United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 2-0 League One defeat away to Colchester, Abbott saying that the Blues should have won the game:
JP
The highlight for us today has been to have Dean Walling with us in commentary, he said in all of his years playing football he has never seen a game where a team has created so many good chances and didn’t score?
GA
Well, he just said to me that I should be pulling my hair out, well it is falling out anyway. It is difficult in there at the minute because we have got a game on Tuesday and we have got to pick them up. We didn’t even think we should have drawn the game today, we thought we should be going back with three points.
Some of the play from the boys was terrific, we had 15 minutes of madness, a 15 minute period in the first-half of madness, but they had 75 minutes where we have created chance after chance after chance and got away with it, we have had a bad 15 minutes and it is a 2-0 defeat and really, really disappointing.
JP
Fans will look at the result without knowing how it panned out and they will have wanted to hear me telling you about what you have got wrong and this, that and the other. But, the fact is what do you when you create so many good chances and they are missed?
GA
You do it again, you have got to do it again, we played 20 times better than we did at Bury today, 20 times better than we did at Bury today and we got something out of the game on Tuesday night and we didn’t get anything out of the game today. Again, we have had no luck, nothing has gone our way today either, we think we should have two penalties at least, we think maybe even three.
Certainly the first one when Joe (Garner) has been pulled down in the box is a blatant penalty, but even having said that Murph (Peter Murphy) hits the bar, Joe has had three chances. They changed their shape to match us up because they knew they were getting hammered first-half, they changed their shape to match the way we were playing and changed it all round.
Throughout the game there must be ten chances there, and you think I am sitting here as a manager with no goals to my team’s name, and I even asked one of the crowd if he could go and head one in for us. I was just baffled how we could miss so many chances, but we have done and we have just got to regroup, take it on the chin, that is the way it is, and go again.
But, it is testimony to the fans, the fans tell you when you have done alright that they wanted us to give them a clap and they clapped us off, and we have got beat and that tells you that you are on the right lines. But, it is no consolation that I have got no points.
JP
Does it come down to a nervousness in those forward areas? Does it come down to just a little bit of pressure that has developed maybe because they know they need to keep the away form going perhaps?
GA
There is always pressure isn’t there, you know what I mean, and you are at the end of the field, which is why Alan Shearers and Michael Owens and Wayne Rooneys cost millions and millions and millions, they don’t miss them. I thought Colchester were pretty ordinary first-half and they have had two chances and scored both. That is the game, they have scored and we haven’t and you have to say to them well done, they have defended and kept a clean sheet, a bit of luck along the way with it but that is the game, it is just so disappointing.
JP
One Colchester fan tapped me on the shoulder in the commentary and said you have had three of those when (James) Berrett missed one inside the area, I mean what do you do, do you get on the training ground with that or is that something that only comes with perseverance on the pitch?
GA
Well, no, because they could have those chances again and they score them. That is the way it is, you are glad you are creating, you are glad you are getting in positions, but the crux of the matter is in football you take what is given. We just didn’t take what was on a plate for us today, we have left the food on the table haven’t we, we haven’t done it and we have only got ourselves to blame because we had the chances in the game to get something out of it. There is not much more I can say to you, you can’t re-run the script can you, that is what happens, you miss chances and then you concede and you lose games.
JP
What about the goals you conceded? You had started very well, the first ten or twelve minutes you looked like the team on top and just two sort of a bit too easy crosses in?
GA
Yeah, we don’t seem to get them, it is disappointing, we don’t seem to get them but we get done down our right-hand side. They are two terrific balls to be fair and their midfield runner (Craig Eastmond) has got in the first and (Jabo) Ibehre has knocked the ball through Matty Robson’s legs I think for the second for the finish.
Yeah, disappointed, really disappointed with that, but on the whole of it goals change games, we could have been 2-0 or 3-0 up after 15 minutes and that doesn’t happen then, and then we go on and win the game maybe even four or five, but we haven’t. We are sitting here talking about a defeat and I am just really, really down with it all.
JP
There have been games recently when I have asked you and you have not wanted to talk about it, but I have asked if you have given them the hairdryer today, I don’t suppose you could do that today?
GA
I did on Notts County and I did again on the Monday after Notts County because I think they let everybody down, and we know that, it was a one-off performance. That today was a pretty decent performance, and you are talking just a performance it is a pretty decent performance. So, I have got really not a lot of places to go, but I have said the emphasis is on the criticism is on the fact that we haven’t kept a clean sheet and we haven’t taken the chances that we have made and that is the criticism.
What happens in the middle of the pitch in League One football doesn’t really add up to much, it is what happens in each boxes that makes the difference, and today we haven’t numerous times taken advantage of our good situations and we have gifted two goals. So, there you are, lose, simple as that, what happened in the middle of the pitch doesn’t really matter.
JP
I will get onto that the middle of the pitch, because you surprised us a little bit with the way you lined up, looked like a 4-4-2 but then Matt Robson was at left-back, (Chris) Chantler was in there, I mean it was working until you conceded the goals essentially. I know that sounds daft but it was working, it was looking good?
GA
Well, we could have been three up, they changed their system to match us up because we were passing them to death and we were creating chances, we were getting down the sides and we were looking really, really lively. But, you need to score when you are on top and we didn’t, Joe has had two or three great chances and a penalty shout, none of them have gone in and then a home side are always going to get a chance, and they did and we had a terrible 15 minutes just before half-time.
We changed it round again second-half, came out, and after seven minutes and 34 seconds we could have been 4-2 up, we could have been 4-2 up and I’m not joking when I say that. I am scratching my head and I want to go and take my frustrations out on something or somebody, but I have to remain dignified and take it on the chin, and that is all I have to do.
JP
Jon Colman is next to interview you, take it out on him and not me yeah?
GA
Nah, Jon is alright, Jon will do what he has to do, he is probably as disappointed as me.
JP
Oh I bet he is, what next then, what do you do now, I mean how do you make sure that you seize on the good of today but get rid of the bad of it?
GA
Well, you just go again, we regroup, we tell them to take all the positives out of it and we do have to keep the clean sheet. But, I think if we can turn in the same type of performance against Oldham with the same amount of chances, then I think we should be alright. But, we have got to reproduce and then score.
JP
But, then, last question on this game, they will say about the title winning teams that they play bad and win, it is worrying if you have had a couple of games recently where you have played really well and lost, that has got to be worrying though hasn’t it?
GA
Well, it doesn’t get any worse than that then does it, play great and lose. Brilliant, you have cheered me up a lot, five hours I have got to go thinking about that statement, never a truer word spoken. You are right, you are worried when you play really, really well and lose because where do you go from there? But, I think if we play like that the majority of the season we will win more than we lose.
JP
Yeah, OK, looking ahead then the games don’t stop coming up, good news it was that (Danny) Cadamarteri was back in today, any further good news on that front ahead of Tuesday?
GA
No, everybody is fit and is alright after today, Danny needed the game, you could see he has not touched a ball for a week, and you could see that tiredness creep into his game, certainly second-half. But, listen, we just dust ourselves down, we are as brave as we can be, we stand tall, we take the good things out of the game and try to get a result on Tuesday. It might just be that we get one at home and the fans can get on our side and cheer us through and give us that support that we genuinely need. The team needs a result again.
JP
I am baffled to know what else to ask you about that game, thanks for joining us.
GA
It has been an absolute pleasure.