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" I do feel we've got the right appointment and I think everybody is starting to realise that I've got the right man as well. Neil isn't a well known name but he's so highly respected in the industry and for good reasons. He's made a good start, it's very early days, but I'm really confident and I'm really pleased that we've got Neil here with us. We didn't feel any pressure to appoint a big name, I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to recognise that you don't necessarily look for a big name that's got a very short shelf-life, it's a manager and that's what we're looking for.
" We whittled the applicants down mainly by referring to other people, it's well known that I don't know an awful lot about football, I don't claim to and I think that's a healthy thing. That allows us, without losing any pride, to go and refer to people who really do know about the business, and Neil's referees were second to none. There wasn't one referee that we spoke to that didn't have a good thing and a positive thing to say about Neil and I think that was reassuring.
" We did take a lot of references on Neil, we've been looking at him for two weeks now and I'm pretty confident that we've got the right man, and it was unanimous with the board. Everyone is looking forward to the new season, and personally I'm probably looking forward to it more now. I think we've got a lot of stuff cleared up in the last two years at the football club, we've got the ridiculous situation that we had with the Trust out of the way. We had a knock with Paul (Simpson) leaving us, and hopefully Neil will prove that we're going to come out stronger from the whole thing, and I'm really excited about the next season.
" Just because Paul is a local-born lad it doesn't mean he isn't entitled to go and enhance his career and Paul did so much for Carlisle United, I think that really was just a vocal minority that gave him a hard time. I think that when people sit back and look at what Paul has done, then we should all be very grateful and appreciative of his contribution at Carlisle United. Paul was the main factor in what was happening but everything else at the club is right, I don't think Neil, or someone like Neil, would have ever considered coming to Carlisle United had we not just turned the corner from the dark days of a few years ago.
" It's that determination that everyone has got at the club and in the whole town, in the whole area, that Carlisle United has put it's silly sad days behind it and we're going to be a good strong club. I can't believe how far we've come in the last two years, both on the field, I don't think anybody ever expected two promotions in a row, and off the field even I didn't expect us to make as much progress as we are making. You take your opportunities though, you grab them with both hands, I think we've done that and we're certainly determined to keep doing that.
" The politically correct right to say, at any football club, is that the fans are fantastic, but I do think that our fans are special. They've put up with so much and they are so pleased that the club is going in the right direction and they are backing the club. "