United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) at Tuesday's open press conference for the local media, Abbott first talking about the 5-1 opening day of the season defeat at home to Leyton Orient on Saturday:
GA
There is a real hurt and real disappointment. You need things to go well for you at the start of the season and you need certain situations to be different. We were on the wrong end of some poor situations and I have, probably for the first time since I have been here, really, really struggled over the weekend to come to terms with that.
Because, we have put in a lot of hard work, I feel so sorry for a lot of people to be honest, I feel sorry for the board and for the group, and this side of the operation who have put in a lot of hard work to try to generate interest and optimism in the club. I really feel sorry for the fans, I thought they were outstanding on Saturday, right until the last goal went in they sort of accepted the circumstances without too much criticism.
If I had been a fan I would have been really upset and a little bit of something at the end, but I want to do better for them to be honest. We were building up such a nice little rapport that quickly, not disintegrates, but lessens and weakens. I want that to be better and it needs to be healthy because I will tell you now that the players need the fans, the players need the fans because if the fans don’t be patient and support the players, the confidence levels are really fragile.
We have got such a young group that they absolutely need the fans right now, and that is an appeal by the way because I know how difficult it is when you have had a poor result. I am probably big enough and brave enough to stand all the criticism and I will take all the responsibilities and I will take anything anyone wants to throw at me.
But, there are players in there that are young and fragile and they need the protection, and with doing that I think the players have got to play their part for them tomorrow and on Saturday. I am a really angry man at the moment and I want my players to go out there and I want everyone to look after each other, that is a family isn’t it.
We are talking about a family, we are talking about everybody is included in this family. I don’t like to see people in families hung out to dry, and we need to make sure everybody is still together and determined and ready to go to war. Because, that is what it is going to be, as far as I am concerned.
PN
One of the main criticisms to come out of Saturday’s game was that a defence which let in 77 goals last season in the league hasn’t been properly addressed or strengthened during the summer. What would you say to that?
GA
Well, we have got Chris Chantler who is probably our best defender out until November, we have got a financial situation, we have got Sean O’Hanlon who up until ten days ago was always going to start the season. Unfortunately we had to go with that group that we had on Saturday, and there have been steps to put it better, like bringing Sean in and the emergence of Sean.
I did feel sorry a little bit for Reece James who didn’t get much help, and then you are down to ten men. So, maybe they deserve, or that area of the pitch deserves another go with a full complement of players. We have to say that it wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t, even my goalkeeper I think is better than that. What we have done is we have put ourselves under pressure and it can’t go on. I have to said to John Nixon that we are thin and we know we are thin, but we know where we are financially as well.
There is an area that makes life particularly difficult but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that something needs to be done and done quickly with our area of conceding the goals, whether that be work done with the back four or across the pitch. I thought there were poor performances elsewhere as well to be honest with you, we can’t just look at four and include your goalkeeper and say there is all the blame. Like I said, there is shared responsibility throughout the team.
PN
You indicated that you might look at some defensive cover before the weekend, what is the latest with that?
GA
Put it this way, I have made a lot of phone calls. We have got a game coming up tomorrow night and the chances of you getting anybody in your squad that people don’t want cup-tied is very, very difficult. You have got no chance unless you are taking a really, really, young, young one, which we are not really wanting to do ideally.
So, nothing will get done tomorrow and then I will look at everything on Thursday and then maybe do some work today and tomorrow. I have got to try to fill that group that is going to play tomorrow with as much confidence and as much support as possible and we will look at everything else after that.