United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) at Friday's open press conference for the local media, Abbott first talking about Carlisle ending a recent poor run of form with a 3-1 home win over Oldham on Tuesday:
GA
You generally find in this industry that you get reminded of unwanted stats and unwanted runs of form, but as a group we know where we are and we know what we have got to do, it is the same old story. Delighted for the players I really was, because it was a tough night, the crowds are always low with the Manchester United game and all the rest of the Champions League stuff on, across the country everybody's crowds were down.
But, for the boys to go out there and play like they did and score the goals they did and beat a team as comfortably as we did that have had a real good run of form, it just shows that we are not a million miles away. We know the damage that the Notts County game did in terms of an individual performance and the panic that sets through because of that.
But, over the piece a couple of wins now and a decent run of form and we are right in where we need to be and ready for all our injured players coming back into form and giving us that strength in depth that we have got at the club if everyone is fit. My job has been difficult because we have never really had the squad we have wanted numbers-wise because of the injuries and the suspensions and stuff like that.
But, we are keeping going and we are keeping on the shirt tails and a good run now would be absolutely fantastic for everybody, and all that belief that went in literally 90 minutes will come flooding back. We are three points off I think seventh place or something ridiculous like that, so we would just like to convince everybody that it is a good club, it is run right and against all the things that are against you like they are against a lot of other clubs in this league we keep producing results and maintaining the momentum and the progress that we have been making over the last period.
PN
What would you put that inconsistency down to do you think?
GA
I think this season in particular we need most things to go for us. The injury to Lee (Miller) in the first game was a big blow, the restructure during the summer with a lot of internal things taking place we have had to deal with. But, I think the key this year is missing chances, the two ends of the pitch, missing chances when we have been playing well and the Crawley game and the Colchester game.
We have had to play different systems because of the personnel available or not available, and we think we have a type of play we think suits us better than others, and we have not always been able to play that because of personnel available. That might be difficult for some supporters to understand, but some things work at some clubs and some things don't, but certain systems with us work and certain systems don't, and we have not been able to do ours because of injuries to key players.
PN
One stat I was looking at this week which continues the theme from last season, I think almost half the goals you have scored so far have come in the last 15 or 20 minutes of games, which again proves that fitness isn't an issue. Does that maybe suggest that starting games a bit better might be something they need to look at?
GA
We would like to start all games well, but I think if you looked at my four years and you put the whole lot together I bet there is not much of a difference. I would be surprised, it would be interesting, people have been saying our home form has been pretty poor this year, last year I think we nearly broke the club record in the history of the club, we nearly broke the record, we were two or three games short.
So, it all has peaks and troughs, that is what happens at League One, last year we were two games I think short of breaking the club record in the whole of the club's history, so we can't be that bad at home and we have had a poor run this year. But, we have put that right, or we are on the way to putting it right with a win, I think that is two wins in seven and three draws, so it is two defeats, it might be one more, but we want to do better, we want to win all our home games.
But, at least we are on the line to putting that right and a result tomorrow and a result next week and our home form statistics might look pretty decent. That is how quick things change and that is how quick even our league position has changed after one win where we are actually joint 11th and three or four points outside the top six or something like that.
PN
Paddy Madden has got five goals in four games down at Yeovil and obviously his immediate future is the subject of attention at the moment, Yeovil have made no secret they would like to extend his loan, what is the situation with that?
GA
Yeah, we are going to get the weekend out of the way and then we will go with that one. But, what we did with Paddy was send him out to get some football and see where he was and see if he could find some consistency and some goals and he has done that. So, he has caused us a problem that probably no-one would have foreseen before he left, and that was the idea for the loan period, so it is a win-win all round. But, I am going to speak to Paddy and probably Yeovil on Monday and see where that one goes.
PN
Is there any reason why Paddy struggled to get any kind of goalscoring form here when he has had his chances?
GA
Possibly Lee Miller, possibly the fact that we played a system where we had one centre-forward and midfield players. You look at the goals that (James) Berrett and (Liam) Noble have scored over the last two years, that is partly because they are allowed to get forward because of the way we have played. With one centre-forward and two sort of narrower wide players Paddy has not always found the system that suits him, he is probably best playing as a two down the middle.
But, we as a team, you can't build your team around one player, but likewise you have to have a look at what Paddy has achieved by doing that, and have a look and see if he could be an effect for us. I am sure he can but he will have to fit into the way we play, but he has done himself an absolute power of good and he will come back bouncing and full of confidence if that is what the decision is next week.
PN
The crowd of course was down on Tuesday night but you gave those who turned up a good performance and those who stayed away a good reason to come back again tomorrow?
GA
Yeah, I mean we make the plea for the crowd all the time. But, I think out of the gates the other night, you look at Middlesbrough who are third in the Championship and they got 14,000. So, in relative terms gates were down everywhere, of course the Champions League they will insist on putting us............ We may have to look at playing a different night to the Champions League because that will effect everybody, and the cold nights, Christmas coming up.
But, I think Saturday's gates, we always get a better run Saturday, you have not got as much competition on a Saturday. So, hopefully we have persuaded people that we are on our way back, we need them, we desperately, desperately need them. If we can play the type of football we have played over the last few games, taking apart the Notts County game, people can carry us over the line.
They are worth an extra shot, an extra cross, an extra mile. To be fair the crowds that have been with us, we absolutely complement those people on Tuesday night that were with us, because we know they were the 3,300 that are going to come probably through any circumstances. It was fantastic that at least we were able to put on a bit of a show, get three goals, play some decent football and send them home without too many grumbles.