Greg Abbott - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 03 December 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips at Monday's open press conference for the local media, Abbott first talking about the last minute 3-2 defeat away to Bristol Rovers on Saturday :


" I am confident enough in the way the players are playing that we can get a good result and get back on another little run. Because we didn't deserve to get nothing out of the game on Saturday but that happens in football. But you can console yourself with the fact that we are playing some good stuff at the minute and we are competing terrifically well, and that will stand us in good stead.

" I know how important it is to the club financially tomorrow but that has no bearing for me. The only reason I want to win is because I like winning football matches and all of a sudden every bonus goes with winning. You don't get any bonuses for losing and if that is the incentive to the club then that is fantastic. But for me it wouldn't matter if it was nothing.

" We need to shut down games which we have talked about before, making sure that when we get to the situation with the 2-1 lead we defend a little bit deeper and a little bit narrower. Then break from a deeper position rather than be too high up the pitch and close the game out. But with the conditions the way they were they didn't really manufacture any chances through good play, it was sheer huff and puff football.

" But sometimes in those situations you have to stand up and be counted and they got a lucky, well it wasn't a well worked goal, but they got two goals at the end of the game where we think we should have done more to stop it. But it happens and sometimes you can't do a lot about it, that was the big disappointment, not shutting the game down and coming away with a 2-1 win.

" Once you concede goals games change, if you remember the game against Tranmere last season we went in 0-0 at half-time and got beat 4-1. We were unbelievable in the first-half and we were a bag of cement for the second-half, we just didn't get out of gear at all. "



" That happens and goals change games and goals give people encouragement and confidence. To the credit of Bristol Rovers they never said die and they kept fighting and scrapping, which I would expect my players to do.

" As we did but they got their breaks and that is good luck to them but we have to console ourselves with the fact that we think that we are going in the right direction. But we need to make sure we shut out these games and make sure that we get something from them, and that is the disappointment from Saturday.

" In hindsight and the way the game worked out there is a reason to say maybe we should or shouldn't have taken Vincent Pericard off. But Vince has got a big part to play and we have spoken this morning, he is a good man and he understands why we do things. He fully agreed with what we were talking about because he has had such a glut of games without much work behind him.

" He came in without a pre-season, without much training and we have actually got him fit on the run if you can understand what I mean. He knows and we talked about it, about the amount of games that have been thrown at him and the possibility of picking up a niggling injury.

" Because he has been tiring, he has just said that, he actually felt better in his early games late on in the game than he does now because he has had such a run and he has got no fitness base. So it was always an agreement with Vincent and me that we protect him at times, and for 15 minutes we didn't think it was a major problem. "



" We have got Scott Dobie there who has been superb of late as well and right in the firing line to start the game. So we didn't think there was a major problem there, the result went the wrong way so you can look at all sorts of things as to why.

" But Vince understands because he has got a big role to play for us in the next two months and the last thing we want is him picking up injuries or knocks late on in games. That was the thinking behind it but the result, we got beat 3-2, was it down to Vincent being on or off the field, I don't really think it was to be honest.

" I think Morecambe will have a right go like they did here. I think they will admit pound for pound, player for player we have probably got the stronger team. But they caused us massive problems with their never say die attitude last week and we will give them the greatest amount of respect.

" Because they are on a nice little run themselves and it is always a tough place to go. Always expect the unexpected in these games, it is going to be absolutely as tough as it can be. Like we said when we set up for Chesterfield, we treated them with the utmost respect but we thought we were capable of winning.

" That will be the same case tomorrow, we think we are capable of getting a good result but it will be not through treating Morecambe with any lack of respect or any lightness in terms of what we think they can offer. You are ready for every game but it doesn't mean to say you are going to win it. What we have done is we have prepared properly for this game, like we would do any other game. "



" We think we know what they are going to give us, what problems they are going to give us, we think we know where they have got weaknesses and let's hope the gameplan works on the night. But whilst I think we are going to go there with a tremendous chance of a positive result, it would probably be daft, and I did come out in commentary afterwards and say that we are definitely going to win.

" What I meant was that the attitude in the dressing-room is that fierce that we will be going all out to make sure it happens. The way the players are and the frame of mind they are in, and we are all in at the minute, we think we can go there and get a result.

" What you do is you pick a team and you select your tactics determined on what the opposition are and what strengths and weaknesses they have got. I can tell you every single different formation that anybody can play if you want but there is no point playing that system if you haven't got those types of players.

" There is no point playing those types of players if the team you are playing against, you know they can counter-effect that. So you pick systems and players determined on who you are playing and what players you have got available.

" So there are all sorts of tactics we can use to say that you are learning about tactics, I have been playing the game since I was 14-years old, I think I know most systems and know when and how to use them. "