Tommy Doyle is urging his Wolves teammates to do whatever it takes to secure a vital first win of the Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.
After coming off the bench at half-time of his side’s narrow defeat to former club Manchester City at Molineux, the midfielder believes there are still positives to take from the loss, but emphasised the importance of finally turning performances into results.
With Wolves heading into a crucial stretch of games against teams in and around them in the Premier League standings, Doyle is confident Wolves have the ability to put their difficult start to the season behind them, starting with a strong showing at the Amex Stadium this weekend.
On getting 45 minutes against City
“I enjoyed it, massively, but it has been a little bit frustrating for me. All I can do is be ready when called upon, so I enjoyed being back out there.
“Obviously, it was a case of playing against a top team, and it's always difficult, but it's good to push yourself and test yourself against the best, and I think we did that really well, to be fair.”
What a stop, @josesaoficial 🧤 pic.twitter.com/Dt5tackP52
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 22, 2024
On being ready when called upon
“It's just about being ready and training hard every day, and that's what I do. I'm ready whenever called upon. I enjoy these games, I'm always ready for that moment, whether I start or not, I’m always ready.
“They're exciting games – my first time playing City since I've left there, so that was nice – but another main thing for me is winning, and obviously that's the frustrating part. But I think there's a lot more positives to take from that game than what we've had in the recent weeks.”
On support from both sides when he came on
“It was nice. I love the support that I get from the fans here, and it was nice to get a little ripple from the City fans as well, which was good.
“It's nice to see that I'm liked by both sides, and it was nice to see a few familiar faces in the away end. I had a few of my friends in there, but I wasn't really speaking to them on the day because I wanted to beat them! I saw them after the game, but it’s just the norm because they go everywhere.”
On going up against City for the first time
“I know some people get affected by it, but I just see it as another game, another chance to impress and a chance to play my game. That's what I saw it as.
“Obviously, they were all my mates, so it was good to play against them, good to battle, and the only downside is the late goal, which was obviously frustrating, but there are loads of positives that we now need to take into the weekend, and if we do that, I think results should start turning.”
On belief in the squad
“There's a lot more belief around it, but we've always got the belief. When you have these times when you're not winning games, it's difficult to find that belief, but we’ll keep going, keep working hard, keep listening to the gaffer and do what we do every week and go and put it in into the game.
“We've obviously got to be a lot more resilient, have a bit more passion, a bit more fight, but also improve on the ball. We've got to be better in all aspects and I think the way we were at the weekend would be a turning point.
“Defensively, we were really good, although it's difficult when you get the ball, because you’ve been defending for that long, so it's hard to then attack, but hopefully in these next fixtures where we're playing teams more in and around us, we've got to turn that around, and there is an expectation now for us to turn that around and we've got to do it.
“We have to be top in all aspects, especially with where we are now because you switch off for one minute, you get punished, and that's the way it is. We've felt that all season – if we've not played too well or not been switched on, we've been properly punished. But that's the way it is. We've got to take it now, how we played, and put it into Brighton.”
Brighton (A) on Saturday. 🐺 pic.twitter.com/aLSWCZnuSx
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 23, 2024
On getting the first win at all costs
“We still want to play good football and feel good and improve as a team, but at the point that we're in now, we've got to understand that we need to find wins, however that may be. We need to do it. Obviously, that comes from the staff and the manager, and we've got to go and put it into practice now.
“That's all I’m focused on. Of course, I want to play, but the main thing is we get three points. That is what the mindset has got to be – nothing less than that. We’re coming into a nicer run of fixtures, but we also understand that these games can be very tough.
“We can't take our eye off the ball and just expect us to be able to turn around and get good form, because football doesn't work like that. We've got to take these games like we're playing the likes of City, Liverpool – that's the mindset, that's the preparation and the focus that we've got to have, because if not, you don't win those games.”
