JP
The talking point this week is, is Richard Offiong going to be with Carlisle today for this trip to Wycombe and he is not. What can you tell us about the situation?
AH
Yes, he is not with us today, yesterday we can confirm that there was an approach from Rotherham for the terms of a one month loan deal. Unfortunately, we are not entirely sure why, but there was a technical hitch at the last minute and it didn't go through for us.
So he wasn't travelling with us, obviously we expected him to go down to Rotherham and get some decent football at a very decent top end of League Two level but it hasn't happened. So he is up in Carlisle at the moment and he will rejoin us on Monday.
JP
And presumably it came through so late that he wasn't able to be considered today, or was it just the team had planned for a scenario without him I guess.
AH
No, exactly that, we had left, so obviously we were expecting to announce that he was away at Rotherham for a month. It came through to us while we were on the team bus that the paperwork couldn't be finalised so that left Richard in limbo, which is really unfortunate because obviously we would have liked him to have still been involved and be down here. So it has just been an unfortunate day all round really on that one.
JP
Joe Anyinsah injured currently, waiting to see what the situation is going to be with him, and with Richard Offiong absent there is actually no striker on the bench. Is that something that the club would want to work on? What is the situation with that?
AH
Greg (Abbott) is fully aware of the situation and what he has got available and what he hasn't got available. Believe me, he works extremely hard with his management team on making sure that that situation will be rectified.
JP
With Richard Offiong going off then, is that an indication at the moment that he is just not ready to come in and do a job at this time then?
AH
Richard is a really lovely fellow and he is one of these guys that I think it is a confidence thing. It is not really my place to talk about stuff like that but I think that the manager wouldn't mind me saying that with Richard it is a confidence thing.
If we can just get that confidence back there is a player there, everybody knows that, you don't get 40 goals in 100 and whatever it was games up in Scotland by luck. You have got to be able to do the job. We know that it is there, we just want to see it from Richard.
JP
Is there any chance that that loan deal with Richard Offiong may still be resurrected next week?
AH
We are in a case of limbo at the moment, we don't know what has actually happened down at Rotherham that made the deal not go through in time for him to be registered for today. So we really don't know, but the manager might know a bit more than me.
JP
What has the week been like then after three consecutive defeats to get a victory and a comfortable one as well last weekend? It must have been an easier week if not a better week for everyone, because I am sure they are all good weeks?
AH
It has been a great week because obviously what the manager wanted to do was to give the lads a little bit of downtime. Now if we had been beaten last Saturday I don't think he would have been able to do that, I think he would have needed to look at the reasons why. Because if you are on a run of three or four defeats as it would have been then that isn't acceptable, certainly not when you want to be a team that is sat mid-table now, we want to be looking up and not backwards.
The fact that we got the win and we did it after that sort of edgy spell at the start and we did it comfortably was important. That enabled him to have a much better week with the lads, again looking at things like shape and how he wants to approach Wycombe in particular, but also the rest of the season.
JP
And what has the focus been for this week in particular, coming to a ground like this, coming to Wycombe where they are in the division? I guess it has been that this is a must win game, not because the club have to win but because it is one of those that you think that is where you should get some points if you are alright?
AH
The main thrust of his team-talk just there was concentration, because it is one of those games where it is easy to come to a place like this and lose if you don't do things properly. It is much more difficult when you are expected to win to come here and do the job. If you concentrate that tends to come right for you and that is what he wants, he wants to see the concentration and then the commitment and drive and then the football.
JP
And of course you are the ubiquitous Andy Hall, not just the media man, you do pretty much everything at Carlisle United. So surely an entire week to yourself with no midweek game, there have been no traumas for you in the last seven days?
AH
It has been horrific, I have got three home games coming up programme-wise and to get 180 pages knocked out in a seven day timeframe is unbelievable. I have had very little in the way of sleep, but it has got to be done and I love the job.
JP
It must be like writing school essays all over again?
AH
Sometimes you are looking at a page and you can't actually see words but somehow it comes out at the other end.