The midget in the suit may well have disappeared for much of the second half after his first forty-five minutes of demented arm waving and charging about but he was more than happy enough at the final whistle.
“It is a fantastic result, there is no doubt about it,” he said. “This is a very difficult place to come and get a result, it is our first win in six years here, the pitch was difficult, it was very soft and very heavy, and we knew that it would be a physical battle.
“It was important that we stood up to them and battled and we have done that very well, it was nice to score a wonderful goal with one of our set pieces and a tremendous second goal. We work hard at set pieces and it is nice to see them coming off and there is no doubt about it, it was a wonderful goal.
“I was pleased with our general play, the way we have had to defend, the type of game we have had to play in and the conditions of the pitch, a difficult surface which doesn’t really suit the type of game we like to play. But we adapted, we changed and each individual gave us everything we had.”
On the match itself he said, “We’re disappointed with the result. We could have defended better for the first goal and we said at half time we had to be careful of the counter attack.
“I thought we dominated the game in the second half, so we are disappointed in the end. I thought the players gave me everything today, they gave me absolutely everything and never stopped or gave in so that is a credit to them.
“We need a break, but the harder you work, the luckier you get and as ninety minute performances go, that has been the best one for a long time because we have been good in either half.
“We haven’t played for ninety minutes like we did today and sometimes this game is cruel so I feel for the players at the moment because on another day that would have been good enough.
“We maybe didn’t have that cutting edge today and if you take fourteen goals out of your team the game was going to be difficult anyway. That doesn’t detract from the players who played though, because they gave it their all today.”
It was never likely that he wouldn’t be asked about the Ade Akinbiyi situation and he quickly admitted that it hadn’t been the best of weeks. “It’s been a shite week,” he admitted.
But then he spoke of the situation at Turf Moor with regard to players coming in and leaving the club and he didn’t hold back. “The worst thing is that we are never in charge here and since I’ve been here, I’ve never been in charge of what happens with players leaving. That is an ambition in my career, to one day be in charge of that.”