Caretaker wants hard work on Saturday
Burton Albion caretaker manager Mike Whitlow has praised the characteristics of the Albion squad as he prepares to take temporary charge on Saturday at home to Plymouth Argyle.
Gary Rowett’s departure for Birmingham City on Monday saw Whitlow be handed the reins until a successor is found, and he believes the new manager will be coming into a positive environment at the club.
“I’m here for Saturday, and after that hopefully someone can come in and take this club forward. With the facilities, the lads and the Chairman in the building, they’ve got a great opportunity of progressing.
“The biggest thing for me is that I get to work with a great group of lads. Gary laid a great foundation here and they’re third for a reason. They’re good players and we’ll give it our all on Saturday.
“I’m going to look forward to this week and trying to get three points against Plymouth. We want to go out and give a good account of ourselves and I guarantee that they will work their socks off. If they don’t work as hard as they can then they won’t be involved because it’s all I’ve ever known and all I expect,” Whitlow said.
The caretaker manager has made it very clear that he wants hard work from the side when the Pilgrims visit on Saturday, but he also wants the players to showcase their ability on Saturday.
“We’ve had a meeting where I’ve said I want honesty and hard work, but with a smile on their face. If they show enough passion and will to win on Saturday then, along with the ability in the squad it will be a really good game.
“When a team goes across the white line they will go out and give everything. They’ll make mistakes but it’s about limiting the errors, being focused and knowing what you want to do. We’ll look to get it down and play, but the game will dictate how we play,” he continued.
Whitlow has also praised Rowett for the team he put together, and he will use the help of two players – Ian Sharps and Lee Bell, during his time in the caretaker role.
“They have a good defensive record and good players, but this is about Burton Albion, with our players creating chances and scoring goals. A lot of credit goes to Gary for the team he put together and whoever comes in will have a great set of lads to work with.
“You can never get enough help with things, and we’re on the same wavelength in what we’re trying to do, which really helps. I’m looking forward to it and the most important thing is the lads going out to get three points on Saturday.
“I won’t need to motivate anyone. Gary has put together a good, honest group and I need to make sure they have a go on Saturday. I’ll set the lads up and I would love for whoever to come in and take over to see a group of players that make them think they want a crack at Burton Albion.”