The under pressure coach was asked about the fact that so many of his players are new to the top flight.
He stated to reporters about whether his team can find enough points to avoid relegation: “Well I really believe in the players. My job is to try and transmit the belief to the players that they can believe in themselves as much as I believe in them and what we're doing.
“I don't think they have any doubt when we speak and we have open conversations, the belief in what they're doing or what they're trying to be or what they're trying to do.
“But of course, wins help that and points help that and the biggest job is to eliminate the external noise, it's so difficult, so maybe at times we're the only voice attending, they're good enough, maybe, even family members will question.
“I’ve been there as a player, agents, supporters obviously, media, pundits, everyone questions if you are good enough or not good enough, so yeah, it's being able to switch that off and zoom in and focus on what's really important. We're trying to do that as well as we can with our lads.”
On their positive performances this term, he added: “A lot, yeah, we like, we shouldn't be on the points we are, it's incredibly hurtful and embarrassing that we're only on five points, we should have more.
“But there have been a few too many mistakes and there have been a few too many moments we haven't managed well, disappointments in games and setbacks, so we have to keep trying to grow, grow as a group, grow individually.
“They are growing and they are getting better and we're so competitive, went to a team in the Champions League on Saturday, there really wasn't much in the game.
“We make one mistake, and they score, until then there's nothing in it, after that, there's nothing in it really and then the last 10-15 minutes completely changes.
“If you then look at the game purely on the stats after the last 15 minutes when it's transitional, completely changes the context of it.
“We're not far away and we have to just keep working, keep concentrating on the process and ourselves and just keep trying to be better.”
On their upcoming game against Tottenham, he finished: “I don't know (if its a good time to play Spurs), I don't think it's ever a good time to play any team, I think its context is really. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors with them, I don't know how they're feeling about their performances.
“When I look at the results, I look at the way they're playing, there's a lot to like about their performances, they've also had a lot of injuries themselves similar to us so they've been a bit disrupted in the rhythm of their team.
“I think a wounded animal is quite dangerous, so they've been on the end of a couple of tough results so I think maybe that makes them more of a threat.”
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