United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) on Friday as he spends time in the Caribbean coaching the St Lucia national team, Abbott embracing himself into a new culture :
GA
It has been an absolute adventure, there is so much has been going on in terms of the football and the way that the people live and embracing myself into a new culture. So, it has just been so exciting but the key obviously from the football point of view is that there are players out there and one day one player will come to England. I had a meeting with the President yesterday and he sort of like almost verbally agreed, well he has verbally agreed, that he wants Carlisle United to be the link.
So, if there is a player on the island that is going to be a professional then he is happy for him to come to us first and go from there. So, in that respect it has been a tremendous couple of weeks and a lot of good work and good relations have been built up between us and the St Lucian Football Association.
PN
When we spoke last week you talked about a couple of players already catching your eye, are you any further down the road in terms of what might be arranged with those two players?
GA
Yeah, I am going to meet with Ces Podd who is the Technical Director today, and he has got an idea on which two he thinks should come and I have got an idea on my two that I think should come. What we are going to do, they are going to come over and train with us for a couple of weeks, we are not going to big it up as a trial or a imminent signing. What we want to do is just bring a couple of lads over and let them train with us, see how they compare with the group we have got.
They are going to be young ones, they are going to be under 18, they are probably going to be one is 17 and one is 16, the ones I have got in mind anyway. We are going to see how they do and how they compare with the young players we have got. It is a long term thing again, there is nobody here I don't think right now that is going to go into our first team, but some of the 16, 17 and 18-year old players here are very, very good, and I think that is the age group that we need to be targetting.
PN
How aware are the players over there of the English game? Do they talk about it much?
GA
They know more about the English game than we do, it is unbelievable. They didn't know about Carlisle but we have got some fans of Carlisle in the island now because we showed them a little clip of the DVD on Wembley that was on the Late Kick-Off show. They have really taken to us and we are going to send them out some kit, some bits and pieces of what we have got left because obviously we have got a new kit next year and a new company. So, we have managed to get some supporters in the Caribbean but I am not so sure they are going to make Brunton Park every Saturday at 3pm.
PN
Yeah, probably not, I am just wondering what the chances are of you being able to persuade your directors to arrange for a pre-season tour to St Lucia next summer?
GA
Well there is going to be a pre-season tour for me but I am not sure that I can take the rest of the players and the staff with me, it might be one that I have got to go again, it is a long arduous journey. No, they would do anything we wanted over there, the players and the President, I met the President yesterday and he is a really, really good man. He is going to talk with John Nixon, I haven't spoken to John really in depth because I have only spoken to him on the phone.
But, the President wants to fly to England and he wants to sit with John and put an agreement together in principle where he can send his players to us and we can monitor them. In due course I think because of the contacts obviously they have got over here with the hotels and that we could possibly send a team over, whether it be the first team or the youth team I am not sure, I think it will be more beneficial for the youths to go over, the under-18s. But, it is something that we will discuss with John, and I have spoken to John and I have got his blessing in most of the things. So, it is something we are definitely going to be looking forward to progressing.
PN
And what is the timetable for you now? When do you fly back and how soon do you expect to be back behind your desk in your office?
GA
Well, I have been behind my desk anyway but without being there. I will be back on Sunday, I spoke to John yesterday and gave him an update on players because obviously we have been in touch through the internet, we have been in touch by telephone and by text. I have got two meetings with players next week already lined up and they have already said that they want to come to Carlisle. So, it all depends on the financial details to see if we can convince them to come.
So, we have had a working holiday really, because I have been out here and I have worked and obviously we have enjoyed the island. But, we have done the St Lucia thing and we have also made lots of phone calls to make sure that when we come back we can start moving on our front, which is putting our squad together for next year, and we are really positive that something is going to happen next week.
PN
And a quick word about Liam Noble, you have already intimated this week that you might have to be patient with that one over the summer?
GA
Yeah, at the minute Liam is away on holiday, I am massively in touch with the Liam situation and I don't want to say too much. He has not signed a contract at Sunderland yet, as soon as he signs that contract or gives an ultimate decision to Sunderland then we can make our move you know. But, we are hopeful that he will sign for Sunderland and we can then go in and talk to Steve (Bruce) and try to convince Steve to let him come to us for the whole of the season.
But, at the minute Liam is away, he is having a little bit of a break, he has found the season tough like everybody else has and as soon as he gets back, I think he is back in line with myself, I will be in touch with him. I have spoken to his agent three or four times while I have been away and we can see what the final decision on that is.
PN
Yeah, so at this stage, it looks like that if Liam does come back next season then more than likely it will be a loan rather than a permanent deal?
GA
Erm, as we speak right now I would say yes but that might change because he has got a deal to sign at Sunderland first. That is a personal decision and I have got to leave that to Liam, but if that doesn't happen then obviously we have to look at something a little bit different. But, I wouldn't say it is going to be a loan or a permanent because I don't know what Liam has decided just yet.