Crawley Town boss says everyone must be 'mindful' of the level the club is at when setting targets
Scott Lindsey and his players kept their cards close to their chest when asked about targets and ambitions last season.
And it looks like it will be the same message this season as they embark on their first season in League One for nine years.
You always sensed there was a quiet confidence in Lindsey and his squad last season – and we all know how that turned out.
Now the new season is upon us and at the press conference for the Blackpool game, we asked Lindsey what can this new squad achieve.
He said: “What we did last season was have our own targets in house, we didn’t shout from the rooftops what we thought we could achieve and kept it quite private – and I think it’s important we do the same this season.
"However I do think we have to be mindful of the level we are at now and also of the opposition we are up against - there are some big sides, with big budgets, good players and good managers but we will be competitive.”
And there is no doubt Lindsey’s tactics won’t change a great deal just because they are in a new division facing much bigger clubs.
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"What I will say is that we will be going out to win every game we play, we will not try and park the bus. That’s not us. We are going to be aggressive.
"Will we win every game? Probably not, but we will try and win every game so the fans can enjoy watching a team who will try and win every week.
“But inside the four walls of the dressing room we have targets that we feel we can achieve.”
Fans have seen plenty of comings and goings this this season and Lindsey has had to work with an almost new squad throughout the summer. But he believes this is another team fans can get excited about.
"Well I’m excited so I hope the fans are too,” he said. “I feel with the recruitment, it’s really clear to me the owners want to recruit with data and it’s exciting for me because I get to work new players, I get to mould individuals, I get mould a new team. We have to be patient because it’s a new team.”
As soon as Lindsey joined the club in January 2023, he wanted to change the culture within the squad, and with his predominantly new squad, he needs to implement what he wants again. He said: “I also have to get the players to adhere to the culture that I built last season, I don’t want that to change, I want the standards to be through the roof but because there are so many new faces, it’s not going to happen overnight.
"They have to understand how I work, how my staff works, how the current players who remained here worked. The new players have to adhere to the standards that are set but I think that will take time but it’s exciting times for everybody.”
Reds face Blackpool in the League One season opener at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday, 5.30pm.