United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) following Carlisle's 0-0 League One draw at home to Tranmere, Abbott saying it is difficult to offer too many excuses for the performance :
JP
What did you make of that one tonight?
GA
We are full of disappointment to be honest, and it is difficult to offer too many excuses but we haven't played well, we know that, and it is a good point at the end of the night and it is clean sheet. So, people are saying to us that we can't defend, well we have defended tonight because we have had to do.
JP
Yeah, a first clean sheet in 12 games so there is a victory of sorts in there, I am sure you will be happy with that at least now?
GA
Yeah, we are pleased, because that is the one area of the game that was sort of OK. But, it has been not much of a match really, it is disappointing from where we are, we have been playing decent football. I don't like to make excuses but a decision at Hartlepool two weeks ago is still hurting us because we missed our big player (Lee Miller) tonight.
We have seen last week against Chesterfield and tonight how important he is to us to get us up the pitch, to keep the ball, to give us the chance to get midfield players on it and let us play the type of football we have been doing. So, players have come in and have not been able to cope probably with that for the last two games and we have scrambled four points in our last two home games, which maybe could have been worse.
JP
Four points though out of those two games, that is a positive isn't it because it just wasn't quite there for you tonight, so it is a point onto your Chesterfield match and four points out of the first two games without Lee Miller despite the fact that you have clearly missed him?
GA
Yeah, that is the positive, I have said what I have had to say in the dressing room, and the sharpness and the tenacity and the quality at times wasn't there to be honest, from neither side to be honest. We have probably had the best chance of the game with Paddy (Madden's) header in the last minute, and I would have taken three points tonight and just dusted ourselves down and gone to Brentford in a better frame of mind. But, we will come back in and we will work hard on Thursday and Friday, and I have told the players we need to work hard on Thursday and Friday and over the weekend and prepare ourselves for what will be a tough game.
JP
You have admitted that you were missing Lee Miller and I am sure that the fans will appreciate that, but why do you think it was that you didn't have a meaningful chance on goal until that Madden one in the 90th minute? I mean why weren't you able to create?
GA
Because, we have suffered, we are a club that can't afford to lose certain players and tonight was a really big miss, and the decision to send him off was one of the poorest I have ever known and we are suffering from it at the minute. But, we have to find............... Listen, we have got two games through it, we have got four points, we have to try to find a way of coping without him for one more game, and then get him back and get him playing the sort of football he was, and see if we can build our quality up from that, but he was sorely missed.
JP
You brought in James Berrett, I don't think many would have argued with that, was he maybe just short of a little match sharpness did you feel?
GA
Well, he wasn't on his own, to be honest he wasn't on his own was he, we were short of sharpness all across the pitch and how do you explain that, I don't know? But, I am going to go with a clean sheet, we haven't got beat, dust ourselves down and start again Thursday.
JP
You mentioned before a little while ago that you were looking for answers on certain things with the Lee Miller situation, did you ever get any of those or are you still waiting for those answers that you were looking for?
GA
It doesn't really matter, I am not being funny but yes we haven't, I was waiting and I am still waiting, we have got some sort of answers, they aren't very good answers to be honest. Talk about camouflage in the jungle, we have had a few people put some massive camouflage on so I have got nothing to tell anybody. I am upset now because I have got to stand there with my most important player at the minute, or has proven to be, sat behind me up here somewhere having a meat pie and a hot bovril when he should be out there helping his team.
JP
Yeah, and certainly needed, and Jordan Cook, that is the last game officially of his loan, are you looking to extend that one?
GA
Yeah, we will try to do something to keep him with us, obviously with Lee's situation and the size of the squad we have got we will try to do something to keep him with us.
JP
Was there a case of having to manage your players a little bit, with Liam Noble who has been in the team in the absence of James Berrett and came on and looked like he had a bit to prove when he came on?
GA
No, listen, we need reactions like that, that is the one thing I am happy about, don't you worry. Liam, we have said to him, there are a lot of games, I think we have got eight games coming up in March so there is a lot of football for everybody.
JP
In terms of that next match now, Brentford away, they have been beaten, a comeback victory away at Colchester, they were leading there, so I suppose the hope will be that that will soften them up a little bit, a Monday night game under the lights for you so a bit of an extended time off, probably not what you need after your game was called off?
GA
There won't be any time off to be honest, we will be back training...........
JP
Without a game I should say?
GA
Yeah, without a Saturday game, there are no issues with that, we have needed the game, we missed a game with the postponement last week. But, we looked............. We are a fit team by the way, the team is very, very fit believe it or not, but we didn't look fit and we looked leggy tonight, and that is when confidence takes a little bit of a hit. We have got to send them maybe in a different frame of mind come Monday.
JP
You have got four points as we have already said from the two games, the first two without Lee, one game left against Brentford, what do you do now? How do you try it? I guess it is the $64,000 question but how do you try to make sure that you cope without Lee Miller just that touch better at Brentford?
GA
Well, we have done to be honest in results-wise, we haven't done too badly, but we have to go and find a way. That is my job to find a different shape maybe, a different formula but we only have what we have and I will be doing my very, very best to make life difficult for Brentford and remain unbeaten while he has been out. But, I am really, really annoyed with that situation, I don't want to harp on to too many people and offer too many excuses, but this is the first time it really got to me because standing behind that, seeing him not there when he should be there, absolutely should be there, is not right.
JP
And seeing the hole I guess in the team without him?
GA
Yeah, well, he is a void, he is a void, and you talk to the clubs below the big five in terms of finances and they say that if they lose one of their main players then it really affects them and really hurts them, and we are one of those clubs that our big, big players when we lose them they hurt us. You can probably cope with any other position on the pitch with the way we are with the sort of squad we have got, but without that centre-forward at 6'2 it is a big hindrance for us.
JP
And I know that as you said you are going to be working very hard for Monday, for those fans that are thinking about going down there, it is going to be a little bit more hopefully at Brentford from everyone?
GA
Yeah, well, listen, we always try our best, we always work hard to try to find a way of getting results. I would like to be a Huddersfield Town where I could go and spend £5,000 a week on a striker, bring him in and we don't miss Lee Miller. But, do you know what, as a manager I can't do that so I have to work with what I have got.
We haven't got that big powerful 6'2 centre-forward, all the others can sort of make up for it, like if Francois (Zoko) or Welshy (Andy Welsh) or Paddy (Madden) or Jordan Cook were injured then we have got that type of player that we can cope with. But, your big 6'2 centre-forward, the pin that holds the ball up and brings others into play, we haven't got another one so we do suffer.