Carlisle United Football Club

“I think John [Nixon] is getting fed up with me phoning him all the time,” he said. “I always run what I’m trying to do by him first of all so that he’s in picture. 

“The more information he has the easier it is for us to work together to make things happen. Make no mistake, it is about everyone at this football club working together. If you don’t work together it can be a lonely place.”

“We’ve been close with a few and we did have Ricky Ravenhill up here,” he confirmed. “He met me and I showed him round the football club. He had a fitness assessment and a physical assessment, and he brought his wife and family up to see Carlisle. 

“I think he got caught in traffic on the way home and the realisation of going to Mansfield, or facing a three hour trek to get to us, hit home. It does affect people because some of them don’t see the beauty of Carlisle or the surrounding countryside. 

“I can’t do anything about that because I can’t move Carlisle. All I can say to people is that it’s a fantastic working environment once you’re here.”

“We were pleased with how Matt Young settled in,” he said. “People are saying they were slightly disappointed with the way we delayed the announcement. 

“I knew what I was doing because I didn’t want a furore around a young player who was coming into a new club. He’s got a good upbringing and the important thing is that he needed to come in and morph into the back four very quietly and quickly. 

“He’s done that and he is a very unassuming young man. I think, with the conversations I’ve had with him, the media interviews and things like that wouldn’t have suited him. He wants to show what he’s about on the pitch. He did well and there’s more to come from him.”

Speaking about Brad Potts, he said: “I think if you asked Brad he would say he hasn't been hitting the targets he sets himself. I don't think a lot of people know, but he hasn't been able to train properly for the last three weeks because he’s been playing with pain killing injections. 

“He's playing with a fracture in one of his metatarsals and the only way he can get through games is with injections. That shows his level of commitment. He’s desperate to be on the pitch and to give us everything he's got. 

“When the injections wear off and you’re running around on a fracture it’s very painful. He could have had four weeks off to help with the healing process but he’s desperate to play. I don't think his performances have been because of his contract situation because he knows that’s there for him.”

“Danny [Kearns] is working his socks off on his fitness,” he added. “That’s very pleasing. He had become deconditioned, because of time spent away from the football club, so we gave him a programme and, even though it sounds strange, he’s enjoying it. 

“He knows it’s personal development for himself because he wasn’t quite up to speed. We’ve given him a chance to get on board and get himself up to speed, and the way he’s gone about things is pleasing. He’s seeing it as a challenge and that’s what you want. You can’t play football if you’re not fit.”

And on what keeps him going despite the difficulty of the situation, he said: “I enjoy my job. The easy thing is winning every week, having the best team with the best budget, and with exactly the players I want in the changing room.

 

“I was aware that wasn’t the case the moment I applied for the job. I knew I was going to have to mould the squad into a team and that’s not something you can do overnight. There are good professionals in there who need that little bit of education and guidance, and then we will see the results. It’s growing and it’s getting there.”