Greg Abbott On The Huddersfield Win

Last updated : 26 December 2008 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United manager Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey after Carlisle's 3-0 home victory over Huddersfield, Abbott more than happy with the performance of Jeff Smith today :


" We worked hard, we have been working hard, and people, there is a lot of negativity goes around. I think that what we have got to try to do is remember where we were a few weeks ago and try to pick out where we are now. There is a lot of determination out there now, and we will not get it right every week but we are going to try.

" We work on a lot of things, we work very hard in training and we are working with a really good group of honest guys. Today a lot of the things they did came off, and a lot of their things we have been telling them to do they have done. So if they can do what we are asking, and then do it with the quality that they have done today, then we will end up getting some good results I would think here.

" Last week I was critical wasn't I, I was raging last week and I think that I did quite well to keep a lid on my anger. Because I know how much better this team can be, and how high I want their standards to be. I want them to just be as good as they can be, last week I thought that we plopped balls into the box that were meat and drink for their goalkeeper.

" This week there was a real cutting edge to our attacking play, we have got three today and I think that with the quality of the balls in you can say that we might have been unlucky not to have one or two more. I don't think that anybody could have argued with that, certainly Danny Graham and Michael Bridges have got no qualms to say that there wasn't enough service for them and that there wasn't enough for them to go at, today there definitely was.

" You heard that Michael Bridges had a good game by the crowd reaction to when he came off with just a little bit of a tight hamstring, but I think that he is fine with that. Danny Graham has had his best game for a long time today, he has put himself all over, he has caused havoc amongst their back three. The pair of them with the movement and the quality made a decent combination, if we can have them playing like that. They set their own standards though and today they have reached what we are looking for, and that is great for us all. "



" We are going to train tomorrow again, we are going to loosen everybody off tomorrow, and what we are going to have to do is see where they are all at. These are professionals though, they are good professionals, honest professionals, and I would think that once they have had a rest tonight, and they refuel, and they get their food, and they get their energy they will be OK.

" We will have a look at them tomorrow, how we are going to travel down and then train so we get all of the looseness out of them. We will meet at the hotel and then we will stay overnight all together, and then we will have a look at them after the session tomorrow night. I am hoping that the majority of them will be OK though, there will be a lot of tightness around and a lot of stiffness, but hopefully tomorrow we can run that out of them and we can go again at Oldham.

" I seemed to be winning quite a few games as caretaker but I didn't realise that this was my first one as a manager. It is not about me though, it is about me I suppose and it isn't about me, it is about the team and about how we are doing things and what we are trying to achieve. I put all the credit over to them (the players), you know I do, I will take all the flak when we are not playing so well.

" What I will assure everybody of though is that, there were a lot of moans and groans about last week. We shouldn't get too down about one performance and we shouldn't get too upbeat about another. We are looking for consistency and that is probably a key in this league this year, that there is only probably Leicester that have really found it. There are a couple of teams trying to do that but a few off them have been up the top and drifted away and then gone back again. Consistency seems to be a big word in this league this year though, a lot of teams can't quite find it.

" All I want is for players to perform at the best of their ability, that is what we have said. I think that some of the games this season we haven't, it is common knowledge, that is why we are in the position that we are in. Those three points gives us a nice lift, a couple of places up the table and a lot of confidence and lot of belief. "



" I am not just going to discard players after one bad game of football though. What I am looking for, is that you are looking to see if they can find their maximums. If their maximums are good enough then we have to keep them on, if we find that their maximums are coming up short then we have to move them on.

" That is football, that is not me being a bad manager or a nasty person. That is a reality and it is a fact, and we have an obligation to everybody at this club to try to find the best squad of players to take it forward. If players fall off the end of it then they fall off the end of it, if others have to come in at the top end of it then they do.

" It is all about honesty, not looking to change players willy-nilly just because they are not quite doing it for one week or two weeks. Players lose form, they lose confidence, and before we start discarding them and looking at bringing in loads and loads of more players in, we have to give them every fair chance. Because it is an expensive job of shaping players in and out.

" Huddersfield are a good side, they have won six out of their last seven games and that is the power of this result. They must have been coming here full of optimism thinking that they would keep their run going and that Carlisle are a bit inconsistent at the moment. What they will realise though is that if they are going to come here on our own patch now, then they are going to have to fight, scrap and roll their sleeves up to get anything. I thought that we won most of the battles today and I was really pleased with that.

" I was a bit upset with the tackle on Simon (Hackney) because I thought that it was a nasty one and that it might have hurt him. That was all it was, and then you defend your own team as they defend theirs. They defend their players as I defend mine, my player was laying on the floor and I thought that he was hurt. There was nothing in it though, they will be disappointed at the stage of the game that they were not winning. "



" What happens is that the fans go away thinking that we have got a side here, that we have got players here who can perform like that. That is what they expect and then when you drop below that they are quick to tell you. If we don't drop below that and we stay at that level then we will have some good results here. That is all I think that the fans are looking for, they are looking for that consistency but they are not on their own, 7,900 and something along with me are looking for the same thing.

" I thought that Jeff (Smith), his energy and his desire is terrific. He gives us a bit of strength, Simon is different, they are two different types, he (Smith) is not as explosive or as dynamic as Simon, but Simon is probably not as good at the other side of the game. When you are fighting and scrapping and needing stuff then you have to decide which one you want to be in for.

" We have decided to let Jeff have a go at it and it is good competition down there because there are two different types and two different contributions. We really do feel though that Jeff, with a run of games, and a bit more belief in himself now, and belief coming from us, that he is worth his place in the team. I thought that today he was terrific to be honest and his energy levels and determination were fantastic for us.

" It (Oldham) is a tough game, they have had a great result today, I have only just looked at their result and I don't know how they played, but we will find out, we had them watched today. They are a good side though and they have got some good players. We have got to look at our side though and think that we can go there now, it is away from home, so what, the pitch isn't any different is it, there is nothing on that pitch that is different to ours. Let's just go on there and try to compete and be as determined and play with as much energy and freedom as we have today, then we will see where we come out of it.

" They (the fans) have come out again in their numbers, but they are waiting for performances like this. They show their appreciation and we are pleased, we are trying to work together and together is a big word that I am using here. It is everybody, it is a collective effort, the fans have played their part and hopefully we have played our part, and then they can enjoy their Boxing Day pint tonight and we go again at Oldham.

" We will always look to improve the side, I am not going to get too upbeat about today, as I wasn't too downbeat about last week. We think that we can find some players to improve the side and if we can at the right price then we will do, that is the top and bottom of it. You wouldn't believe what goes on behind the scenes, there is a hell of a lot of work goes on. Last week they were telling me to get better balls in the box so I spent most of the week trying to do that. Then I found a little bit of time to make a few phone calls and I have done a bit of that too, so there is a lot of work going on. "