Dean Bouzanis on signing for United
Keeper Dean Bouzanis spoke to us shortly after signing his three month contract with the club which, subject to clearance and registration, will make him a Carlisle United player until 23 April 2014.
"I was in Greece with Aris recently and things over there weren't so good, so I'm delighted to have the chance to play in England again," he said.
"My agent knew there was an injury here so he put my name forward to Kav and I came in for a couple of days. It's all happened quite quickly after that. I obviously spent many years in England before I went to Greece and I want to say a big thank you to Kav and Tony Caig for giving me this chance."
"I've really enjoyed my week here so far and I'm very pleased to have signed the deal," he added. "The three month deal gives me a real incentive to work hard and do as well as I can. Hopefully if I can do that I'll earn myself another deal for next season. I'll try my best for the club and for myself and keep my fingers crossed that will be enough.
"I always want to do my best and prove how good I am and it would be good to get the chance to do that while I'm here. League One is a good league, and this is a good club, so I would like to help them and show people what I'm about."
"I've already seen that this is a good bunch of lads and training is very intense," he told us. "I don't think the club deserves to be in the position they're in at the moment because there's a lot of decent players here. I've seen a lot of determination from the lads this week and if they show that in the games then we'll start moving up the table very quickly."
On how he first came over to England, having cut his teeth in Australian youth football, he said: "I was playing for the national team over in Australia and a Liverpool scout came and watched me. I was then invited over on a trial. I ended up signing for them and I stayed there for five years. It was a very good experience and it really helped my development.
"It was a great opportunity for me because they're obviously such a big club and it's something I'll never forget. I was young at the time, and I was told that I had a lot of potential, so I did believe in myself. I feel like I've progressed well since then but I still have a long way to go. I want to play at the top level and the only way I'll be able to do that is by working hard.
"When my time at Liverpool came to an end I was disappointed, because it is such a good club, but I felt the timing was right. I went to Oldham from there and I played a good number of games. The reserve games at Liverpool didn't have the same intensity of first team football so I think it was important for me to go. I support Liverpool and I loved it there but leaving was something I needed to do for my career and myself.
"We obviously got drawn against Liverpool while I was at Oldham and that was massive for me. It was great to play against the lads I was with the year before and against the team I support. It was a great feeling to get the result and hopefully there are many more occasions like that to come."
"I signed at Oldham when Paul Dickov was there and it was all going well," he said. "The new management team came in and they had their own ideas. They brought in loan goalkeepers, and things like that, but these things happen in football and you just have to move on. It was disappointing, because I'd formed a good bond with Oldham, but there's nothing you can do.
"I was excited when I got the opportunity to go to Greece. Their top league is of a very good standard and there are some very good teams involved in it. There was interest from English teams but I wanted to give Greece a try because it's one of the top leagues in the world.
"There were Champions League and Europa League places up for grabs and I thought it would be a good opportunity for me. It didn't really work out over there but being in Greece made me see that England is the best place to be in terms of developing as a player. I have a lot of respect for Aris as a club and the fans were great with me, but it is nice to be back."
On what he expects from Brunton Park, he said: "I was in a similar situation to the one we're in at the moment with Oldham last year. It's tough and you've got to have a strong mind to make sure you can battle through it. Having worked with the lads for the past week I've seen a group who I believe are capable of getting out of this situation and moving us forward."
"I haven't really thought any further ahead than the three month deal," he insisted. "I just want to play as many games as I can and do as well as I can. If the opportunity did come up to talk about next season then it would definitely be something I'd consider. I feel like I've settled in already and I'm looking forward to getting started properly now.
"Trials can be difficult because you're obviously training without knowing if you're going to get a contract. I left home when I was 15 to go to Liverpool, which was hard, and then obviously I went over to Greece so I would like to get settled now. Football is all about performing when you're under pressure and moving around is all part of the job.
"Greg [Fleming] has obviously got the number one shirt at the moment and he's a great lad. He's a good keeper so I'll be looking to push him and claim the spot for myself. Competition is a very good thing and it can only be good for Greg and myself, as well as the club.
"Tony Caig has been very good with me and he's one of the best keeper coaches I've had. He's told me to work hard and push the other keepers. I've said it before, but if I get a chance then I want to impress and show everybody what I can do."
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