After what has been a hectic week at Brunton Park first team coach Nathan Rooney confirmed that the focus is completely on picking up points and putting performances with himself and Gavin Skelton having been handed the reins following the departure of Steven Pressley last Wednesday.
“It’s always tough for a club and also tough for the backroom staff when a change like this happens,” he said. “Players get attached to people, like anyone in life. I’ve worked with Steven in the past, and this year, but I’m wearing the Carlisle badge, so I’ve got a job to do.
“Everyone out there expects that too. I’m here to work with the players, I’m here to work with the current staff, I’m here to get the three points on the table at the weekend.
“What we have to do is keep your continuous messages from previously, keep them moving forward, and then we look to tweak on certain areas where we think we can help the team improve.”
“It is unsettling but we still walk into the same office every day, and the same group of people,” he added. “Whatever the situation, the players are the most important thing. We’ve got to keep making sure they feel comfortable every day and have a smile on their face.
“I think we’ve started well. As we’ve mentioned before, we’re putting extra work in in the afternoons, but you only see that work come to the front when we play these games. Same preparation, everything’s done properly, we observe the opposition, but we really want to look after ourselves and put the best players out there at the weekend.
“That’s what we did on Saturday. We started the game, what was it, 27 seconds, unbelievable. If you do score too early sometimes that can be a problem for you later in the game, but the application throughout the whole week, since everything happened, has been great.
“The last two performances, Saturday and today [Morecambe, Central League Cup], if anyone’s watching, we’re improving.”
“It isn’t a unique situation at all,” he continued. “Other clubs have gone through it recently, there’s been a big turnover in the last couple of weeks in the league, so we’re professional.
“Our work doesn’t change, it is what it is. We’ll continue preparing for the games in the same way as we look to move things forward. In terms of any decisions made, we will go with the flow.
“What will be will be, but as staff you’ve got to keep putting yourself in the right frame of mind. Our standards won’t drop. The decision will be made and so be it.”
On Mo Sagaf, who missed last weekend with stitches in his forehead, he said: “He’s still being checked on at the start of this week.
“We can’t overrule what the medical stage is with that. We’ll see how he goes on Thursday, get a bit more contact on him, and I think we’ll know more going into Friday.
“Hallam [Hope] will be back from international duty and I think he’ll be looking to get back in training towards the later stage of the week, but I can’t really speak much about what the team’s going to look like.”
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