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" The close season flies over, you look back and think where has the time gone, probably exactly the same as the season really. We are looking forward to the start, we are looking forward to everybody coming in and integrating with the new players that we have got. Hopefully we're a little bit hopeful that we might have another one to come in before the lads come back.
" We've strengthened the squad with the two centre-forwards which is excellent, they are both goalscorers. We know what Danny Graham is all about, seven goals in eleven games he scored which is excellent. We've got an exciting young player with loads of drive and loads of fire in his belly to want to play League football, he's scored goals for fun for Morecambe has Danny Carlton. He's played on the big stage at Wembley and has scored the winner which is excellent, so he'll be coming in fighting for his place which is great.
" In Marc Bridge-Wilkinson we've got a midfield player who gets forward, who can score goals, who is excellent on the ball, who has got great delivery and we're excited with his arrival. Obviously we've got Chris Howarth as well to put pressure on Keiren (Westwood) in goal. We've got the right people in, I've spoken to each and every one of them, they are sound people, good people. They have come for the right reason to play some good football and to try to get Carlisle where we want them to get to and that is up the league.
" We've been working very hard behind the scenes to try to sign a couple of centre-halves, we need a couple I think to add to the squad to make it nice and strong. We'll see in the next few weeks whether or not we've got anything for you. Simon Hackney coming back is fantastic, we did miss him because he is an exciting player on the ball going forward. He creates and we are really looking forward to him coming back. "
" The first week is building up the fitness and the stamina, and working all the systems in the body to make sure that they are capable of handling the ball, although the ball comes out straight away to be fair. We do a lot of football fitness as well as running, weights, stretching and core exercises, we've got the full body to think about. There is plenty of rest inbetween sessions as well, although they will be working very, very hard leading up to the Barrow game which is the first friendly on the 14th of July.
" I've been looking forward to it for quite a while, it's been a little bit frustrating at times trying to get the players in but we've eventually brought four in which is excellent. I think as I said before they are the perfect four to make the squad strong and have the competition which we want. I'm really looking forward to the pre-season though, it's slightly disappointing that we haven't got a little bit of a training ground to train on with the developments.
" I have to be patient on that because we are getting a new pitch put down, that's not going to be ready at the moment but we'll get through that. We're going to go away for a week to Scotland to St Andrews for a good footballing week as well as the preparation on fitness and stuff so that is excellent. I think we've got some brilliant games, we've got some competitive games and it's nice that they're not too far away either.
" I think we are going to have enough travelling, I think we counted, or we worked out, that there are 13 teams level with or below Luton. So we have a lot of travelling and that is a lot to ask for the fans, so what I've been very, very conscious of is to try to keep it very, very close on the pre-season games. The three games that we have got at home are excellent, we've got Blackpool the week before the start of the season which is excellent considering they have just been promoted. "
" We've also got the two big guns in Middlesbrough and Newcastle which is excellent for our fans to come and have a look at some top quality players and see how we can cope against them. I think that is fantastic preparation for us because if we haven't got the ball we've got to work on our shape and we've got to work to win it back. When we have got the ball we have to express ourselves against excellent players.
" I think we have to aim for the top half of course, if we get off to a good start like we did last year then I think with the signings that I have that the squad is stronger. We have to be competitive and we have to make sure that we finish as high as we possibly can, I'm not going to say that we want promotion. Let's see how the season develops, let's not put too much pressure on everybody to start off with. Still finishing in the top half would be excellent but I do set the goals quietly. The first goal is obviously to finish in the top half and when we get into that situation then we'll push on. There is no reason why we can't compete with the top teams because we did last year.
" It's a fantastic league, you've got Millwall who finished the season off really well, you've got Brighton and Crewe who were relegated the year before and should be stronger this year. You've got Huddersfield with a new manager, you've got the four teams coming up who will be pushing, and they'll be, as we were at the start of the season, full of energy and drive and not really knowing what to expect. Like a positive fear if you know what I mean.
" Then you've got the huge big guns who are coming down and they'll want to go straight back up won't they, Luton, Southend and Leeds. The teams that have finished in the play-offs have to try to get their confidence up as quickly as possible so it's a very, very competitive league. "
" Sometimes fixtures changing is out of our hands, we were asked to try to accommodate something going on in Wales. The police obviously have a huge hand in it so we have to respect them, it's unfortunate that it is so far away on a Friday night. Cheltenham has been changed as well because they must have a race meeting on a Saturday so we've accommodated them. We do accommodate but I can only apologise that the fans who want to travel have to travel on a Friday night and aren't going to get back until late. Sometimes that is out of our hands and we can't do much about it.
" The Nottingham Forest game being on the TV is great, I was very, very disappointed last year that we didn't feature on TV. Champions of League Two coming up into League One, played some good football, we were in a strong position all season and never once got on the TV. That was disappointing and to see the fixtures come out this year so far, there are only five televised in our league I think and we are one of them which is progress in itself. It's a great game isn't it against Forest on a Sunday at 4pm so we'll really look forward to that and hopefully it won't be the last one on the TV.
" It's vital to get players in before the pre-season and we've done well to get the four lads in to start off with. We'll try extremely well to try to bring another couple in if we possibly can, but it might go right until the season before we finish the so-called magic jigsaw off. It does take time and as time goes along players leave their options open, but as pre-season starts and then the season gets closer the deals that we are looking at might come to the fore. Keep on watching this space, we know we still have to strengthen and we're working very hard behind the scenes to do that. I've always asked for patience and we will get it right and will get the right people in.
" I'm looking forward to us playing football again, just being on the field coaching the lads, seeing the smiles on their faces and winning matches. I think winning matches is what football is all about and trying to entertain people that come and watch you. We certainly did that last year because of the crowds at home, we broke the record and we've had fantastic away support. So we're looking forward to try to improve every aspect of what we do on what we did last year. "