David Allen - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 10 October 2008 By Thetashkentterror

Graham Kavanagh
United chief executive David Allen spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday evening about how things are going in and around Brunton Park at the moment, Allen first talking about today's signing of Graham Kavanagh on loan from Sunderland for a month :


" He (Graham Kavanagh) is a brilliant signing and we are all chuffed to bits about it. Obviously everybody is very, very disappointed about the recent results, the fans particularly, we know that, they are speaking out about it. Us as directors, we are disappointed, John (Ward) is really disappointed and the team, it is hitting their confidence as well, so it is just disappointing all around.

" There is no doubt about John Ward's job, it has never ever been discussed, it is not on the agenda. It has been business as usual down at the club, for me John Ward is a mature, experienced and very professional manager who has done fantastically well in the past. We all admit that we are having a bad run, John himself said that, John's confidence is dashed by it. Our job as a board is to get right behind John and we are asking the fans to get right behind him, and let's get the confidence back in the team.

" We have done everything we can, we are doing our best. We have got the makings of a very, very good squad there, probably the best squad that we have had for a good few years. We have got a brilliant manager, we are doing everything that we can, we are just going to do our best. We have heard on the radio just recently about concerns at other football clubs, we have got absolutely no concerns whatsoever down at Brunton Park. The business side of the club is absolutely solid, there is money in the bank and we are just going to do everything we can with what we have got.

" Money on a transfer coming in blocks is normally the way it is done now. These transfers, there are big amounts mentioned and the way it is normally done is so much now, so much in a year's time, a bit later, a bit on performance, a bit on the team's performance and results. That is the way that we would do it when we are bringing in players, nobody has said that we are not going to bring in any players. All that we are trying to do is bring in the right players and build the team steadily in the right manner.

" A problem has been identified with the Premier Club on the club's official website. All the winners are listed on there but what has been happening is that the access to the Premier Club area of the website from the front page, if people are going in that way then the information is out of date, so we are trying to get that sorted out now. "



" What people need to do is to go on the front page of the club's website, go into the commercial area, and go into the Premier Club from there and there is a list of all the winners. I think that there are either five or six cars that have been won over the last two years, as well as lots and lots of other prizes. There is £1,000 every month, there are some really, really good prizes, one girl even won a trip away with the directors to an away game.

" We are doing everything that we can, a lot of clubs are very, very concerned about their own finances and their own difficulty. Carlisle United is absolutely solid, we are just going to work on that base and build the business side of the club to fund the team as best we can.

"To the supporters, come and get behind the manager and the team, the fans are the next player aren't they. When you get good support and everybody is behind the team then it lifts everybody. There is a student Membership at the club as well now and people at the club are in touch with the student organisations in the town.

" We have got our money in the Bank of Scotland, I know that everybody is worrying about the banks but I think that we are alright aren't we. We have been prudent and astute in what we are doing, expectations have never ever been higher than they are now. Over the last few years we have risen from the Conference, it was great when we were in the Conference and going to Leigh and Canvey Island and these places and winning all the time.

" It is great, it seems easy to win at that level, there is a lot more competition now, we are playing at a different level altogether. There are a lot more expectations and an awful lot more pressure on the manager, the team and everybody at the football club. I am not going tomorrow, I was at Rochdale on Tuesday night but I have got something else on tomorrow, I actually wish I was going on the 4am start. "