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JP
How are you feeling now after the weekend?
GA
Better now, better now than I was on Saturday. I am better after we have had a long day, we had a really good training session, we have had a meeting this afternoon. A team meeting, no holds barred, I have said 99.5% of it, there wasn't much comeback. I explained to everybody, my staff and my players, exactly what I require, exactly what I want and we are in a very determined fighting mood at the moment.
You have a massive problem if your ship is not with you, if your players aren't with you. We have had a brutal, honest, constructive training session and meeting today. If I didn't think the players were with me then I wouldn't last five minutes longer. The very fact that they are 100% behind me, and I can categorically tell you that, means we have a great chance. Because the players we have got and the type of football we can be capable of playing then you have a chance.
Previously that hasn't always been the situation, we were struggling a little bit but we are better than we were, results haven't proved that we are where we want to be. But the players in the dressing room, today has been a great day, today is a great week because Carlisle is united, I am telling you that know. If we don't get a result on Saturday then it won't be for the want of trying and it won't be for any hard work and it won't be for any stone unturned, that is all I can tell you.
JP
What sort of things have you talked about in that meeting then?
GA
Things will remain private in the meeting, but demands, things I demand, things that have to happen, things that have to change, things that have to improve without dissecting too much. I gave my list of incidents that have hurt us and I gave them a remedy of how we might be able to put that better, and there wasn't one opinion that differed from what I was asking for, which is always an encouraging sign.
JP
What were the things that you think did hurt you when you analysed the performance at the weekend?
GA
The two goals hurt me, the two goals really hurt me the way they were conceded. We have talked about that and we have talked about how we are going to put that right. But the way we came out in the first 20 minutes was totally different to the second 20 minutes.
But I think there is going to be a determination with a fight, there is going to be a lot of aggression coming from within this camp right the way leading up to Saturday and through Saturday. I have given a demand to them and hopefully they can carry that through.
JP
Is it a backs to the wall time for United, do you need to now come out and really do things differently to how you have done so far this season?
GA
Well we do because we have only won two games in 13, so we have got to change something, even if it is just our determination, our approach. We have certainly got to defend better than we did on Saturday, yes, things will be different.
JP
Your position is obviously under scrutiny with the way things have gone, that is just the nature of football, how does that affect you? You have said that there is always pressure in football but are you feeling it a bit more now?
GA
You always feel a little bit of pressure but until I am told to do anything different………. This is a great week for me because I am great when my back is against the wall. I was a fighter as a player, I am a fighter as a character and we are fighting at the minute.
I am only leading to one thing, we will win on Saturday, I can tell you that now, we will win the game on Saturday. If we don't then I will come under a little bit more pressure from all sorts of different types of people. But when I say we will win, I can't guarantee a win but we will be having a right go at it.
JP
How do you go about getting that? How do you go about making sure you get a different 45 minutes from that opening at Yeovil?
GA
Well that is the work we will be doing from Saturday on the bus to 3pm on Saturday, that is how we will do it, hard work.
JP
The fans would like to, whether you can, tell us about what sort of things you will be doing differently though to make sure you don't get that almost sluggish start.
GA
We will be working exceptionally hard.
JP
OK, regarding the match coming up itself, what do you expect from Southend? They are a little bit further up the league, but coming to Brunton Park, how do you expect them to approach you?
GA
Well they will be thinking they can come and win the game won't they, like we think we can win the game. I don't know how they are going to approach it, you will have to speak to their manager about that. We will be approaching it in very determined, very aggressive, very up for it manner, we will be having a right go at it on Saturday don't you worry.
JP
But when they come here they are going to be seeing a club down at the bottom end of the table. They will be coming here thinking this is a game they should get something from, as you will do when you go to teams in this part of the table. But do you think that can play into your hands?
GA
Absolutely, I hope they do come like that, that would be brilliant for us, they might just be in for a shock.
JP
When you hear about fans who are saying that you are not up to it, you are not the right man for Carlisle United, what does that make you feel? Does that make you determined to prove them wrong?
GA
I have not heard them to be honest, I have not heard them, so I don't take any notice of that sort of talk because it is negative for me. I have got to be positive, the players and the people that run this football club want me to be positive and that is what I am at the minute.
I am absolutely massively positive and I am working my socks off from Saturday right the way through to next Saturday to get this football club a result, and that will make my position a little bit better, and let's hope I get that.
JP
Do you think these next two games are probably the most important ones of your managerial career then, Southend and Charlton?
GA
I don't know, I don't know, the people that run the football club make those decisions not me. So if they are saying it is two games then you know different to me. I have been told to manage the club and get some results and that is what we are trying to do on Saturday.
JP
But when you talk about getting an important win for the club, is this as important for Greg Abbott as it is for Carlisle United?
GA
It is important for me yes, so I suppose it is if that is what you are saying, I don't know. You will have to ask the board those questions, I don't know, I need to prepare a team to win a game on Saturday and that is what I will be doing.
JP
What do you need to see now from your players throughout the rest of this week in the build up to what is obviously a very important match?
GA
What I have seen today which is brutal honesty, determination and everybody chomping at the bit. I think we would have liked a game tomorrow night to be honest, we are ready for a game now, but we can't, we have got to wait until Saturday. Hopefully we keep all that going, all that pent up aggression and determination inside and we explode on Saturday. That is what I am looking for and that is what is going to happen.
JP
And without in any way wanting to wash over some of the problems that you have had, you were very close a couple of games ago to getting some very good results. I am thinking about Leeds and Southampton, how far do you think you are from getting back to that sort of neck of the woods?
GA
Not much further than we were before the game, we have had half an hour that was poor, we came back from that and nearly got a draw out of the game. So we are not sitting here dragging our heels, we have identified areas where we need to improve on.
We have not had many really poor performances this season, Saturday second-half was excellent, the first half an hour wasn't good enough. It was as simple as that and we have to do something about that to make sure it doesn't happen. That is the work we are doing right now and right the way through to Saturday.