Greg Abbott - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 13 August 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) at Thursday afternoon's press conference for the local media, Abbott, ahead of Saturday's League One opener at home to Brentford, first suggesting he knows everything he wants from the game :


I know what team I am going to pick, I know how I am going to play, I know what result I want and I know what I want to do after the game.

JP

What scoreline do you want then?

GA

Well, I am not too bothered about what it is as long as we get more goals than them. I would like to have a clean sheet, I would like to get at least three or four goals but it doesn't always happen as easy as that.

But, I think it is just important that we get off to a winning start and keep that optimism and that confidence that we are building up at the moment going, and we can put a message or a marker down to say we have arrived and we want to have a go at it.





JP

It has emerged today that the Bees have signed Gary Alexander, he is another potent striker, they have actually got a couple of those poachers now haven't they with Nicky Forster as well?

GA

Yeah, they have yeah, but that is their team. We know all about their team and Andy Scott has gathered a good squad from the promotion winning team from the season before last. They will be a threat this season, they have got four decent strikers that can score goals but we are going to be alright too.

We will find out the real crux on Saturday, if we can score goals, if we can play the type of football we want, if we can stop conceding goals and if we can win matches. All those answers we will find out come Saturday at 4.45pm.





JP

You have had a bit more of a look at James Chester since he came in, how has he trained? How comfortable are you with how he has looked since he has arrived?

GA

No, he is a good player and the type of player he is up against on Saturday might cause less mobile centre-halves a few problems. Because that is one thing they are, they are mobile, they can run in behind and they are clever players. Certainly James will be able to handle that sort of stuff, he has looked very, very good in training and we think he is a good player. So, he is the right type probably for the game on Saturday.





JP

In terms of the broader look at your squad, how happy are you with the level of quality that you have managed to get in over the summer ahead of this new season?

GA

Well, we have done really well in pre-season haven't we so you would have to say I am really happy. But, they are only a guide, the real stuff or the real tests start from now on, so at the minute I have got to be happy. We look better defensively and we can still score more goals and we still want to score more goals.

But, I think we have not really played our full whack in any of the games so far so Saturday will be the big test. Hopefully we can keep the good form defensively and find a few goals at the other end.

We go straight into it on Saturday and everything changes, all the pressure starts building up. I think we have got a good group of players at the minute full of honesty and commitment and endeavour. If we can match all those things together then everybody is going to be OK.

All we can do is try to put a squad together we think has got a chance of being better than it was last year and improving on what it was last year. At the minute we are OK with that but no points have been won or lost yet and things change quickly in football. We are nearly there with the type of players and the strength and depth of the squad and we are looking forward to Saturday.





JP

And I know there are various reasons for why, but crowds have at times waned despite how well the club did last season. What do you need from them? Do you need them to just at least come and have a look and see before they make their minds up?

GA

Yeah, I mean there are a number of reasons why the attendances are low, and that is not just here but it is all across the board. Let's hope that whoever comes down goes away happy and goes away with a positive thought and maybe says to the lad next door that he wants to go down and have a little look.

But the more we get in the merrier and if we can send home a decent sized crowd happy then that spreads and that is another reason for an important victory at the start of the season. Where you want to make sure fans buy in to what we are doing and listen to the ones that have been down. But, let's just hope we can get a decent victory and encourage the fans to come in by their numbers.