Greg Abbott - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 01 November 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) at Thursday's press conference for the local media, Abbott first talking about his search for a new left-back with Sean McDaid out injured for the season :


GA

We are into all sorts of stuff and you know full well that I will be trying, and we are doing stuff to try to put that right. But, we have got to try to make sure that these are the right signings. We have been a little bit unlucky even with injuries with the loan signings in terms of Ollie (Oliver Norwood) and Ches (James Chester), and Lubo (Lubomir Michalik).

They are players we have already brought in as cover and to be fair the club has funded them and now they have got to go out and fund players again on top of the ones that we have already done, if that makes any sense. So, we have got to try to find the right one and it is proving difficult.





JP

OK, if that weren't to come off in terms of the weekend, you have got a few options I guess with the potentials coming back, but do you feel that Matty Robson would be able to fill in for you in that position again if called upon?

GA

Yeah, I mean long term we wouldn't see Matty right now as the answer, and that is to be fair to him. But, Matty's attitude was that he will give it the best shot he possibly can for us and that is all we can ask people when they are asked to do jobs out of position.

At the minute people know they have maybe got to do a job for the team rather than for themselves at the moment. When you have got a squad as willing as Matty showed on Saturday then you will get by. But, in a perfect world and in a long time situation we would like to try to do something about that.





JP

What do you expect from Bristol Rovers then at the Memorial Ground at the weekend? Certainly they have a strong forward line if nothing else?

GA

Yeah, I think it is a horrible place to go to, but it is always a tough place to go to. They are always up for a battle, they always work sensationally hard, they make the most of everything they have got and it will be no different on Saturday. For the faint-hearted on Saturday it won't be a place to be, the pitch is never the best in the division and we have gone there with the wind and the rain getting up.

So, we need to prepare our players for a big battle and we have to win that battle. I thought that in the first 15 to 20 minutes on Saturday against Charlton we were second best in that commodity. That might have gone a large part of the way to us losing the game in the end. So, on Saturday I want to see us come out and compete and be tougher and adapt to everything that Bristol Rovers will throw at us.





JP

The longest serving manager in the division in Paul Trollope, how important do you think is that for a manager to have that sort of ingrainment in a team?

GA

Well, it is certainly Paul's team and he has got his stamp on them. They will play as Paul's character is and what he is all about, obviously hard work and a big work ethic is paramount to his idea. They do score goals when they get going, they have got the ability to do that. But, he has stamped his piece on Bristol Rovers, so we go there and look to try to do something about that.





JP

And just on the players that you have got in about your squad at the moment, Mike Grella of course came in, got a couple of assists I think and got a goal as well at the weekend in his first start. You must have been happy with his performance?

GA

Yeah, we think there is more to come with Mike as well, I have told him one of the reasons, or one or two of the reasons, why he is maybe not getting into Leeds United's team and he is not fulfilling the obvious potential he has got. He has been terrific, he has said that it is nice for somebody to sit down and talk constructively with him.

Even though he played quite well, and so did I, there are parts of his game we think can be better. Certainly for the long-term picture with Mike I think he needs to improve on one or two little bits to make him that more complete player.





JP

Any news on James Chester and Francois Zoko?

GA

They were definite no's at 3.20pm last week, they were both definite no's, and we were looking at one as a long-term and one as maybe a month to six weeks. But, that doesn't seem to be the case, so we have had better news on the injury front and it has given everybody a boost. Because we can't carry too many more big players with big injuries if you like. So, that is a positive for us as far as we are concerned.