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JP
You are down here to take on Bristol Rovers, interesting game for you because you are on a very good run but this will be a real test despite their run of course.
GA
This is a tough place to come but I think we have reached a state now in our season where if we can get two or three good results under our belt over the next week or so then the season could be full of excitement and optimism. What we want to try to do is keep the run going, keep the momentum, keep the confidence and get more and more people believing in what we are trying to do.
This is a really critical stage of the season for us because by the end of next week we could be sitting in the top half of the league, we are in the semi-final of a trophy and we could be into the second round of the FA Cup. So all the problems we have had before and what has gone on in the past will soon be forgotten and everybody and all the fans can look forward with optimism at what may be set to come.
JP
At this stage it is easy for the fans to get excited and even a little bit giddy when you are looking at what could be in just a week's time like that. How important is it and how difficult is it for you to quell that in your players and make sure they are entirely focused in what is happening?
GA
Well with the group of players we have got, they are a really genuine set of players. But I think in the time I have been at the club right from dot, the three years ago, every time we seem to get into a situation where we can really press home an advantage, even automatic promotion a couple of years ago. We have then shot ourselves in the foot and that is probably the biggest experience I have got of making sure the players are never complacent.
Even if we have a good week this week and the three results go our way, we haven't really achieved anything yet or anything massive. What we have done is we have given everybody optimism and belief that the season has got a lot to offer rather than we are in a dogfight at the bottom of the league, we are out of all the cups and everybody is sensing doom and gloom.
I think if we can have a good week this week and take our results forward then everybody can think that this season is alive, it is kicking, it has got loads of excitement and it has got loads of ups and downs to come. I think that is what is key into football supporters, they want to see excitement, they don't want just a straightforward dogfight at the bottom end of the division, and neither do we.
JP
You are in the backyard of Bristol Rovers tonight of course, just on the outskirts of the city, they are of course an extraordinary striker short in Rickie Lambert this season, but they still started this season very well despite the poor run of form they are on at the moment.
GA
Yeah, it was an unbelievable start from them because they are not one of the glamour sides but they are a really tough side and they are a determined side and they have got some good players. But I think once you start taking people like Lambert out of your team, a 25 goal a season man, you are really saying that unless you can replace him, which unless you spend big, big money, you never really can, you are going to be up against it.
I think they have found their problems as the season has gone on in terms of missing out on his goals. Then once you get on a run of poor results, as we know, it is just as difficult to get out of that as it is to get out of a run of good results.
At the minute we are in good form results-wise, we think we are playing decent stuff, we still think that we can be better, we know we are not the finished article, we still think we are a work in progress. But if we can get a good start to the game tomorrow and cause Bristol Rovers problems and not give them any encouragement by conceding an early goal, I think the day could end up quite nicely for us.
JP
You would appear to have a selection headache in the centre of midfield after the performance of your new man Adam Clayton alongside Tom Taiwo in the week, but I am sure you would agree a good headache. How excited are you about that?
GA
What we are trying to do with the group we have got is get as much competition and as much quality and as much strength in depth as we can. When you are talking about the likes of, Kav (Graham Kavanagh) didn't play, Peter Murphy didn't start, Richard Offiong who has looked really bright this last fortnight is not playing, Joe Anyinsah has been in and out of the team.
We have got good competition, and Paul Thirlwell as well as David Raven not available, that is the key to a successful club. Where you can get one or two injuries or suspensions and be able to put out teams that are still really, really strong and really capable of competing against every side.
At the minute the headache is a nice headache but we are going to have a couple of unhappy players tomorrow and that is down to the players to deal with that. But what we are trying to do tomorrow again is pick a team that is going to get a good result and keep our run of results going forward.
JP
There is almost a feeling amongst some fans, certainly those who were at the game in the week, that Adam Clayton after that almost can't be left out, he almost brought Premier League quality to the team on Tuesday.
GA
You have got to be careful that you are not trying to pick my team for me again haven't you. No, listen, he gave himself loads of reasons why he should play. I am not going to give the team away but Adam Collin, Adam Clayton, Joe Anyinsah, they have all given themselves big, big ammunition on why they should play.
You could say as well that the likes of Kavanagh and (Scott) Dobie who didn't play, and (Marc) Bridge-Wilkinson have also given themselves ammunition to play. I can only pick eleven and I will try to think and talk to Dennis (Booth) and try to set out the best eleven that is going to win the game.
JP
On Richard Offiong, we know he obviously got his goal in the reserves in the week, which I am sure was a big relief for him, albeit at that level. Do you feel that he is taking those steps forward that you need to see from him to become that striker that I am sure you felt you signed?
GA
Richard has taken a while to hit anything like his best form, but like Dennis said, you don't score 40 goals in 100 and odd games in Scotland without having something. Just this last week to the last fortnight he has shown some real quality and some real desire.
I think it has been a bit of a culture shock to him, I think our game and our levels of fitness and tempo are higher than where he was at the bottom end of the (Scottish) Premiership. He has found it tough but he is realising now that he has got to do something about it and I think we are now just starting to see a Richard Offiong that we thought we were getting.
Certainly in terms of his performance when he came on for 20-odd minutes the other night and then for the reserves for the first-half, especially before he got a little groin problem. Which is not a problem for tomorrow but he scored his goal and he looked really sharp and bright so we are happy now. We have got four strikers now and we are reasonably happy to pair any two from four or any one from four if you like, if you want to change the system round.
JP
And one of your young hopefuls of course, Andy Cook, the talk of the town in Barrow after his exploits down there. He has gone back out there after it originally looked like you were bringing him back, what was the thinking behind all of that?
GA
We watched him in the reserves and we watched Richard in the reserves and we know from the night before we had Joe and we had Vincent (Pericard) and Scott Dobie. We felt that whilst this coming month, we needed to have a look at him, but we feel that he could play competitive football at a really good level for him in the Conference that pushes him forward and keeps him developing and keeps the edge to his football.
The reserve game was really poor, it didn't please me one little bit the level of intensity of the game and we just thought that he is probably not going to get into the side within the next month. So we let him go out and continue his development and get proper real football, and that is why I rang Dave (Bayliss) to discuss it with him and he was delighted that we could do that. Hence he is going to have another month with Barrow, which we think will do him the world of good.
JP
Just finally on the trip down here, lots of teams don't like these trips sometimes, time away from families etc., but nobody has more than Carlisle United I wouldn't have thought in this division. How do you feel about all of them?
GA
Listen, we are never going to make any excuses about time away from families. It is our job, we know where Carlisle is situated, we know we have got lots of overnight trips, excuses isn't something I offer generally. If we lose tomorrow it will be because they deserve to win or we have not been at our best.
But we know the job in hand, we are going to prepare right, we are going to go and have dinner in about an hour's time. We will sit and have a team meeting tomorrow at about 11am and then we will really sit down and prepare and get our heads round winning this football match tomorrow. We certainly want to come away from here unbeaten tomorrow and we feel we have got the quality of squad to do that.