United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 4-0 League One defeat away to Brentford, Abbott saying that the Blues have to be much tougher in their defending :
JP
A tough night for everyone, including those fans who you were almost encouraging not to come tonight, I bet some of them maybe wished they didn't in the end?
GA
I got that right didn't I. No, the reason for that was to say that they put in such a shift don't they, it is an horrendous journey on a midweek day and the reason for that was to save them money and they will get back in the middle hours of the morning. Take that out of it and we have got to perform and we have got to be tougher and we have to say what we have to say in the dressing room and keep it sort of private.
But, I have to tell the players what I think because as a group we are all together, I stand at the top of it being the manager and you take responsibilty for the good and for the bad. But, defensively it might be the thing that stops us getting where we want to be this year, we have conceded too many goals, and tonight it is not that we have conceded four, it is the way we have conceded them.
They just didn't have to work hard for the goals and then at the end of the game you are looking ragged, you are looking tired, it is looking second best because that is always the case when teams are falling............. I mean, a little bit of credit, they kept going I suppose, but it is not good enough, you can't just come out and say we kept going, that is not good enough for a team like us that has got any amibtions to be in the top six to say that we kept going, because you take that as a given, they should keep going.
But, defensively we now have to start looking at different ways to keep clean sheets and keep our goal to at least one, I mean we are conceding nearly two a game I think at the moment and it is always going to be tough then to start winning games, or to win most games.
JP
And in terms of those goals as well, it is so much seemingly coming down to individual mistakes a bit tonight rather than Brentford taking you apart, they didn't have to work hard enough?
GA
Well, you said it and we could go round on this, what I am saying to you is that they were cheap, they didn't have to work hard, they didn't put us under too much pressure to get them. The first goal is Adam (Collin) mistiming it, the second goal was a mistake from Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) and then a poor finish or an attempt to save it.
The third one, Frankie (Simek) has got caught under the ball, the fourth one it is like we are playing like statues, it is like subbuteo men. Now, I have got to do something about that, I can't accept that, if they are going to score then they have got to score with us causing them more problems than that.
JP
Obviously, a huge lift to have Lee Miller back but the problems were a bit deeper than that here tonight weren't they than just missing him?
GA
Yeah, we can't use................... I mean the decision is one of the worst I have ever known, it was a ridiculous decision, but I can't use that as an excuse and I won't use that as an excuse. Lee Miller is not that good a player to make that much of a difference to the game, he is a good player, we miss him and he has been great with the way we have played. But, the problems were behind him, I thought Paddy (Madden) was our best player tonight by a mile, by an absolute mile.
So, you are taking away Lee's aerial stuff and Paddy has given you energy, he has kept the ball, he has caused them problems and he didn't have a great deal of............I felt sorry for him to be honest, it is his debut, it his full league debut and I think we have let him down and the group behind him have let him down. I am part of that, we are all part of that, so we start work now on Wednesday and we try to put this right for Saturday.
JP
I know you don't like me to volunteer you tactical information, so Grant Holt alongside us says it might be worth seeing what Madden looked like alongside Lee Miller on his performance tonight?
GA
He might have been listening to what was going on in the dugout then, so he is not as daft as he looks is he.
JP
I am sure that will go down well with him, in terms of those who did play well aside from Paddy Madden, only really Paddy and Danny Livesey maybe can have a shout to be knocking on your door come the weekend?
GA
No, listen, the way I manage is we look after the group, we look after the squad because we have to put things right quickly for Saturday. But, I said that we need help and the only help I need is for them to turn up on Wednesday ready to train, ready to work, ready to do something about it. You can talk about all sorts of different systems and tactics and formations but when players nearly to a man bar a couple tonight are off their game then it doesn't really matter what you do.
But, we are looking at maybe how we can do things to hurt Yeovil and already thoughts have gone through my head, after about 60 minutes things are going through my head for Saturday because the game was really done and dusted tonight. But, we will look at that, all I need then from them is for them to turn up ready to work, ready to put it right and to be fair the group generally does that.
There is a lot of disappointment in there, there are a lot of people think they have let themselves down, you are talking about letting the club down, they don't mean to let anybody down but we haven't played well enough, and if that is the terminology that people are going to use then do it. But, we know we have got to put this right, we know we have got to rectify this sort of performance level that we have just reached. Listen, Saturday can't come quickly enough for me.
JP
And would you hope to use that match against Yeovil as a way to apologise in a way to some of those fans who made the trip down here?
GA
Listen, when I say I don't want to apologise, apologies are.......... We haven't played well tonight, if people want me to apologise for the performance then I will do that, it doesn't make the thing any better, it doesn't........... People there won't feel any wiser for me saying that, but I think the fans have made a hell of a thing to get down here and we understand that.
Listen, there is nobody more understanding of that with the way I am as a person, I understand all that, we just want to put it right quickly and if I need to apologise then they are the words we use. But, we just feel sorry for ourselves a little bit at the minute because I am hurting as well and I think the players owe the backroom staff as well because once they go across the line they have got to do it, they have got to do it, and that is why they get all the praise that comes their way when they play well. Sometimes when they don't play so well they have got to be brave enough to say that is partly their fault as well.
JP
A lot of support coming in for Danny Livesey and the way he came on and performed for you in that second-half?
GA
Yeah, and rightly so, because Danny has gone on, he has been frustrated, he has wanted to play and tonight he showed me he wanted to play. Listen, that is all I can ask, I said we need every single player and it might be the time Saturday to have a little look at it and fiddle around with it, I am not going to tell you what I am going to do at the minute.
I am not going to make any stupid judgements now but over the next three or four days we have to have a real serious look at it and try to get the right people on the pitch on Saturday. But, Danny, listen, we know what he is, he is whole-hearted, he is fit, he is determined and he loves the club. So, there are things at the minute when you are a little bit down in the dumps that you are looking for as characteristics in a side you are going to put out.
JP
Lost a bit of ground on Stevenage in a way now giving them two games in hand and a couple of points ahead of you, but still very comfortable ahead of those teams below you. Your performances this season have put you into a strong position but you have got to return to form quickly now?
GA
Yeah, no, listen, the first 30-odd games we have had this season have been fantastic for us, it has put us in a position where we can challenge. But, we need to improve quickly otherwise you just fade into mediocrity, and we don't want to do that, we want to keep the season alive and kicking, take it right down to the wire, some excitement for the fans. They deserve that because they have to travel further than anybody else in the country.
Quickly, you are right, quickly we have to get back to performing, forget the results, if you get the performances the results will come off the back of that if we perform better than we have been doing, certainly defend better than we have been doing of late.