The three-year deal agreed by Paul Simpson was explained by chairman Andrew Jenkins on Wednesday as being the indication of a longer-term project, with perhaps the hint that patience may be needed as changes are made in all areas of the club.
But manager Paul Simpson insisted that he isn’t asking for blind loyalty, with results on the pitch still a top priority.
“I get that if we’re not winning and we’re rubbish, then I fully expect that people are going to complain about it,” he said.
“That’s the nature of football, but I have to say that I’m not expecting us, come August, to be banging a drum and saying that we’re going to be champions of League Two.
“This is going to take time, it really is. I don’t know how long, and I don’t know how long I’ll be given if it’s not seen to be working.
“All I want to see from the football club is a bit of a progression, an improvement in everything that goes on.”
“It starts with standards,” he continued. “Improvements in standards that people set and in the way that they go about their business. If we can get improvements that will help to prolong my stay at the club.
“If I’m honest I’ve always thought of myself as the manager, I haven’t thought about being interim manager or anything like that. I knew I would be the manager for 15 games, I hoped I didn’t end up getting sacked during those 15 games, and that’s the way I’ve approached it.
“I’ve thrown myself into it, someone just asked if I was going home but I couldn’t remember the last time I went home because I’ve thrown myself into it, and that’s what I’ll carry on doing.
“I don’t believe I’ve got all the answers, but I’m going to try and make as many good calls as I can and keep my fingers crossed that they work.”
And in terms of budgets, he said: “I’m confident they’re going to give me as good as they’ve got. I would be telling lies if I think I’m going to expect to have the biggest budget in League Two next season.
“I wasn’t making those demands. I just said let’s get a structure in place and try and work with as much as you can afford to give me in terms of the playing budget, to give us a fighting chance.
“Sometimes, the league table at the end of the season normally reflects the level of budget that’s been put into the team. Whether those figures are all true I don’t know, because I’ve had people coming up to me over the last week or two saying it was on a website about what such and such a player earns.
“They threw a figure at me that I know for a fact now that I’ve seen contracts, nobody in this club earns the figures this website was telling everybody they earn.
“There’s a lot of lies go out, but this budget is a budget that if we work it properly, could get us into the top half of the table, and that’s where the challenge is.
“We have to maximise everything we’ve got, spend every penny wisely, that’s the job I’ve got along with Nigel to make sure we try and do that.
“It’s a challenge, but life’s about that, so what a fantastic challenge. I’m sure there are thousands of people in Carlisle and Cumbria who would swap and take this job. I’m not complaining.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Paul Simpson on iFollow United now.
Click HERE to see a clip from this interview on our YouTube channel. Follow the same link for more FREE content right from the heart of the club.
