Carlisle United Football Club

“I’ve had a phone call from a manager who told me his sporting director was going to make contact with the owner about making a bid for one of our players,” he confirmed. “It was just a courtesy call and I appreciated that. I like the way he did his business. I don’t think it’s fair to tell you the name yet, but that’s only because I haven’t told the player involved. 

"Everything regarding contracts here at the club had to be put on hold until I was able to evaluate exactly what was in the changing room. 

“That will take place towards the end of next week. It might even take place on the journey down to Portsmouth because I know that John Nixon is going to be travelling with us. That means we’ll be able to have a good, in-depth conversation. 

“I'll be able to give him the prepared document I've got. I’m sure John will agree with some of it but I'm also sure he'll have different opinions on some things. That’s my opportunity to fully explain how I see myself moving this squad of players forward. 

“I'm learning about the players in every game and, in my own mind, we've got one more game before I'll have seen all 95% of the squad in a competitive arena. After that I'll be able to make a fair and justified assessment of where those players are in my mind.

“Going forward, there’s no point having a squad of players where some won’t be involved. When I say a squad, I want 20 players who can all play at the highest levels at the drop of a hat. We can't afford, and I don't want to have, any players who are only here to make the numbers up.”

“With bringing players in, there's always room for improvement, especially when you're in the position we are,” he added. “Myself, Colin [West], Lee [Dykes], Paul [Thirlwell] and Tony [Caig] have all been out watching football matches and categorising players we think we can bring in. They all need to be watched again so recruitment is an ongoing process.

“The young home grown players we've got are all a work in progress. You can see some of them are going to play at a higher level, but what I will say to them is that if they do move away from Carlisle it has to be right for them on a football level. 

“There is no point in them joining a Premier League or Championship team if you're going to be a squad player because you just won't progress. A good example of that is Harry Maguire. He moved from Sheffield United to Hull City and, on paper, people were saying it was a fantastic move for him financially. 

“He is still developing and he isn't going to get that development if he's sat in the stand. When you're a young professional you need to be playing. You need to be coached every day rather than being a squad player or a bib. 

“The cut and thrust of league football is where it counts for the younger players at the club. These are their development years which will hopefully allow them to play for Championship and Premier League clubs. That will be part of my managerial advice to them but, more importantly, the move needs to be right for them personally and not for their agent, the buying club, or the selling club. It's a personal choice for them and they have to make sure the right boxes are ticked. How much money is in the bank can't be the first box they look at.”