Manager John Sheridan gave us his thoughts on what has been a busy week so far having secured the signings of defenders Macaulay Gillesphey and Gary Miller, with work ongoing on the capture of more new faces ahead of the return to pre-season training next week.
“I know people have been waiting and they’ve had to be patient, but we don’t see any reason to rush things at all,” he said. “Macaulay and Gary are now our first two and hopefully we’ll have a couple more coming in this week.
“We’re being as patient as we need to be to get the people through the door who we think will make a difference. In my opinion it’s important to get a blend of experience and youth, know-how and energy, and I think we’ll get a good mix of that with the players we’re looking to bring in.”
“I’ve been away on a short holiday over the last week but it’s been non-stop on my phone,” he commented. “We’ve been working away on deals and I’m very hopeful that one or two more will be along in good time.
“You have to remember that a lot of players are away on holiday as well, so things do tend to grind along at a slower pace than you would like. When that’s the case you have to make sure you let the lads and their agents know you’re interested so that you’re in a position to get things done once everyone is available.”
With a vast amount of experience as a manager under his belt, we wondered if there was still a sense of relief when he got a player he’d been chasing over the line.
“You do need to stay patient and make sure you don’t start rushing things just for the sake of it,” he insisted. “I completely understand that our fans are worried about the squad and when the new players will come in, but all I can tell you is that I’m more than confident they’ll be there for when we need them.
“I’m no different to any other manager. I’d like to have it all done now, but I know we don’t live in an ideal world. There’s work to do and I’m more than happy that we’re going to get it done.”
“This is a business like no other, and I know that talks with players and agents can end up going a number of ways,” he continued. “Some will fall flat, that’s football for you, but there’s always a good feeling when you get one you’ve been working on finalised.
“Look, it could be that we’ll be working on finalising the squad for the next two or three weeks, but we’ve identified those we want, and we know they’re out there.
“Situations like this are something you get used to. If you think you’re going to get every player you go after then you’re mistaken, and you’ll spend a lot of time feeling sorry for yourself.
“I know the game, you make an offer, the agent talks to another club and gets a better offer, and he comes back to talk to you again to see if you can make any movements. It’s how things work in football and I’m just hoping that the things we say to players about what we’re trying to do here at Carlisle United will persuade them that this is a good place to be.
“The signings we’ve made so far show us that we’re going to get good players in. Having had these done, I’d now say that a right-sided centre half would probably be my priority, and I do have people in mind for that.
“The goalkeeper situation is one I’m fully aware of and hopefully we’ll have that covered in the near future as well.”