|
" I think it was a cracking game for both sets of fans, whether you are a neutral or not, if you like football then you have had absolute moneys-worth. It's just a real shame that we are the losers, but had anyone lost the game, I think if it had been 2-2 or 3-3 we would have all been delighted in terms of sharing the spoils. I've got no grumbles about my players, the way they have gone about this job and this game.
" Like people keep telling me, three or four years ago if you had said you'd stand toe-to-toe with Leeds United at Elland Road like that and run it that close, then they wouldn't have believed you. They have done though, we've lost it, and we've got to regroup and come back together and see if we can, particularly like the first-half, perform like that in our remaining three games. If we do that then we will give ourselves a chance of achieving what we still want.
" Our first goal was calm and good pressure, Simon (Hackney) has put a super ball across, we've worked it nicely to him actually. Then it's the calmness under pressure which we've shown and we've taken a goal up. We felt that Danny Graham should have put a header in after that as well when he tried to chest it, I wondered at the time that I hoped I wouldn't rue that a bit, and we have unfortunately. I'm not blaming Danny, it's just one of those things.
" You're not going to get probably a host of chances at Leeds United and you've got to try to take them. In the second-half we have made mistakes and that has not been like us, we've contributed to all three of the goals and again we've been a bit more clinical than that to be in our own half and we've been disappointed in that respect in the second period. "
" He (Peter Murphy) will tell you that he should clear the ball. The second one we've had a throw-in three-quarters of the way in the half of Leeds United and instead of going down the line we've thrown it inside, lost possession, and then suddenly we're 2-1 down. When we've got four or five players ahead of the ball that has been lost in the middle of the pitch. Then Grant (Smith) gives what I call a silly free-kick away for the third one, so we have contributed and we've talked about it.
" I'm not talking out of school here, we've talked about it in the dressing-room, my players are big enough to accept those comments from me, but it's a team thing. I'm not picking those, not blaming those three people, the team thing, we just weren't quiet tough enough in the second period. People get affected by goals though, and when they have equalised within five minutes of the second-half you can see the lift around the ground and on the pitch for Leeds United. When you have got a very, very good team like them lifted up against you then it's tough.
" A full week is going to be good because I am going to give them Monday off, so it won't be a totally full week. They need a bit of rest and a bit of calming down both mentally and physically, they've given a fantastic effort for the team and the club in terms of the last few weeks. It's been non-stop, and it's pretty much been the same group of people.
" I've only come with 19 players today, so it's really all that I've got right to come in to play in the side. So we've handled it very well, we just need a breather, we need to get ourselves lifted up and get this put of the way as I say. Then when I get the boys back on Tuesday morning I want to see the smiles back and I want to see the plus points from this game taken into Saturday. "
" Bournemouth will probably finish up as the biggest game now won't it, the way it is going it will probably go right to the end. I'm fine with that, you don't win things easily, and whether we can win promotion or someone else does it won't come that easily. You have to work very hard to do it and cope with any setbacks, whether it's a defeat, an injury, or a lost player for whatever reason and deal with it.
" To be fair this group of people have dealt with a huge amount of things this season, and we can see three more games through I'm sure. There are just one or two prides hurt, and one or two with their hearts broken a little bit, but that won't last too long. They are a hardy group and they'll be back next week very, very determined to find a good result on Saturday.
" The fans were terrific, I think that even Gary McAllister has mentioned that about our football club. He saw it on Tuesday I think at home to Swansea, and he's seen it today, there is a admiration from Leeds United into Carlisle United and long may that continue. They are fine, they applauded the team off at the end, they have for weeks and months and the last three years, they have had a team to be proud of and they've still got one.
" They've got a team that gives its all, and it's got its heart on it's sleeve and is really determined to succeed. Even when you lose you have got to accept that, but your team can't give much more today. They've given everything for everybody and they'll get behind us next Saturday and the team will try to do that exactly again. "