Greg Abbott On The Huddersfield Defeat

Last updated : 17 February 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 2-1 defeat at home to Huddersfield, Abbott disappointed that the Blues never really got going in the game :


JP

What did you make of it overall tonight?

GA

Disappointing, a disappointing night to be honest. We were second best right the way through the game. We started really poorly, we didn't get any head of steam up, we didn't have any tempo to our game and we didn't get much better throughout the game.

We huffed and puffed at times but the energy that we had on Saturday and the pace and the power and the quality that we had on Saturday was missing tonight. That is very difficult to just put your finger on how we had some really, really terrific performances from individuals on Saturday, and then tonight we never found them.

That is an area of concern to be fair, we thought we were better than that tonight I thought. Huddersfield are a good side, without question they are a very, very good side and they will be pushing all the way to the top bit of the table. But we didn't make life anywhere near as uncomfortable for them tonight as we did at their place, and we should have done with the sort of form we are in.

JP

Did they come here and make it uncomfortable for you in a way in the way they played?

GA

Well they have done, they have made it very uncomfortable for us, they have been better than us. But sometimes you have got to roll your sleeves up, you have got to make tackles, you have got to be brave with the ball in terms of passing it into better areas and with more quality.

We need to win tackles and headers as well, that is part of the game, that is what we talk about to give us a base to play from. We never earned the right to play tonight and we never did at all get any sort of fluency to our game.





JP

The fans were very practical on their texts after, just saying that Huddersfield were just a good team on the night. Do you feel that or do you think that you should have done more to stop them?

GA

Well, I think the fans are buying into us a little bit, but we think we should have made life harder for Huddersfield than we did tonight. They are a good side, there is no question about that, but we are better than we have showed tonight, and we are closer to Huddersfield in terms of ability. And they looked better than us on the night by a way, and that is disappointing.

Because you look at MK Dons, there is not a lot between MK Dons and Huddersfield and we made them look really ordinary. Tonight we were second best and we nearly scraped something out of it, but it was very, very nearly and not close enough to be honest.

JP

What did you make of the goals you conceded? Do you think you could have done more to stop both of them?

GA

You can always do things to stop goals. The set-piece, we have done well from set-pieces, he has lost the marker, he (Jordan Rhodes) has got a free header for the second one.

The first one, we are in possession in the middle of the pitch and comfortable possession, we give it away, the next thing our back four is turned round and we are 1-0 down and we are up against it. Because it was one of those nights where we probably needed to get the first goal to give us a boost. We didn't get it and we never got any fluency to our play at all.





JP

You also hit the bar, you also had two one-on-one chances that you didn't convert. Is it pleasing as a manager to know that there are things you could do better, or sometimes would you prefer just to get beaten, hold your hands up and say they were the better side?

GA

No, no, I don't want to get beaten and hold my hands up. Goals change the face of games and Scott (Dobie's) chance was a really good chance and the keeper (Alex Smithies) has made a wonder save, then Darryl (Duffy) hits the bar I think from the rebound. But that was probably our most significant chance and we want to make more chances like that.

On Saturday we made a bundle of chances but sometimes when you are not playing well they need to go in, they have to go in, just to turn your performance from a very ordinary one into something that is half decent. But it was too long coming and we had another chance at the other end with Darryl and Joe (Anyinsah) has had a couple of chances.

There was his goal and we think that he has a good goal disallowed, but those things go against you when it is not your night. But you have got to earn the right to get those sort of decisions, and we didn't do enough, we didn't compete tough enough and brave enough. Individuals all over the pitch were below par tonight.

JP

Just looking at the match tonight and looking at the game at the weekend, what do you think you can do to take the positives out of Saturday and the positives that there were from tonight's game to make sure you get that sort of display against Swindon?

GA

Well, we will do, we digest tonight and then we look at it and we work again tomorrow and we see how we are all fared up. We look at Swindon and we look at us and we see how we can plan something to give a better fist of it than we did tonight.





JP

And what will you be asking from your players? What sort of reaction will you be looking for them to give you?

GA

We want a bit more toughness to be honest, we have got to compete better than we did. We didn't win the battle tonight, we have got to win the battle, League One football is win your battle first then your football will take care of itself.

We didn't win the battle, we won the battle against MK Dons with the way we rolled our sleeves up in the first 15 minutes and defended the long ball into the box. Tonight we didn't do that, we lost too many battles and that doesn't give you a platform to play your football, which we want to do.

JP

Not an easy run of games is it for you despite the points that you have taken against MK Dons and the performance and result against Leeds, you get another play-off side now.

GA

Yeah, but that is the division, it is a tough division, we have to take the games as they come and just try our best to pit our wits against whoever we come up against. But we need to be better than we were tonight.





JP

At this early indication do you know anything regarding injury situations for anyone? Has everyone come through OK?

GA

Just Scott has got a little knock on his ankle, we are not sure how he is but we will have a look at it tomorrow and we will see how we are.

JP

Is Evan Horwood just a bit short or do you feel that Peter Murphy merited his place tonight?

GA

Well, I think it is difficult to leave somebody out if we have won a game 5-0 and a performance that was very, very good on Saturday. So, Peter I think deserved his chance tonight.