Greg Abbott - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 04 February 2011 By Thetashkentterror
Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) at Friday morning's press conference for the local media, Abbott first talking about the 2-0 League One defeat at Huddersfield on Tuesday night :


GA

Listen, we aren't too harsh on our side, the effort was there, the energy was there, we just didn't create enough in the second-half and we ended up going too long. We don't want that, we want the balls in and around the feet of our centre-forwards so that we can create more.

We haven't got that big focal point now where the ball is going to be humped up in the air and we don't want to play that anyway. Because, we feel that passing the ball and getting it into the feet of midfield players, wide players, centre-forwards, is the way to go forward.

But, you have to look at the team we are up against and think that they are one of the strongest, and certainly the most powerful, the most powerful financially in the league, and we have given them good games all the way through. I just want us to be even better and set our standards even higher, so we are probably being a little bit over-critical on ourselves.





JP

What about the future of Liam Cooper? I know that is coming up very much on the agenda now, have you had anything back from Hull City on him?

GA

Erm, no, not just as yet, but his loan is up I think on Wednesday and we would try to extend that if possible.





JP

Given what you were talking about again on Tuesday about not having the ball passed out of defence how you would have quite liked to, I suppose Peter Murphy is a ready-made replacement should you need him either at the weekend or after that loan?

GA

We have got lots of players ready to come in and play, we just want to pass the ball a little bit better. We don't want it shelled from back to front, we want the ball passed and we think at the club we have got players to do that.





JP

You brought in two new forwards at the end of the transfer window, you have got three forwards in positions there, (Craig) Curran, (Francois) Zoko and (Ben) Marshall, is it their places to lose at the moment? Do the others have to force their way in or are they right in the reckoning for you at the weekend?

GA

No, I think with Rory (Loy), Rory is ready if we need him and we showed glimpses of him that he might be decent and do a good job for us. Paddy (Madden) is one that will develop and he is just 20, we think in time he is going to be a really good player, that is why we bought him, he is one for the future.

But, the future has to come quickly at this club because we can't wait around too long. But, we want to buy him a bit of time, we want the fans to be patient with him but as soon as we see Paddy ready to take the mantle then he will be given his opportunity, as would Rory.

At the moment the top three are exciting when we get the ball into them and they have been very, very good over the last few weeks. That is why we need to keep getting the balls into them and in around their feet and see how they do. Should we need to change that and give us different options then you have got Rory and Paddy waiting in the wings to do that.





JP

And with Paddy, can we expect him to be sort of in a similar position then to Nahki Wells, as in not quite right there in terms of the first eleven but there or thereabouts, or is Nahki slightly further forward than him?

GA

Yeah, they are both similar, they are both sort of exciting. What you are trying to do at a football club is that we can't rely on the loan system carte blanche, what we have got to try to do then is get some players in that are our players that can be developed and we can give time to.

Signing centre-forwards that are already proven, the ones that we have talked about that reel off the lip, nobody bought one in League One because nobody could afford them, and that includes Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday and people like that.

I know that Sheffield Wednesday did their work early but on deadline nobody signed an out and out centre-forward in League One that was the one that trips off the tongue, because nobody has had the finances to do it in a month where everything is inflated. So, it just shows you hard it is to find that player.

I had managers from Scotland ringing me up and asking who is the best in League One and who is the best in League Two because they wanted to buy them, and none of them moved to Scotland either. You are talking about big clubs trying to search for our best players to take them up and they couldn't afford them.

So, the January window is very difficult, so sometimes we are looking at a long-term picture with Rory and at 22 (Loy) and 20, just 20 is Paddy. He is one we are hoping like Charlie Austin did for Swindon, we are looking in those areas where nobody has maybe looked before or nobody has taken that chance and hoping that they can come off and develop.

We would say to fans, work with us, try to understand why we have done it that way and try to give those players the patience because they need that support and that patience. But, who is to say that either one won't go in in the next two weeks and score goals and be an instant hit. But, I want to take the pressure off them because that pressure will do them no good whatsoever.





JP

Did you feel that you got everything that you could have done then out of January? Were there a few disappointments for you in there?

GA

There are always disappointments, every club in League One will have had disappointments, and we were no different.





JP

What about James Berrett? He came off with a bit of a knock in the midweek defeat, how far along is he?

GA

He is not bad.





JP

Is he going to be available for you at the weekend?

GA

We are going to make a decision with James tomorrow.





JP

Is that sort of a fitness check on the day then or is it just a bit more of a broader thing?

GA

No, what I am saying is we will look at his fitness tomorrow and we will make a decision on him tomorrow. But, I am certainly not going to talk about injuries and give anything anyway to anybody else about what we are going to do tomorrow. But, if he is fit then he will start.





JP

A couple of texts that fans, or tweets I think it is, that fans have been in touch. One is how far along how is Danny Livesey, when can we expect to see him perhaps in earnest knocking on the door for the first-team?

GA

Yeah, hopefully sooner rather than later, with the way that things have been we need cover in every department. The sooner we get Danny fit the better. We have got a game arranged for him a week next to get him a full 90 minutes but if he is called upon before that, we know now injury-wise he is fit, it is just actual games and fitness time.

But the quicker we get.......... Danny I think is the type of player I think if needed and called upon would probably go in very, very quickly. But, at the minute we have options there that are slightly ahead of him in terms of the fitness, but he is certainly one I can't wait to have around my team ready to play.





JP

I am sure the fans would agree, another fan's question was about Adam Collin's distribution, I suppose that is vogue particularly given the wind tomorrow. Is it something that you are working on because he seems to be finding touch a little bit like a scrum-half at the moment?

GA

Yeah, we are going to send him to Penrith, the rugby Penrith, because he keeps managing to find touch out of the field and gain us territory. I told him that the rules are in football that it is better off to feet.

My train of thought? Goalkeepers? It is important to make good saves and he does that well, the rest is a bonus but it has become more and more important in the game. Every single day Adam is working on it and we can't ask any more than that.





JP

He is still a talking point, do you find that surprising with some fans? If you had paid a couple of million quid for him you would have thought no-one would be talking about him other than in bright lights. But, because perhaps of where he has come from some fans are still yet to be convinced, does that surprise you?

GA

I don't know of any fans that aren't convinced with Adam Collin, all I have heard is how many teams are looking at him to try to take him from here to bigger and better things.

So, they are massively in the minority and I think if you talk to 100% of our fans, there are probably 2% think he is not this or not that. All I have heard is our fans saying how good he is doing and how well he is and what a fantastic keeper he has been for us this season. So, I don't know where you are coming from with that.