Greg Abbott On The Bournemouth Defeat

Last updated : 26 September 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 2-0 loss away to Bournemouth, Abbott understandably disappointed at the Blues losing their unbeaten record in League One :


JP

The first time this season and the first time in nine league games you have tasted defeat, what does it feel like tonight?

GA

Just the same as it always does, not very nice. We wanted to try to keep everything going and keep the run going as long as we could and keep amassing some points and keep ourselves at the right end of the table. But, today wasn't the type of game that probably either side has been used to, we were both expecting to play fluent football.

It was very scrappy at times, it was a scrap, it was one of those you would have liked to have won and won ugly, but we couldn't manage to do that. I think the first goal was always going to be important, whichever side got that would probably go on and take the game and that is how it shaped out.





JP

What did you make of the manner of the way you conceded that goal?

GA

You are never pleased are you at set-pieces, everybody knows whose man it is and he gets a free header, a relatively free header, but they happen. We have got to try to do that at the other end a bit more often, we had enough corners and enough free-kicks but we couldn't manage to do that. So, it is a disappointing goal and that is sometimes the slim margin inbetween winning and losing.





JP

Had the players lost their heads a little bit at the way they had lost possession with the referee (Dave Phillips) getting in the way? It seemed that they weren't quite focused when that corner came in?

GA

Well, when their lad plays a one two with the referee and marches up the field to get a corner, then you are obviously going to lose your head with the referee. That is a little bit of frustration on our part I suppose you know, we don't need to be doing that but sometimes when the game is not going your way and decisions don't go your way it becomes a hard task out there for the players. But, that is something we have got to deal with.





JP

And the second goal, the penalty, your view on that one?

GA

I think it is a penalty, I think from where I am he (Adam Smith) has checked inside, it is one of them, it is an attacker's challenge (from Francois Zoko) in the box. I haven't got any complaints about that.





JP

What about your efforts to try to get a goal and get back into the game? How did you feel that went?

GA

I thought we huffed and puffed a little bit today, I don't think we found that edge to our game that we have had. I think over the game that it was probably 50-50 up to the goal, maybe they were slightly shading it in terms of possession and attempts on goal. But, I didn't think we did enough, I think if we had got a goal today then we might still have got something out of the game.

That is a disappointment that we didn't find out how good or bad Bournemouth are. They looked half a decent side today, and they certainly had some energy and they certainly created a lot of chances, and they do get men forward. We asked them a few questions but couldn't find the goal to put them under serious pressure in terms of getting an equaliser.





JP

Do you think you could have done more to try to get that goal? Do you think you needed to see a bit more from the team? Not just in terms of the goalscorers but in terms of giving them the chances?

GA

Yeah, I do, I feel a little bit sorry for Gary Madine, I don't think that until Matty Robson came on we had hardly got a cross in the box. We have tried to create the perfect goal and sometimes when that is not happening and the game is not the type of game we have been used to, you have got to get the ball in the box. We played Francois out wide and Ben Marshall out wide and then Matty Robson out wide.

Between them it wasn't until Matty came on that we actually did get some delivery in there, and I thought that his impact was very, very good. But, we didn't get enough crosses or enough service of quality into our strikers. That is something that is a little bit disappointing but it is probably the first time this season we haven't created chances in a game, but you do need to score goals.





JP

Everything in moderation of course, because you have only just lost what has been a great unbeaten run, but one goal in four is a real statistic now. Is that something you do have to work on?

GA

Well, scoring goals is something that you have to work on isn't it, we don't want to be doing that too often. But, we have been reasonably tight at the other end and have not conceded too many. Today Bournemouth, certainly after they got their goal they looked like they had got their head of steam up. We did well to contain at that end but yeah, we need to find some goals.





JP

What did you make of them? Can you see why from that they are the surprise package in this division?

GA

Yeah, we knew that they had got a terrific work ethic. I thought they were better than us today at the major things. Their work ethic and their energy was better than ours today, their creativeness was better than ours today, and I think their determination to win the game was just slightly ahead of ours today. So, I have no complaints.





JP

And of course you did have to pick them up after the Huddersfield defeat in the cup, but for the first time in the league you have to pick them up ahead of Tuesday night now?

GA

I don't.





JP

Alright, you don't have to pick them up, what do you have to do with them then between now and Tuesday?

GA

Listen, they are professional players, they have got to react in the right manner to a defeat. Everybody says what I am going to do with them? I am going to tell them they have got to win a game on Tuesday, we will prepare the best we can now for Tuesday. It becomes not more important, but the result is an emphasis now.

We need to go there and try to put on a display that gets that little bit of confidence back. But, what I have just said to the players is that if they go three or four or five games now without the win then it gets harder and harder to find that win.

So, if we can just use this as a one game where we have got the blip and got the defeat out of the way and then go on another seven or eight match unbeaten run then everything is happy days again. But, the game on Tuesday becomes slightly more difficult now because we haven't got a result here today.





JP

And what about the injury situation? Anything coming out of the game?

GA

No, we are absolutely fine at the moment, everybody is OK. So, we have got no more problems than we already had.