Eric Kinder On The Gala Game

Last updated : 22 July 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Eric Kinder
United youth and reserve team boss Eric Kinder spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips after Carlisle's 8-0 pre-season friendly win at Gala Fairydean tonight, Kinder happy to get some more fitness into the players :


" Obviously we were streets ahead of them, that was pretty obvious from 43 seconds when we scored our first goal. We take something out of it though, it is another pre-season game, it is another 45 minutes for some lads, there was 60 minutes for Danny (Livesey) and 60 minutes for some of the lads who are first-team squad players.

" It is another 60 minutes under their belt, it is nice to get some of the first-years on the pitch, the same pitch as your first-team vice-captain and the younger professionals. All pre-season games are good and the lads have thoroughly enjoyed it, which you usually do when you win 8-0. It has been worth coming up though and the hospitality has been fantastic.

" I like this, I like the younger players having to play against men. We have got a game against Carlisle City which is men, Kendal were men, we soon see what they have got. Whether they have got some bottle, whether they are going to put themselves into a tackle against fully grown men. I am thoroughly delighted with the younger ones, they have handled it very well tonight.

" I think that from Tom Taiwo you saw obviously what is going to be his strength, he is tigerish - if that is the right word, he loves the other side of the game. Michael Burns likes the attacking side of the game when we are attacking, it looked like Tom is one of them, when we haven't got the ball he is going to be one of them who charges around, races around, puts the tackles in. He likes the ugly side of the game, which is a great strength to have. It looks like he can see a pass, he is bound to coming from a club like Chelsea, so it will be interesting to see him in a tougher game than he has had tonight.

" I think that Tom (Aldred) knows himself that he has had an iffy game, he has come back with high expectations. It didn't quite go right for him at Kendal, he got a bit of a blasting from both me and the gaffer (Greg Abbott), and the disappointing thing is that he just seems to have lost that little bit of composure that he had. He was rushed into a lot of things tonight, he is just making the wrong decisions at the moment. "



" Knowing Tom as I do, I think that it is just his eagerness to do well, because he has got this thing hanging over him that he has had this poor game at Kendal, it is still with him. The gaffer said that he looked very down last week in training down in Colchester, that is something that he has got to learn to get over pretty quick. Because football, he has had an incredible season last season, everything that he touched turned to gold really, with the awards, he won every award going, he led the youth team fantastically well.

" Now he is having a bit of a rough patch, now this is where he has got to grow up and get out of this and he has got to come in and do some extra work. The first thing that he has done tonight after the game is come up to me and asked that instead of having a day off tomorrow which they are doing, can he come and train with the youth team. That is a good sign, we will get him back right, he has just hit a bit of a bad patch, but he has got quality has Tom and he will be fine in the end.

" He (Danny Livesey) did fine didn't he, the young lads love playing with Danny, it is not so often that first-year YTS players can play with your vice-captain. I think that he strolled through it, he got through the 60 minutes that we asked him to get through, he did everything that was asked of him and it is another 60 minutes for Danny. Hopefully he will get a bit of time tomorrow against Hull and a bit more at the weekend, and hopefully when August comes around then he won't be far off.

" He (Andy Cook) has got this incredible knack hasn't he, Andy is one of these, we all know about his goalscoring. I stood and watched him week in and week out for the last two years at youth level, just smash unbelievable goals in, he quite hasn't done it for the reserves. Unbelievably he is a nervous boy, when he is happy in the environment that he is in then you get to see the real one. In reserve team football last year he just wasn't quite sure whether he deserved to be there.

" We all know about his goalscoring, I had a right go at him at half-time because he chips back at referees when he doesn't need to. He needs to work hard on his hold-up play, we know all about his goalscoring, he will always score goals will Andy, now he has got to get the other side right. You are just sat in the dugout and you have a smile to yourself because you know that he has just got that fantastic ability to score goals. He has got to get the other side of his game right now, and hopefully he will have a decent opportunity in the months to come. "



" They have both (Gary Madine and Cook) got a lot to do, both of them, and they both know that, they are both learning. Gary didn't have the best of seasons last year and he has come back determined to get in that first-team this year, which is good to see. I always said, I am on record as saying that Cooky is a better finisher than Gary, but Gary is a better footballer than Cooky.

" They both have a lot to do but you never know do you, it would be nice to see them together, especially somebody in my position. If it ever did happen at first-team level it would be fantastic. Cooky has got a lot of work to do though away from just scoring, he needs to sharpen up a little bit quicker.

" There were a couple of goals that he scored tonight, if he had been playing reserve team football then he wouldn't have scored them because they would have been on him a bit too quick. You can't argue with him though can you, every time he plays he seems to have that unbelievable ability to score goals. So if he can sharpen up the other side of his game and get his feet moving a little bit quicker, get him a little bit stronger, then maybe we might have a player on our hands.

" We have got Celtic now on Friday for the young boys, that will be a hard test for them because Scottish football is under-19s. We have got ten 16-year olds this year, they will probably have eight or nine 19-year olds playing. So I expect a really tough game but I want pre-season to be tough, with all due respect I don't want to come here and win 8-0. It is nice, they have enjoyed themselves tonight, but I want us to be tested because I learn more from that.

" So Celtic on Friday, watch the first team on Saturday and I think that we go to Huddersfield next week. So we have got some tough games coming up, and then we finish off with Carlisle City which is like an adult team, they will kick us around. Then we are off into the league with a very young side, so it might take a bit of time to bed down but the signs are encouraging. "






Meanwhile centre-half Danny Livesey commented on his return to action :

" It was frustrating, I don't enjoy sitting it out at the best of times and I don't enjoy watching it if I am a substitute. To not be able to take part, especially with the predicament that we were in, it was really annoying. It is just really nice to be back involved in everything and just taking each game as it comes and getting fit and getting something out of it. Like tonight, it wasn't the hardest game but it was good to get a little bit of fitness in. "