Club

GRAEME JONES ON MILLWALL, TUNNICLIFFE AND HIS MIDFIELD

Town boss Graeme Jones felt Saturday’s performance in the win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday was his side’s best so far this campaign.

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The 2-1 victory at Ewood Park means the Hatters have now won three of their last five Sky Bet Championship games, sitting in 17th in the Championship with ten points after nine games.

Ten games is often seen as a gauge of how a team will fare come the end of the season, but Graeme feels that his side still have improvements to make, although overall he is content with how they have got on so far.

He said: “We’re nine games in and we have done OK. I really liked the performance on Saturday, off and on the ball. Saturday was our best performance of the season, without a doubt. You go to a Premier League stadium, a stadium and a team that have got huge history, that won the Premier League 25 years ago, so not too long ago in our history.

“They’re the best Championship side we have faced in my opinion, they can hurt you from so many different areas and so many different ways and we won and it was really, really satisfying. It guarantees you nothing for Wednesday night, absolutely nothing, you start again – that’s the modern game, we’ve got a different style to plan for in Millwall.

“It will be a totally different environment at home, it’s a night game, so we have to be ready for whatever comes our way, that’s the most important quality in football now. You need to be adaptable, you need to be flexible, so just look forward.

Ryan Tunnicliffe faces his former side in the Lions – having been released by The Den outfit in the summer – with Jones delighted with his midfielder’s performances since he arrived at Kenilworth Road.

“He’s been a very good signing, really, really happy with him,” Jones explained. “He has had to change positions, he has had to show his game intelligence and understanding, which is far better than I ever give him credit for. So I really like where he is. There’s a message for Ryan, he doesn’t have to show any emotion in this game, he has to go about his business in the same way he has done for the previous games and he will be absolutely fine.”

Jones opted to switch up his midfield on Saturday afternoon as Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu partnered Tunnicliffe in the middle, with Jacob Butterfield sitting just behind.

Izzy Brown moved up the pitch into a more attacking role – with their ability to change positions something the gaffer is working on.

He said: “I still feel like after Saturday we are a work in progress in that area [midfield]. we have got really capable midfield players, but none of them are specific to certain roles, so having that rotation and having that understanding in the eight role, or the six role or the ten role, that’s the work in progress.”

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