John Ward - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 16 October 2007 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey on Tuesday morning as he talked about the 2-1 defeat at Yeovil last weekend, Ward also chatting about Michael Bridges, Joe Anyinsah and the continual quest for new players :


" We were a little bit below par, I've had a good look at the video and I'm obviously disappointed still with the two goals coming from set-plays. Not so much the execution of them but us giving them away, the second one was a wee bit harsh when I look at it again from a different angle. So it was a little bit harsh on (Peter) Murphy but having said that we've given away two or three daft little things around our penalty box that have allowed Yeovil back in.

" Then we are not able to raise our game, get back and get something out of the football match. I'm a wee bit disappointed that it was a below-par performance on what I've seen with my own eyes in the couple of games and what I've been told prior to that. So we need to get back on it pretty quickly and obviously Saturday is a good time to do it.

" I did say that if we did need a kick up the backside and if we thought we were all OK then that has taught us that we are not. We've got to stay on our standards for as long as possible and for as many times as possible. I did get the feeling that after we'd scored perhaps we thought that we would be OK and that we thought we maybe didn't have to do any more to lift our game. Obviously we did though and that has been put to the lads this week.

" Saying that we need to be a wee bit tougher, going a goal up, we've shown I think in the other games a little bit of a tendency to relax immediately after scoring. That's something that we need to cut out, so that's something that we've talked about and hopefully we can get a goal lead on Saturday and not sit on it. That's something that I think we perhaps have done a wee bit.

" It's one of those weekends as well, not just the journey, where you sit and think about the game and you suddenly think to yourself every now and again that we should have got something from it. If you get well beaten then fine, you've got to just rule it out and say let's get on with the next one, or if you are unlucky then that is something else, you can take that to heart. "



" This one is a frustrating one and I haven't changed my view from immediately after the game. We should have been better than that, I give credit to Yeovil of course I do, you have to do that. The second goal and the execution of the free-kick was excellent putting it in past Keiren (Westwood). Giving them away in those areas though is annoying for us.

" We had a really good day on Monday and we have given them a little breather because chatting to Greg (Abbott) and Dennis (Booth) there has been a heck of a lot of football with a relatively small group of people. So they need to freshen up, bodies and minds as well, and we will come back in on Thursday with a real strong desire to get Saturday right.

" That's what I've said to the boys, go and freshen up, clear your minds, get your bodies ready, and let's come in Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a real hunger to get this game won. They (Gillingham) may come with a new manager and that will give them a wee bit of a lift you think as well. So there is a good game in prospect and we have to be ready for it.

" He (Paul Thirwell) is training again, he came back out on Monday and trained with the squad, no ill-effects after that session. He is back in with the juniors on Tuesday morning and he'll train again with them, I'm going out with him there and we'll have a good look at him again. So hopefully this week will be a good build-up for him on a sort of quieter basis where he just gets on with it.

" We'll have a good look at him, monitor him with myself and Neil Dalton and get him through, we get him through this week then we'll see where it takes us. Obviously then hopefully he'll stay fit. Young Ged (Dalton) is back training, he trained with the squad yesterday, he's fit and well and he's fine so he's beginning to progress a little bit on that side. "



" Injuries is why we have to build up the contingency plans, new players - yes I am looking at those now. We're seeing if we can figure out that incase so that if something does seriously happen to us quickly we can move and say - there is a player that can come in and do that job. In the long-term we are looking at different things but hopefully at the moment fingers crossed we stay pretty much injury free.

" Game-by-game though you are picking up things, Paul is still doubtful, we've got Jeff Smith with his stitches so that has got to be looked after and protected. It's just a question of us on the medical side as well man-managing those people and making sure that they are OK, which is why we have offered them a couple of days breather as well.

" What happened with Michael Bridges, for me when I got up here, three or four days after I'd arrived and someone said that Michael is available - what's the score? I spoke to Michael's agent and said - look, I really need to have a good look at this squad first, and we'd had two great games for myself, two four goal starts and that was a really good position for us.

" I just said to hold fire, can you hold on and let me have a look at this group? I also said though that if something else crops up for Michael then I don't want to be making false promises at this end. That's exactly what has happened, there was nothing agreed prior to my arrival here with Michael, I've checked that out with Fred (Story). Because if it had, the same with Joe Anyinsah, then I'd have kept it going, that's no problem, but it wasn't the case.

" I just asked to hold fire and give myself a bit of time to look at this squad, but something else has cropped up for Michael and he has accepted it, which for me is fine. As I say though I just did not want to put false hopes into Michael or his agent and cause him to miss something else that he would be interested in. "



" We've extended the Joe Anyinsah loan for another two months which is terrific. Joe is delighted with that, Paul Simpson is happy and so am I so it suits all parties. The nice thing for Joe is that he didn't give it a moment's thought, do you want to stay? - yes - straight in and let's get on with it, so that's a good sign.

" That was another thing that I had to have a look at, there had been discussions between a couple of clubs prior to my arrival but I wanted to make sure that it was something that I wanted to do. I'm happy to do so and Joe will be a very important player over these next eight weeks. Joe hasn't had a lot of first team football at Preston and we were offering him that really, saying - go on, there is a squad place for you - whether he starts or not is up to me, and up to him basically.

" From what I've seen of him he's a good player, he's a young player with a lot to learn, he's still got to get some footballing strength because of that shortage of first team games but he'll get better. I think there is a real player in Joe to be brought out and that is a nice little challenge for me and my coaching squad, to say - come on, let's get this player going here and see if we can push him on.

" We're looking around at other players, I was at a game last night, I've been to two or three games since I've been up here. I'm going out to another one tonight and my staff are out as well looking at games and coming back with information. There is nothing imminent, I'm not going to say there is going to be somebody here next week or whatever but we're building up that knowledge of players. Hopefully you'll see some new faces in a couple of weeks.

" You have to actually put before the Football League why you want a player on an emergency loan. We've had Paul Thirlwell injured, we've got Jeff Smith a couple of stitches in his foot and it is necessary for you to have a player in to cover all those eventualities. Generally it is accepted by the Football League, I think it's a way of being able to do it. I think it's something that I think the FIFA people are not happy about, but in this country they are. "



" I do agree with it, I think that it's a great opportunity because young players, like Joe (Anyinsah) for instance can't get in the first team in Preston, he is going to kick his heels in the reserves. Can't move, except for twice in a year, no-one is going to benefit from that, the lad, the player, or anybody. The situation that we have with Joe is that all three parties benefit from him being here at Carlisle.

" I just think that the FIFA people are probably stopping the progress of young players in this country to try to get some football. Blackburn Rovers for instance loan players out to get them experience and get them going, and it's great for Blackburn, they go back there and they go in their first team. They have got players who have done that and it's really important I think for the development of football in this country that we continue to do it, whatever it is called.

" Particularly now with the Academy status that is afforded to big Premiership clubs, they have got a mass of players, and I think that Manchester City for instance have two reserve teams. Full of young people, young boys trying to progress, they themselves are happy to let players out on loan because of that nucleus of people, but it also allows players to develop and find out what first team football is about.

" They can come to Carlisle, or they come down to Cheltenham where I was and they say - right this is different, this is better than reserve team football on a Tuesday night on not just the best pitches sometimes. Because they don't all play at their main grounds so the development of players is really enhanced by them being able to go out on loan. I think that it is a terrific idea, there are rules on how many you can have, of course there are because you can't have that many and so it should be. I think that the general principle of allowing young players to play first team football is very good.

" Joe's loan goes on from Saturday, it goes on from the 20th, it actually takes us through to just about the middle of December. Which is a shame in a way because there are another couple of weeks before that transfer window that we are talking about in January. At the end of that he would have to go back to Preston, and then we'll see what happens after that, so it doesn't actually run through to the next transfer window, but it's just the timing of it.

" They tell me that Paul Thirwell had to go back for a couple of weeks and then they re-signed him here. It's too premature though to talk about what is happening with Joe, the nice thing is that we have got him now and then we can build and develop what happens over the next few weeks with him. "