Planet Swans ArchivesWhilst some 'purists' have expressed that promotions and the like should be earned on the pitch, Roberto says he is not worried if a Swindon victory at the Keepmoat gives the Swans promotion. You could also add that it will have been earned on the pitch – 83 points from 42 games is certainly a deserving tally for anyone to win promotion.
“Of course I will be keeping up with the Doncaster game,” he said. “You can never get enough information and you always want to know the results from other games.
“But we don’t do things the easy way at Swansea City. And I would be very surprised if the result went our way at Doncaster.
“All I expect is a very difficult game for us, two home games after that and then a trip to Brighton. I don’t think we will win promotion the easy way.
“You don’t expect the results to go your way. But I always look at our points tally and, with 83 points, we are not too far away.
“Realistically, we have to add a few more points. All I’m looking at is our points tally and that’s not going to get bigger on Friday night.
“Gillingham is a vital game for us. And, whatever happens in Doncaster, there is still a lot to play for.
“I don’t think the other result will change anything. The only difference will be going to sleep with a big smile or going to bed with a bit of a sweat.
“When you have had three games in a week, the players know they need to rest in the hotel,” Martinez answered.
“We will have a short time together after dinner. But after that they will go to their rooms, relax and get ready for the game.
“Everyone should be in their rooms shortly after eight. They should be just relaxing and watching some DVDs.
“Obviously, for the coaching staff, it is a perfect time to plan things for the game and we will have a meeting for a couple of hours. So the staff will be together while the Doncaster game is going on.
“But I don’t see it as being anything significant. I don’t think our promotion will be decided [tonight].
“With the technology nowadays, I don’t think you can keep these things quiet,” he said.
“I’m sure the players will find out and we will keep an eye on it.
“We will definitely find out about the Doncaster game in the hotel. But it’s important that our preparation is right and we won’t change anything in that sense.
“If the news comes in the hotel, then you are with the people you have been working hard with for 10 months. So it would be ideal for us all to be together.
“But, firstly, as a football club, we don’t do things that way. And, secondly, our focus has to be improving our points tally and that won’t happen in Doncaster.”
“In football the quicker you can get your target in the league, the better,” he explained. “That’s just because it allows you to plan for the next step.
“It’s also a compliment to your season because, if you can do things that way, it means you have been working really hard for the past 10 months and you deserve it.”
He added: “It’s great to see we will have our full allocation of away fans at Gillingham. That always gives us a kick-start and the players are looking forward to a big occasion.
“We know we have got 1,500 fans coming and, if we get promoted, it will be perfect to share it with them.
“But there’s still 12 points in front of us and we have to get as many of them as we can.
“We need to carry on working hard and take each game as it comes. It’s important we realise where we are and that, in football, you haven’t achieved anything until you actually get promotion.
“We have worked really hard for 10 months and now we have the last 12 points to contest. After that we can sit down, analyse the season and talk about what it meant to everyone.
“People shouldn’t see the Gillingham game as a final. We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position and we have four games to win, not one.”
