United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton (PN) and James Phillips (JP) on Friday evening before Carlisle's FA Cup tie at home to Morecambe tomorrow, Abbott first talking about David Raven and Paul Thirlwell :
PNFirstly, team-wise how are you looking at the moment?
GA
We are OK at the minute, we have just got the injuries with Paul Thirlwell and David Raven, but apart from that we have got a good group to pick from. Generally that happens when you start winning games, they are all off the treatment table and they all want to have a go at it. So we are in good fettle in that shape.
PN
David Raven, the news this week, he is facing an operation later this month and he is going to be out possibly for the rest of the season.
GA
Yeah, most of it we think, we would hope to have him come back around or about March but it is a blow to David and it is a blow to us. But you have these things to deal with and we have got to get on with it and deal with it and hopefully it doesn't cause us too many problems.
But at the minute Richard (Keogh) has come in and he is doing a decent job there for us. So I am not going to say we are not missing David because we are and we always will do but let's hope Richard can maintain the form he has shown in that position.
JP
Just a thought on David Raven, this was essentially a season where he was on a one-year contract, a little bit playing for his further future with Carlisle United. With this news, what is the situation with that, do you make a decision sooner rather than later on him?
GA
We couldn't make a decision, that is not fair on the lad, the one thing I am is very loyal and honest with the players and I will always give David an opportunity to come back from his injury and see where he is. But we judge him on what we know he can do, and the injury has not come at a great time for him, it has not come at a great time for anybody with his contract situation.
I will tell you know that I will always look upon it and make sure David gets a fair crack of everything, so he needn't worry about that too much right at the minute. The problem he has got at the minute, is facing the operation, getting it out of the way and getting playing again.
JP
I certainly wasn't suggesting that you were going to look to get rid of him sooner rather than later, I just thought about maybe considering his further contracts. How much of a concern is there over Paul Thirlwell, because he is out longer than was hoped as well?
GA
Yeah, he has had another injection to try to speed it up and with the achilles, there is not much flesh around the achilles to protect it. It is a delicate area and he has had another operation to try to speed the thing up and it is one of them, obviously part of the reason for bringing Adam Clayton in as well.
We don't want to rush him in and carry that and pull something else and harm himself in another area. So Paul will get the proper amount of time now he needs to do to get his achilles right and get himself right without the risk of doing something else, rushing himself back onto the pitch.
JP
Is there much of a concern though given his injury track record?
GA
Well it has been calf problems before, this is an achilles one, which, there is always a concern when a player is spending a lot of time in the treatment room. Paul will be upset himself but it is different one to the normal problem so we will have to just wait and see but obviously I want him back fit and playing as quickly as possible.
JP
And you mentioned there, good news that your new boy Clayton has been given permission to play by Man City, is he likely to feature?
GA
He is going to be round the squad definitely. Looking at the last two results, I have got to maybe think that that is a team we have got to stick by at the minute. We will name the team at 1.30pm as I usually do tomorrow in the dressing-room, but Adam has shown up really well in training.
He is a good player, definitely is a good player, we are really pleased that we have got him and the injury problems and the position with the injury problems that we have got is going to be a big plus for us. He will give us that comfort of knowing that he can come in at any time and I think the fans will like him.
JP
Well tell us a bit more about him, how has he looked, you have had a whole, well the best part of a week looking at him, how has he been in training?
GA
Decent, very, very decent, a good player. But with the two results we have had probably the players would think they would be upset if I left anybody out of that line-up, but we will make that decision tomorrow. Adam has looked very, very good in training and he is ready to go straight into the team, he is one of those players that you feel sure that if he comes in and plays then he will be fine with us.
JP
You have said that twice now, in the press conference as well about the players in the team would probably feel hard done by to be moved out. Is it likely that you will be largely unchanged tomorrow?
GA
What do you think? We have had two great results and there is a time to change things and there is a time to stick with what you have got. At the minute we have got a few unhappy players that are fighting like mad to get in the team but I think after the last couple of results the chances are that we will be very, very similar to last week. I am nearly naming the team for you here aren't I?
JP
I know, I know, I shouldn't push you like this, I am sorry. What did you learn about Morecambe from your Johnstone's Paint Trophy game down there earlier in the season that will help you tomorrow?
GA
Absolutely nothing in terms of what will happen tomorrow, because the Johnstone's Paint first round doesn't have the edge that the FA Cup has. It will be totally different tomorrow, they will be absolutely chomping at the bit to do well, they will be thinking they can pull off a scalp of a higher league club. They will want to be getting to the third round like we all are, it will be just as hard in different ways to what the Charlton game was last week.
We have got to guard against thinking we are better than them and that we just have to turn up and win. We have talked about complacency, we have talked about doing the things that we have been doing over the last few weeks. We have talked about making sure that we are as determined as ever to progress in this competition. But the game tomorrow will be so different to the Johnstone's Paint first round, that is for sure.
JP
One final to aspect to it just finally, so it would be really refreshing to see just a very professional, disciplined no frills victory over Morecambe, just see a professional job from Carlisle. Are you confident that the side can produce that?
GA
You are starting to sound like a manager. Listen, we just want to win the game, the easier we do it and with the less bother we do it, that is great. But it never happens like that, the FA Cup is full of wonderful stories and we just want to make sure that we are not one of those teams that people are talking about with an upset.
So it would be nice to win, it would be nice to win nice, but if we have to win ugly then it would be nice to just win ugly. We just need to win the game and progress in this competition. Winning for me at the minute is the biggest single factor connected with our football club and that is the attitude that I am trying to drum into the players and hopefully tomorrow they produce the goods again.
PN
I bet you would like to see the tables turned on a Friday night, James being the manager and you asking the questions?
GA
He is getting better, he is definitely getting better, I am enjoying his questions now because he knows how far to go now, so we are winning on that score.
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