JP
You must be ever so disappointed with that?
GA
I am desperately disappointed but I have got to be brave as a manager because that dressing-room is unbelievable. That dressing-room has just given everything they have got for this football club and we feel that we certainly should have got something out of the game. You have got to be brave when you go in there because I hate losing, you know what my parting line is - win every game we play.
You want to go in there and you want to shout and you want to rant and rave but to be honest they needed me, they need me, they need Dennis (Booth), they need Kav (Graham Kavanagh). Because they are really down and disappointed that they haven't got something out of the game because they are playing for their shirt at the minute.
I am delighted with them, you know that, I have to say that, I am absolutely delighted with them as a group. They are coming on, we are going in the right direction, we are really, really upset we haven't got anything out of this football match. It is my job to make sure that they get on that bus and they forget the disappointment before we get out of Bristol, and start thinking about Tuesday night because it has gone now.
We can dwell on it and think about the wonders of why and why not and you can come up with all sorts of credulous answers. But we are going to bounce back and we are going to win on Tuesday night, I will tell you that now because the attitude in the dressing-room and the desire within the club at the moment is huge and that is going to take us forward.
JP
It was such a super effort from the team and from Bristol Rovers in fairness in wretched conditions today, it is just crippling that one team had to lose it really isn't it?
GA
I want to be dignified and I want to say that both teams contributed to a terrific game. Did they deserve to win? I don't think so. Did we deserve to? Probably in the end a 2-2 was absolutely perfect but the conditions were horrendous, but some of the football was terrific. We broke well, we passed the ball nicely, they showed great determination to get the ball into the box at every opportunity.
We probably played the better football on the day, probably had the better chances on the day. Probably early on if Vincent (Pericard) puts one of his two in then we could be 2-0 up at half-time and out of sight a little bit. But it hasn't worked that way, we don't seem to do things easy and they have kept going, that is what teams have to do when they are at the bottom of the league.
We did it against Southend and they have done it today and they will probably say through sheer determination they have got something out of the game. That is fair enough but the whole thing today was a credit to both clubs.
JP
Did you feel that their first equaliser was perhaps a turning point? It gave them some confidence in the match when they for half an hour hadn't seemed to have any, and perhaps you could have done more to stop that one?
GA
It was a soft goal wasn't it, it was a set-piece free-kick, it wasn't even a great free-kick, it bounces at the feet of (Jo) Kuffour somehow, somewhat. He gets a little bit too much space and they have done nothing in the game up to then, that is the disappointing thing from us.
For half an hour we were in absolute complete control, probably as good as we have played for a long, long time as well. In difficult conditions we were in absolute control of this football match and can't see anything but a 2-1 or 3-2 victory. But it hasn't been and we haven't closed the game out and to be fair they have come back and had a right go at it and that is football for you.
JP
What do you have to do next then? How do you get the team ready? Do you just throw this game in front of them and say 'look at the injustice' to your team ahead of the match on Tuesday?
GA
I don't think you will have to say too much to be honest. I think that the dressing-room debate we have just had was one of everybody is looking after each other in there. They look after me, I look after them, we are going to be OK, seriously, we are going to be OK because the boys want to have a go for it.
The fans that were here stayed behind and clapped us off and we had to make sure that we did give them a round of applause, some drifted off because they were that disappointed. But those fans have been special today, absolutely brilliant, I don't know how many there were, maybe 100 or so, maybe 200, I don't know.
But to come down here in the weather, Tommy (Cassidy) can hardly stand up properly it is that cold, it is horrendous. But they have come and they have cheered us on and they will probably go away saying that their team is playing for them at the very, very, well more than at the very least. They have certainly given them something to shout about and they will be going home as disappointed as us.
JP
Nobody can deny that, this is a clear message coming out of BBC Radio Cumbria today, it was a great effort today but unfortunately just one team had to win it.
GA
Well that is true and ultimately that is the key thing in football. That is the thing when I wake up tomorrow, the performance does stand for something, let me get that straight, it does stand for something. But the disappointment that we don't get no points will be there in evidence tomorrow, but I think if we can keep playing with this determination and this attitude we are going to be fine.
JP
An important week now, of course you have got the Tuesday night match to tee you up for a very important league match, but let's not under-sell Tuesday night and how important that is.
GA
We never have done, we are trying our utmost in everything we do to try to win as many games as we can to give optimism and excitement to the season. We knew how important this week was, we have failed today to get that off to a good start.
But I think if we can produce half as good a performance like this on Tuesday I think we should be too strong for Morecambe, and that is the aim we have got to do. Then you look at Saturday and we will think about that afterwards, but I just think we are going OK and in the right direction with the players. I think performances like this, the result apart was absolutely acceptable.
JP
And you say we are going to win against Morecambe, that is the fired up spirit, in a way there should be no excuses because they hold no secrets now after two meetings already this year.
GA
Well listen, it is not as easy as that - me saying we will win. What I am saying to everybody is that we are going to be going out there all in and with the type of attitude we have shown today. We are confident that we can go there and get a positive result, but you have seen the FA Cup and two games are never the same. It is never as easy as that but I want the fans to know that we are going there with a mission. We now owe ourselves, not anybody else, we owe ourselves to go there and get a result.
JP
Any injuries out of today's game?
GA
Just a few broken hearts at the minute but we will soon sort those out, the bus is a good place and we have got plenty of time to talk about it. It is five and a half hours or something up the road so by the time we get back I want them smiling and ready for the next game.
JP
And just finally on a completely unrelated subject, your thoughts on that draw in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, could it have gone any better for you?
GA
I haven't given it a great deal of thought to be honest. It is something that is at the back of my mind until December, personally it is a good one but today I am a little bit too disappointed to worry about sentiments and personals. But is a chance to get us to keep the season going and have something to look forward to because it is a good one for the football club, and let's hope we can get through it.
JP
Is the feeling that if you keep going like that things will be fine for Carlisle United?
GA
Well you have seen it so I think so. I don't tell untruths, I don't dress up our performances and I don't dress them down. We have played alright today and we have definitely deserved something out of the game, we are going to be fine.
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