Burton boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: I can't control QPR job speculation
ByPA Sport
Published 25/11/2015 at 00:02 GMT
Burton boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shrugged off speculation linking him with the QPR job to help his side climb up to third place in Sky Bet League One thanks to a 1-0 victory at fellow promotion chasers Wigan.
Burton manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has been linked with the QPR job
Image credit: PA Sport
Hasselbaink came up with the perfect game plan to frustrate the hosts and offer a threat on the counter, which worked a treat as Abdenasser El Khayati popped up with the late winner after a great run down the left by substitute Timmy Thiele.
Despite having been in fine form of late, Wigan could not break through the best defence in the division with Michael Jacobs, Yanic Wildschut, Max Power and Reece James all coming close - but not close enough.
Hasselbaink said: "We knew they are a very good team, and we also knew they wanted to keep the ball for long spells, and pass the ball.
"We knew we had to upset them and press in their own half, and I think we did that really well - particularly in the first half.
"You know after the first half you would have moments where you have to defend in numbers.
"You were waiting for that moment, and that chance, and luckily that came with Timmy and Nasser.
"I think we did better than people think. At times, I thought we could be more creative and daring. But I think it was a proud moment for us tonight.
"We had to make changes, we got on with it and did the job.
"We tried to be organised and we tried to do it our way."
On the rumours linking him with the Loftus Road post, he added: "I can't control anything about speculation.
"Myself, in front of my players and my board, I'll be respectful to them, and give it all I've got.
"If people are going to talk, they'll talk.
"If they want to write, they'll write."
Wigan boss Gary Caldwell admitted he did not see Burton's late winner coming as the promotion favourites surrendered their 11-match unbeaten league run.
He said: "I couldn't see them scoring, because they hadn't really created any opportunities.
"At that stage I'd have been disappointed to have only drawn the game 0-0 if I'm being honest.
"To end up losing it is very, very disappointing.
"They came with a game plan to sit in and make it difficult for us.
"We struggled on the ball. We've not been great on the ball in the last few games, and it's something we've been trying to work on.
"Tonight again we didn't have the same speed to our passing, the same options when we had the ball.
"It took us too many passes to get where we wanted to go.
"That allowed them to get numbers behind the ball and do what they came here to do - frustrate us and hit us on the counter."
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