Dean Smith had his say on some of the key issues ahead of Norwich City's Championship game against Stoke City.

The Canaries' boss held his pre-match press call at Colney on Friday morning.

This is what Smith had to say on the following.

Fitness updates:

We have training today. Sam McCallum will train after playing a full 90. Ben Gibson should train today which is good news.

Sam Byram should train today as well. So we have a few coming back.

We're nursing Sarge's calf at the moment. He felt it slightly on Tuesday so we will have a look and see how he is ahead of tomorrow as well.

(Max Aarons?): That's all cleared up so he should train today as well.

(Kieran Dowell?): Kieran Dowell is fit and well now as well.

Do you feel under extra pressure during a run like this?:

I don't feel under any extra pressure. If you don't feel pressure as a manager then I don't think you're doing the right job.

You have to feel it, that is the profession we're in.

Any time that we use a game, I am frustrated I feel responsible. Responsible to the owners first and foremost or my employers, Stuart, then my family, staff, players and supporters. It's natural for any manager.

It's no different to any managerial role that I've had. I think results tend to guide the mood of the place.

Our results over the last five games haven't been where they should be but a penalty either way at Sheffield United and Burnley which are two of the toughest away games that you can face, all of a sudden it could have been four points instead of one point.

Then you're sat two points off the top and the mood is all different.

Been through run like this before... Does experience help?:

It's never easy to manage runs. I've always said to you before that I'm always consistent in my behaviours in what I do.

I will manage it as I feel I should do. That will be from game to game by trying to keep improving us.

Messaging to players:

You lose confidence when you lose football matches. You can see that with Liverpool as a prime example at the moment.

I'm big enough and brave enough to take the burden at the moment to protect the players because they deserve it. A lot of them players should be held in very high esteem for what they've done already at Norwich City.

They are certainly working hard enough. With the exception of two halves, there aren't many teams who have got the better of us.

Alex Neil:

Stoke are a good team, they have good players and have got a good manager now with Alex going in there.

I went to watch them earlier in the season. Funnily enough Alex was in the opposite dugout as it was against Sunderland. It's a tough game but one we are looking forward to.

We know that we need to turn around the results at the moment because the results haven't been good enough in the last five games.