RICKY Shakes is focused on becoming Town’s Christmas ‘cracker’ as manager Iffy Onuora warns against festive over indulgence.
Rory Fallon has generally been marked down as ‘the dangerman’ by opposition managers but Shakes hopes he can start to add his own name to the pre-match warning rival bosses dish out to their sides over Christmas and beyond.
He said: “You concentrate on doing the job for your own manager but you hope by putting in good performances that eventually you start to hear reports that the opposing manager is saying ‘watch out for him, he’s a good player’. That would be a big compliment.
“We’ve a lot of games coming up over Christmas and hopefully the gaffer will give me an opportunity and that I can help the team do well over that period.”
Shakes was aware that Trinidad and Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker was watching the Blackpool match on Saturday.
He said: “I was told the coach was there and I hope he liked what he saw in the time that I was on.
“I didn’t see him to speak to though.
“It wasn’t really on my mind when I came on though.”
Shakes’ pace is his major asset and he and the rest of his colleagues are under orders not to do anything to weigh themselves down.
Boss Onuora said: “We’ve sat down as a staff and worked out the Christmas arrangements like a military operation.
“We won’t be slacking off. The plan is to let the players have Christmas Day off but come in earlier on Boxing Day, have a light training session and something to eat.
“The bulk of the work will be done on Christmas Eve.”
Onuora is not about to question the professionalism of his players but has issued (and will issue again) a gentle reminder that too much turkey and Christmas pudding will not go down well, in more ways than one.
He said: “I’ve made them aware of the situation and there’ll be a last-minute reminder on Christmas Eve as well, along the lines that we’re professional people whose job requires them to work over the festive period.
“We get on with it and we do things properly.
“We’re all in the same boat, whether you’re a player or a manager.”