Jon Whitney knows that the atmosphere at Ricoh Arena on Saturday is not going to be peaceful at all as the home fans there will try a lot of things to show their dissent against the top brass of their club, but, he is not bothered about it as the coach of the visiting team.
The previous time when Ricoh Arena had hosted a game, there was a deliberate attempt by the spectators to somehow not let the game progress and for that; they threw a lot of objects towards the pitch as a result of which the game was not able to be started on usual time.
Whitney suspects that it may be the same during his team’s game as well and it may turn out to be a scenario where the game has to be stopped at some point and started again and then stopped again because of the obstructions caused by the spectators, but, he reckons that’s not going to affect his boys because he has got them prepared.
As per Whitney, the practice sessions have been held in a slightly unique way in the Walsall camp. They haven’t practiced in a flow. They have practiced with breaks in between in order to get themselves used to the breaks that may be there during the Coventry game.
Whitney believes that for the players, it’s just about making sure that they maintain their focus Anfield Roar for a slightly longer period than they normally have to do. Generally they have to focus for the one and a half hour period which is the normal length of the game, but, if it’s a start-stop, then it will be a longer process. So they may have to focus for 15 or 20 extra minutes and they are prepared for it.