Sincs: Solidarity Essential

Trevor Sinclair reveals that the players have been regularly reassuring Glenn Roeder in person that they are happy with his regime - even if they haven't always been able to prove it as they would want to on the pitch.

And, when asked who he was most pleased for following a good performance against Manchester United, he says unhesitatingly:

"The gaffer; although we do get stick we can quite easily take it because we are a group and that is quite easy because of it.

"The gaffer is doing everything right and we are the people on the pitch that have not been getting the results - not him.

"He is sending us out with the right tactics and the players haven't produced; for the manager to get stick has been disappointing.

"If we don't feel for him there would be something wrong, but we all do - and that is why we are glad that we got a result on Sunday, stopped the rot and hopefully we can go away to Aston Villa next week and try to build on that performance."

Trevor recognises that if the players didn't fully appreciate what Glenn is doing, his job would be a lonely, and he explains:

"It depends who is around you and I think there have been quite a few players into his office, and knockingon his door, reassuring him we are all behind him.

"We are going to be trying that extra bit hard so we can get ourselves and him out of this predicament we are in.

"We respect him; it is not like we go out socialising with him but it is decent working there every day.

"It is as if you are going in thinking 'oh s***, I've got to deal with him, and do this, do that.

"We are enjoying working with him and what we are doing, and that is what it is all about at the end of the day."

As for his own situation - and with a new born baby, not to mention a mask to protect a broken cheekbone to contend with - he says:

"Everything is fine, the baby and my wife are healthy and I am getting some sleep - in a different room the night before the match!

"I felt really comfortable in it as I have done since I had to wear it; it doesn't really restrict me though it is slightly uncomfortable when I wear it.

"But when you get out there you have to forget about it as there is a job in hand.

"I had practised heading in training to see what it felt like - it does cut the face a little bit but apart from that there are no problems."

But was he happy or disappointed to draw aginst Manchester United?

After all, he is a Manchester City fan...

"A bit of both; it was good because we didn't lose, which we could quite easily have done if we had not stayed focused," he says.

"But it was bad because we could easily have won it; we had a lot of chances and I feel we bossed the game a lot of the time, especially in the first half.

"In the last 15 or 20 minutes, apart form the last two minutes, we bossed it as well.

"They are a great team and for us to play as well as we did has to make us disappointed at not taking all three points; in a way that is a good thing."

Trevor says that, although people have focused on Jermain Defoe for getting on the score sheet against Manchester United, he deserves praise for his diligence of late.

"It will get to any centre forward who is not scoring as often as they have all their careers; it has been a test for J and he has come through it now," says Trevor.

"We all said to him you just need a tap-in; it wasn't a tap-in but it virtually was and that hopefully that will give him that spring he needs to go and score some more goals.

"I think their goal was touch and go as well; he was lively and he deserved the goal.

"J has worked so hard and the fans can see that; there is no way they can try and boo him or anything.

"He has such determination and desire; there were a couple of games when the ball looked like it was going out of play but he just kept on going.

"And he is not the biggest of lads, but he just keeps going and works so hard and tirelessly for the team.

"Sometimes it is not seen by everyone but he has got a good head on his shoulders, he knows what it takes to become top notch player - and he is going about it the right way."