Upon his arrival back into Carlisle, we caught up with Chairman Tom Piatak, firstly on the recent departure of Mike Williamson, Tom explained:
“That was a very difficult decision.
“I think everybody at the club had great admiration for Mike, his work ethic and what he was trying to do. But ultimately, at the end of the day, this is a results driven business and the results weren't there.
“We were forced to make a decision in the best interest in the club. And that's where our hearts are. That's where our minds are.
“It's always what's in the best interest of the club. And we had to make that difficult decision in order to give us the best chance to remain in League Two.”
We asked Tom why the decision was made on deadline day, he responded:
“The significant difference between how we signed the players. So first of all, we brought in Rob Clarkson, the Sporting Director. He's been with us probably three and a half months or so.
“And Rob was immediately charged with the January transfer window and being able to manage that process. We want to make sure that this is a club driven process and not a manager driven or a coach driven process, but club driven. And we believe we did that.
“So we were recruiting the appropriate resources in terms of the squad that we thought would give the club the best chance moving forward. As those resources were coming in and the play continued, we did not get the results that we needed.
“But we're very confident that the players that we did recruit, that Rob did recruit, are players that are Carlisle United players, are going to be here for a while and can certainly add value and help us during the next 15 matches as well into the future.
At the fans’ forum, Tom said that Mike was the right man for the job. We asked him what changed from that point to the point of Mike’s departure. He said:
“I think it was January 7th. You know, we discussed what we thought the appropriate go forward course of action would be.
“And we thought keeping Mike as the head coach was the right decision at that time. Stability and continuity were absolutely critical. We thought if we brought in some additional resources, the stability and continuity would play out.
“That was the thought process. So yes, we said we'd stand by Mike. Unfortunately, as we moved through January, that did not happen.
“The results weren't there. And as I said, it was a very difficult decision, as it always is. It's a very difficult decision to do that, but we felt that was the right thing to do at that time.
“And there's never a good time to do it. There's never a good time to make that decision. The fact that it was the last day of the transfer window, but the decision had to be made.”
We asked Tom what he’d learned so far, from the departure of Mike but also thinking back to Paul Simpson’s tenure coming to an end. Tom said:
“I think probably the key is, from a process standpoint, we believed in the managers and giving them the opportunity to succeed. I think adaptability in football is probably the most important thing that you have to be willing to do.
“And when that does not happen sometimes, that ends up leading us with the results that we've seen. And so the one thing, I believe that a coach has to be able to adapt to the competition, to adapt to the league that they're in, and continue to change to improve. And that's just something that takes a little bit of time, but that's critical.
“The second piece was bringing in a football structure. Bringing in Rob Clarkson and a football structure has been paramount in terms of the future. We want this club to succeed and move forward for years to come.
“And I think having that sporting director and the football operations and that stability with that is going to be extremely helpful. Coaches, hopefully they're going to be here. They're going to be here for the long term.
“But having that structure and continuity at the football operations I think is absolutely critical. Something that we've learned and that's why we brought Rob in three and a half, four months ago.”
We also asked Tom if the focus on that desired style of football had changed, was it now just about winning at all costs? He responded:
“I think it's always been about winning. I mean, that's always been the goal is to play winning football.
“There's different ways to do that. We wanted to play an exciting style of play, something that the fans enjoy and something that could be the club identity moving forward. But we always wanted to play winning football and we still want to do that.
“So right now, yes, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Winning football, you know, getting points in the next 15 matches is the priority, the focus. And we definitely believe that Mark and Glyn coming in have that leadership, have that experience, have been there before.
“They’ve got the respect of the players and will be able to do that. And we've already seen that in the matches that they've managed. They adapt as the match moves along.
“So we're very pleased with that so far.”
Tom then spoke specifically on Rob Clarkson, saying:
“He’s been outstanding. It's something that's clearly been lacking here at the club. We've never really had that before.
“It's something that we wanted to move towards as quickly as possible. Having his expertise, having his knowledge, having his thought process, having his voice in the room is absolutely critical. And he's done exactly what we needed him to do.
"I've always said, we're not footballers by nature and I never claimed to be. But I am process driven. I’m about making sure we're following a process using the data, using the technology available, using visual scouts and everything.
“And Rob has just kind of been able to synthesise that and bring that together and execute on that plan. So that's been a real relief and a huge help. I mean, his ability, his contacts, but more his following the process and making sure that we're checking the boxes to ensure we get the best candidates, whether that's on the squad or the coaching position has been very, very helpful.
“And we're thrilled to have him on board. I think he's just been an great addition to the team.”
CUTV subscribers can watch the full interview with Tom Piatak HERE now.
