like that, and they they're looking very good now.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we've got similar, we've got 21-year-olds, 22-year-olds who uh want to go and play in the Premier League, so it's just about learning at this this stage, and and hopefully me and the experienced lads can guide them on the way.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I asked to smile with a smile on our face because normally they like a player, uh two players for every position, but it seems at City and in midfield there are three, four, five players for the position.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, how are you assessing the competition specifically in midfield this season?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love it.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's something we didn't have last year, so um to have it this year, I think every every player's welcomed it.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then uh it's just about getting the team, getting your shirt, keeping your shirt, um, which is a good thing, I think.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I think all the lads are up for the challenge and welcome it.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: But every player that goes on the pitch, we all want each other to do well.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's the culture that we have in the dressing room.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're playing or not playing, we all want each other to do well and we want what's best for this club.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: And how does it feel being I I I'm assuming Bristol City's longest serving player?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's 2020 you joined the football club.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it seems a long time ago.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, lots of ups and downs.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but I've enjoyed I've enjoyed every minute, especially when I've been fit to enjoy it every minute anyway.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, I love it here.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: I love the place, love the club.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, I've really, really enjoyed my time and I'm enjoying working with this new group of players and the manager.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: We spoke to Jason last week and inevitably we asked about his contract situation, your deals up in 12 months.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Is that something you're thinking about at all, or are you just letting your football do the talking at the moment?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: No, I've just played, I'm just enjoying football, enjoying being fit, enjoying um playing as well as I can.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm I'm quite calm with Everton at the minute.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um and yeah, just feeling good, feeling fit, feeling strong, and really calm about the situation.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: We've got this long, long break coming up for international, so it'd be nice to go into it with a with a win.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: How do you assess the home form?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: And when teams come and maybe put players behind the ball, is it a conundrum to try and break them down and beat them?
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um obviously, home forming last year went too good.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we started this year, got a win port so we've lost the other two.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: Millwall over it was we were down to 10 men, so a bit of an exception.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um the other night you're gonna get tough games in the league, you're gonna get teams coming to try and frustrate you.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um just about we've got new lads, uh young lads, just about trying everyone half time, try and not get too frustrated with nil another half-time.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Arsenal last year, the amount of games do one around 1-0.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so every game's difficult.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's just about being patient, moving the ball, um, and you know, believing in ourselves that chances will come and goals will come.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um try and not give the sloppy goals away because you know it killed us a little bit the other night, just giving I felt like we gave them the goal.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um but yeah, uh I think I think the home form's gonna come.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: We feel good at home, we feel comfortable at home, and if we can get the home form out was a couple of years ago on that playoff run, I think we'll be in for um I think we'll be in for a good season.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for your time, thank you.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Joe Rich kind of asked you about how Bristol City's changed and the time you've been here.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: I guess how how do you feel you've changed as a player in those what six six years now?
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: How does the Joe Williams play for Bristol City now compare to that player?
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't think I've changed too much.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: I think I've always been the same player and played played the same sort of way.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think I'm better at helping my teammates a lot more on the pitch.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um but I wouldn't say I've changed too much.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: I've always gone out on the pitch, give it 100%, and I've always backed myself to do well, whoever to play against the midfield.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, I wouldn't say too much has changed, but I'd say I can help my teammates around me a lot better.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: You must feel like you've got an important role to play as well.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned that change in the playing squad, quite a few young players adapting to the championship for the first time.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: I guess that only makes the people like you who've been around the block a bit more important in the dressing room.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, we've got a we've got a young squad, we've got a young, young squad.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um so leaning on the likes of me who've played a lot of championship games, Nike played a lot of championship games, Ged Wallace, Rob Dickey, um just leaning on us for experiences.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's just nice to have them type of players in the building and who you can get little bits of advice from, stuff like that.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, they haven't need they haven't really needed much help.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: They've they've talked to it really well so far.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um can't I can't compliment them all enough how they've handled it so far.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: I think they've been really good, but as I say, there will be times in the season when there's dips and there's highs and there's lows.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's just about how we all deal with that as a as a team and as a dressing room.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: What's that been like this week?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: I guess that's that feels like the first probably bump in the road this season, a little bit result-wise performance-wise.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: What's the sort of reaction being in the building?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's been fine, yeah.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's it there's not been any any drama, it's been quite calm.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, everyone's still confident, everyone's still in positive spirit, and you know, even when we won three games in a row, you're gonna have a loss or two along the way.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's about reacting to that.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: And can we react to that building and build another good run?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, it's just about you know you're gonna get bumps in the road, it's a long season, and um, we're all quite calm and positive about it tomorrow night.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's just like game on Tuesday, and obviously, there's been times where you've been out of the squad in recent years.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: What sort of do you learn more from watching in the stamps?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Can you gain like a different perspective sometimes that maybe you don't see when you're on the pitch?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: You obviously see the game differently.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um it looks easier because you understand.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: But telling you when you're on the pitch, it's definitely not.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um you turn into a better player when you're watching, don't you?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh now it's it's good to watch, but obviously you want to be on the pitch, but you get little bits, little bits and bobs.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um but to be honest, I'd just rather be out there.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: To be fair, just rather be out there playing and be out there with the lads, to be honest.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: So it's tough when you're in the stand because you can't affect too much when you're when you're out there and further things are going well or things aren't going well, you feel like you can affect the game, but when you're watching it, it's a bit hard, it's a bit hard watching and frustrating at times, but yeah, definitely rather be on the pitch.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think we touched on a bit after the mill game when we spoke with the sort of summer.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: How early did you kind of come back?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: As Michael mentioned that he thinks you were one of the first in the building ready for pre-season just to get get your body in the right place right now.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um I knew at the back end of last year I was trying to chase something that weren't there.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: I was just trying to chase games and I was you know, I had a lot of a lot of setbacks along the way and the rehabs and stuff like that.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_02: So there just come a point at the end, and I was just like right, blank canvas and build into the off season.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: I think I only had a I had a week, I had a week off, and I just went all for it.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: Me and Luke McNally, to be fair too.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: We went to Portugal, we went away, and we just done a lot of training with the physios here, and they were brilliant.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um because I basically had a year off, so any more time off it would have done than we had in, like, so um yeah, basically had a week, maybe I think maybe two weeks, and then we were just cracking on really, and it held me in good stead, like because I feel really good, I feel fit, strong, um, and the staff and everyone have been really good with me through the off season, yeah.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: So everyone's worked really hard to get us back.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: You must be delighted for Luke this week as well, playing for the under 20 under 21 such a long time for him to be out.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: No, I made up like there was some there was some times in there when me and me and him were scratching our heads a bit when are we ever gonna get back on the pitch and stuff like that, and it's it was tough for both of us, and we had each other there all along the way, and um it's nice having people you like you can speak to about stuff like that and all things.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: So we were with each other through the full way, and nice.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm mate, honestly, so happy to see him back playing, and he fully deserves it work so hard.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm made up to see him back.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because we've spoken a lot when we spoke to Dormer of the young players coming out of that hunger to I guess make a mark on the championship.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: I guess you've got that.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Luke will have that in a different way.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: Of you you want to show everyone, you know, I'm still about I've still got what it takes to help this club get together.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: 100%, yeah.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, when you're out for a year, you can I wouldn't say forgotten about the word, but um well, yeah, you probably can be forgotten about a little bit.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um but me and Luca know Luke Luke and me especially, we've spoken about it.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_02: We never lose our belief in our and like ourselves as players.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: We always know that we're gonna come back, we're gonna go put put good performances in, and having that inner belief in yourself through tough times is is vital, really, especially when you're injured because um because you need it, you need it for when you come back.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: So we were buzzing, we used to speak about getting back together for a long time.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_02: So hopefully you can just um you can get on the pitch with me, really, just both both hungry and ready to get going.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Fingers crossed, and just tomorrow night, what sort of test do you expect in from Watford?
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: They've seemed to have had some really good performances, and maybe some not quite so where they want to be.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: You know, they're all I've played Watford a load a load of times now, they're they're a top team championship level, physically strong, really good in transition, got a lot of pace in the team.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, they're gonna be a tough test, but you know, we just need to focus on ourselves.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think tomorrow night, performance level, make it really good, and then hopefully the result will match if you just focus on our performance level being really good, I think.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: You played in some special games on the the Ashton Gate lights.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: I think about to in that run-up to the playoff campaign, it can be a really difficult place for teams to come at that sort of time.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely we need to make it like that again.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Some of the memories I've had here like FA Cup nights, playoff runs, late goals.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: Like I've had some unbelievable memories here, and I I want this season us uh create all our memories again because that's what it's about, really.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: We're connecting with our fans, creating the memories, and just making this place really hard, really hard for teams to come again.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I know we're not far, I'm not we're not far off there.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um so hopefully tomorrow night we can have it, we can have it bouncing like and get a get a good atmosphere, and we comes from us, we need to give the fans something to to get off the seats about.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: So we're ready to go and we wanna we wanna win the game, yeah.