United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 2-0 League One defeat away to MK Dons, Abbott saying that at times during the game there was a gulf in quality between the two sides:
JP
What did you make of the game today? Where do you think it didn't quite happen?
GA
I don't think we could cope with the quality that they had, at times in the game there was a gulf in quality. Everything has to go right, everything has to go our way on days like this when you come to teams with the quality of players they have got. We make an early mistake, concede a goal and we put ourselves on the back foot and make the first-half very difficult. In the second-half we got round it a little bit more, couple of half-chances that needed to go in, but everything needed to go our way.
There is some absolute quality in the MK Dons set-up, I mean in the tunnel before the game (Dean) Lewington and Alan Smith were talking to me, not even involved, it just shows you where they are. We are going out there and ending the game with 18-year olds on the pitch and it is a big ask for them, but they have given everything they have got as a group. Generally we give evreything we have got, sometimes we are second best and today we were second best, there is no argument that they were better than us on the day.
JP
Obviously you have talked about the finance and things, they have got a lot of money, I mean I talked about that in the build-up, being able to bring in somebody like Jimmy Bullard, but do you feel that the team could have done other things to try to bridge the gap?
GA
Yeah, I mean it is an ask every week when you come to these types of places to find the right formation. When you are up against people of considerable ability sometimes formations, tactics and that, aren't enough, you need that bit of luck. But, I felt first-half we didn't really do ourselves justice, we are better than that and some of the younger players looked a little bit tired and looked a little bit nervous coming to a place like this, it is a little bit imposing.
But, we have to get round that because that is what we have got and that is what we are going to deal with, and we are going to have a good shift this season and we are going to have a right good go at it again. But, I think we are maybe just today seeing the gulf be a little bit too much for us, but we dust that down and we will have a go.............
Another big club again in terms of finance and signings on Tuesday in Preston, but we will have a go at them and we want to give our fans something to rave about, because we have done it against Portsmouth and we have done it against Ipswich. So, we are not coming on here feeling sorry for ourselves, but we have to make sure that things go our way and we make things go our way. The only way we can do that is work absolutely exceptionally hard in all the games to get our results at these types of places.
JP
Whenever your team get beaten there is always disappointed fans, but do you feel that the message you want to make to them it sounds like, is that you have got to always be perfect against these teams, it has always got to be a big performance and that can't happen every week?
GA
It can't, but if fans want to come and pay their money they are going to get upset, there is absolutely no problem with that, because I am upset. I am upset because I still think even though I think on paper they have got a really strong squad we have proved in the past and we have proved again that we are a decent outfit, and we have come here before and won. I think we have won twice since I have been a manager here, so it is a place where we have had decent success.
But, today we were second best, that is upsetting for me, it is upsetting for the fans and everybody takes a big reality check given the reasons why with some of the things I have said. Today it looked like they were a little bit sharper round the tackles, sharper with their passing, a litte bit more incisive upfront, it looked like they wanted to score more than us. We had our half-chances through the game but you have to put them in and they have to go in for you to give yourself chances of winning at places like this.
JP
Adam Collin held his hand up to the back four when he made a mistake for the first goal, did he talk to them more about that in the dressing room?
GA
There is no need, he has made a mistake, he has done it once, you don't have to keep running around making excuses. He made a mistake, it is as simple as that, but he has got to stop making those mistakes, and at places like these when you make those types of mistakes and they end up in the back of your net they take some coming back from. That is what I am talking about that you don't need to do anything like that, if you are going to come here and get results then things have to go your way, and mistakes, you don't gift anybody anything.
I watched West Ham get beat against Swansea and two of the goals they just gave away, they just absolutely gave away, and it happens to the best so it is certainly going to happen to us. They are things we have to eradicate, Adam has to eradicate, after that though he has made some fantastic saves for us and in the first-half when we were under the cosh he probably kept us in the game and gave us a fighting chance of doing something in the second-half.
JP
Is it a concentration thing because there have been a couple this year, I think some fans think I am too much of a supporter of Adam Collin because I do think he is a top goalkeeper, but these little things have crept in just a tad?
GA
No, listen, it is not concentration with Adam, Adam has got strengths and weaknesses, strengths is he does shot-stopping, he composes his area very, very well, he controls that, but on the deck he is not as good as other goalkeepers are. We work every single day with him to make him better, but outfield players have strengths and weaknesses, Adam's weaknesses is the ball placed back on the deck, and he is working hard to make that better and it has to get better.
But, there is putting strengths and weaknesses in one and that is what you get at League One, you get a player that is going to make the odd mistake, and he has done today. Probably the first time off the deck for a little bit he has done it, but it has cost us and that hurts us.
JP
Your last defeat in League One, you said that there weren't any players who could come and knock on your door and complain if they were left out next time, do you feel it was a different sort of defeat today, not quite the same as that one?
GA
Yeah, not quite the same as that, I mean there was some honesty there second-half, the lads rolled their sleeves up and tried to have a go and tried to get something back. We needed a goal, we needed something to go our way. I thought Danny Cadamarteri put in a tremendous shift but he needs a goal, he is going to have to get goals.
It is a situation where he is putting people under pressure, getting us up the pitch, doing some great foil work but we need goals off him and Jake (Jervis). They are your nine and ten numbers, I know maybe not in the squad, but they are the nine and ten players and they are judged on scoring goals. We need to get that out of them, for all his good work and his effort, I thought his effort was absolutely terrific, we need that goal.
JP
Yeah, he did work very hard. Brad Potts again had another good game at right-back, one of the shining lights for you today?
GA
Er, we thought he struggled a little bit in the first-half to be honest, thought he found it all a bit much, was much better in the second-half. Again, it is a big place for him to come but it will do him good to be round these situations, in and out of the team. We think first-half (Dean) Bowditch caused him........... He didn't get tight enough, didn't get high enough, got done too easy round the penalty box.
But, you know, he is learning, he is 18, he is just getting in the team and he is learning, and he gets all the support from us. Whether he plays a run of games or he goes in and comes out he will get absolute support and absolute development because we think he is going to be a good player.
JP
What do you want to see now for Tuesday, I mean it is a Johnstone's Paint game, do you want to mix it up a little bit for that one or do you want to get this sort of team back out there?
GA
I just want to win, I just want to win, seriously, I just want to win, I like winning games and we will try to do whatever we have to do to win the game.
JP
It is a competition you have had much joy with and a good affair with as a manager, but are you thinking more about Saturday?
GA
No, absolutely not, there is no point thinking about Saturday, honestly. I don't work like that, we haven't got a club big enough to be able to just wash away a cup competition that gives you a realistic chance of playing at Wembley and earning you a lot of money. So, I think I would get shot if I said to anybody we were taking it lightly, it is our next game, it is our most important game, I have not even thought about Saturday to be honest. As soon as the whistle goes my thoughts are on Tuesday night and getting a team out there that is going to win the game.
JP
I think a lot of fans will be pleased to hear that. What about your new man that you have got in today, Michael O'Halloran?
GA
Yeah, I don't think he contributed as much as we would like in the 20 minute spell he has got, but he has only just met us yesterday and trained for an hour with us. He needs a bit more time, he needs some............ You can see he has probably not played at this intensity for a while and the game was very quick for him. But, we have had a little look and we will have a look at that and see where it is over the month and see how he develops, but, yeah, that is OK.
JP
More broadly on him though as a new signing rather than perhaps on today's performance, what do you think he brings to the party for you?
GA
Well, he has got pace and he is good around his feet, but it is a difficult situation for him to come into today. We didn't have the lion's share of possession and we didn't really get a head of steam up, although we probably competed 50-50 with them second-half. On another day you will see a different player, but we will have a good look at him over a full week next week and we will start making judgements then.
JP
Did you come close to, I am sure you would have liked to have done more business, all managers would, but did you come close to anything in or out?
GA
Erm, not out, I mean the last thing we need was anybody out, but we were very close to another couple which we probably would have been allowed to do. I still think the squad needs a bit more depth to it and a bit more variety when things aren't going well. But, there is another seven days to go and we see what happens.
JP
Does that seem to imply that you will be looking to add?
GA
Well, you know, we are always looking, it is just trying to get the right people in at the right amount of money. The easy bit is identifying, the hard bit is getting them across the line and getting them into the building with the finances that teams ask for. They know we are in a situation where we need a couple of players, so they inflate things and they sometimes put them out of reach.
But, listen, if we can we will and we need to get a run of games where we get some results and some inspiration and encouragement that it is going to be a really good season. At the minute with the squad we have got we probably lack a little bit of depth still.
JP
And I know you will, I am sure you will to thank those travelling fans who made it down today?
GA
Brilliant, they are fantastic again, we hurt together, when we lose we all lose and hurt together, and when we win we all win and are joyful together. But, I think we need to really, really put on a show for them if we can, as we can, and as long as the players give everything they have got in the locker then I think they get their support from the fans, and that is all they can ask. But, today they may be a tad disappointed, that is football fans in general.
JP
And just finally, you have already confirmed that you have very much got your mindset on Tuesday against Preston, it is a great game to try to get back to that win isn't it. It is a local rivalry, it is a team that Carlisle always have big ding-dong matches with?
GA
Yeah, I mean for me every game after you have had a defeat is a big game and it is one that we are trying our best with. We will certainly be up for it and the players have got to be up for it, because they are the ones that go across the white line and can make things happen. We are a little bit powerless sometimes on the sidelines, but hopefully we give the right messages out and the right thing together, and the players perform for us.