"We know in January we have not won games that we could have won. But the positive news is that January has finished!" said the boss.
"I can guarantee you 100 per cent that I didn't read the press or watch the TV after the Wigan game]. I just enjoyed time with my family, because I knew there could be people talking.
"We are eight points better than last season. We are two points from the top. We are in a fantastic position and I'm sure if we beat Chelsea people will talk in a different way. That's football. Again I will say, we are in the best position we've been in for the last 10 or 15 years and we have to enjoy it.
"In August we talked about wanting to be contenders. We were in a fantastic position and people were saying, 'This is your year'. But we are still in the title race. We just have to keep the confidence and if we beat Chelsea, everyone will be saying we have options. If we can't beat them, we just have to keep going because it's a long race."