United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 6-0 thrashing away to Peterborough, Abbott saying that it is not a time to offer excuses :
JP
What on earth do you say after a day like that?
GA
There is not a lot you can say to be honest, it is not a time to offer excuses, it is not a time to try to be clever, it is probably a time where I have said the whole of the dressing room, including our kit man (Colin Nixon) takes some sort of responsiblity. The top will be me, and then the least bit of responsiblity would be your kit man. So, it goes through me right through my backroom staff, right through my playing squad, right down through Colin at the bottom of the pile, has to have some responsibility, but me at the top of it.
I would have to say it just wasn't acceptable by a long, long way. We started the game in a terrible manner and then we never recovered. We gave a goal away, we probably had a decent spell just before half-time at 2-0, then we concede another joke goal, weak, 3-0, and then a sending-off (Liam Cooper). We think we are doing alright at 3-0 in terms of not looking like conceding any more because we did in the first-half. Then we get a sending-off and then we got torn to pieces and then the score could have been anything it wanted to be.
JP
There were a couple of things that went against you, but as you say, that would seem like excuses on a day like today?
GA
I am not going to talk about things that have gone against us because it looks like then that I am trying to push and apportion blame to other people. Really, the people that were to blame were Carlisle United football team and the staff, and that is what we do. If we don't do that then we don't learn from it, and it happens again. But, like I said to the players there, they represent me and a lot of good people that work very hard behind the scenes to produce performances. Today that wasn't what I wanted or how I wanted to be represented, it was really poor at times.
JP
Why do you think it was? Why do you think this happened today? I know that is a tough one?
GA
Great question, I don't know, I don't know, we trained yesterday and I thought they were really sharp, I told them how well they were doing and how much progress we seem to be making. Today we just never got out of the traps at all, and conceded two really weak....... To be fair, Peterborough haven't had to do a great deal to score their goals, and that kills us. You can look round and you can say where was Lubo (Lubomir Michalik)? Where was Danny Livesey? Where was Paul Thirlwell? Where were the senior players?
We do miss them, the young kids have been found out today and to be fair, it will be a massive learning curve to everybody. I have been on the back end of these as a player, only twice in my career, I got done a seven and a six twice through my 16 years of my career, and this probably hurts more because you are at the top of it. But, you can't do much about it when you are off the pitch, and I hope it hurts the players as much as it hurts me. But, we have to make sure that never happens again, that type of performance and that type of result. I could never guarantee it won't happen because I didn't want it to happen today, and if I had known how to stop it I would have done.
JP
Do you question yourself as to whether you could have done more to at least keep the scoring down on a day like today?
GA
Tell me what I could have done, you tell me what I could have done? Because, I haven't got an answer to that, we are down to ten men against the most prolific goalscoring team in the country at the minute, bar put a bus in front of the goal I don't see what I could have done. I don't think Jose Mourinho could have stopped that being six today, and I mean that, I absolutely mean that.
JP
And missing two penalties as well, what did you make of the incident on or around-about the half hour when it looked like Francois Zoko was tugged back when clean through?
GA
It was a penalty, it was a penalty, and the referee (Trevor Kettle) has chosen to say he his view was obscured. But, listen, we are going back too far now, to be honest I am not interested, today I don't want to talk about what might have been or what could have been, it was a penalty, makes it 2-1, might have been different, but it wasn't different, it wasn't a penalty and we take the crap that is going to get thrown at us.
JP
When you get a game like this what can you do now to make sure that you get a real reaction?
GA
I have done it, I have done it.
JP
What have you said to them then?
GA
I can't tell you that.
JP
The fans will want to know what you said to them to an extent, not perhaps all of the words?
GA
Well, the fans will know what I have said to them, the fans out there........ Our fans today were magnificent by the way, they deserve a special mention, a special pat on the back, but they will know what I have said because we have always had a response from a defeat. We never had one like this since I have been here, but they will know what I have said, and I am not going to go into detail of what has been.......
The fingers were pointed, listen, and responsiblity and accepting responsiblity has been the key to what we have talked about. I think the lads actually feel a little bit sorry for me and the staff to be fair because they are the ones that have gone onto the pitch, and I don't deflect blame at all, that is not my style. I stand at the top of that and if that is the best that they can offer over a consistent period changes would have to be made.
JP
You have got an important match now on Tuesday in front of a home crowd that has waned a little bit, after one like this you can hardly expect it to be a great deal better, you need a big performance from them now?
GA
I thought the crowd were brilliant on Tuesday, I thought the crowd were brilliant against Hartlepool on Tuesday, absolutely brilliant. I think they are appreciating where we are as a club, what we are trying to do, this type of performance happens and nobody likes it, not me, not the players, not the fans, but it happens. Do you know the good thing about today? We only actually lose three points, we only actually lose three points, that is what I have said to them because really we should have lost six by that, for the level of performance we should have actually been docked six.
But, we haven't, you only lose three points for a win and you only get three points for a 6-0 won. So, we can win on Tuesday and win on Saturday and all of a sudden we can put this behind us as quickly as we can. I will never forget it because you have to remember it and how and why it happened and remind people that if we are not right and if we are not prepared to do the things that we are good at then that can happen, and I don't want to go through that again.
JP
Do you feel that there was anything you could have done to at least kept the score down and protected your goal difference a bit more?
GA
Er, who is bothered about goal difference at the minute? I am bothered about points and wins.
JP
Damage limitation though?
GA
You tell me, you tell me, well, what I have got to do? I have got four defenders, I have got six subs, I have not even got seven subs, I have got kids on the bench that are not ready for the.......... I haven't got attacking players, all my defenders are injured, again, it is not a time for me to be clever but I don't think Jose Mourinho could have done anything about that, and he is a better coach than me apparently. I would have liked to have seen him manage my team today though.