Carlisle United Football Club

“We’ve extended the timeframe for Mark [Beck], Kyle [Dempsey] and Brad [Potts] to give replies,” he explained. “Brad Potts has officially turned down the initial offer the club made him. 

“He hasn't shut the door on negotiations so they will continue into next week. We still need to arrange meetings with the representatives of all three of them so that we can try and tie things up. We want to sit face to face with people rather than do it by exchanging emails or with telephone calls. 

“I’d prefer to explain the short, medium and long term targets we have for these players while they are actually in the room because I think that’s important. We’re mindful of the fact we have a free weekend so we would expect to get somewhere with it by the end of next week.”

“We’ve made what we feel are good offers, with good incentives, and we’re trying to structure the pay scale at the club where we can give the players finances for what they do out on the pitch,” he told us. “The better we do as a club the better they will do as individuals. They need to have the understanding that the things they do in their careers that improve them, and make them good players, are exactly what will earn them bigger rewards.”

“The contracts are all incentivised,” he confirmed. “They aren't life changing and you aren't going to see any of them turning up to training in soft top Bentley's all of a sudden. 

“We want them to go out on the pitch and want to score goals, keep clean sheets and be part of a winning team. If they grasp that doing that is the foundation for their career then they won’t go far wrong.

“I would think all of the young lads will be here for longer because there is a real unity within the group. They enjoy being around each other and they've got their community in the club houses where a lot of them stay. There's a good vibe around them. They’re all individuals within the group and I think they're all enjoying that at the moment.”

“We aren’t in a situation where we’re chasing money as a club,” he said. “We have no need to balance the books in the short term so we aren’t being governed by finances. 

“There also isn’t the risk of people leaving the club at the end of the season for nothing because there are compensation rules in place. We’ve had situations in the past where the club has got what it feels is value for money and we would be hopeful, if it did go to a tribunal at some point in the future, the club would get the reward for being responsible for the player in the way we have been.

“We’re certainly not in need of a fire sale where people have no choice but to move on and there is definitely no necessity for anyone to leave.”

On the confirmed bid for first year professional Kyle Dempsey, he said: “We received an offer in writing for him on Thursday and we turned it down. 

“I got a phone call from John Nixon to tell me that a club had made a bid. He told me the outlines of the offer and he explained there were several add on clauses related to appearances and the success the club might have. He asked for my initial reaction – that was a no. The pleasing thing was that John and the chairman were of exactly the same mindset.”

And on the loan spells which run out next week for Tom Anderson and Connor Brown, he said: “I spoke to John Nixon earlier this week about that situation because we’re hoping to extend their deals by another month. 

“We need to have a final discussion with their parent clubs to make sure everything is in place but we’re hoping for a positive outcome on that one.”

With eight players being made available for loan, but with no deadline day movement either way, the manager insisted that starting places were up for grabs for all squad members as the season heads into the busy winter period.

“We have made eight players available and that is with Sean O’Hanlon being added to the list recently,” he said. “A circular went to all Football League clubs as per standard procedure. 

“It’s a situation we’re open minded about. We have no intention of forcing anyone out of this club. I did say to all of those who were made available when I spoke to them that it didn’t mean the door had been closed. It definitely didn’t mean it was the end of their career with Carlisle. 

“It just meant they weren’t getting the game time any professional player needs and we were happy to let them go if a club could come in and offer them that. Some of those players have been used in the last few games and they have approached it with an excellent attitude. It’s the same for any player at the club. They know they need to perform through the week to get into the team and then they need to perform on a Saturday to stay there.”

“I’m not going to fill the changing room with players just for the sake of it,” he commented. “There hasn’t been any movement but I’m still quite happy with what I’ve got. I feel we have more than enough to stay in the division this season.”

Speaking more about the addition of defender Sean O’Hanlon to the 'available for loan' list, he said: “Sean is a player who is based in Liverpool and he’s spending a lot of time on the motorway and not a lot of time in the team. 

“It’s a similar situation to the one with Billy Paynter. I really don’t want to see good careers like this fizzle out on the M6. I’ve told them both it’s about extending their careers because I think they deserve that. They’re very good professionals and I want them to be able to carry on for as long as they possibly can.

“I’m not sure sitting in a car for two and a half hours, there and back, will be the best thing for that in the short or long term. We’ve made the club houses available to them so they can spend a little bit less time in the car and dedicate more time to their profession on the days that it’s needed. 

“Personally I don’t think you can spend five hours minimum a day commuting. If you get caught up in traffic that time just becomes longer. The good thing is I know they will both work extremely hard for us but, if a move does come up for them, and if it was right for them and us, we wouldn’t stand in the way.”