‘I was deciding whether to tell them or not’ – Alex Neil reveals message relayed to players before second half of win over Norwich City
ALEX Neil said “stranger things have happened” when asked if Millwall were back in the play-off hunt after their 3-1 win against Norwich City at The Den yesterday, and revealed he told his team results across the league were going their way at half-time.
The Lions’ play-off hopes looked to be in tatters after a 4-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers on Good Friday left them six points off sixth-placed Coventry City with three games remaining in the season.
Coventry, Bristol City, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion all lost yesterday, leaving the Lions just three points off the Sky Blues, who face Boro on the final day of the season.
When asked if Millwall were back in the play-off race, Neil said: “When you say a lot’s got to happen, a lot happened today. If those results didn’t happen today, it wouldn’t have mattered.
“But the bit that we needed where a lot had to happen, it happened. More importantly, some of those teams have still got to play each other, so we can go and win the next game and take it to the last game. Stranger things have happened in football.
“It’s interesting because at half-time I got told that everyone was in our favour and I was deciding in my head whether to tell them or not. And I did tell them and the reason I told them is I’m thinking if I was a player, I want know what’s riding on this game. I told them right before they went out in the second half and I think you could see that determination and hunger they had to, to get across the line.”
