Fleetwood boss Rosler: I learned a lot from Southend assistant Horton

Southend’s assistant boss was in charge at Manchester City when Rosler signed for the club in 1994 and they still live nearby on the outskirts of the city.

And although he occasionally shares a gym session, a coffee and the occasional pint with Phil Brown’s number two, Rosler is determined to get the three points.

Town’s head coach said: “I learned a lot from Brian. He is a very experienced man, a very good man with good manners, a gentleman.

“He knows the game in and out, has managed at the highest level, loves the game. He has managed over a thousand games and how many as assistant manager?

“I think any manager who works with Brian will benefit from his knowledge and his personality. He lives not far from me. He goes to the same gym I go to and we always have good banter. We always have time for each other.

“ I’m happy to see him but I’m not liking him so much to give him three points!”

After conceding 11 in their last four games, Rosler hopes Town can get back to basics tomorrow.

He said: “We do not like losing. We are not a group of players and a club that is used to losing a lot in the last 14 months. We don’t like losing like we did at Portsmouth. Of course we all expect a reaction.

“I think we have had a good week so far and I think it is a big week for us with some big games (Town visit Bradford on Tuesday and are at home to Charlton a week tomorrow).

“Starting with a home game is always positive. We know what we can do at home and we have shown that this season in an impressive manner in the football we have played at home and the goals we have scored.

“On Saturday we need to be sure we stop conceding. For the team that had the most clean sheets in the league last year to concede 11 in four is too much.”

“There are certain things we work on.

“We have shown at the start of the season when we have spent a lot of time on the training ground in pre-season that we can be a force again building on a very strong defence and that is what we emphasised this week on that sort of work.

“Hopefully that will lead into the fact that we are rock solid again.”