MANAGER: Let's make it a massive game

“There are a lot of players at this club I like,” he confirmed. “I think they can adopt the style of play I eventually want to use, but there are other players I’m not going to use as much as their careers are going to need, or at a level which will keep them happy. 

“There will be changes in January but we have players here on contracts which were given in good faith, so we have to abide by them. There’ll be some wheeling and dealing done to hopefully allow us to bring more players in.”

“I speak to the chairman and John Nixon all the time and I know they want me to be successful,” he commented. “They don’t want to see this club at the bottom of League Two. I don’t have unrealistic expectations. 

“I’ve got a remit where I know the pay scale the club can afford. I won’t take a package or a suggestion to them that’s unrealistic because I don’t think that would give them much confidence in me. I know there are players here now where if I can do some wheeling and dealing I can make money available.”

“If we can get more people through the turnstiles it will allow us to do some work without having to move players out,” he continued. “Eventually it comes down to them, as professionals, to see if they want to be playing football or do they just want to pick up a wage packet. 

“I know these lads are professionals and they want to be playing. They want to go into training with a purpose and I think we’re starting to get a better understanding from them all as to what is required.”

“The important thing is that over this period we want the whole squad to stick together,” he explained. “One of the things I am bringing in now is that all of the fit professionals will travel together. Every paid professional at the club will be at the Morecambe game. When we travel on the day we’ll be going as a complete team. 

“Unity is massive. This isn’t just about the changing room, it’s about the whole city coming together. We are all Carlisle United and we all want positive results. We can see things happening we don’t like, but it’s only myself, the coaching staff and the players who can put it right on the pitch. We’ll be going that extra mile and trying our damndest to make it happen.”

“Let’s start pulling together this weekend and let’s make it a massive game,” he said. “Let’s make it one of those where we say we need this game and, if we don’t get it, it’s absolute curtains. 

“Can we drag people off their settees and away from the shops for two hours to come and join the scrap we’re in? We are going to be scrapping so the more people you have on your side the easier it is. Make this game as massive as you want because we need to go out there to get a positive result.

“The more noise and support we’ve got, the better. As I have said before, the best thing about our supporters is they aren’t just here for the good times. 

“And this is a cause worth coming for. This club has had big crowds when it’s needed them. This is a time now when the club needs you. Everybody wants to do some Christmas shopping, but don’t do it on Saturday. Take an hour off work and come and see us and help us on.”

And on the current injury situation, he said: “We manage Troy [Archibald-Henville] as an individual. It’s different to what some of the other players do but it’s to try to get him as much game time as we can. 

“It does scupper some of the preparation plans, because you have to use different personnel, but he’s got good understanding of the position and he’s a good, strong defender who can be a dominant presence.

“We’ve got important players coming back at an important stage of the season and I think that’s good. There’s enough in the changing room to build a foundation. 

“Mark [Gillespie] is on the field working with Tony Caig. We don’t want to rush him back. We want to give him the timeframe he needs to get himself sharp and the closer he gets to being back the more Dan Hanford’s workload will increase. He’ll want to keep his place for as long as he can. 

“Mark is a good professional and a good athlete and he wants things to be right for himself. I don’t think anyone plays every week at 100% of fitness because that’s the nature of the game we’re in. 

“Alex Marrow has a sick note until Friday and hopefully he will come back feeling better. Gary Dicker has been doing some work on a specially designed gravity machine and we’re hoping for a positive reaction to that. We should start to see positive signs with Steven Rigg as well, so things are looking up.”