Speaking after the Portsmouth match, Leicester manager Rowett admitted the situation is grave but demanded his players maintain their professional standards. He said: “I can say we’ve got belief. I think we have to show that in our performance and show that in our results. I said to the players, ‘We might have to start hoping we get a little bit of fortune from somewhere else,’ but I don’t like saying that as a manager, I’m not interested in what other teams do, I’m interested in what we do.”
Rowett emphasized that the players must play for their own reputations regardless of the league table. He continued: “We have to be professional, as a player, if I had three games to go and I was already relegated, I’d still want to win all three of those games, I don’t care, it’s about pride, it’s about your own personal standards. So for me, we turn up Tuesday and we have to do everything we can to try and win a game.”