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" Getting Oldham at home just tells you that the season is nearly upon us again. It seems to be just five minutes ago since we were playing Millwall in the last game of the season, and already we are talking about next season. It has come quickly, but it is a good draw, I think that all you can hope for at this stage is a home draw.
" They were one of the better sides in the division last season so it will be a tough game, but it is a chance for us to get a home game under our belt and hopefully progress. It is a competition that we would like to do better than we have done in recent seasons to be honest with you. There are some nice games along the way if you can get through the early rounds.
" I don't think that we have any choice than to do anything but be serious in everything that we do at the moment. Last season has got to be quickly put to one side and an improvement has got to be made straight on. So I don't think that we can be doing anything daft in terms of selecting weaker sides at this stage of the season.
" I think that everybody has got to be going out and firing on all cylinders trying to win as many games we can as quickly as we can early on in the season. If you can get through the early rounds then there is a big chance that you can get one of the big boys and have a really good day out, either away from home or at Brunton Park looking at some of the better players in the Premier League. "
" Stuart (McCall) rang me this week saying that their (Bradford City's) fixture against Dundee United had fallen through and ours had against Newcastle. To be fair we both found out looking at the internet seeing that Newcastle were actually playing Dundee on that day. So he rang me and asked if we could do the fixture, and it is a good one for us because it will give us a real live test on the sort of thing that we are going to come up against the following week in our league programme.
" Bradford are going to be one of the better sides in League Two and we didn't want to play anybody in our own league for obvious reasons. So it was a really competitive fixture that we can take up on and it will be nice to go back to Bradford and meet a lot of old friends to be fair as well.
" Obviously the Newcastle one would have been a terrific chance for everybody to put their wits up against some very, very good players. It is a massive game is Newcastle v Carlisle with the geography of it and the support that Newcastle have. I think that in real terms though the Bradford game will be a really tough, more League One-like fixture that we are going to be expecting the following Saturday. So in that respect it will probably work as a really good workout where they will be looking to get their team finalised, as will we be doing our final preparations for the start of the season.
" Agents and players representatives were always ringing up when I was on holiday and saying that they were sorry to disturb me but then they never bothered hanging up. They just continue the phone call and then they do disturb you, but it is work, it is a 24/7 job and you don't mind it. You have got to do it, you have got to deal with it and to be fair we did a fair bit of work last week while we were away in terms of setting things up and keeping things warm and live. "
" We are back at the office today and it has been, I think that I had about eight or nine people to see in the day today. Then just that half an hour return home to the flat in Carlisle to put my feet up and obviously do your interview now. So the season has already begun really without the football being kicked, it has actually started and we are always doing our preparation work for what is hopefully going to be a better season than last.
" From our point of view there has been progress made, we will be hopeful that by the end of next week we can wrap up one. Talks have been ongoing for about three to four weeks, we are very, very close, the player has given a big indication that he is going to come so we will hopefully have something to announce next week. Again though, until it is wrapped up and signed and sealed you are loathe to give names out just incase somebody hijacks it.
" So that is one for us and it looks like it is going to get done, which will be great for us, it is one that we have needed to do. Other things are warming up as well, there have been enquiries in for a couple of players and there are enquiries to other clubs about a lot of players. We are trying to keep as many warm and keep as many options as we can open.
" I am not going to give you what position he plays because people put two and two together and then everybody comes up with names, and then it just alerts other people. As soon as I get a definite yes though then we will get you the name of the player and we can get it out as quick as we can, because I know that fans are anxious to find out who is coming in. So as soon as we can we will do.
" You are never going to keep the fans happy because they want the best players as quick as they can at their football club, and they are not any different to me. What you have got to try to do is make sure that you do get the right players, and sometimes you have got to be patient. You have got to play a bit of a waiting game, the real movement hasn't started yet but I would anticipate that that will start picking up in the last week of June. "
" Then when everybody goes back there are a lot of a players that start changing clubs. The Premier League starts it off and then Championship follows and we follow that. So what we don't want to do is have every position tied up and lose a better option later on before the season starts. Remember that we still have a good six or seven weeks before a ball is kicked in earnest, so there is a little bit of time there to wait and be patient and get the right players in.
" We have got Cleveland (Taylor's) situation which is a little bit of a disappointing one and nothing has happened there. So when does Cleveland go? When do we replace him? We have got options there but we can't really move at the minute because Cleveland's situation is that he has not gone yet, and the interest in him is warm but it is not red hot.
" Danny Graham has rejected a contract, he is going but we don't know where he is going to go and how much we are going to get for him, and how much we can put into a new centre-forward. The board have given me an indication that the majority of what we get for Danny I can re-spend.
" So at the minute I don't know which market I am fitting in because we have no idea what sort of club is interested in Danny and what sort of figure we are going to get for him. So it is slightly frustrating for me as well as all the fans out there that are no doubt wondering who is going to come into this football club.
" I soon as I found out that Dave (Timmins) was going to move on, which I think is probably in Dave's terms is a sensible one. He is going back to where he comes from, he is going to link up with Paul (Simpson) who he has worked for again before. So it was one that didn't surprise me, he has done a terrific job with us, again we have left on really good terms. "
" It is a convenient one for him, is it a better one in terms of progressive for him, I don't know? That is up to Dave to work out though, he has decided that is what he wants to do and we wish him all the best. Things are in motion now to make a few phone calls tomorrow now, I have got a list of five people that I want to speak too.
" We have to talk to all five and then probably narrow it down to three and interview three and see which one comes over the best and which one looks the most determined to make a go of it at the club. So that will be hopefully wrapped up by the middle of next week I would hope, I would certainly want it done before the lads come back for pre-season.
" John Barnes is a strange one, Ronnie (Moore) leaving the club was a staggering one to be fair when I first read that. I think that I was actually on holiday when I got the news that Ronnie had gone, or it was just before I went away. You think that he was one minute away from being in the play-offs through Cliff Byrne scoring for Scunthorpe to equalise and put them out of the play-offs.
" It seems really harsh on Ronnie, unless there has been some other reason that is not coming out. I just thought that he has done a terrific job on relatively low resources, certainly crowds aren't fantastic at Tranmere, and it was a big surprise. John Barnes coming in, they have gone for a name, he has got no track record at this level to boast about but he has a name.
" He will obviously know the game, he has had a run at it at Celtic in terms of managing, but that is at the top end of the scale probably. You just wonder whether he has what it takes to do it at this level, it is probably sometimes tougher to manage at League One than it is at the big clubs. So it is an interesting one, certainly surprised at Ronnie leaving and judgement will be reserved on whether John Barnes makes a big success of it. "