Tigers-Rocks: Bigley believes Tigers can “get after” Glasgow

They showed last week that they can go after a team, and the opportunity to have gained that elusive win against London Lions may have been one of their best shots so far this season, although the bump back down to Earth against Leicester Riders means it has been back to the drawing board ahead of Friday’s clash against Glasgow Rocks.

On Thursday, it came to light via social media that some of the Tigers were having to shake off a bug that has been doing the rounds within the team, not ideal preparations, but all are hoping to be back on form before the meeting with friends from more North than North.

Speaking with Chris Bigley earlier in the week he spoke of his and his side’s chances this coming Friday evening, his disappointment at his own performance against Leicester, and what he thinks they have to do to bounce back and stop the rot.

“I think it’s a game we can get after, for sure. Earlier when we went up to Scotland, we got beat up on pretty bad, nobody really got going, except Gael, and with what we have, we can’t afford that at all.

“I’m feeling pretty hungry after my last showing at Leicester, which was by far my worst of the season personally, so I want to go play hard and make a scrap of it. The Glasgow organisation really impresses me, again they’re a team with a plan and a nucleus of guys who know the system and the opposition inside out – that’s something we need to look to if we’re to kick on and not be satisfied with running teams close, however good an effort that may be – which no doubt about it, it was last week. But what are we supposed to do? Live off it? I know the players aren’t. They’re keen to kick on. We can’t be satisfied with losing, period – however farcical that may sound to the doubters out there who say we’re not good enough.

“We can’t look at games as who has beaten who to be honest. We pushed Cheshire, who pushed Plymouth and Leicester, who blew us out the water. I’m already confident enough that we can get after Glasgow. They’ve added a good piece in [Jamie] Vanderbeken, a guy GB fans/observers should know something about, and with the proven quality they have in EJ [Harrison] and Gareth [Murray] then there’s no way we can look to numbers and say ‘We got close here – they got beat here’ and say we got us a game.

“This is basketball, anything can happen, and if we’re not prepared, that anything will and has been on too many occasions, become an embarrassment for us.

“The emphasis for all of us is to get better as a team; Leicester was disappointing there’s no two ways about it. They’re a tough team and we weren’t ready for them. That is a cardinal sin in my eyes. We need to know exactly what we’re up against and how we can combat it, but I sound like a broken record on that front, I say it every week.

“I do my research on guys and teams I’ll come up against, because if I don’t, as a professional, I feel as though I’m not doing my job properly. To use someone’s popular analogy, you could get away with it “in the lower leagues”.

“Welcome to the BBL, fail to prepare, prepare to fail, and I’ll say no more about it – we know only too well what failing feels like this season, and it’s making me sick.”

• Mersey Tigers face Glasgow Rocks at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park on Friday, 8th February, tip-off is 7:30pm, adults £10, children £5.