Greg Abbott On The Hull Game

Last updated : 22 July 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips after Carlisle's 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat at home to Hull City, Abbott pleased with the performance of his three strikers :


" I feel very optimistic, I feel very happy that everything that we have asked the players to do up to press, they have gone out there and we have played some of the best football since I have been at the club tonight. We have passed the ball terrifically well, we have got the ball into good areas, the quality in from the wide areas was superb and we created seven or eight fantastic chances. Really we could have actually won the game quite comfortably against a Premier League side who have got some absolute quality players, and at times I think that we made them look quite ordinary.

" I don't think that it underlines the need for a striker to be honest, I think that you would be doing a disservice to Gary Madine, who I thought was outstanding, and Joe Anyinsah and Scott Dobie who were outstanding. They have got to be clinical in front of goal, they know that but their all-round play was superb. We are looking for a striker, and it is common knowledge, but I am not going to let it detract from their performance tonight because I thought that they were absolutely terrific.

" Everything that we wanted Gary Madine to do, and come back in, he showed us tonight that we have got a big problem with those three because they have all given me a selection problem in their own right. You have got pace and power with Joe, you have got honesty and endeavour and guts with Scott and you have got Gary Madine who has come back with a terrific appetite and work ethic to the game, and he looks a different player from last year.

" I think that the fans were talking about the quality of the play to be honest, it was absolutely terrific and I am not going to start criticising anybody. We start this negative slant already don't we, the performance was too good for that, we know that we have got to put the ball in the back of the net. We have got to be clinical and that is the bit that was missing, but if we keep playing like that and putting the ball into the areas like that with the quality that we did tonight, then we will be a really good side next season. "



" Tonight gives us a lot of confidence, you can tell how well we have played because every player got clapped off that got substituted. The whole team got clapped off at half-time, the whole team got clapped off again at full-time. I think that people have seen a freshness and an energy and an enthusiasm that is in the club that was sometimes lacking last year. We said that we would drive it on, and together, not just myself because I need the support of the backroom staff and the players.

" Together though, that group that is in the dressing-room is a really determined and focused group this year. We are not letting people stand in our way, we are going to drive it on together and if we come up short then we come up short but it won't be for the want of trying. We think that we know what we need but we know that a lot of what we have got is of the right stuff. We have got to keep producing performances like that and keep producing that energy and that passion and that commitment to see us through what is going to be a tough season ahead.

" I thought that he (Matty Robson) was very good, we are working at getting Matty in areas where he hurts the opposition, we don't want him doubling up with the full-back and helping out too much in defence. He has got that job to do at times in the games because we are not going to have the ball as often as we did in other games tonight, but we want him playing high up the field. We want him getting at full-backs, we want him doing exactly what he has done tonight. It is an encouraging performance, I think that the fans are going to take to him if he plays like that on a consistent basis.

" Lenny Pidgeley having little to do tells us that we have to be enthused by the performance. If our goalkeeper hasn't had a save to make and their goalkeeper has been kept at full stretch all night then that just gives us a real vie for optimism. We are happy with that, the less Lenny has to do the better. "



" Danny Livesey and Cleveland Taylor, honesty, you have seen two players, honesty, energy, determination, that sums the pair of them up. While they have got that then the fans of this club will back everybody, they will back me, they will back the rest of the staff and they will back all the players.

" That is what we are driving through to the players, if you are going to cross that white line then make sure that you are going to put in a shift for yourself, for the staff and then for the supporters and for the football club. Because that is what is required, we can't have any more timewasting and people going through the motions, that we think at times we had last year.

" It wouldn't be easy to get carried away with tonight because it is a pre-season friendly and friendlies can sometimes throw a cock-eyed slant on things. We know that we have to gear everything up towards Brentford, we know that we have to be more clinical, we have to be even more determined, we have to be even more solid in our defensive work.

" If you look at one of the disappointing things tonight, it was that they had two shots on goal I think and scored both times. We have to make sure that that doesn't happen if we have as much of the play and we have to win a game 1-0 then we will have to win it 1-0. We certainly can't allow us to dominate games like that when we start the league programme though, and allow the opposition very few shots on goal but concede from them. "



" He is OK is Bridgey (Marc Bridge-Wilkinson), again he has missed a lot of work from the three months that he had out last season. He is behind a few of them in terms of his overall fitness, that is why we tried to leave him on but he wobbled to the ground didn't he and we had to pick him up and drag him off.

" To be fair we put Michael Burns on and gave him 35 minutes and I think that you saw a nice range of passing from Michael who has done himself no harm at all. Because I think that he looked really neat and tidy and popped the ball about nicely, something different to other midfield players that we have got.

" I thought that he (Tom Taiwo) looked more than solid, I thought that he looked very, very good. He has got energy, he loves a tackle, gets close to people, stops people playing, tracks his runners, makes tackles. We have missed that, we haven't had that type of player have we, he has got energy, he gets around the pitch, nearly scored, should have scored, but he will get better. He is round the first-team now, he is with good people we think and he is training with good players, it is going to bring him on. It certainly gives us again some more strength and depth and energy in that area of the field.

" We have got three terrific strikers out there at the minute and we are looking for another one to make the four, to make the quartet to give ourselves a really good chance next season. We are hopeful that we can do something with that but to the fair to the three tonight I thought that they were terrific. Signing one can't happen until it happens, we are not trying to hide anything from anybody. We are out there hunting, we are looking for one better than we have got.

" At the minute though those three are doing really, really well and it is difficult to find one at the moment to bring in that is the right player. We are looking and there are phone calls going in all the time, but let's take our hats off to the three upfront at the minute. They are doing terrifically well and let's show them a little bit of respect by not harping on about the other striker. Everybody knows, it is common knowledge that we are looking for it but let's say well done to the three boys to be fair tonight. "