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JP
First things first, we must start on the Oldham game, what is your opinion on both clubs being charged over the scrap?
GA
It is not even funny I don't think. Our boys have done absolutely nothing wrong, but the problem is that when you get charged, and the way that the groups of players have come together, somebody somewhere will see somebody, even with aggression on their face is sometimes enough to get charged when the players are coming together.
But, there is absolutely no way, I had a great view because I had an indiscretion on Saturday and I was in trouble wasn't I. So, I was sat right in the front of the director's box, 15 yards from the incident, and there is absolutely no way that any of the players threw any punches and punched or shoved.
There was an incident with Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) and Warren Feeney which would have rolled out even-stevens if nobody else had got involved. But, there was involvement wasn't there and to get drawn into that, I think the FA really have got to have a look at themselves and say they might have got this one wrong.
But, from somewhere, from nowhere, I don't know if it is Oldham maybe trying to protect themselves, defend themselves but there is no way our club has got anything in my opinion to be upset about. The behaviour of the boys I thought was absolutely examplary in the whole of the incident to be honest with you.
JP
It was a bit like the 99 call in Rugby Union wasn't it where if there is a scrap breaks out somewhere, if everyone piles in then the referees can't send off everybody. And you did think that there would be one or two players sent off, but then it was just like the officials hadn't seen anything. Is there a right of appeal for Carlisle United to the actual charge now then?
GA
There has to be because to get sent off you have got to throw a punch or you have got to do something that breaks the law, and I don't think anybody did anything that breaks the law. Nobody threw a punch, not one of the Carlisle players raised his hand, inflamed the incident, yeah, when players come together you would expect the whole of the teams to come together.
But, it was one of them, they just came together and then obviously the incident from Oldham's point of view has taken a turn for the worse. But, from ours I thought, you have got to be careful about what to say because I don't know how the FA are going to see that, but surely we have been brought into it just to clear our part of it, just to make somebody else's part a little bit lighter than it was maybe.
JP
A very interesting situation, and a strange event on what was a great night for you and the boys?
GA
It was a terrific night, I thought the performance was full of the type of determination that we are looking for. We set our system up slightly different, to be honest the team-talk before the game was as strong as ever I have delivered to say that we had to start getting that winning mentality, that determination, that work-ethic and all the things that teams have done against us that are below us that have caused us problems.
We did that to a tee, everybody to a man put in an unbelievable shift. The three midfield players (James Berrett, Liam Noble and Tom Taiwo) I thought were sensational in terms of the energy they showed. We got Lubo back to his best, Frank (Simek) has had his best game for a while, Murph (Peter Murphy) was more consistent.
Matty (Robson) came in and did a sterling job for us at full-back, so we had good performances all round. Adam (Collin) was assured again, he came and collected his crosses but it was the determination and the team ethic right the way through that for me was the most encouraging thing.
We sort of said after the game that that has got to be the minimum for all the games leading up to the end of the season, we have to give that effort. It is not always easy and you can't always find that energy but we are asking for it and we are going to try to demand it, and if we do that then the season is going to be well and truly alive.
JP
You mentioned Matty Robson and that gives you an interesting poser for tomorrow, because neither he nor Gary Borrowdale who was very harshly sent off at Southampton deserve to be out of the team. A good poser for you but not an easy one as well?
GA
Yeah, somebody else is talking about Craig Curran's situation as well, would Craig Curran be in line for a recall? So, they are better situations to have than weeks gone by where we were struggling for the left-back position, now we have got two that could quite capably go and do it on Matty's performance the other night.
So, they are better situations for us and to be fair we haven't named the team today which is slightly different to normal. We are going to do that first thing in the morning, we are going to go through it all, we did go through the shape with the team and how we want to play and what we are up against.
But, we are actually going to put the personnel in place tomorrow morning just after breakfast and let them digest that and talk about how we want to play and how we want to shape up. But, better situations for us than before, that is for sure.
JP
The league table would suggest Swindon are the sort of team that Carlisle would hope to get something out of. But, we know in recent seasons just how much quality they do have there, how do you approach a game like this?
GA
Well, you look at their team on paper and it is a really, really strong team. It is a bit like Bristol Rovers, I am staggered that Bristol Rovers haven't done better than they have, something must be drastically wrong. But, the Swindon situation is that with such a lot of good players, and I know Danny (Wilson) really well, Danny is one of the good guys and Danny will have a good spirit.
The players will be playing for him but they must be a side really short on confidence and it is amazing what a backlash of their situation from last season might have done. Add to that maybe a lack of confidence, add to that maybe little bits and pieces of luck that have not gone their way and look where they are, fighting for their lives basically.
So, it will be a massive task for us tomorrow because of those situations that Swindon have and how full of fire in the belly they should be to come out and have a go at us. But, having said that we have got to be approaching the game in the same way as Tuesday night, with the same mentality, the same work-rate, and our confidence is not bad.
We had a little bit of a poor run in the league prior to Tuesday but over the piece we have put in some good performances. It is not long ago since we beat Huddersfield 4-0 and Bristol Rovers 4-0 and things were looking absolutely brilliant, so ours is more a bit of inconsistency than it is actually having anybody being short of confidence.
JP
Liam Cooper we know has re-signed with Carlisle United for the period, do you know how much longer he is expected to be injured? Have you got a bit of a timescale on that one yet?
GA
Yeah, Liam is going to have an X-ray on his hand on Friday, a week today, and if it shows that the fracture has healed and it is in a good shape then we would expect to have him back a week on Monday, so that will be the Monday after next Friday. Which is fantastic news for us because he was looking a decent player when we had him.
Joe Dudgeon as well, he is seeing a specialist, he has seen a specialist, he has had a week of work with Manchester United, there is a chance of him coming back on Monday or Tuesday possibly. But, we are in the hands of the medical people there so we might by the end of next week have a couple of players in line to be coming back to help the squad.
JP
I don't know if you watched Match of the Day at the weekend but Carlton Cole credited Scott Parker with the turnaround, he said he gave the sort of team-talk at half-time that moved some of the players to tears. Have you ever seen that from the captain of a football side?
GA
Yeah, I have and people like Scott, he loves the club, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he has got experience, he has been playing well and he is in a position to do that. But, sometimes the players do take the lead and think that hang on a minute, it is time that we rolled our sleeves up and we did something about it.
Now, in that situation it has worked for West Ham and it has happened in the past before and it will happen in the future. But, there are only a certain amount of players that have got that capability and sometimes that allowance, because sometimes managers don't all sit back.
They don't let the players deal with it because there are not always players capable. But, when you have got somebody like Scott with the experience and his ability and his passion and his knowledge then sometimes why not let him get on with it.
JP
And I believe there is a Greg Abbott family gathering in the Midlands tomorrow night, it would be great to go up to that very delighted as a three point better off manager?
GA
Yeah, it would be nice to get a result and go but football has not been kind to family life for me and my family. I have left Coventry when I was 18 and this will be the first time that we have had all my brothers and my sister and my Mum and Dad and all the nieces and nephews in the same room ever, it will be ever.
Because, football gets in the way so we are sort of excited about that and my lads are 25 and 22 and they are already there and my daughter is coming down, she is at another Grandma's but she will be there tomorrow. So, it is something a bit special to my family but that is just what football does to you, it does get in the way and stop family gatherings.
Maybe we should make more of an effort but it has been circumstances more than anything else. But, tomorrow, I am really looking forward to the game and then three points and then wow, I might just have two shandies rather than the normal one.
JP
And knowing what you are like after a defeat, they might not want to see you for a while again after if you go up there having got beaten tomorrow?
GA
I have already been warned, my Mum has already said there is no way football is getting in the way of this occasion, because it is a special occasion because we have not been in the same room forever before. There are young ones, there will be a one-year old there as well so listen, I won't be able to be dwelling on football too much, I will get my backside tanned if I do.