By David Percy - Connect FM
August 30 2004

Alan Solomons spoke to David Percy of Connect FM after the Edinburgh Gunners match, giving his reaction to to the first two games at the Gardens. This is the transcript of the interview. DP. ‘Alan, the first of two pre-season friendlies under your belt, what do you take away from today’s game with Edinburgh?’

AS. ‘Well I thought that the first sixty minutes were very very positive, in the sense that we created a lot of opportunities,we didn’t finish them off, I think that we were a little frenetic, a little bit rushed, I think, putting into a cricketing sense, we didn’t build an innings, we went out there and tried to hit sixes from the beginning, instead of laying a foundation, but the fact that we created those opportunities was very very good, and we looked good in that opening stanza, yes, in the last twenty minutes we did lose shape, and that’s understandable with the score line, allied to the fact that we brought on a lot of substitutions, the new guys’ had to play, but it just always make it difficult when you do that in a game, it tends to lose shape, there is nothing you can do about it’.


DP. ‘A lot of new players have come into the club, how are they gelling with the established players here at Franklins’ Gardens?’

AS. ‘Yeah, I think we have absolutely no problem there, we’ve got a first class bunch of players, and I think the guys have gelled together very very well, I think we’ve got a good squad, and I don’t think that there are any problems on that front.’


DP. ‘Has anyone surprised you in pre season training?

AS ‘I think in fairness, everyone has given their best, no one has disappointed me, and everyone has given 100% effort, but remember we have played very little game time in reality, it’s only been 160 minutes, and not everybody has had 160 minutes of game time, most have had only 80-100 minutes on the pitch.’


DP. ‘Do you think two friendlies are enough preparation for the upcoming season?’

AS. ‘I thought that having more than two friendlies in a season of this nature is unwise, there’s so much Rugby to be played and I think at the beginning of the season most of the sides are underdone, but that’s the way it is, if you are cooking now, you are going to be a bit overdone come the start of the season, but I think the first phase is now over, we play something like eight games before we are involved in the European campaign.’

DP. ‘Darren Fox sustained an injury in the game last week, what’s the news on him?’

AS. ‘Foxy’s really got a bruise, a haematoma thing of the hip, he should be alright for next week, we couldn’t risk him, he didn’t feel comfortable on Friday and he withdrew , but the optimistic bit is that he will be back in full training next week.’

DP. ‘Corne Krike made his Saints debut today, what did you make of his game?’

AS. ‘I thought he did well, he took a huge blow to the side of his jaw, his nose was bleeding, but he’s used to that (laughs), but we will know within twenty-four hours if it will be a problem.’

DP ‘For the record, when do you announce your side for a game?’

AS. ‘What I would normally do is announce the team for a Saturday game on the Wednesday, for a Friday on a Tuesday, and for a Sunday, usually on a Thursday, it gives m e time, and if the guys have had a few knocks and bruises it gives them time to recover, and me time to reflect on things, and I think you need time to make a considered opinion, and you can never make a decision on a player immediately after a game I don’t believe in holding the team back for a decision, if I do it would be for a very good reason, I think in the three years that I was at Ulster, I held back once, and there was a very good reason for holding back.’

DP. ‘You now have, what, four days training before the start of the season, how do you handle these days?’

AS. ‘Fundamentally, because we have played today, Monday is what we call a flush out, a combined skills session, getting everything working again, it’s a busy day for us, on Tuesday getting stuck into things with heavy lifting and getting prepared for the game.’

DP. ‘Looking forward to next week, the start of the Zurich premiership and the opening game at home to Bath, you are in the happy position of having a selection problem.’

AS. ‘Yes, it’s always good to have difficult selections, because that means that there’s strong competition for places, that always keeps players honest, and keeps them playing to the top of their game, but you are quite right, there are some difficult selections to make.’

DP. ‘How difficult is the Zurich Premiership, and what are your thoughts on Bath as an opening game?’

AS. ‘I think the Zurich Premiership is the strongest, what I would call provincial, probably the correct term is domestic representative competition in world Rugby, Bath were top of the league last year, so it’s going to be one heck of a game, the premiership is so powerful, and all twelve sides have expectations, and the mood in the camp is positive, and we are well aware of what is coming up.’

DP. ‘You’ve been here in Northampton for eight weeks now, how are you settling in here, and how do you find the place?’

AS. ‘It’s excellent, the people are fantastic, I think it is a very beautiful place, we’ve just moved into our new home, and it will take us a little while to get the boxes unpacked and get everything up and running, but I think we have settled in really well and the people at the club have been fantastic, and the people that we have met generally in Northampton have been exactly the same, and I feel very privileged to be here.’