Greg Abbott - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 01 May 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey at Thursday morning's open press conference for the local media ahead of Carlisle's crunch match against Millwall tomorrow, Abbott later saying that the Blues need to learn how to close a game out better :


" I think that we were due a bit of luck weren't we from somewhere with Northampton getting beat. We have had enough bad luck over the last month to six weeks so whilst it was a damning blow for Northampton it has given us an extra team to fight against.

" They have a tough game on Saturday going to Leeds so as far as we are concerned it is a nice break for us. If we can, which we have been doing, just focus on getting the result against Millwall, which we have to do, regardless of what anybody else does, it gives us a couple of other teams to look at. Including Hartlepool who aren't out of it but probably will escape goal difference-wise.

" The result gave us a boost though and the players, funnily enough I had about nine or ten text messages from the boys saying that we were back in it. That we were on our way again, that is that bit of luck that we needed, so it has given us a nice lift at the club. We have to make sure that we take advantage of that though by winning the game on Saturday against Millwall, which is the key to everything.

" We did say that we would like to do our own work, and whilst MK Dons have done us a bit of a favour we still have to beat Millwall, that is the key. So that is the focus from our side, the other bit was a nice bonus but our boys have got to go out there focused, knowing that only a win against Millwall will be good enough. "



" I think that every game anybody plays they are going for three points. I know that there is an extra edge for us because of our situation and Millwall have got a slight edge because of the play-off situation and they will be fighting for it. If you expect them though to come up here, roll over and give us three points and say to us all the best in our relegation fight, then it is not going to happen.

" So we just have to prepare as if it is a really tough game, which it will be, and approach it that way. I am not going to start thinking about what Millwall are likely to do, whether they rest players, whether they are worried about players getting injured or suspended or bumped or anything like that. It doesn't happen, they are going to come up and whatever side they put out will be a really tough game for us.

" The crowd have been terrific and I think that we will have a really big crowd in that are totally biased and totally behind us, as you would when you go down to the Den. We can take a leaf out of their book, when you go down there and you need a point, infact if you turn the clock back 12 months then we needed to get a result down there.

" Their fans are unbelievably behind them and vocal and biased, so that is what we want our fans to be, which they have been. I am sure that on Saturday, it is the last chance saloon for everybody, that they get behind us and give us that vocal encouragement that they have done, over the past six weeks they have been absolutely brilliant. "



" Training hasn't been any different, the edge is there, you can tell that there is an edge there to the players and a focus to what they are doing. The ball is still round though, the grass is still green and we have still got to pass it and move it and tackle and defend properly and attack properly.

" That never changes but there is just an edge there that you think, these boys they want to have a go at it. I think that they have over the last month, I think that we have been a little bit unfortunate not to have picked up more points than we have. We have only lost one in six but not won enough games, and we can't get over that line in terms of the victories, and that is the key to what we are doing.

" We must, when we nudge ourselves ahead with that early goal, we try to get that second one to get the pressure off us. We have conceded late goals that have been a hammer blow to us and we need to eliminate that on Saturday. You know the goals that have been conceded and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about a free-kick that is not a free-kick, ending up getting it and then it goes in off one of your defender's heads.

" There is nothing that you can do to stop that, what you have got to try to do is stop the ball getting there in the first place. You haven't got the power though to do that at times, and sometimes you need to run the game down in the corners and turn people round and defend as high up the field as we can. A one goal margin is not a good margin at any level and it is difficult to actually say can we do anything better than we have been doing.

" The lads have defended with their lives and sometimes that happens, and we have been on the back end of it a couple of times, or maybe more than a couple of times. You just have to defend the best you can for the whole of the 90 minutes though, or 94 or 95 minutes as it has been in our case. "