United manager Graham Kavanagh (GK) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Andy Wood (AW) following Carlisle's 1-0 League One defeat away to Gillingham, Kavanagh saying that the game was an opportunity wasted for the Blues:
AW
Disappointing that for most of the game you were the better side and then ended up losing it mainly because of a poor error in Danny Livesey’s tackle?
GK
Yeah, it was disappointing today, it is an opportunity wasted. We should have had a penalty before half-time, how the referee [Charles Breakspear] doesn’t give that, I spoke to him at half-time and he said that it wasn’t a goalscoring opportunity, although the ball was in the middle of the goal, six yards out when he handled the ball from going in, the keeper is already done.
So, it is frustrating but I have to say that we weren’t anywhere near the level that I would expect us to be and I want us to be. I am not making excuses, it wasn’t good enough. The main thing was that we needed to show more quality, we needed to show more penetration, we need to pass the ball better. Albeit we were probably the more dominant team we weren’t as effective as we would have liked, we wanted to get the ball out wide and create the overload.
Then when we did we didn’t do it with much quality, so disappointing. Very disappointing after such a long journey, the fans have been magnificent and I would like to apologise to them that we didn’t actually get a victory for them. But, it is one of those now that we have got to go again on Tuesday.
AW
Talking of the officials there, what was your view of the Lee Miller situation, because I don’t think anybody around where we were even saw what it was given for, why did Miller get sent off?
GK
I don’t know, I didn’t see it myself, there was obviously and the referee decided something went off. I don’t know, I am not sure what happened or how it happened, but the outcome is he has been sent off and he is going to have a three or four game ban, which is no good for me or the team. I will have to look at it on the video and assess it from there but it is a sending off right or wrong and now we are going to miss Lee Miller for it.
AW
What was the referee’s explanation of it then, obviously you didn’t see it, what has he explained to you that he has sent him off for, has he given any kind of explanation for what it was?
GK
No, I didn’t speak to him, it is a waste of time. Andy Hall our media lad, told us the other week that the referee has had so many red cards and so many yellow cards in seven games, I think it was 27 yellows and 3 reds, God knows how many yellow cards today and then obviously the two red cards added to it. So, I have got to the point now, obviously I got sent off at Oldham for getting frustrated with the referee and officials.
There is very little point, they don’t like to give you too much honesty in terms of what they see. I spoke to him at half-time and he said that I was wrong, it wasn’t a goalscoring opportunity, but it was actually going into the goal and the player handled it and he doesn’t give a penalty, and if he does he has to send him off as well. So, all in all you are just sort of scratching your head a little bit, but I am not going to concern myself with officials all season.
I think that detracts from what we are trying to do and what we are trying to do is get a better football team on the pitch. In the second-half we were huffing and puffing and Lee Miller got sent off and we decided to keep pumping balls into their box. We haven’t got a big man to play with, I keep screaming at them to pass the ball and be brave and get on it and express yourselves and get the ball down the sides and create the overload, which is what we like to do with the full-backs.
But, for some reason it was the easy option of just pumping it into their box, and it may look as though we are entering their box all the time but when they are winning the header every time we have got to look for new dimensions. We have got to look for a new way and find a new way to break them down.
No disrespect to Gillingham, I thought they were a very hardworking and honest team, but they didn’t have as much quality as we had, yet they are coming away with the three points. So, it is back to the drawing board again, it is very much a point now where I am reflecting on the group and the squad and I have got to re-evaluate and reassess.
AW
Yeah, on reflecting on the squad, you made a few changes today, obviously from what you are saying you are not happy with Lee Miller’s contribution. What about the two that came in, Chris Chantler back in after a while out and Prince Buaben coming in as well, are you happy enough with the contribution of those two?
GK
Yeah, listen, I am not going to criticise Lee, I haven’t criticised him for his sending off and I am not going to criticise him because it may well be for an innocuous incident. But, as I say, he has got sent off so we are going to miss him regardless unless we appeal it, and if we do and win it then fine and great. But, if we don’t we will miss him for a period of time which doesn’t help any of us.
Chants has had a really difficult period of time out with injury, but has paid incredible attention to his body and his rehabilitation work. All credit to him today, he got thrown in at the deep end and he worked tirelessly, I thought he looked a bit rusty which I knew he was going to be because he played on Tuesday and he was a little bit tired in the muscles and that. But, we didn’t really have an alternative at left-back today with Conor Townsend out.
So, I am pleased, I just think he is going to get better and better with each game, I think he is going to get stronger, he is going to get more aggressive, he will be able to go box to box and he will add a new dimension to the team. So, they are positives but right at this moment it is one of disappointment at the minute.
AW
Yeah, one thing that you have learnt from your group over the last little while, particularly after that defeat away at Oldham, that the next game they can step themselves back up again, so that will be what you are hoping for Tuesday against Wolves no doubt?
GK
Most definitely, of course that will be what we will be wanting, but I don’t want to be keeping having these conversations where we have proved it with the four wins and a draw in my first five games, we go then and lose at Oldham and go and bounce back at MK Dons. Now we have got two defeats, the reality is that if we are going to be a consistent team and we will be looking to get in the top half of the table then players need to step up and realise where we are as a football club and where they are in the division and make bigger contributions.
I don’t want to be a yo-yo team of a win, a loss, a draw, a win, a loss, a draw, because the fans and I want success. I want success and I am going to demand it and I am going to put those demands on the players and we will see where that takes us.