Paul Tisdale: Stevenage have 'makings of good team', insists new manager

Paul Tisdale has managed teams in more than 700 matches, winning 278 and drawing 175

Paul Tisdale insists Stevenage have "the makings of a good team" after taking over as manager with them 21st in the League Two table.

Boro have turned to the former Exeter, MK Dons and Bristol Rovers boss after winning only four of 18 league games.

Tisdale replaces Alex Revell, who left on 14 November following a home defeat by Mansfield Town.

"Looking at some recent games, I've been nicely surprised by how hard they are trying," said Tisdale.

"The most important thing at the moment is that I set the players achievable targets, that they go into a game knowing they can meet those targets, and I give them a reason to have no performance anxiety.

"They can go out there and give their all, impress the supporters with a can-do attitude, with forward play, with having a go. I need that on the pitch soon.

"When it comes to how we finesse that, let me see what they are capable of, let me see the confidence in the squad and I'll pick my moment. To begin with I need to make sure we score more than the opposition and start with a very practical view."

Tisdale confident he can get performances

Tisdale, 48, was sacked by Rovers in February after less than three months in charge and he said he "looked deeply" into the way Stevenage play and the way the club is run before making an "informed decision" about accepting the job.

His first game in charge will be Tuesday's Papa John's Trophy game against Sutton United, to be followed on Saturday by an FA Cup second round tie away to Yeovil Town.

"There are some good people here and that gives me a lot of optimism about how I can affect that group of people and get some performances on the pitch," Tisdale told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"The impression I have is that the players have been very motivated, they are fully behind the club and it's a good environment, and often when teams are having a bad run that's not the case, so that's credit to them and the previous management team, credit to the club as a whole."

Although Tisdale will be able to bring in some new players in January's transfer window, he insisted there would be no excuses about the current group of players not being his team.

"The second you sign (the contract) as a manager, the players in the squad are your players. I don't adhere to the view that you should let me create my own squad before you judge me," he said.

"Those players at the training ground today are my players. I'm the manager, they're the players and they will represent me.

"In time, no doubt, that will change because football is a transitory business but at the moment they're my players, I want to give them the best opportunity to show me what they've got, and get the system that will enable us to get more results."

Tisdale added: "I don't believe there's a lot to tinker with, I think there's the makings of a good team here. I'm sure we're not going to win every game straight away but in time I'd like to find our way of winning and I'll build that over time."