United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 4-0 League One defeat at home to Notts County, Abbott saying that the Blues lost more than three points out of the game:
JP
What is your assessment of that one today then?
GA
Assessment? I have got to be very careful what I say I suppose haven't I. I think today it is more than three points lost, we have lost more than three points, we have done more than just lose a football game today. What we have done is we have lost the momentum that we have been steadily buidling up, it has been tough this year, but we have lost that bit of momentum.
Do you know what? We have lost probably a little bit of belief from around the city that we are a good side, because people can only see what they see and judge you on what you are showing. At home particularly we have not done well and today was a really, really poor performance, and there are only probably one or two there that I could say that really performed anywhere near what they can and anywhere near what they did last week.
The transformation in seven days when I think it is probably the best week's training we have had in a long time, I just said to the players yesterday how well we have trained, how up for it we look, how much brighter and sharper we looked. We looked like we had recovered from the early setback of the injury with Lee (Miller) and stuff like that, I don't want to keep talking about Lee but he is a big player in what we do. Today we have probably thrown a lot of that away.
JP
How do you think that happens then? Hard to put your finger on?
GA
I would love to be able to give you that answer, it is probably the thing that makes and breaks managers. But, we have always responded well to stuff like this in the past, I had all sorts of things going through my mind on what to do between now and Tuesday. I will think about all that but I will dust myself down and I will get away from this situation for 24 hours and we will come back fighting and I would like to think that we will come back with a few sleeves rolled up harder than they were today, and we will give a much better performance on Tuesday night.
JP
Tough to ask you too much about the details of where it went wrong because I feel a bit like beating you with a stick when you are down to be honest?
GA
Don't you worry about that, I can handle it, when we have been as poor as we were today let's beat some people down with a stick because people need beating down with a stick. When they don't do their jobs, and that includes everybody by the way, I include myself in that, I say that that dressing room is all about me, Graham Kavanagh, Neil Dalton, Tony Caig and 18 players. Now I am not going to stand aloof when we win games and I am certainly not going to hide behind players when we lose games.
That starts with me and from me down to the last player on the pitch, or the 18th man in the squad, we didn't do our jobs today nowhere near well enough, there weren't many that did. Now you might say that it is harsh to criticise yourself Greg because you weren't playing, but I do because it is down to us what we do and how we do it and what players that we select, make sure that they do their jobs and nobody has done it today.
JP
Do you think that Keith Curle as a manager then on the day got it right?
GA
Well, he didn't get it right for the last two weeks, he is a winning manager so...........
JP
Changed his formation didn't he, tried to find a way around you?
GA
Formations have got nothing to do with it, when players don't tackle and make simple mistakes and don't play as well as we know they can it doesn't matter what formation is played. Don't look too much into formations that other managers do, look at our own downfalls and our own misgivings today, because they were really, really below par.
I have never come on the radio and been as brutal about my team as I am being today, we weren't good enough from start to finish all the way round. Their situation and their formation, it is an excuse, pat him on the back because his team has won 4-0, no problem with that. But, I would say that we contributed by being nowhere near as good or as fluent as we can be.
JP
Yeah, the fans were concerned I think you could say, there was that sort of hub of conversation?
GA
Well, you are giving all the critics and all the disbelievers and all the ones that like to have a moan, you are giving them the platform to perform today, and they have performed, they don't let you down do they. That is what football supporters do, they want their team to come........ I think what they want to see is they want to see people with their sleeves rolled up, with a passion, with an energy and with a genuine chance of winning football games.
I don't think there is anybody in this division that should win as comfortably as this, making us look as awful and as poor as we were today. Like I said, it gives the critics and the people that want to be vociferous with that, it gives them a platform today and they have used it.
JP
With all the things that we do or don't expect from your teams, you do expect that spirit and as you put it, the sleeves rolled up. Why do you think it maybe was lacking that so much?
GA
That is something individuals have to ask themselves, you have to ask players that. We prepared as well as we have done, we were so much in control of the week, the training and all that, and then there is a performance like that. It is hard to explain that one and I can't to be honest, because you can only say to players in reflection of how they have performed last week and how they have trained. We have done things better than we have done in other weeks and we have won games, we have had poorer weeks in terms of training and today we were really just not at the races.
JP
It has been a cracking run on the road and you have got a couple of games now that hopefully you can carry that on for, but how crucial is it to start getting it right here where the core of your fans are and where the money is for the club?
GA
Yeah, I mean obviously the fans are saying this won't bring fans back. We know it doesn't, but I don't think anybody means to be as.............
JP
A couple of wins on the road now will help though?
GA
Yeah, of course it will, I mean the away form has been tremendous, I think we have won three on the bounce. But, we have got to put performances in place here and if we don't back up our work away from home with performances at home we are going to end up mid-table or even below, and that is not where we want to be. But, we have to improve on that.
JP
Joe Garner's situation now, that is the end of his loan as things stand, have you got further than when we last spoke to extending that?
GA
Well, John Nixon has been away for a couple of days, I think he has been making contact with Watford, so I will have to go and see him now and find out where that one is, and hopefully it has been resolved and he will be with us Tuesday night.
JP
Because, that is the hope isn't it that he can stay involved otherwise that is a big problem?
GA
Yeah, I mean we are down on numbers again aren't we you know, we need to keep everybody we have got and hopefully that will be resolved.
JP
We have celebrated the success that you have had with your youngsters in the team, today was this perhaps the evidence of what people need to be wary of with the kids? A big day for Brad Potts?
GA
Yeah, of course, Brad has struggled today without a doubt, and it is part of his learning curve and it is how he responds to this. We will work with those players but it is just a message to the fans that it is probably too early in their careers to play 15 or 20 games on the spin. They will come up against difficult opponents but that is when you have got to be men and you have got to be brave and you have got to get tight to people.
You have got to stop crosses, you can't give people space and Brad found it has difficult today, but he is a young boy and the one thing I wouldn't do would be to come on here and lay blame to such young players. I thought Mark Beck really struggled and he has got to make more of an impact when he comes on, he had half an hour to really put himself in the frame for the cause, and he hasn't really done that today. But, listen, the experienced players are more of a concern to me that should be braver and more honest in their performances than they have been today.
JP
Looking for a positive out of the Potts situation, Chris Lumsdon said in commentary that he will learn more than that than from any of his good performances?
GA
Of course he will and we will have to realise that in big games like that against big players, (Alan) Judge is a really good player, Jeff Hughes is a really good player, Francois (Zoko) has obviously got great skill and ability. They are the days where you have got to get really close to people and stop them playing, and today he couldn't quite do that. But, listen, we defend as a team, we don't lay blame on any one person's shoulders, and as a group today we have come second by a country mile.
JP
They have scored nine without conceding against you in the last three meetings, are they a bogey side or are they a team who just really know how to play you?
GA
Not really because we have beaten them in the past home and away, the last two seasons have been desperate for us against them, but I think you find if you go back we have beaten them at home and we have beaten them away, so I don't think there is anything bogey about that.
JP
A great game for you coming up so close after this one now on Tuesday night (away to Bury) to hopefully find your feet again?
GA
Yeah, we need a game quickly now don't we, that is the good thing, we have got a game Tuesday when nobody else has I don't think have they. So, let's hope we are up and at it and back on blob.
JP
And it is a good weather forecast?
GA
Fantastic.
JP
And I must also just say, another goal for Paddy Madden, I don't know if you are aware of that in all of today, he scored again although his side were beaten?
GA
Yeah, well, the last thing I have been interested in is anybody else's results, I am interested in Paddy but not anybody else's results, I have not even seen the results yet. I have only just come out of the dressing room so I will have a look at all of that aspect and digest all that over the weekend.
JP
Was it a bit more riot act? You have said that you have been trying to talk and ease through it with the players in the past after defeats, but were you a bit angry today with them?
GA
My dressing room is my dressing room, I have given you a rundown on the game but my dressing room is my dressing room and what goes on in there is very much between me and the players. If you want to ask them and they tell you then they are brave people because I like to keep that sanctuary. That is where we have done it and we have done our business and hopefully what was said and what was done will reflect on an improved performance on Tuesday night.