United manager Graham Kavanagh (GK) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 2-1 League One defeat at home to Rotherham, Kavanagh saying that the first-half performance from the Blues wasn't anywhere near good enough:
JP
What do you make of today, a funny game and performance after the two results and performances that you have had before it?
GK
Yeah, disappointed to lose the game in the manner we did, especially so late on. But, I didn’t think we were anywhere near good enough first-half, a bit of sublime skill and a great goal from Lee Miller right on half-time gets us back in the game. I understood a little bit why, the pitch wasn’t great, they went very long and direct, they were looking to get it behind us and turn us and get us facing back towards our own goal, and they looked for set-pieces, which they did pretty well. But, second-half I thought we were the better side, I thought we passed the ball better, but we didn’t have that sort of cutting edge. Then to lose the goal late on was extremely disappointing.
JP
Ironic that you did play so poorly first-half and draw and second-half so much better and you actually lose that half?
GK
Yeah, I mean when you are down there sometimes it doesn’t go for you. I mean I have heard their players come after the game saying that it is the third or fourth time they have actually managed to win games in added time. I mean we have switched off, Courtney Meppen-Walter doesn’t get close to his man, allows the cross and it is just poor, poor defending.
It actually comes from our throw-in so the number of errors and a number of our big players didn’t play well today. I thought Lee Miller did, I thought he was outstanding, but we looked a young, inexperienced and inferior team first-half today which was really disappointing. Second-half they manned up, they took responsibility, they got on the ball, they tried to play under difficult circumstances as I say with the pitch.
I mean for the first-half we were camped in with the wind which was very strong, and second-half it died down. But, I wanted the boys to have responsibility and I honestly thought they did that. We changed the shape, we tried to freshen it up because I thought they looked a little bit tired and jaded, but it didn’t work and it wasn’t to be today.
JP
What do you think happened in the first-half, I mean I know you came in level but it just seemed to spread a nervousness, there was one mistake and then players just seemed to………….. It was like wildfire?
GK
Well, as I say, the word responsibility, I don’t think we looked to make angles, I don’t think we looked to help our team-mate. I think the work-rate and the honesty of the energy levels was there but I keep going back to this word intelligence, and if we are going to try to play in the manner we are going to have to play, then you are going to have to make runs and unselfish runs if you like at times to make space and to make movement. But, today it wasn’t to be, they are in a good vein of form, they have got a lot of confidence, they are at the right end of the table and momentum is with them at the moment.
JP
What will you want to get from them this week, because they are a promotion chaser Rotherham and I know it won’t necessarily feel like to all fans but they are, they are in tremendous team. You have got another really big team in good form coming at the weekend, what will you try to do differently do you think or get the players to work on?
GK
Well, I am going to give them a couple of days off because I think fatigue-wise today was definitely a factor. A few of them looked dead on their feet which is probably understandable because the pitches we have been training on, we have been going from 3G surfaces and the occasional pitch session to then obviously a heavy pitch today which was difficult.
That is not anybody’s fault, we have been using it because we haven’t had anywhere else to train, so it has been difficult. But, we can’t complain, we have got to get on with it, we have got to give them some energy this week, get some belief back into them. It is a hiccup, it is a late goal and that is all it is. I think you said we are four points still away from the danger zone and we look to fight and go again this week.
JP
4,300 here, we talked a lot about the fans at the fans’ forum last night, there was a frustration in the first-half with some of the things that were going on, but you also sensed there was a desire to get behind the team, they were waiting for something good to happen and it felt like they were with you still?
GK
I thought they were incredibly patient yeah. I think that is a real bonus for us because I know as a player often you are getting criticised and it is difficult then to take that encouragement to want to get on the ball and to have that responsibility. But, fair play to the fans, a decent crowd again today, they got behind us, they didn’t show their frustration which was great. But, again, they will be disappointed with such a late loss if you like. So, some very good things second-half but just not enough to manage to get us a result or a win that we thought we might have been able to do.
JP
How serious a promotion contender do you think Rotherham are, because as much at times Carlisle helped them they did play some really good stuff at times?
GK
Yeah, I mean I don’t think they play particularly brilliant football, but I think they are very, very effective in the way they do play. I think the two full-backs look to join in, the two centre-forwards are very, very physical and get themselves down the line of the ball. They caused our two centre-halves, I never seen our two centre-halves, especially Sean O’Hanlon have as many problems as he had today.
Poor decision making on both their parts, I don’t think they had the protection probably that they would have needed either. But, that being said we certainly contributed to our downfall today. But, you have got to give Rotherham credit, they have played like that for a while now, they get balls in your box, they ask questions of you, they ask you to defend, and if you don’t as we didn’t for the second goal, and obviously the first goal is a little bit of a comedy of errors.
In saying that I am probably going to take responsibility for that, because I think I have asked Jordan Pickford to be as aggressive as he could be and come for things. Probably the wrong decision, but he did it with the right things in mind, he just obviously didn’t get connection on the ball and obviously they go and score. So, good luck to them, I wish them all the best for the rest of the season but we need to concentrate on ourselves and we need to improve now for next weekend.
JP
Funnily enough you talked about your central defenders in the match today, we were saying about how good it was to see two lads getting a run alongside each other in the team in the build-up to the match, but it looked like they were as tired as anyone mentally perhaps as well. I know you are working on getting another defender in, is that the priority this week to try to give them at least a bit of competition and maybe a break in there?
GK
Yeah, exactly, I think it is vitally important that we do get competition in that area. I think we are one injury away from a serious crisis in that area so I think the sooner we get a centre-half in the better. I have identified who I want to get in, I am hoping that the club will help us out this week and enable him to come to us. I am believing that the player is interested in coming so we are going to need to try to make that happen this week. If it doesn’t we are going to need to move on and identify a target and obviously hopefully try to get somebody into the building for next weekend.
JP
And what about the injury situation, any hope that you might have anyone back on that front for next week?
GK
No. no. James Berrett trained today but it was only a light session and he was still tight. Paul Thirlwell is going to be three or four weeks still from what I am led to believe. So, it doesn’t get any better but it is what it is and we have just got to soldier on. We have got to get fresh bodies out on the pitch next week, try to give them confidence this week again and we need a good game-plan to come up against a very good Brentford team.
JP
And is Mark Gillespie still more long-term as well?
GK
Erm, I don’t think so no. I think he is doing more and more every day, I think he has had one or two setbacks, which is expected with a knee problem. But, on the whole I think everybody is pretty positive and pretty happy with him, so we will just assess that as and when and see what we can do with him over the next couple of weeks.