Now six or so weeks into his role, we caught up with Sporting Director Rob Clarkson.
Rob began by speaking about how he’d found his time at the club so far, saying:
“It's been very enjoyable. It's been hard work because there's lots to do, lots of meetings, getting to know everybody. But I've thoroughly enjoyed the first six weeks. I'm really looking forward to what's to come.”
Rob then talked through how his day to day operations look:
“During a standard week, Monday to Wednesday is heavily involved in getting to know the first-team staff. Injury updates, where are we with the squad injury-wise, who's training, who's not training.
“Obviously speaking about the weekend, the game that we've just had, what we did well, what we didn't do so well. Monday and Tuesday I tend to speak to a lot of clubs or agents or anything that I need to in terms of recruitment-wise, and also with our players as well. Tuesday we have a leadership call with the owners, so we'll speak with the owners every Tuesday, which is around everything that's going on with the club.
“But then the second part is heavily on the football side, so again, how the game went and what we need to do moving forward. Thursday I'll tend to get involved in some of the academy stuff, so I'll speak with Steven Rudd regularly about what's happening in the academy, what help he needs from me, what's going on across the age groups. We have regular meetings, board meetings around the academy as well, we've got one tomorrow.
“And then Friday is very much match prep for the boys, and then I'll either travel with the team on the Saturday, or I go to another game if I'm watching other players out there as well. That's kind of in a nutshell my week.”
On how he’s settled in so far, Rob added:
“I've been made to feel very welcome, the staff are great, the players are all good lads, so I've got to know everybody pretty quickly. I stay in Carlisle a lot, so I'm here a lot. I've actually not been home for a couple of weeks now because it's a very busy period, so I'm getting to know the city as well, and the area itself.
“It's been great for me, getting to know everybody, and getting a handle on what I think we need to do to improve on and off the pitch.”
On his relationship with Mike Williamson, Rob explained:
“I take a lot of the load off them because they've got to focus on what happens on the pitch, day-to-day, managing the group of players, and more importantly on the weekend.
“Whether it's rearranging the Newport fixture, or whether it's speaking to agents, or whether it's speaking to other clubs, all that kind of stuff I just take away from them so they can purely focus on training, pre-and post-match meetings, analysis, and then the game on the weekend. All the staff are really good people, and everyone's working tirelessly to get us into a much healthier position than we are now.”
On involvement in the recruitment side, and working with Greg [Abbott] and Jacob [Blain], Rob said:
“They've both been very good so far, very receptive to what I want to do and how I want to work.
Greg and Jacob have been here a little while now, so I have certain ways of working and certain things that I want from them. They've been very receptive to it. I think they've enjoyed having someone like me to be the main focal point for them, to then be the link between them and the manager.
“I've had them involved in the recruitment meetings we've had, so they feel a part of it. It's important that they're doing a lot of work on the ground, it's important that they can see what that looks like when we speak to the manager, and then they can get a clear understanding of what the manager wants from the players that we look to bring in.
“We do a lot of live scouting, a lot of video scouting, and then that supplements the data that we have as well.
“With certain players playing in certain leagues, we get a lot of data because it's readily available, and we have a way that we go through that with other players that may be younger and haven't got as many first-team minutes. It's harder to get the data, so then we have to rely more on the live and video scouting that the guys do, and that I do, and my previous knowledge of players from my background as well.”
We then asked Rob about the owners, and how supportive and involved they’ve been, he responded by saying:
“Very, very involved, very supportive.
“Like I say, I speak to them every Tuesday, and then if I need to speak to them at any other point, I just arrange that as well, and they're very open to helping. They've had a tough first year. It's fair to say that it's not gone as they would have liked, as anyone would have liked, which is why there's been a managerial change and then I've come in.
“We all feel that we really want to get this club in a much healthier position, not only for the fans but also for them, because they are very, very invested in it.”
On the January window, we asked Rob how advanced the plans were, he answered:
“Very, in terms of we are trying to push ahead with things that we'd like to do. It's not an easy month, but we do know that we do need to improve in certain areas, and naturally when a new manager comes in, they want to play a certain way, and they need players that can play in that.
“We know we've got some good players currently in the dressing room already, but we are pushing ahead with plans to add to that and supplement that with some real quality that can really help us kick on in the second part of the season.”
Rob spoke on the importance, in his mind, of completing business early in the window:
“Ideally, I always like to, and I think everyone would say this, ideally the earlier you can get them in the better. So we'll certainly be pushing for that.
“It doesn't always work like that, so we'll just have to see how it pans out.”
With United struggling in the table, we asked Rob if our league position made making these potential deals more difficult, he said:
“Yes and no. It does play a factor, a player looking at us and where we are, they do probably think, they don't want to come here and be playing at the bottom end of League Two, they want to know that the club's got ambitions to progress and play higher.
“So it does a little bit more with a permanent signing, the loan signings probably less so because loan signings just need minutes, they just need to play and know that they're going to play in a system that suits them. But with a permanent signing, it does play a factor, but it's up to us to reassure them and tell them where the club will be, where the club is at this moment in time. When players come in, it's inevitable that the players that are already here potentially then get less minutes.
With incomings, also have to be outgoings, Rob discussed how those conversations are progressing:
“The manager's very open with the players, and if they want to knock on his door they can at any time. I'm the same, and I'll speak to their agents or themselves as well. What we want is we want the players to do well here, and they've still got opportunities to do that in the next couple of weeks, and what they've done so far this season.
“But we have to be open and honest with players and with agents, and if they're not getting the amount of game time that they would like, it's no good for them or us. So it's better for them to move on elsewhere, and we just have to be open and honest. Football can change very quickly right now, they might be thinking they may be moving on.
“It could look very differently in two weeks' time if they've played and done well. So it's ever-changing, we just have to be open and honest, and be transparent with them.”
With Tyler Burey, Kadeem Harris and Ben Williams all on short-term deals until January, Rob also shared an update on their talks:
“Again, we've had conversations with all three, we're just assessing where we are with the group.
“I'm also getting a feel for them, are they happy, do they want to stay beyond January? So it's a two-way thing in terms of where we are and where they are, and we're constantly assessing that internally, but also with them. Then we'll see where we are in a couple of weeks' time.”
Finally, Rob ended with a message to the Blues supporters:
“We really appreciate the support of the fan base here, it's brilliant. Every player and every member of staff really appreciates that. We know how tough it's been these last 18 months for them, but I would just emphasise how much work is going on behind the scenes from myself, from the staff, from the players, from everybody internally.
“Just get behind us as best you can, which I know they will. We're very confident that this club will be in a much healthier position in the future than where it is at the moment.”
