It was a short but sweet press conference for the Leeds boss this morning, with Sam Allardyce making it very clear of what he expects from his players ahead of their game against Europa Conference League finalists West Ham.
Leeds' last game saw them go toe-to-toe with Champions League-chasers Newcastle United, with the Whites missing a penalty and conceding two of their own in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road.
On paper, this result would seem like a positive one for Leeds based on their current situation, but Allardyce believes it was two points lost rather than one gained.
He said: "There was three disappointing factors where we stopped ourselves from winning and that was the penalties. We kicked ourselves in the guts by gifting those penalties. For me, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
"I'd have said if we won that game, we would be 60-65 percent likely to stay up. But now we have to go and win and West Ham. It wouldn't have been essential to win there if we'd have beat Newcastle, but we have to remember that time is running out and errors will be punished."
-
On facing his former club
'Big Sam' spent four years with the Hammers between 2011 and 2015, winning 68 games of the 181 he took charge of.
Despite a poor league campaign this season, West Ham have established themselves as a top-half club under David Moyes, a manager who came to England under Allardyce's recommendation.
The Leeds boss spoke highly of his opposing manager during the press conference, but admitted that he wants the bragging rights.
He said: "I'm pleased for him [David Moyes]. I've known him for many years and recommended that Preston should sign him when he first moved down from Scotland and he's gone on to have a fantastic career.
"We won't know what team he will pick until we get the team sheet but they will probably play the same way they normally do so we can practice that today and tomorrow [in training].
"It will be good to see him but hopefully when we have a drink after, it will be me with the three points and not him!"
-
How the European final could affect the Hammers
This game will come just three days after West Ham secured their place in a European cup final for the first time in 47 years.
They managed to hold off Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in the Semi-final on Thursday night, booking their place in the final on June 7th.
Despite this achievement, questions have been raised over their league form this season, with Allardyce believing that it is something they can take advantage of.
"[Winning last night] means they have a final to think about. You'll never know whether that will affect the players when they go out to play. They might not want to get injured as they would worry about missing a final. My job is to get my team playing at their best.
"When you have a lesser squad it always became a factor and you worry about the aftermath of a Thursday night game. It was a worry for me as a manager and the fact that West Ham lost to Brentford will be a concern for David."
-
Team News
Allardyce moved on quickly from any questions regarding injuries, admitting that Stuart Dallas, Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra will all miss this game.
Junior Firpo will also be unavailable this weekend as he is serving a suspension following his red card against Newcastle.
This prompted Allardyce to suggest that a few changes might be made, as well as giving his final message to his players.
"We've been talking about who to play or perhaps changing the system. We have to pick a system to suit the team that's available.
"Confidence has grown and application has been good. We need to be calmer when we're on the ball and that will hopefully get us up the pitch.
"It's do-or-die time. Fight to the end. Don't lose control of the game plan. It was a loss of control before I got here that meant they conceded two, three, four, five."