FC St. Pauli

Alexander Blessin on…

...captain Jackson Irvine: "I've never seen a more self-critical player. It might do him good to loosen up and relax a bit sometimes. I try to get that across to him when we speak. The way he gets into dangerous positions in front of goal is outstanding. He gives us so much quality. I'm absolutely certain we'll be celebrating his first goal soon. Looking at his last few chances, he's been operating as a traditional box-to-box player for me. In moments such as those James Sands can assume the defensive role and Jackson moves into the attack more. I'm confident he can do that and it's a strength we need from him."

...the supposed favourites tag: "We're not bothered whether it's a six-pointer or not. We're preparing in the normal way and know how important the game is, but so is every game, whether we're playing Frankfurt or Heidenheim. The position going into the game is clear. We want to dominate, as always. At the end of the day, we know how tough it is at Bochum. We'll have to give it all we've got to play to our potential, but I'm not prepared to talk about any favourites tag."

...VfL Bochum: "Dieter Hecking has managed to get the team behind a common objective which was reflected in the defeat of Heidenheim. It's going to be a tough game because they have a very clear structure, like to hit long balls up to their target men and go for the second balls. It's going to be a fight and we have to be ready to fight. Bochum play with a certain dynamism, steeliness and intensity. They'll obviously be pushed forward by their fans. We have to prepare for that and give as good as we get."

...the pressure going into the game: "We were in the same situation against Kiel. We were in the better position and Kiel were desperate to win a six-pointer. We start from square one again now and will have to do our utmost again to drag the game in our favour with all its many facets. The pressure is there for every game and we face up to it. We have to deal with it the same as Bochum do."

...our play on the ball against Bochum: "We had lots of players in the box against Frankfurt and we try to force our opponents to make mistakes there. The likelihood of a ball slipping through is greater, the greater our presence in the penalty area. We want to be brave and gutsy without throwing everything overboard as far as our structure is concerned. The lads have been told what's expected and have done reasonably well in the last few games, which gives us a good feeling. We have to be a touch sharper tomorrow."

...the remaining games: "We've worked hard to be where we are in the table and obviously want to be in the same position on the final day, but if you start thinking two or three games ahead, you lose focus. The next game is the most important one and that's tomorrow. I won't make the mistake of wasting energy on something that's still a long way off. They're extremely important games against direct rivals. There's a lot at stake. We want to get the maximum out of it, that's obvious."

Photos: Witters