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" It's been an extremely busy week, I've been to Warwick on the Applied Management Course, and with the odd five or ten minute coffee break I've been on the phone trying to get players, and we've had a great week actually. It's my own personal development, I've got every coaching badge you can possibly have so I am one of the most qualified coaches in the country.
" This is the other side, this is finance, strategy and stuff like that, things that happen off the pitch really. It's a fantastic course, we were there for the full week and it was interesting on all aspects. You meet new people as well and new contacts, you try to ask them advice and you try to see which players they would be willing to let go so it was a fantastic course all round.
" I don't want Danny Graham to be seen as a direct replacement for Karl Hawley, he's a new signing and Karl is all in the past now. We must look to the future and hopefully both Dannys are that. He (Carlton) has been in my sights for quite a while, I've only just come in at the start of the season and we've been trying to get our scouting network organised at all different levels.
" We watched him on a couple of occasions during the season, had some good reports off other people that we know who have watched him on a regular basis. Then we watched the final and it really confirmed to us that he could handle the big time. Meaning big time that was coming up two divisions to try to help us progress. I'm sure he can do that, he might need a little bit of time but at the same time he's got fire and desire in his belly and that might take him into the team right from the start.
" Instinct is very high up on signings, but I suppose every signing that you make is a risk. Is it really going to work, are they going to settle into the squad and the way that we play. Whoever you sign there is always a risk so we'll keep our fingers crossed that we've chosen well in the past with Paul Thirlwell and Jeff Smith. We've done fantastically well with the loan signings last season but we're looking forward to them adding to the squad and making the squad very, very competitive for places.
" Danny (Graham) without me mentioning names, there were two clubs in the Championship after him, a club from London and two in the Scottish Premier League. He came across here though and he really enjoyed himself and scored some goals which was excellent. He got fitter as it went on and I think everybody could see the progression in his game. He went back to Middlesbrough, he even came across on one Saturday to watch the lads play which I thought was excellent. He's struck up a fantastic relationship with the rest of the players because he has been away with them. I'm sure he's looking forward and raring to go for the new season starting. "
" I've definitely sold the club on how the club is trying to progress and where it is trying to get to. Hopefully he (Carlton) liked what I have said on how we are going to try to play the football. I think we've got a good way of looking at it, we finished eighth in the first season above and there are a lot of coaches, scouts and people who have spoken very, very highly of us. That seems to be going right through the ranks of coaches and even the players because they seem very, very interested in coming because of what we are trying to do.
" It's very much cards close to my chest on anyone else I'm afraid. We're working extremely hard behind the scenes, it's not just me, it's everybody. Trying to make phone calls, making contacts and we'll just keep our fingers crossed that the two Dannys aren't the last two that we sign. We are trying to strengthen the team, we have players at the club that have done extremely well last year.
" I think we need a little bit of help, that's why we've brought those two in, we know we need to strengthen at the back because we have lost two of our of centre-halves as well, so we need to strengthen in that position. If we can nick one or two as well though then that makes the squad really tight but competition for places is what we want because we want everybody trying to get a game. That'll be great for hopefully the team spirit and trying to push on.
" I wouldn't want to put a number on players, we know where to strengthen the team and we are working very hard, everybody. That's just not the coaching staff, but that includes the managing side, Fred (Story) and John (Nixon) who are working extremely hard to try to cut a couple of deals with the players that we are trying to get.
" We're still looking all the way through, it's not just because we've got two centre-forwards. If we were fortunate enough to nick one or even two then that would make us even more stronger. There are a lot of players names being mentioned and you get the same answer I suppose all the time so I apologise for that but I can't comment on other players (Grant Holt and Dougie Freedman). I would love to tell you but hopefully it's been great this week that I've been able to tell you that we have signed two players.
" I think I was looking forward to the pre-season straight after the last game of the season. That might sound a bit sad but I didn't really want the season to finish. We've had, not a rollercoaster ride, we've had a great ride because we've never had to look down. The most pleasing thing is that all through the season I have never really compromised on how I wanted to do things because we have done ever so well and I hope that is the same next season. I'm still Carlisle United manager and I'm very, very proud to be that. Let other people do the talking and I'll just get on with my job, hopefully over the last couple of weeks everybody has seen that. "