United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 3-1 FA Cup second round defeat at home to Bournemouth, Abbott saying the Cherries had better players than the Blues:
JP
What was your assessment of that today then?
GA
To you and probably to all the fans they were better than us today, they were a better team than us today. They had better players, pay fortunes of finance and that is what you get, you get better players, and unfortunately we couldn’t bridge the gap with our work, our determination wasn’t enough today. We had too many players finding it difficult, probably still missing injured players, important players and today we got found out, it is as simple as that, they were better than us.
JP
Should you have been able to do more to stop that being the case though?
GA
Should have been but they were better than us, they had better players paying fortunes of money. You have got a left-back (Charlie Daniels) on £3,500 (a week) marking a right-winger (David Symington) who is on £300. That is what you get, you get better players and I am frustrated, I am really frustrated. But, you are right, we have to make a better fist of it, and we didn’t today and we have got to probably not be too hard on ourselves, but we have got to make the players realise that whilst we are in a situation like this and players are out there are opportunities for people.
People didn’t take those opportunities and they are learning and they are developing and we probably had too many young players in at once day and struggled a little bit compared to last week. But, that is what happens and as a manager I am frustrated because they had the better eleven than we did, and that is what you get if you have got more money I’m afraid.
JP
As that is frustrating to you, for the fans who turn up though, they know all that before the match like you do, so unless there is a way that we can find a way around that why should they even bother turning up?
GA
Well, because they have seen us compete in the past and get results, we did it last week. You just eventually do get found out and at the minute we are just buying their time to get all our players back and get Lee Miller upfront, who is the best centre-forward in the division and anybody would miss him, even Bournemouth would miss him. They will get a lift, you will be amazed the lift he will give to other people, (Danny) Cadamarteri is experienced, he knows the game, he is tough, Thir (Paul Thirlwell) needs games now. We need all our players back and then we have got selection problems and selection choices.
One or two wins is required, we need to do better at home to get belief from the fans and believe from within from the pitch. We aren’t going to throw the towel in but we do know how difficult it is when you are up against powerful financial clubs, and today it was one of them. There have been other games where we just haven’t played very well, but today they were better than us, I am admitting that and I am telling you that. Sometimes when better teams play to the best of their ability they win, and that is what happened today.
JP
You have got a team who are on paper better than you coming in the league next time out though (Sheffield United), how do you go about that?
GA
We just have to work exceptionally hard, you have to hope everything goes your way, you have to hope that one of the chances Matty Robson has when it is 0-0 go in, you have to make sure that happens and you have to defend for your lives. I don’t see us scoring too many goals like their first goal which is a joke goal, absolute joke. We win the header from the corner, straight to their man (Wes Fogden), he mishits his shot, takes a deflection and it goes in.
We don’t seem to be getting them at the minute, but that is what happens when you are down on your luck and down on your performances at home. That is what happens and we couldn’t cope with that, you don’t cope with that. Everything has to go our way and we have to work exceptionally hard, harder than we worked today.
JP
What needs to happen then over the next week, because clearly you had the euphoria of the Yeovil game, you got to this point…………
GA
I don’t take any euphoria from the Yeovil game by the way, I just take it as a result, as a start. It was an honest performance, I don’t take any euphoria out of it, I don’t stand up and say everything is right and everything has been put back together because of one performance, absolutely no way would I do that. We have worked even harder this week than we did working up to the Yeovil week, and we will work even harder next week.
JP
Perhaps wrong word though, but the lift taken away from the game, the lift that it gives you to get that win in that game, what do you do this week then to make sure you get it, because you need something more than just the natural quality?
GA
There is no secret remedy, there is no secret remedy, we are what we are. We have to just work hard, nothing, nobody is going to give me Lionel Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo, that would make me a better manager by the way. That would make me a better manager, two better players, wouldn’t make……… I would be the same person but I would be a better manager, I have got better players. We have to work with what we have got and we have to be better, and we have to find a way of being better.
JP
In terms of this match today, you have already said the first goal was a little bit sloppy, what did you make of the second goal because it was in a spell in the first-half where you seemed to be just starting to take a stranglehold on the game?
GA
I mean, goals are goals, if you pull every goal, whoever scores it, Manchester United, Barcelona or Workington Town every goal comes from somebody not doing their job properly or somebody making a mistake, and we have conceded a goal.
JP
Marc Pugh, you will be glad to see the back of him this season won’t you?
GA
I will just be pleased to get everybody fit, I am not bothered about Bournemouth, I am bothered about Carlisle United. I will be pleased to get everybody fit, everybody back and everybody buoyant and with confidence again with a few wins, that is what I am waiting for and it can’t come quick enough. We need to do some jiggery-pokery because at the minute the boys haven’t performed well enough today, they are better than that, even though I think that Bournemouth are a good side, a really good side, we are better than that.
JP
What about your new defender, Valentin Gjokaj, a tough, tough game for him to come into wasn’t it, and at a tough time as well in the match for him to come into?
GA
Well, he is a centre-half as well, but again, Frank (Simek) gets injured, one player we haven’t got any proper cover for and he gets injured. He has not trained all week, he has had a knee problem.
JP
Because, he wasn’t playing badly actually?
GA
Well, listen, he was up against their best player with a knee ligament injury, he hasn’t trained all week and he probably won’t be fit for next week, we took a gamble, it didn’t………. That is all we had, we had to take a calculated risk, he said he wanted to have a go but that is where it is. Val is a centre-half who has done an adequate job at centre-half, solid enough, you can see why he is a centre-half, he is not a right-back, he is not cultured but he is aggressive and he is honest and he is good in the air. He is the right size and the right type for a centre-half, but he has done an OK job and certainly not pointing any fingers in his direction.
JP
What about James Berrett? He was missing the game today, any hope that he will be available for next week for you?
GA
Well, probably leaving him out today gives him a fighting chance, but he has had a groin injury for four weeks, he has been trying to train minimally and play. He just nicked it yesterday on the thing and we knew yesterday he wasn’t going to be fit, so we have had to put in Paul who is a little bit short of match practice, he is found it difficult, it is his first game. But, again, we needed that type in there and he has gone in there and done it and given us 90 minutes, which will do him the world of good.
JP
What about Liam Noble? Is he carrying any sort of a knock or he is just not quite……….
GA
No, no, he is not playing well enough, he is not working hard enough and he is not playing well enough.
JP
And in terms of next week, how important is that people do stay behind you, there are once again discontented calls tonight?
GA
Well, I didn’t hear too much discontent, again, I think everybody was great again today after the game. I think they have seen a really good side, they know that we are in a position where we are waiting for people to get fit. They weren’t too many grumbles, people will always grumble when you get beat, I am grumbling, I am really grumbling here right now, trying my best not to come across as really angry. But, I am angry and upset and frustrated, but that is the way I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve, I can’t tell lies, this is the way I feel right now. I can’t wait until we get everybody fit and we get that boost we need to get the fans back watching some aggressive, positive, winning football.
JP
Back watching is the key, under 3,000 today, we have got a lot of people unhappy on the texts and twitter, but as you have mentioned those here not so, the fans definitely did their part today?
GA
The fans were brilliant, but I didn’t hear those fans last week, so where are we going with it? Is it every time we get a bad result we get a bombardment of………….. I didn’t hear people twittering last week and facebooking last week.
JP
The point I am making though is that the fans didn’t turn, the fans here at the ground today didn’t turn on you, they have done their part today?
GA
The fans have been special, the fans have been absolutely brilliant. I think they understand the situation, they understand where we were, they are probably as upset and as disappointed as me. But, if the answer is putting it on twitter and putting it on facebook then do that, it is part of the modern day times. But, the fans that were here were mostly really supportive. They are probably as upset and as angry as me, and want to lash out at somebody and something like I do right now. But, unfortunately you can’t do that, you have to dust yourself down, get back to work on Monday and try to rectify a situation that you know is difficult.
JP
I know what your answer is going to be to this, but is it one distraction out of the way now, can you thoroughly concentrate on the league or is it something that you really needed to stay in?
GA
I don’t like losing games, it is as simple as that, you know that.
JP
There was a lot of money on offer as well which might have been helpful as well?
GA
It is nothing to think about, we lost the game so you can’t think about anything losing the game, I said we only talk about what comes off the back of winning this game if you win it and we haven’t won it.