It'll be tough but we're ready to land another knockout

Paul Robinson: his Millwall side face Bolton in the FA Cup
11 April 2012

Tomorrow we have a wonderful chance to be FA Cup giant killers at The Den.

Winning at Southampton in the last round was one of the highlights of our season and if we perform against Bolton as we did at St Mary's then we can knock out our Premier League opponents.

The likes of Norwich and Swansea have shown that the gap between Premier League and Championship is not as wide as some might suggest - and Bolton are near the bottom.

I don't think they will relish a trip to our ground and we have to outdo them when it comes to desire, motivation and effort.

If we don't do that then we won't win the game - it's that simple.

We have players of real quality who can have an impact if we match Bolton in all other areas.
It will be tough, it will be physical but we can win and at least I won't have to worry about Kevin Davies after my former Millwall team-mate was ruled out by a knee injury.

The Bolton captain has enjoyed a wonderful career but a lot of people forget he came on loan to The Den for two months in 2002.

I was a youngster trying to break into the first team at the time but I trained against him and he was the same then as he is now - big, physical and not afraid to mix it if required.

That impression was certainly reinforced when
I played against him twice after he went to Southampton. The bruises have only just about disappeared.

I know how Kevin will be feeling now that he's been sidelined. I missed five games due to a thigh injury but came back for Saturday's goalless draw with Derby.

I am a terrible spectator - I really hate it.
After the game our manager, Kenny Jackett, said some nice things about me and that's always good to read. Players do take notice of what is said about them and equally we have to be careful when we speak to the media.

The best piece of advice I was given was by my old manager, Mark McGhee.

He just said: "Talk about yourself, rather than offer opinions on anyone else. If you're discussing your own performances then there can be no comeback and no trouble."

So with that in mind, I think it's time I offered my opinion on the great handshake debate!

We all saw what happened with Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra last Saturday, but I have an issue with the whole concept of the pre-match handshakes.

As captain, when we exchange team-sheets an hour before the match I have to shake hands with the opposition skipper, the referee, his two assistants and the fourth official.

Then on the pitch I have to shake the hands of every member of the opposition, their mascot, the referee and his two assistants. Finally, before the coin toss, I shake hands with the officials (again), the opposition skipper (again) and their mascot (again).

By the time the game kicks off I have shaken hands a minimum of 25 times so I understand why some people feel the handshake has lost its true meaning.

I have never been in a situation where someone has refused to shake hands. We should just do so after the game as it symbolises professional respect after a hard 90 minutes.

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