After last night's defeat against Club Atlético de Madrid (5-0), Pepe Mel appeared in the press room this morning at the Benito Villamarín Stadium. The Real Betis manager wanted to send a message of reassurance to his team, expressing absolute confidence in their ability to turn the tables quickly on their recent League performances. With a clear focus on the forthcoming match against Levante UD, Mel requested the support of the fans to make the encounter with the Valencian team a turning point and a chance to improve results in the League. The day after a match is used to detect errors and seek unity in the group, indicated the manager from Madrid: "It was necessary to get things out in the open today. I had to face the music. We are letting people down who have never failed us, our fans. I've been here three years, there have been many obstacles in the road that we have had to over come. We have always grown as a team. There is no need to mention where we came from. The situation we are in at the moment is not one we enjoy. It's not fair that we can't even enjoy the Europa League. The Betis fans deserve to hear it in their manager's own words what is happening and why we are not getting the desired results; that is why I am here. I didn't want to leave it until the press conference just before the match with Levante".

Was it your own initiative to talk today?: "The trip back was very hard. Opinions were given on everything, but I think it was necessary for me to be here today. We have to be grateful for the effort made by all those who accompanied the team and explain to them that we will pull through".

Have you considered resigning?: "Last night was very hard for me, not because of the result but for the chain of events since the season began. I'm in a club I had a hard time joining. I have worked with many people to be here today. My only desire at the moment is to keep working at this club, to provide everyone with the reward they deserve and make things right. I would be a coward, and a poor Betis fan, if I were to abandon ship. Now I have to work even harder".

The fans' protest at Atocha Station: "What happened at the station was only to be expected. I want to take all the pressure off the players. They must work and not worry about anything else. There are 14 new players in the squad. This is a new situation fro many of them. I want them to want to work with intensity so they can play the next game without any problem".

Detecting the problem: "I'm the one who has to find the causes. I have said before that the managers job in offence terms is to get the team creating many scoring opportunities. Gradually, we have lost that. That means I've done something wrong. Yesterday we only had one or two shots on goal. Against Elche we tried to break their defensive barrier, and we failed. We have a lot of work ahead of us. I want to set guidelines so it doesn't happen again against Levante. We expect a similar team. If we can not break it, we will not win the game. It is my responsibility to fix the problem".

Would it have been different with Ruben?: "It is a collective problem. We play games to win and we are lacking goals. Maybe with him we might have won. It wouldn't have made a difference if Ruben was playing or not yesterday. We have lost our solvency in our opponent's area. That nervousness has made for a more fragile defence. The team already knows that the permanence of Betis in the League comes before anything else. I'm sure we will do well in the Europa League, and at the end of the season we will look back on this moment as another bad run that we have overcome. We must use all our resources, work harder and explain to the players what to improve and provide solutions. That is what I am here for. I understand why people are angry with their manager. All I ask of the fans is their support for the players and that this support is expressed as they believe it should be".

Miguel Guillen's comments: : "He wants to give the fans hope and optimism. Our reality is the team's daily work schedule and the next game. That focus has always worked for us. Our priority is tomorrow's training session, it will be hard. Thursday's game is our priority. We cannot consider anything beyond that. We must provide the means necessary to improve our performance. Everything we had worked on for yesterday's match failed right from the start. We have to improve in many ways, starting from scratch".

The make-up of the team: : "Betis is structured in such a way that, so far, we have not done badly. I think I have 25 exceptional players and I would stick with them to the last. They are the ones who are going to get us off the hook. I regret many decisions I make personally, such as how to change people. I want to get everyone involved. The one we can't do without is the one who is missing. All the others are similar. I wanted to have them all revved up and ready to go but maybe I was wrong. We have to come up with a way to have a happy team which doesn't suffer the pressure of losing. On Thursday we have to win and show the fans that we are not going to disappoint them any more".

What would you ask of the fans?: "I'm not here for the picture, I'm here because I believe in what I do. It's time to tell the Betis fans have hope. We have overcome far worse. The situation was much worse in 2010 and we pulled through together. It's time for everyone to stick together. I would ask the fans to cheer Betis on instead of yelling my name on Thursday".

The feeling in the team: : "The team is feeling bad. The statistics of the last few games were horribly bad. The players are new to the team and most of them have just arrived. We must try to help them. To achieve this we have to unite the whole team. That's why I felt so bad at Atocha station".

General criticism: "You have to understand them. I think they understood me when I explained to them what the best thing to do was. They should support the players. Whoever wears a Betis shirt is the best. When the match is over you can say what you want to the manager and anyone else in the club. We need to be united. "

Forthcoming fixtures: "We have a tough schedule. The idea of on Thursday is starting to a bit of a drama. Having dramas on the 10th match day of the league for a club that is going through insolvency proceedings is dangerous. In that situation what would happen if we lost against Barcelona,??we would be truly lost. It's time to join forces. There is still time to create the future we want".

Why a press conference alone?: "I feel at home in this club. The independence and freedom I have is important to me. They have confidence in me. I have the authority to be here today. What we need is that when player so-and-so fails people still applaud. The next match is the tenth of the season and there is time to do everything, even what the President has said".

Signings this winter?: "As the results stand today, if the League was at an end we would be facing relegation. Whatever the errors we may have had this summer have to be corrected. There are still many games left. Now I'm more concerned about supporting the players we have. They're the ones that have to pick up the pieces now. There is a big difference between receiving catcalls and applause. I just want this club to perform well. We would be very worrying if we had to do all this in April. I promise to do my best in the areas I'm responsible for. The club will do the same in their areas". "

Experience of worse situations: "In all the previous crises there was a happy ending. Based on previous experience there is a happy ending when the team is calm and united. We must all fight for an improvement in the club. We must make it known that we are a unit. Betis is not mine, Bosch's or anyone else's. It's so great that there is still time to enjoy the season. On the one hand the chance of getting through to the next round of the Europa League, and on the other hand suffering tremendously beggars belief. Beating Vitória one minute then racking your brains trying to come up with a line-up for Sunday, because he saw what could happen, it's sad".

Training session tomorrow: "The fans have their rights. There are too many problems for me to tell them what to do. Tomorrow's session was going to be behind closed doors. But we will have an open session. Let the fans do what they believe they have to do. Last season's training session after the derby was very hard for us, but it did us a lot of good. What I want is that when the two teams take the field the fans realise that Levante are the rivals and Betis are ours".

How are the players?: "We need the players to be strong mentally and for them to want the ball. Yes I could tell the fans that the team will be better or worse, but they want the team to move on too. The match against Getafe was the one that outraged me the most. In yesterday's match, it all went down the drain at the very beginning of the game against one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. I think we have a future. I've been here for many years, I do not want a future for them. I want them to enjoy their work. We can do well".

Facing up to Caparros, is that another source of motivation?: "I totally respect Joaquin Caparros. I think he is very good manager. He is able to change things around very well. It should not make any difference to us what team is coming to play on Thursday. Whatever the case we have to win. We have enough problems already without worrying about the fact that Caparros is the visiting manager. The Betis fans are very intelligent and they know the future of their team depends on the match itself. It will be easier for us to turn things around if everyone is behind the team at our home ground rather than being against us".