Greg Abbott On The Huddersfield Defeat

Last updated : 01 February 2011 By Thetashkentterror
Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 2-0 League One defeat away to Huddersfield, Abbott saying that the Terriers won the game just a little bit too comfortably :


JP

Your thoughts on that one tonight?

GA

I am disappointed because we think that Huddersfield have won just a shade comfortable. Up to the goal going in first-half there is nothing in it, we have had some terrific chances and we know that goals change games, and the keeper (Ian Bennett) has made a couple of unbelievable saves.

We think we should be ahead and then we concede a goal which is a great goal from their point of view, not a great goal from ours. But, you have got to say that the quality of the pass through to (Gary) Roberts and the finish was terrific.

Then it is near enough a carbon copy straight away after that and then it is a mountain to climb, and we can't keep coming back from goals down against sides of this quality. We didn't really ask enough questions and cause them enough problems in the second-half, and that is disappointing I suppose.





JP

The way Roberts finished both goals was exemplary, but perhaps the first one a lot more could have been done to avoid it, the second one really was quality?

GA

I thought the first one was quality as well, you see it better up here, you see the line, we think it might be offside but Joe (Dudgeon) thinks he has played him onside for the first one, which is fair enough.

He broke through the line easily and you have got to go with runners whatever, (Kevin) Kilbane has picked the pass, I think it was Kevin Kilbane picks a pass out and he has split the defence. We have got to be narrow, we said be high and be narrow, don't be too expansive at the back and we have got punished. But, I thought they were decent goals to be honest.





JP

The reaction at the weekend when you were 2-0 down came, it came quite late actually, but it certainly came, do you think you struggled to get that sort of reaction tonight?

GA

We gave a bit of a reaction but we didn't cause any problems, we didn't cause enough problems. We just needed something to spark us a little tonight and we didn't find it. I think if Marshy (Ben Marshall) scores at the far-post then that gives us 15 minutes to really throw the game at them.

But, we never quite got a head of steam up. I thought we played too many long balls again, certainly from the back, Lubo (Lubomir Michalik) and Coops (Liam Cooper) just kept shelling it when we needed an extra pass.

Sometimes they do that when we take the extra man off in midfield, we think we have got to get it up to the front men early, too early at times. We stopped playing the type of football we have been playing and we make it difficult because the front lads didn't have much good service to thrive on and it was hard work for them.





JP

One fan has essentially implied that you weren't so quick to take off Joe Dudgeon if he wasn't having a good game as you were with Peter Murphy at the weekend. What would you say to that?

GA

Well, we have brought Joe in to play some football, he is a natural left-back and Peter is not a natural left-back. But, he has done alright for us and we have got to try to work out which is the best option for us. We want Joe to come and learn and get better and we think he is a good player.

He didn't do a great deal wrong, he has got caught playing a player (Roberts) onside, I don't think it was a desperate piece of work from him. But, they are things we have to do and they are decisions we make, and there is no personal stuff in all that.





JP

You have often said how goals change games, it would be easy for fans to say that you should have scored one of the earlier chances, but you have to sometimes take your hat off, the goalkeeper (Bennett) made a couple of top drawer saves to keep you out?

GA

Yeah, they were two wonder saves, certainly the second one from (Francois) Zoko's cross that he has slid in. They do change games and we might not be talking about substitutions or this or that or the other if they go in. But, they haven't gone in and the keeper has made the saves and they have scored and they end up winning the game a little bit too cosily for me.





JP

You haven't tasted defeat for a little while, how do you pick the players up from this ahead of the weekend then?

GA

Like we always do when we get beat, we just work hard again, we get on the training ground, we dust them down and we build them up. We have got a good game for us on Saturday and then we have got a fantastic game.

So, the next two games, again four or five days time, we might be sitting here drooling over a successful week and let's hope we are. But, they don't need any picking up because we lose every now and again, they are used to it and it is their job, they have to go and find another performance.





JP

On the back line though, no goals conceded in almost 400 minutes, now four in two games, a bit of work needed in there do you think?

GA

No, we just need to score five.





JP

It is a fair enough point, just quickly on Paddy Madden because we have not heard anything from you on him yet, tell us a little bit about the latest guy you have brought in?

GA

Paddy has just come in to score some goals for us. He is in the area that we can find players, we can't go out and spend the types of money that.......... I would have brought (Fernando) Torres in if I could have done, but we were 49 and 7.5 million less short of the fee.

So, there we are, we have to go with the people that are slightly behind the radar but we are hoping that Paddy can......... We have done a fair bit of research with him and found out about him and we hope he comes in and he can give us some and a bit of a competition upfront and give us a different dimension.

But, it is not easy, I think seven or eight of the teams in League One would have signed a goalscoring centre-forward if they could have done yesterday and none of them did. They are like goal dust so it is a matter of hunting one that you can afford and we have found Paddy and we want to see him come and develop, and there is a bit of time for him to do that as well, he is only 20, just 20, and we are hoping he will be a success for us.