Greg Abbott On The Stockport Win

Last updated : 20 August 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips after Carlisle's 2-1 win away to Stockport, Abbott saying that the Blues have now started off the season quite well :


" The game is about winning matches and getting points, and today we have got our first win. Apart from the sloppy goals we conceded against Brentford we have started off the season quite well now. That paints a different picture and puts a different perspective on things, but as a group we are working exceptionally hard and we are going to have to scrap and fight for everything that we get.

" That is the way we are as a club, that is the way we are as a team and that is the way we are as a backroom staff. We have come here and we have got a win and that is the job done, and it gives you the points that everybody needs. It shifts us up the table a little bit and gives everybody a little bit of confidence.

" I told you that he (Kevan Hurst) was a good player, I said before that if we can get the backing, which we had and some funds in to improve then there are some good players on the radar. We have managed to make that one happen and I thought that his performance, his quality on the ball was tremendous, his goal was terrific.

" He has got two good feet and his all-round game and his energy and his nous if you like is very good, and he will make us a better team. He has got a good understanding of the game, I told you that he would make us better. I said that I wanted to bring players in that are going to make us better.

" He is one of those players that I think is going to improve us, and players who are going to improve us cost money. We are going the best that we can with the help of the club to try to make these signings to make us better. I think that is one that is a decent one, everybody has seen it tonight and hopefully he will continue giving even better performances. "



" Nobody will put pressure on me about strikers, I am very focused on what I am trying to do. I know what I have got in this football club and I know what I need to bring in to make it better. It is not always easy to make it happen just like that but I am running Scott Dobie close with Joe Anyinsah for the man of the match. I thought that between the pair of them they were absolutely magnificent.

" Scott Dobie has put in two shifts on Saturday and Tuesday night here that are absolutely awesome and he gets his rewards. To be fair they are working for each other, Joe did a great shift on the right-hand side on Saturday and he has got his reward tonight with his goal and he probably could have had another one, well probably should have had another one.

" Scott's all-round game though in terms of his energy and commitment and desire for the cause is fantastic, and he probably gets it for that alone. Joe's goal was his strength, he is a really powerful big lad. Once he gets his backside into people he is hard to shift. He turns very, very well, he is good when he runs in behind and he is good when he gets people tight to him and closely marked in and around the box.

" We need to see more of that but to be fair we haven't got the quality into him and we have had to play with a one off striker you know, one a little bit deeper. Tonight though as a pair I thought that they were excellent and it gives us a lot of food for thought. I am really, really pleased with those two and everybody connected with the club should be.

" I am pleased that the fans there have seen a really good game, certainly the second-half performance where our strikers have caused mayhem. It is nice to see it happen to the opposition rather than happen to ours. I didn't reveal that I was looking at David Connolly, I just said that I knew about him, there is nothing in that or any other strikers at the moment though. "



" He (Tom Taiwo) is a young boy, he is 19, this is his third or fourth game at this level. We have got to be patient but his work without the ball or his desire to get the ball back was tremendous. We have got to tidy him up on the ball and only experience in games will come. He is 19 and he has got to make mistakes and we have got to allow him to make mistakes.

" None of the mistakes that he made tonight have hurt us but the work that he did in terms of chasing, harrying and tackling back was excellent. He is struggling to breath, he is absolutely out on his feet. The boy has never played at this level and this tempo, academy football, reserve team football at Chelsea is not a patch on the tempo and the speed of the play that he is going to get now. He is learning and growing up all the time.

" He (Kevan Hurst) will be fitter come the weekend because I will make sure of that, if he is going to come half-fit then what sort of player have we signed? (laughs). Peter Murphy and Paul Thirlwell will be training tomorrow so that is a good sign and we will know more after the session has finished tomorrow, but they are both in full training tomorrow with the other boys.

" I think that we have got a squad that is capable of doing alright, capable of being better than they were last year. Whilst everyone around me is panicking and saying that we should be doing this and we should be doing that I have remained focused.

" I have worked really, really hard along with Dennis (Booth) and Kav (Graham Kavanagh) to try to improve everything. Things take time and I am quite happy with the way that things are going at the minute. We are nowhere near the finished article and there is lots and lots of hard work to be done, but we are going in the right direction. "