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GA
He is a good player and we are hoping he will come and give us a different dimension in an attacking sense and give us some different options. He has got pace, he handles the ball well, he has got a goalscoring record, he is hungry as well, which is important, and we think he will give us that variation upfront.
JP
What sort of striker is he? Compare him to perhaps what you have got or what Carlisle have had in the past?
GA
Well, he is different, that is why we have got him in. Because, he gives us some variations, he is good on the ground, he handles the ball really well, he has got pace. He has got an eye for a goal and we think he will just give us a different option upfront when we need to change things and bring something different to the game when we aren't finding the net.
JP
He has been training for quite a while now with some very high quality strikers at Leeds, do you think he can bring those new ideas to Carlisle United?
GA
Well, I hope so, that is why we have got him here. I think the key with Mike is that he is hungry to play, he wants to get some first-team football and he wants to play in somebody's team and he wants to show people how good he is. When you have got an animal that is a bit wounded for the fact that he has not been playing then there is always somebody that is likely to get the brunt of that.
We hope he comes here with that determination and when given his opportunity he comes and shows us how good he can be and how good he thinks he is. Because, he thinks he is capable of playing at this level and I do as well to be fair, but at Leeds he has not got that opportunity, so it is a good one for him.
JP
I was in a car full of Carlisle fans when the story broke that you had brought in Mike, and the first thing they said was 'coming in from Leeds he will be on good money, so he will have to go straight into the starting line-up.' What is the situation with that?
GA
He is on good money.
JP
And does he have to go straight into the starting line-up? What is the situation there?
GA
Nobody bullies me with that, you know that. But, he is coming here to try to give us that variety, so that is where he is at the moment and we will have a look at it. He has trained with us now on Tuesday and Thursday and we will see where we are come Friday.
I have done all the reports on Exeter, I know how they play and we will make those decisions later on in the piece. But, I hope he puts big pressure on the boys we have got and when he gets his opportunity we hope he comes in and performs.
JP
He will be a bit short of match practice given the way the season has gone so far for him at Leeds, is he ready to go straight in if required?
GA
Well, he is 21, so he is a fit lad. He has missed a vast amount of football but when you are bringing somebody in of that age they can generally be in good shape. He has not missed any training, he is a fit boy, a strong boy and I don't think that would be a problem or a concern if I decided to do that.
JP
And just finally on him, how did you get wind of the fact that he might be up for grabs?
GA
Er, because, that is what I do, that is my job. So, I do my soul searching and I have my list of targets and make some secretive enquiries as we are going along. Always looking to try to work on things that might give us some extra strength and extra variety. We are doing that all the time behind your little back.
JP
More of your contacts though coming into fruition?
GA
Yeah, we make a lot of phone calls, even when we are not looking to actually bring one in right away, a player in right away, we are making phone calls. We are making phone calls today about players all the time to find out how they are doing, are they doing OK, what is their progress, whether they are likely to be allowed out, how are they training, what do they look like. Then when you need one you have done a lot of your homework. A lot of the work goes on prior to a situation arising and that applied to this situation.
JP
What about Oliver Norwood? Because, his loan is up now I believe or has it been extended?
GA
No, Ollie has got this Saturday, he can play this Saturday so he will be involved with us on Saturday.
JP
Any plans for it to go on beyond that then at this stage? What is the situation?
GA
Yeah, we will see, again, it is one of them. We will assess the situation after Saturday and then we will move on from there. But, as has been said, we have not got Paul Thirlwell at the moment, so I think if we could maybe do that for a little bit longer it would help us in terms of the strength in depth that we have got in that area. So, we will look at that one on Saturday.
JP
What about Paul Thirlwell? How far are you hoping he is off now?
GA
I am hoping he is fit for Saturday, but he is not. Because, he is the type that we need in our squad. All our big players, Danny (Livesey) is getting nearer and Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) is getting nearer. The quicker we can get our experienced and our seasoned pros back to give us more strength in depth we will be better. But, I think Thir is another week or so at least before he joins in with me training.
JP
And how far is Danny Livesey away from returning? Any timescale on that?
GA
No, because it is unfair to estimate, because you are putting pressure on everybody then to hit deadlines. I think with his injury and the length of time he has been out, we will just be glad to see him fit and well and back on the training ground.
JP
And what about Michalik? Expected back next weekend perhaps?
GA
Possibly, possibly. He is doing bits and pieces without any pain at the moment, which is really, really encouraging. He is hopeful of joining in some sort of the training on Monday, which for me is quicker than I would have thought.
But, he has to do the training, this is the type of injury that could flare up in a training session. So, we need to be very careful with him, working closely with Leeds, but hopefully he will be on the training ground in some capacity on Monday.
JP
And what about the longer term look at Lubo and of course James Chester? Their loans of course expire at the turn of the year, is that something that you are looking at sorting out longer term?
GA
I am always looking at the long term, and they are in the equation, yeah.
JP
Any developments on that though? Because, a few fans are saying that they really are the heart of that defence, which they clearly are.
GA
Yeah, what I would say to the fans is that I am always working on the longer term. We have to work behind these big clubs, I can't go bullying Manchester United or Leeds United for players. But, I am quietly and confidently going about my job, hopefully keeping in contact and keeping in touch and informing them of their progress. Maybe you are looking at that situation when the time arises, but they control you, not vice versa.
JP
Something the fans are guessing at, I am sure you are not, I am sure it is clear in your mind, is whether Matty Robson has played his way into the reckoning now with his performances again, in particular against Notts County? Where does he stand at the moment?
GA
He stands with everybody else wanting to be in our first-team, and that is great that there are a lot of players at the club who want to be involved and want to be in the starting eleven. When you have got relative success that is always the case and it is fantastic for the club that we have got players like that.
JP
You have got plenty of joy out of your diamond though. Do you believe that he can be used within that diamond formation?
GA
I think different players have got different qualities. At this club what we have tried to do is assemble a squad that gives us room for variation. I think the likes of Matty and Kevan (Hurst) and bringing Mike in gives us that scope of variation and that is terrific. So, if we decide to play a certain way and it is not working we can change, and that is what we have been doing and it has worked pretty well.
Because, Port Vale we changed, even Peterborough we changed the shape and had some success, and that was playing 4-4-2, we changed that, the diamond, that worked. Then Notts County it didn't work in the first-half, changed that and it worked in the second-half. Notts County started with it, it didn't work and changed it and it worked.
So, we have had some success at actually changing the formation within game time, and coming out on top or coming out with an improved performance. So, I think that is fantastic that we are able to do that now with the different variety and different qualities of the players we have got.