Carlisle United Football Club

“There is so much to do that I think you have to know that you can rely on your staff,” he said. “I’ve certainly delegated a little bit more and I’m allowing people to do jobs they are comfortable in doing. 

“That takes the pressure off me and it allows me to focus on the areas I feel are key at this moment in time. I’ve said from the start, even though I make the final decision I want everyone to have an input. 

“Everybody has valuable experience and it would be silly of me not to utilise that to get the best information and advice that I can. Everyone at this club wants success and there is no better feeling on a Saturday afternoon than when you are in the technical area and you’re hugging each other after a win. We all play a part in that and I want that to continue to be the case.”

“The biggest example of that for me was the Stevenage game,” he continued. “Everything we’d worked on came to fruition and to see the reaction from the fans, players and everyone else connected with the club made us all feel very proud. 

“When that happens it’s what it’s all about and it’s why you’re in the game in the first place. We want more feelings like that going forward. The players have bought into that and, if it stays the same, then we’ll have more of that kind of thing to come our way. 

“There are going to be obstacles and most of them will probably be financial – we all know that but we also know what’s required. It’s up to us to get out there and cover the miles, see the games and use all of the contacts we have to get the best players that are available to help us along the way.” 

“We then have to put systems in place to give us every chance out on the pitch,” he added. “That’s easier said than done because our location makes it difficult to get to all of the games we would like to see. That means you rely heavily on the opinions of people you trust, so that comes down to having the right kind of network in place.

“In terms of adding new faces, we already have wheels in motion and we’re going to take a good look at a few players so, hopefully, we’ll get one or two out of that and they can add to the group.”

On the demands of the job, he said: “You see it from a distance when somebody else is doing it but I don’t think you fully appreciate how much goes into the job. I did expect things to pick up when I got the job but the first week was just crazy. 

“We went out as a family on the Thursday night of that week and I had two phone calls within two minutes of sitting down. Ross, my wife, said - ‘look, you need to think about your family time as well.’ 

“She was absolutely right and we’ve actually done a bit about this very thing on the pro-licence course as well. They’ve told us that it’s important to make sure you set aside some time to deal with family issues and to just talk to your wife. 

“Doing that gives you an opportunity to switch off as well. It’s definitely an area that I’m going to have to get better at, let’s put it that way, because the job has taken over a little bit at this moment in time. Hopefully that’s understandably so.” 

“I think when you want success as badly as I do, and when you are prepared to do everything in your power to get it right, then there are a few sacrifices to be made,” he told us. “I need to feel that my feet are completely under the table and that I’m comfortable with everything I’m doing before I start to ease off even a little bit. 

“My wife understands that home life is going to suffer in the short term. and I’m sure I’ll get the odd bit of grief every now and then ... but she fully supports me and I couldn’t ask for any more from her. That’s how it’s always been with us.”