London Calling : September

The first month of life in League 1 is now over and I think we can look back with a sigh of relief. Whilst our last two forays into the third tier have resulted in immediate relegation, this time it looks as if we are far from underweight in this division. The addition of the hard-working and classy Paul Murray, the speedy and tireless Kevin Gall, the resolute David Raven and the solid and dependable Neale McDermott have all strengthened the squad. The win against Bradford City in the Carling Cup was particularly pleasing as it showed that in Livesey and Grand we have two excellent understudies who are not out of place in this league. Derek Holmes too, is proving an asset in this division.

What is particularly pleasing is that instead of the 'direct football' favoured by Paul Simpson, we are playing a much more pleasing passing game, with Michael Bridges, Paul Murray and Chris Lumsdon all putting slide rule passes through to Gall and Hawley causing panic in opposing defences. Chris Billy has stepped up a gear as well and the fact that he has Aranalde and Raven available on the wings means that he can play the simple sideways pass instead of aimlessly lumping the ball forward and giving away possession. The team spirit is still there and things are looking good.

The transfer of Adam Murray to Torquay is no great surprise, apart from the fact that Torquay have actually found some money to be able to buy players. Murray looked like one of those players with the attitude and skill but short of physique - not dissimilar to Graham Anthony in that regard. He never really had a long run in the squad and did not seem to have the personality to stamp his mark on a game. Irritatingly, I will have to look at his photograph all through October as he is on my official Carlisle United calendar in my office at work. I also have the delight of Brendan McGill to look at throughout December!

The big talking point is, of course, the departure of Michael Bridges to Hull City. Yes, it is disappointing but also inevitable. Bridges was a class above anyone in our Division and we should consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have had his services at all. He has also brought in a tidy lump sum to boost the club's finances meaning that we must have made around £10,000 a game for signing him, which can't be bad business! It's disappointing that he's going to Hull City, hardly one of the Championship's most glamorous sides, but it does put him in a different shop window. The most worrying thing from Carlisle United's point of view is that we haven't been able to capitalise on Michael Bridges's drawing power to sign new players whilst he has been at the club. Neil McDonald's job will be that little bit harder now that Bridges has gone.

So, will we miss Bridges? Obviously the fans will, because he is a class player and it is worth the admission price alone to be able to see his skills on a League 1 pitch, but for the team it is not that clear. A lot has been made about his different role this season, but I'm not sure that I buy the argument that playing a little deeper means that you can't get goals. After all very few of his goals last season were tap-ins in the six-yard box. The truth is that Bridges has not looked as interested as he did last season and a lot of his play has been concentrated on his individual skills rather than bringing in his team mates. I think this is one of the reasons that Hawley hasn't scored as often and the problem is that when you are starved of the ball because one of your team mates is hogging it, you often start to get greedy yourself and it starts to spread through the forward line like a disease. I actually think we will be a better TEAM for Bridges departure and we can now concentrate on the league and forget about the 'will he stay will he go' discussions, which must destabilise the team anyhow. The way I look at it is that we were honoured to have him play for us, he owes us for re-igniting his career and he has repaid us with a handsome transfer fee. We wish him the best of luck for his future and would welcome him back if things go wrong (or we get into the Championship ourselves next season!).

What happens now then? Do we need to get some new players in now that Murray and Bridges have gone? A lot of criticism is being thrown at Neil McDonald for not bringing in replacements and for the club losing two players on deadline day without having anyone lined up to stand in for them. I'm not sure that this criticism is justified. We should have become used to Paul Simpson's careful entry into the transfer market taking his time to select only the players he really wanted and who he knew would take the club forward (and even he got it wrong occasionally). McDonald is in the same mould and we should give him the benefit of the doubt rather than leaping to conclusions before he has had the chance to bring in the players that he thinks are required. We have to remember that so far we have only lost one game under Neil McDonald and have a 100% home record. Whilst we have only played six league games, it was that number of defeats that led to Roddy Collins departure and Paul Simpson went until December before recording a victory.

This month would have been a miserable one for London-based fans with only Nottingham Forest being within striking distance were it not for the win over Bradford City which has pitched us into the second round of the Carling Cup with a game at Charlton. The last time I was there was when the London Branch organised a trip to the last game ever at the Valley against Blackburn Rovers and at the end of the game the fans ran onto the pitch and started digging up the turf! Now of course, they are back there again in a vastly improved ground. The enormous terrace, which meant that the ground could hold 80,000, has been replaced by a smart new stand. We look forward to this game, as must the players. It is great to be seeing the Blues at a London ground that isn't Orient or Barnet!

Whilst a visit to Crewe at the end of the month is being sabotaged by National Rail who seem to have deliberately organised engineering work to thwart London Branch travellers, Midland Rail offer a very reasonable £6 each way deal to Nottingham from St Pancras, meaning that the London Branch will be travelling in significant numbers to the game. An early train back means that we will be able to fit in a post-match analysis curry in Kings Cross on Saturday night.

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