United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) at Thursday lunchtime's press conference for the local media, Abbott in the second and final part of a lengthy interview initially talking about his pre-season plans as far as trialists are concerned :
PN
The trialists that you are looking at over the course of the next few weeks, what can you tell us about them?
GA
Well, there is really just Michael (Brodersen), Stuart (Green) has come in as a favour, his father got in touch with somebody at the club, it is local, he wanted to keep fit and he is going to do that. Michael Brodersen is somebody that was thrown at us, he has scored some goals in Denmark, an unknown quantity, it is an area we have been short of in the past. It is a good time to look at players and have no real outcome, what the outcome is doesn't really matter because they can come in, they are free for us to look at. It is opportunity, it is different people, and we will just do that. We will look at them over a period and if it looks like they are going to better than what we have got then you do something about it, if not then nothing is lost.
PN
Are you likely to look at a few other names perhaps over the coming weeks?
GA
It is one of those times where I can't give you an answer because all we are looking for is the end result is to have a stronger squad at the start of the season. How that is put together sometimes isn't as straightforward and isn't as easy to answer. But, for instance I got thrown a player at me yesterday who we tried to sign and his agent actually said we had no chance of signing him, this was halfway through last season, he said we had no chance, he would be going to the middle of the Championship or he would be playing for a top Premier League team in Scotland. Yesterday he had a bit of a tail between his legs asking if we were still interested, and that is how it happens.
Sometimes these agents and players don't get the moves that they crave and they end up unexpectedly throwing themselves into League One, and that is when we have got to make sure that we are aware of that. So, there will be three or four or five of those situations happen, and I am sure there will be one or two more players come through the door looking to get a contract. But, at the minute I am really, really comfortable with what I have got, I am really comfortable with what I have got. I have got to give these boys a big opportunity now, I have got to give them some proper training to get them fit and then some pre-season matches to see where we are.
We will probably redress the situation after the Gateshead game, after we have been on our pre-season camp, we will look at Gateshead and think that we need to do this or we need to do that. But, at the minute, out of respect to them, and we have always talked about a two-way respect for myself and the players that I think they deserve that opportunity, unless something unexpectedly shows its head. But, at the minute that is not the case.
PN
Of course a lot of players' contracts will be ending after midnight tonight, you don't anticipate any immediate movement on that front?
GA
Well, possibly............. More often than not if the phone hasn't already rung, and the phone has rung with lots of players but there are not many positions now that I am really uncomfortable with, I am pretty alright. So, the phone is ringing all the time with names, but we are pretty comfortable near enough all over the pitch, so there is nothing there that at the minute is throwing itself at me that I think I need to get him in to make us better, it is not the case.
So, at the minute we are going to be quiet, that situation could change by the end of the week because names get thrown at you at all different times and there might be some players on trial at other clubs that don't get taken, and then they become available. So, you have to keep spaces open in your squad for that situation.
PN
You have spoken about the striker situation, from the end of last season that has been a main priority for you I guess. How concerned are you at this stage that you haven't been able to bring anybody in so far?
GA
I am not concerned at all to be honest because we bought Rory (Loy) and Paddy (Madden) in knowing they weren't going to be, which I explained last season, knowing that they probably wouldn't be ready last season. I have got to give them an opportunity so they are going to get that opportunity, and what I will do is I will redress that situation as well. What has got to happen is the end result is we have got to score more goals than we did last season, and that is a key and that is a responsiblity that I have, and that is what I will be looking at.
Now what I want to do is see how Francois (Zoko) and Craig (Curran) and Paddy and Rory all look, play the game at Kendal, play the game at Gateshead, possibly even one of the bigger games, Middlesbrough, Doncaster, one of those two, and redress the situation. If it looks like I don't think they are going to be able to get those goals straight away then it is something we have to look at. There are a number of names on our striker list if that situation doesn't happen, but what I won't do is rush in to sign a player that is not going to better than one of those two, because it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
PN
Is there still a chance that we might see a forward arriving before the start of the season?
GA
There is always a chance, but there is a chance we might see Paddy and Rory line up and score a hat-trick apiece in the first game because nobody knows in hindsight what is going to happen, then the fans would be delighted like I would be delighted, and they are players that are already in the building. So, what we have got to do, is before we start looking at others is not discard the others too early, we have got to see what these players can do and out of respect everybody has to pull together and give them that opportunity. If that is not going to be the case then we look at the other avenues that we have to keep alive all the time, as a just incase factor.
PN
You said at the end of the season maybe three of four new arrivals was what you were looking at through the course of the summer, you have already brought three in, is that pretty much it now would you envisage or ideally would you like to add one or two more?
GA
Well, I can't, that is probably about it, unless there is somebody out there, unless there is a player that comes available that really would make everybody stand and think wow, and he comes in at the right type of money, I said three players and we have already got three. I said that we need to give the strikers time, they are going to get that, if that is not the situation then that might be probably the one we look at, unless one of these players that have found their route blocked or their dreams dashed at bigger clubs and looking for football, and a player that I know would improve us, then I think we are not far off.
The squad did ever so well last year you know, it finished 12th, a comfortable 12th, it finished with a cup final, there wasn't a need to do too much tinkering and we feel that we have improved the squad already as well with the three players we have got. We have to now wait and be patient and see what these players can produce, and then maybe move after that if it is not likely to happen, but at the minute I think we have got to have the respect to those players that we have got in the building now to say go and have a go, show us what you can do.
PN
I know you don't like talking about names but one name which keeps on getting thrown around is Vincent Pericard, because he is an ex-player and obviously now a free agent, would he be a player you would be interested in?
GA
I was interested in Vincent when he was here and I told Vincent not to go anywhere because he was looked after here, he was on top of his form, it was the first time he was playing regular football and he had a smile on his face. He chose to go elsewhere and it hasn't worked out for him, very difficult to come back.
PN
So that is effectively a no?
GA
You can say whatever you want but it is very difficult, with the lack of football he has had and the amount of injuries and time he has had on the treatment table it would be a very difficult one to do. He would be a bigger risk than probably most we have done but if Vincent had stayed with us I think he might have been more happier, played more football and still be looking forward to the start of this season.
PN
Liam Noble, any movement on his situation?
GA
Not just yet, Sunderland aren't back yet so we are waiting for them out of respect again. Liam did an extra two weeks, he went back to Sunderland and did an extra two weeks training because their season was still on. I am going to wait until they are back in training, make the phone call to Steve (Bruce), I have had two or three lengthy conversations before the end of last season and we will revisit that one in terms of speaking to Steve. We will see what he has got to say, and then with respect again we will listen to what he has got to say and move from there.