RUFC - Scott happy with second half performance

Rotherham United manager, Andy Scott was pleased with the second half performance of his side this afternoon.
Speaking to Radio Sheffield after the three-nil win, Scott said, 'It's a fantastic start to 2012, although I wouldn't have said that after the first forty-five minutes because it was dire. It looked a little lacklustre and as though we were waiting for something to happen.

'I was going to make a change with ten minutes to go of the first half because we needed a spark and it looked like we were waiting for them to do something which we couldn't let happen. Then I was going to make a change at half-time but Danny (Harrison) was groggy and has a problem with his ear which doesn't look good and so we had to take him off and re-shuffle, so, in effect, it made us make the change I was going to do anyway.

'In the second half we were a completely different side. We controlled the whole game. We passed well and we were actually getting the ball from our throw-ins and keeping it. We were getting our full-backs out, changing play, linking up with our front players, getting it wide, getting crosses in and all of a sudden we looked like a decent side and could have scored more goals.

'The inconsistency is from minute to minute and not just from game to game. It was disappointing that we started like that because we could have been behind and it was just our intentions going forward and our intentions on the ball weren't what I wanted in the first half. But, in the second half we more than made up for it.

'The whole purpose of me managing the players is to be positive and if they are trying to do something and make something happen for the team and themselves then I'm never going to pull them up for it. We made mistakes in the second half but we were trying to do the right thing.

'The people who watched that in the first half wouldn't have been impressed but second half they have seen a side that have tried to do the right thing and create chances, have plenty of energy and looked a decent side. That's what we want to produce for ninety minutes and it's what we are going to continue to try and do.

'Bradford were fantastic on Saturday when they beat Shrewsbury and we knew they were going to be at it again because they've got some strong, powerful players and they get the ball forward quickly but we dealt with it very well and kept another clean sheet. We've let one goal in in the last four games which is a massive turn around and that's going to be the key in the second half of the season.

'We know we've got goals in us. Grabbs (Lewis Grabban) doesn't really like playing wide right but, in effect, we've got three centre-forwards on the pitch who can score and, in the second half we got them in the right areas to get the ball. And Sam Wood on the left, found himself in some fantastic positions that we've been working on to get in between full-backs and centre-halves. He won the ball for the penalty with the energy he's got, which we lacked in the first half. We knew if we moved the ball properly or got the ball wide then we could open them up and get it into our front men's feet easier. Both our full-backs got forward and we smothered the game and we got the ball wide and created chances.'






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