One of the big stories of the week has been at Derby County, with the club becoming the latest to reveal its behind-the-scenes turmoil as it headed into administration, with all of the uncertainty that brings.
When asked at his Thursday morning virtual press conference if a constant sense of looking over the shoulder is par for the course for every club in these uncertain times, manager Chris Beech said: “It’s difficult to comment on other clubs, but all I can add is that we just have to try to look after ourselves within the boundaries and governance of the sport.
“We’ve done that very well if you want to measure that against the club as a business, and that obviously coincides with player sales.
“A lot of clubs in the past, and some will still do this, look to gamble and spend, and as a manager of course you always want more finance and situations to support your players, with more players playing on your behalf to win games.
“A club has to look after itself and I think Carlisle as a club has done that really well. Other clubs do find themselves stretching rules, and that can put them in a real soft spot, and clubs like Derby County have now been punished.”
As pointed put by chief executive Nigel Clibbens this week, a more prudent approach can often be mistaken for a lack of ambition which, in turn, can lead to frustration from fans who want to know that their club is doing everything it can to move forward.
And with succession still a hot topic around Brunton Park, the Carlisle boss acknowledged that a perceived lack of information can add to those feelings of angst amongst supporters.
“Anything that takes longer, patience is a keyword to everything in life,” he commented. “It can run short or we can have too much in different elements of our lives.
“As a lifelong supporter all you want to see is a very vibrant situation and it’s very energetic, and things like that.
“In terms of what I have to concentrate on I have to make sure we’re good and that we have players representing the traits we keep talking about.
“I think you do see hard work and honesty, and Gav often talks to me about the fact that even if we take players on loan, or they’re here slightly longer, or even looking at players who have joined us in the past, once they’ve been here eight to ten weeks you can see a big difference in how they represent the things we try to value ourselves on.
“That supports us playing well and trying to get three points. That’s what me and Gav have to concentrate on. In terms of frustration, we’re all frustrated when we don’t win football matches, so we have to concentrate on achieving that.
“The other factors and things are all above my pay grade. I have to have empathy with everything around the football but concentrate on my job.”
