Graham Kavanagh on being the United manager
Graham Kavanagh spoke to us about his excitement about the job in hand having been appointed as Carlisle United first team manager late on Monday evening.
“I think there are feelings of excitement, a challenge ... a little bit of everything at the moment,” he said. “There’s a huge amount of pride as well because a lot of work has gone into the last three weeks and everyone has got right behind it.
“That’s hugely satisfying and I am really thankful for it. It’s been a real team effort, we’ve juggled the balls and got the results we wanted to get, but we are under no illusions that the real hard work starts now.”
“It’s a huge opportunity for me, that goes without saying,” he continued. “Because of the way I am, and the way I’ve always been, I don’t want to fail or to be associated with failure.
“I put a huge amount of pressure on myself and I know where I want to get to. I am going to give my all for this club because I want it to be successful. It isn’t about money, or anything like that, it’s about the three of us being given an opportunity to become a successful management team.”
“There is a real determination to grasp this opportunity with both hands,” he told us. “I think everyone knows I’m doing my pro-licence and that course gives you a lot of the stats on management and managers, and how they perform.
“I think it’s something like 14% who don’t succeed in their first job and you have to remember that there are only 92 managers in the country. That shows that it’s a very difficult obstacle to get over. The first thing is to get your foot in the door and then, as we all know, it comes down to results and what you do when you get into the position.”
“I think the fact that I know the players and the club so well will help me hugely,” he agreed. “The experience I’ve gained from working with Greg [Abbott] has been invaluable for the last four years.
“I’ve said previously that when I was 35/36 years old I thought I was ready. Looking back I have to say that wasn’t the case because you very much learn as you go on the job. I’ve learned so much in the last four weeks that I thought I already knew but, until you’re actually in the deep end and doing it every day, it’s difficult to comprehend.
“I think it’s also difficult to comprehend just how valuable your time is. Time is now an asset that we just don’t get and it comes down to how you manage it and how you manage your staff. We’ve done that quite well but I’m now dealing with agents, directors and things I just didn’t have to worry about before. My main focus was as a coach so this part of it really has been a huge learning curve for me. I’m really enjoying it and I just want to continue to grow and get better at my job.”
“I really want this and I’m desperate for everything to be right at this club,” he said. “I want the players to improve and to achieve everything they can - because they deserve it.
“We will disappoint a few players along the way because they won’t be playing games, but it’s hugely important that everyone is behind what we’re trying to do. Hopefully we will all benefit from that with the end result of us being a successful club – please God.”
We’ll have more from Graham Kavanagh tomorrow where he talks about the important role Davie Irons played on the day he took over as caretaker manager just over three weeks ago.
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