Waddock backs himself to pull off the Great Escape (From Bucks Free Press)

Waddock backs himself to pull off the Great Escape

10:36pm Monday 28th December 2009

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WANDERERS boss Gary Waddock has backed himself to complete the Great Escape at Wycombe Wanderers – but wouldn't reveal how many of the current squad will still be there to help him do it.

He blasted his side after they turned a 2-1 half time lead into a 5-2 horror result at home to fellow strugglers Brighton on Monday and made it clear he has reached the end of his tether with some.

The collapse saw his team slide deeper into relegation trouble after a run which has seen them take just one point out of the last possible 12.

But while Waddock's side crashed 4-0 at Yeovil on Boxing Day and then meekly put up the white flag against Brighton two days later, the manager came out shooting with both barrels.

He said: “I am a fighter. I am a winner and it doesn't change what I'm trying to achieve here.

“I am not going to lie down and die – no chance.”

He made it clear that he will not let his under-performers drag him down, promising to replace them with players who are up for the fight.

Owner Steve Hayes has already made it public through the Bucks Free Press that Waddock will have money to spend during the January transfer window and the Wanderers boss says leaders are on the top of his shopping list.

He said: “In the situation we are in we have to have leaders and characters, people who are going to fight and scrap.

“We are too nice. We have got to be nasty and I've got to make some decisions that are going to be difficult.

“You don't become a bad team or a bad coach or manager overnight. I will work extremely hard to turn this around.”

He refused to say how many new players he wants to sign.

But he conceded that attracting fresh blood to a struggling club is going to be tough.

He said: “It's all very well the window opening but you have got to attract players and get them in and that's easier said than done.

But the going is set to get even harder. Yeovil and Brighton were both teams around Wycombe in the table but Saturday's home match against a promotion-chasing Norwich City side, managed by ex-Wycombe boss Paul Lambert, starts a tough January with matches against once-proud Leeds and Charlton to follow.

But Waddock is refusing to fear them and has called for his beleagured troops to stand up and be counted.

He said: “That's why the club wanted promotion. They wanted to play against the likes of Norwich, Leeds and Charlton. Why fear them? That's the type of game that this football club wanted but we have to put up a better showing than we have done.

“Norwich is a big game, it was always going to be.I don't know how the players are going to respond and react to it – but it won't be for the want of trying from the coaching side.

“Confidence is low but it is a case of rolling your sleeves up time – Have we got enough characters, leaders within the group to do that only time will tell.”

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