|
" Obviously it is hugely disappointing to lose a football match, I think that there is a fine line between winning games and losing games and that was one today. I thought that we were and well and truly in the game, we had some good opportunities before they scored but we didn't take our chances when the opportunity came along.
" We made some really poor individual errors when we were defending in our box though and if you don't defend properly then you don't give yourself the opportunity to win games. We can't keep on conceding goals and expect us to keep on coming from behind like in the first two games when we drew a game and won a game. So if we can't eradicate the defensive frailties that we have had today then it is going to be a long season for us.
" We've worked hard for the last few weeks with individuals and collectively as units, the defence and the midfield protecting them in front of them. Today though you can't give the opportunity for Danny Graham who has got a lot of goals this year, Michael Bridges who has over the years, opportunities free in the 18-yard box to have a free shot at goal. Because they are going to take those opportunities and that is what has happened today.
" If we keep making those mistakes then you can't give yourself the base or the platform to go and win matches at the other end. We had some good opportunities, we hit the bar, we hit the post, the keeper (Tim Krul) made some really good saves. We didn't get the breaks in their 18-yard box which on another day we possibly could do, again though, we have got to eradicate the mistakes that we are making in our box.
" You do get games like that, you hit the post, you just get a feeling sometimes that it is not going to be your day. Credit to the players that at half-time we had a little bit of a go at them and basically they responded well. I don't think that Carlisle had a shot on target in the second-half or caused us any problems, the players dug in at their task but to go in 2-0 down it was always going to be a big mountain for us to climb. "
" We had to be positive, we had to go and play 3-4-3 and get our own attacking players on to get back into the game. On another we could quite easily have done that and if we had scored then anything could have happened, but it was disappointing in that respect as well.
" People have been mentioning things that have happened in the past and the frailties of what has happened on the pitch at times. I have given the opportunity though for the players to hopefully take on board what I am trying to do and work hard on the training pitch with them. Today though probably has highlighted what everybody has said about it and it is something that I have been trying to do in the last couple of days about bringing the players in. Unfortunately one or two didn't quite happen for us but the defence is obviously an area now that I feel that I am going to have to strengthen.
" I told you on Thursday that I won't let you know until they have signed. He (Lee Trundle) was a player that we got aware of on Thursday night that they (Bristol City) were looking to loan him out. As soon as a player of Lee Trundle's ability becomes available then we felt that he was a good option for us to have.
" He is a proven goalscorer, he can bring something different to the club and to the table as such, and we were also short of numbers. You had Malcolm (Christie) and Luciano (Becchio) as the only two strikers on the books today. I know that Snoddy (Robert Snodgrass) can go up and play up there but we just felt that it was a good opportunity to bring a player of his quality in, but also for the competition of places that I have wanted all along.
" I wasn't tempted to start him today because I felt that Malcolm had done well at Stockport and he has trained well. For Lee to come in on Saturday morning without knowing any players, he had not even trained with us, would be a little difficult. It was always my intention to get him on the pitch though and he showed glimpses of what he can do, and I am sure that he will benefit this football club for the month at least that he is here. "
" He (Jermaine Beckford) would obviously have missed last week as well as today, he is coming along nicely, he is one of those that you don't want to bring him back too quickly and we miss him for six, seven, eight weeks or whatever. I would rather make sure that he is 100% right and that we have got a fit Jermaine Beckford from now until the end of the season because you need your best players and he is obviously one of them.
" It is all about a squad that you have to try to utilise and Rui (Marques) was struggling a little bit with his hamstring on Thursday and Friday, hence we had Manny (Mansour Assoumani) as one of the substitutes. With bringing Lee in players are going to have to be left out of the sixteen because we have got a decent sized squad.
" So the likes of David Prutton, Neil Kilkenny and Jonny Howson who have gone out of the sixteen, but who have been in the sixteen since I have been here, they know that they will be called on in the sixteen and in the eleven in the next few weeks. So everybody has got places to play for, it is a squad game and you can only use sixteen at any particular time.
" At this moment in time I have not really seen a great deal of him (Assoumani), obviously the sessions that we have had in training and the one reserve game that we had the other night. So I was totally unaware of his credentials before I came here but he seems to be a good lad, he seems to have something about him and obviously while he is here he can be utilised.
" I don't think that the job is any bigger than I knew I was taking on in the first place. We have still got a great opportunity to get into the play-offs and still an opportunity to catch the front two. I see Leicester have won today and the more games you lose then it is difficult to catch those top two. We just have to keep chipping away though and we keep working hard on the training pitch and once we start getting results then that will take care of itself. Ultimately though I still feel that we will get into the play-offs and hopefully something beyond that. "