In the penultimate part of our Tuesday press conference coverage with director of football David Holdsworth we look at more of the subjects covered during his first meeting with the local media.
On changing the structure inside the club ...
“The structure inside the club is improving continuously, and that’s something I’m very keen to establish.
“I want everybody to know their job and to be accountable. This isn’t a short-term process and there isn’t a quick fix. This is about establishing a football club the fans can rely on because they know it will be run correctly.
“For that, as I say, you need the right structure in place, and that’s always a word that’s important at any football club. What we have to do is run things in a prudent way by making sure we get value for money. It takes time, it won’t happen in one season, but ultimately we want this to be a successful season as well. We’re all right behind John Sheridan as he looks to make that happen.
“When you pick up a club that’s had a willingness to overspend, it’s tough. We won’t be doing that any more, we won’t be putting the club at risk, and at the moment we’re picking up the pieces of a club that has been trying to get out of this division. Full credit to the board because they supported the previous manager and, whether that was unsuccessful or not, it’s where we are.
“We need accountability in each department, from the youth department to the commercial department and through to the window cleaner. We all must be accountable, and that’s what I’m talking about in terms of the structure. It’s about identifying whether everyone is doing their job correctly. Getting the right people in the right places is key to that, and making sure the owners can see that the club is being prudent and not being wasteful. We want value for money and we want hard-working people. All those little things make a big thing.
“You need to know your club is in a good place so we’re restructuring certain things and we’re making sure we embrace as many people in Carlisle as we can. We want to bring fans and businesses through the door and make it a place people want to come. That process is ongoing at the moment. It’s about making decisions in certain areas where we have the key personnel to run their department.
“On the footballing side, John Sheridan inherited something like 65% of Keith Curle’s budget, and having been in that position myself I know the difficulties that might bring. In the summer we had to look at things, and there will have been days where John has been a little bit frustrated, because he couldn’t get certain players in, but that happens with any manager.
“John and I have sat down and discussed certain players and I think our recruitment has been very good so far. When that 65% of budget is free next season, we’ll have decisions to make regarding renewal and continuation of players’ contracts. We also have to look at whether they’re bringing in the value for money we would like - and they will be decisions John makes - but I will make them with him in terms of the expenditure. We can’t afford some of the things that have gone on before, otherwise we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in now.
“If we’re going to call a spade a spade, some of our players in the past haven’t performed, but we’ve got a demanding manager who is getting the best out of them now. I’m seeing some improvement from certain players, and I’m sure John will continue to keep barking at them if he needs to, and he might give them a cuddle if they need one.
“We have to be very strong in our minds in terms of player profiling, to make sure we bring in value for money. Players will see a change in their attitudes because they’ve got a demanding manager and a demanding club who won’t just give out contracts for the sake of it. The days of giving out those four-year contracts are gone, because we can’t put this club in a vulnerable position with things hanging round our neck.
“If you go into a shop with £1.50 and spend £2 you can’t afford it, so you don’t spend what you can’t afford. We’ve got a structure now where I won’t allow us to overspend. If I need to ask questions I will, but we’ll support the manager in any way we can."
