It was Jayson Molumby's turn to tackle the questions in the latest instalment of the 'Big Q&A Interview'.
The all-action central midfielder discussed a whole host of topics, including his impressive personal form, the improvements in his game, his relationship in the middle of the park with Okay Yokuslu, having a fellow Irishman as his skipper and Friday's fixture at local rivals Birmingham City.
Check out the whole video interview above and the entire Q&A transcript below.
To start Jayson, tell us about where this never-say-die, fierce, competitive attitude you play with comes from?
I think it has something to do with the way I was brought up. I was always taught to try and work as hard as I could and to help people around me and my team-mates. That’s always the way I have been. I enjoy working hard. I think I’m a player that needs to show that aggression and enthusiasm to impact games. It’s obviously a big part of my game.
Is it the same way you live your life off the pitch as well?
No. Not at all. I’m actually quite calm off the pitch. I know on the pitch I can get a bit heated, but away from the pitch I’m not a confrontational person at all. I’m quite chilled and relaxed.
So there’s a switch in you when you step over the white line?
Yeah, for sure. There’s a competitive edge and I switch into a bit of a mad man. I want to do well for myself, my team and my family.
How much does winning and losing mean to you and how much does it affect you?
It does affect me a lot to be fair. I probably overthink a lot of things and the days following games can be quite tough for me because I’m overthinking things, especially if we lose. To be honest though, I’m one of those where I don’t really care how I play as long as the team wins because that’s the main thing. I want to try and achieve things in my career as part of a team.
You’ve formed a great partnership in midfield with Okay Yokuslu. Why do you think it works so well between the two of you?
I think the gaffer and the style of play has helped a lot with that. There are a lot of boys who are pushing me and Okay for places in the team. I really enjoy playing with Okay. He’s a top player and he has some amazing attributes. I think he’s the calm head in there and I’m sprinting around, chasing people down. I think it works well. He stays in the middle and I guess I’m free to sort of run riot and get about the pitch.
So you’d argue his style on the pitch allows your own game to flourish?
Yeah, I think so. Like I said, I really enjoy playing with him and we seem to have a good balance at the moment. There are some top players in our squad who want our places. I have been out of the team for some parts of the season myself and I know there are lads who aren’t playing regularly who want to get in and be a regular themselves. It’s down to the manager to pick the players he wants to go with in certain games and then it’s down to those players to perform on the pitch.
What are the biggest differences in your game now compared to when you first joined last summer?
I’d say confidence. I’d put it down to confidence and I think that’s the only thing. I always felt as though I was good enough and that I had it in me. It helps when the team is winning and everyone is playing well, but I’d say the main difference for me is the confidence.
What is it in particular that has helped your confidence grow?
I think playing regularly helps a lot. Also, I think when you play and the team wins, you feel like you’ve had a positive impact on things. When you’re involved with a winning team it certainly helps your confidence.
One other player who is flourishing this season is your fellow countryman Dara O’Shea. He was given the armband in the early part of the season and he’s worn it with pride. How pleased are you for him that he’s done so well this season and he has the responsibility of being skipper?
Yeah it’s fantastic. Before he was handed the armband, Jake was playing a lot and he’s the club captain and he’s still the one who looks after everyone. He’s a real leader in the group. Kyle Bartley was the vice for a while and now Dara has taken on the armband. He’s done absolutely brilliantly to be fair. You can see that he’s really grown into it and I can see him getting more confident and becoming more of a natural leader. I’m delighted for him. He’s doing great.
Is it nice having a fellow fella from the Emerald Isle being your captain?
It is good. We’re close. He deserves it because he works extremely hard every single day. The boys can see that. He automatically has everyone’s respect because they all see how hard he works.
How much more of an improvement do you believe you can still make in your own game?
I still feel like I’ve got a lot more in me to be honest. I genuinely believe that. I have been happy with certain individual performances of late, but I still think I’ve got a lot more in me. I feel I’m at the right place here to improve and I believe I’ve got the right coaching staff here and the manager to allow me to improve. I feel like I’m learning every day, especially under the manager and the coaching staff. I think I’ll only get better.
The team has enjoyed an incredible turnaround in recent months. What do you believe is the most impressive thing about this West Bromwich Albion side at the moment?
I think the togetherness. We’ve developed a really strong bond in that dressing room and you can see that out on the pitch. All of the boys are running their socks off, whether they are starting or coming on from the bench. We’re battling for every ball. We know we’re going to need everyone. We’ve seen it happen so many times already this season where someone has come off the bench and made a massive impact on a game. I think it shows the mentality and character within the dressing room that lads are coming on and performing well instead of sulking about the fact they aren’t starting.
It's local rivals Birmingham City away on Friday night. It’s a fiery derby. Does your style suit local derbies and do derbies bring out the best in you?
I certainly hope so! Obviously it’s a game which means a lot to the fans and it means a lot to us in the dressing room too. We’re really looking forward to it. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing and not change our style because it’s a derby.
Does playing on a Friday night give you any extra incentive? Claiming three points might just put a little bit more pressure on other promotion-chasers to get positive results on the Saturday, perhaps?
I don’t think we think about things like that as players. We just think of it as a game. We don’t think about who needs what or who is playing who. We’re just focused on the match itself and making sure we get a positive result.
