We put assistant manager Alan Lewer 'on the spot' with your questions.

Click on the "Q&A" link on the left to access similar interviews.

Mark Stuart-Wood kicked off by asking: "What do you think has been your most important contribution to the clubs success thus far this season?"

Alan: "I think that's working in harmony with the gaffer, because if you're working in harmony I think the players see that. I believe the players look at us as a good management team and hopefully we can take them to the next stage. It's about communicating with the players on a daily basis, and making sure that they're OK off the pitch as well - its not just about on the pitch.

"But I think it's mainly that the Gaffer and I have a good relationship, and I believe that wherever you work the staff want to see the management team working in harmony and it's a big boost."

Matt Ramsay asks: "What were the realistic pre-season expectations for the club to achieve this year, and have they changed since then?"

Alan: "Firstly to be above where we were last year, because obviously over the last eight years Cambridge have been on a downward spiral. We wanted to achieve a better performance than last year and hopefully we're on our way to do that.

"Have they changed? I think people do get carried away from where we are. We're only a small squad and when the FA Cup and the Setanta Cup and the FA Trophy games kick in that will test us to the limit."

Daniel Lowe asks:" Who's the biggest character at the club?"

Alan: "We've got six or seven of those. People look up to Danny Brown as a character, Danny Potter, Mark Albrighton, Stephen Reed is one of a kind... actually I could just keep going with a list of names and I think that's why the club is on a high. You've got a lot of characters in there, a lot of people that the younger players look up to because of where they've been and what they've done, and there's a good blend of youth and experience within the side."

Fred Clamp asks: "Which player works the hardest in training?"

Alan: "I'd say the whole squad are fantastic in training. You get one or two who are better than others and there are a lot of good trainers, but I've been very impressed with Robbie Wolleaston."

Keith asks: "Have you ever had a Kebab from Troys in Crawley (Alan's previous club) and if so would you agree that they are the best in the U.K or quite possibly the world?"

Alan: "I wouldn't eat one of those, they're full of fat."

Peter Parnwell asks: "Who is the best player you have coached or managed, and why?"

Alan: "I don't think he's the best player I've ever worked with but I think Daryl Clare is probably one of the best strikers I've worked with at this level. I think he's got everything that you need of a striker; he's fantastic with the ball into feet and he comes alive in the box. People don't give him credit for his workrate."

Roger Jones asks: "Who is the most improved player so far this season?"

Alan: "That's hard for me to say because I wasn't here last year, but I've enjoyed working with Robbie Wolleaston.

"People have told me that people were on his back a little bit last year, and I would have to say that he's a great, genuine guy with a lot of ability. He has the crowd on his side at the moment and I think you'll see that that's bringing the best out of him."

Lee Appleton asks: "What is a normal day for you?"

Alan: "It starts at about 8am, and if there's a game to watch at night you're not getting back home until about 11.30pm and that's probably two or three times a week. The rest of it is all about working on the training ground and what you do there depends on what is needed.

"We could be preparing for a weekend game, in which case we're preparing on working on certain patterns of play, because we have all teams watched to see how we can impose ourselves on the game, and then working on set pieces, for and against, after that. It varies from day to day."

Mark Thompson asks: "Are you as hard as you look or are you a big softy at heart?"

Alan: "I don't think I'm hard but Jim and I have certain expectations of the players and I might come over that way, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that the players are happy and the Gaffer's happy. If we've got that then we're all happy, aren't we, and hopefully we can go on and have an outstanding year."

This Q&A session is part of a long interview that took place in early October 2007 and is supplementary to the Feature article here, which is based on the same interview.

Andrea Thrussell

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