So Ryan, a pretty tough start to the season in terms of results. Do you feel the squad are making progress?
Yeah definitely. You can see, especially in training and on the pitches we have - although the results haven't gone our way - I think you can tell from that, there are periods of the game - which are slowly getting longer and longer - in which we are being really effective and dominating games from the start, and it is just a matter of time before we can do it for the whole 90 minutes.
Are you confident that can come at Oakwell this Saturday?
Oh yeah definitely, I mean no disrespect to Barnsley but I think if we have our full strength team out and we play to the best of our abilities, we can go out and get three points.
Talk us through a little bit about the match preparation under Brendan Rodgers - in terms of week-to-week and particularly with Barnsley this Saturday - do you watch the videos and do set pieces and all that sort of thing?
Yeah, we work on our set pieces before the game and we're always analysing their strengths and their weaknesses that we can exploit. Training everyday - it's for a purpose to get something out of it and thinking of the weekend.
And for people not in football, how does watching a video work? Do you get sent home a CD or sit in a darkened room on Monday morning - how does that work?
All the team go through the game and then there's a meeting where we watch their strengths and their weaknesses and how we can exploit them, and then we go out and work on that during the week.
What about your own role in the team - you seem to have settled in well?
Yeah I've settled in earlier than I expected really, so I'm just enjoying my football. It's really good to be in a positive team - although we're down the bottom, I'd say we're one of the better teams and the teams that come to the stadium show us that respect, and I'm glad I can keep on developing my performances and I can hopefully get a few goals this year.
When you first arrived at the club a few eyebrows were raised because at left back, Chris Armstrong was last year's Player of the Season and was one guy who did really well and now he's gone under the knife and had his knee surgery - that makes you sort of a key cog now doesn't it?
Yeah, I know what you mean. Unfortunately Chris has been under the knife again and had that injury come back again, but he'll be back soon and it's good competition for when he gets back, because he's a great player himself and I'm honoured to be playing in front of him.
Is it good for you to have the pressure of Armstrong nagging away at your place, or is it nice now to have that sort of pressure alleviated for a bit?
No, I'd prefer to have the pressure there. To be number one, you have to train like you're number two so I will always be like 100 percent in training.
A word about Tuesday night and Saturday - obviously quite unusual having the same team in the League Cup and then in the Championship - do you think that's got any relevance at all, the game on Tuesday night?
In reference to the game on Saturday, obviously we don't want to go out there [Tuesday] and start playing how we are going to play on Saturday - it's pointless us doing the same tactics. It will be a completely different team on Saturday, a completely different intensity and we'll give 100 percent to go out and get a win.
How closely do Chelsea monitor your progress here? Are they in touch with you regularly?
Yes they have scouts at every game or if not they get sent the videos and stuff in the post - stats and stuff - so there is a case of having to improve.
So do they actually talk to you - do you get people from Chelsea talking to you every week after a game?
Every day after the game I get a phone call and they take me through it - if not that day, it will be the next day as soon as they get the videos. They've got some software that you can go on the internet and watch your games and clips and they'll talk you through, and their training ground is not too far from here, so when I get a day off I'll pop in and then we'll sit down and talk.
It must be quite reassuring for you that they are taking that much interest?
Yeah definitely, I suppose it's quite a good thing, coming to think of it, that they are taking that much of an interest. Some cases with loans, you go out and they forget about you, but it's been really positive on their part.
So every time when they tell you to do one thing, can that be different from what Reading say?
No not really, I think they're generally on the same wavelength - that's another positive of coming to Reading with Brendan as manager. He's spent years at Chelsea and he's getting Reading to play the same way as them, with the same intensity and it all takes time. Even Martinez has had two years at Swansea and they've become a really good outfit - he's gone to Wigan and they've had a really good win first game of the season, but you can see they're still going through their transitional stage and they're far from being what he wants them to be.
How much involvement did you have with Brendan at Chelsea then, because you were out on-loan a lot of the time?
He basically was the first manager I had there when I first signed there, so I came straight in and met him from the first day there. I also had the first year with him throughout, in the youth team and then fortunately for me I've been out on-loan quite a lot - six months here, back in, back out, back in - but he's been a really positive figure throughout my career. It gives you that bit of an edge when you know what a manager wants, but he knows what he's going to get from me and hopefully that is a positive thing.
Obviously playing for Chelsea one day is the big aim though?
Yeah, that's the big aim and it's hard sometimes to keep that in mind when you're coming out and playing always on-loan - you just want to be settled down in a club - but I've still probably got a year or so max really, because I don't want to be waiting around forever at Chelsea. I respect that they're a big club but at the end of the day, I've got my own career to think about as well and I'm not going to wait around forever, so we'll see what happens.
You're the next Ashley Cole or so they say, that must bring pressure in itself doesn't it?
No, I'm not too fazed by it but it's good to have and hopefully if they can see me in that way, then maybe I've got a chance. But like I said, I just play my football and whatever will be, will be.
