FC St. Pauli

"At this morning's 60-minute video analysis session I tried to pick the players up to make sure they don't slip into a state of total frustration or panic," the St. Pauli boss told journalists at the training ground this morning. "We've done a lot of good things on the pitch in the last four games. Against Regensburg we gave the ball away unnecessarily and in doing so made our opponents stronger. In general, we aren't making enough of our chances. These are things we aren't going to dismiss as being down to luck. We have to do better and be more clinical so that the game has the opportunity to reward us rather than punish us."

Janßen was full of respect, however, for the way his players reacted to going 2-0 down: "We responded to the story of the game in superb fashion," he said. "We came back from the dead. That's the mark of this team and that makes me proud. Nevertheless, it's frustrating to drop important points for the fifth time in a row."

Those dropped points are reflected in the team's league position: "It's quite painful to look at the table at the moment," said Janßen. "How painful it will be up to Christmas is down to us now because there are 12 more points at stake until then." The 51-year-old is still convinced his side are on the right track, however: "A lot of building blocks fit. I've only really blown my top twice, and that was against Ingolstadt and Darmstadt."

Janßen is particularly happy with the progress made by Sami Allagui. "Sami is going in the right direction. He's there for the team and works very hard. He's holding the ball up better and bringing himself and others into the game much better. I hope he'll continue to reward himself in front of goal. We desperately need that in the next few weeks."

Captain Bernd Nehrig, who had to go off after just 35 minutes against Regensburg after suffering a blow to the lower leg, would appear to have got off lightly. "We're hopeful that the inflammation in the bruise will go away as quickly as possible," said Janßen. The boss is also confident that Daniel Buballa (blow to the calf) will be able to train normally during the week, though the outlook for Aziz Bouhaddouz, who sustained an injury right at the end of the game, is not so good. "It has all the indications of a groin strain," a disgruntled Janßen said. The striker will undergo further examinations at the ENDO Rehab Centre on Monday.

Photo: Witters