Greg Abbott On The Wycombe Win

Last updated : 13 December 2009 By Thetashkentterror

Blues boss Greg Abbott
United boss Greg Abbott (GA) spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips (JP) after Carlisle's 1-0 League One win at home to Wycombe, Abbott wishing that the Blues had taken their chances in the first-half in order to make the victory more comfortable :



JP

You must be delighted with that, it is quite an unbeaten run and also it is only two defeats in 13 now for you. How did you feel about the game today?

GA

Relieved at the end, the three points are important to what we are trying to do, the run of games unbeaten is important to what we are trying to do. The type of football we are playing at the minute is nearly there. In large spells of the game, certainly in the first hour of the game I thought we played some terrific football, could have been 3-0 up in the opening ten minutes and then it is like a perfect football performance.

But then we got pinned back a little bit and had to change things round and put a little bit more energy and pace upfront with Scott (Dobie) on. I think we have run out comfortable but always a bit nervous when you have only got that slender one goal advantage.

JP

Should it have been a bit more comfortable as you put it towards the end? It should have been two at least?

GA

Well they are not very good for my nerves my players are they? You get two, or you get an early goal and you add the one on at half-time and then Vincent Pericard's chance in the second-half, probably the chance of the game. The keeper (Scott Shearer) makes a great save, that goes in and you can relax and play the type of football we want to play.

But there is an edginess to your play when you are just holding a one goal lead, but I thought we protected our goal very well. They did have territorial advantage at times late on in the game but they didn't really penetrate us and they didn't really create too many clear-cut openings, and for that we have to be well pleased.

JP

This is the sort of game that earlier in the season you may well have lost actually, creating all those chances, didn't get the goal and they may have broken away and got one. Is it pleasing that you are not getting beat like that now?

GA

Well I think that is the message from Dennis (Booth) and myself there that last week we felt we got a draw where earlier on in the piece we might have conceded a goal under all the pressure we were at last week. Today is one of them, we have won and we might have conceded a late goal and drawn and been talking about one point out of our six, rather than four. So we just think we are a group of honest people really rolling our sleeves up, trying our best.

The first-half I thought was really, really nice on the eye, pleasing football on the eye, if those chances go in it is like a really, really complete first-half performance. But when they don't you do put yourself under a bit of pressure, but credit to the back four again, although at times they have been a little bit nervy and edgy we have kept another clean sheet, which is vital.





JP

But two players in that back-line who really did impress today in particular, were Evan Horwood at left-back and Danny Livesey, I would like to see him when is fully fit Danny Livesey, because he was phenomenal today.

GA

Well he is starting to find some of the form that we know Danny is capable of. He is rugged, he is raw, he is heart on his sleeve, he is a bit in the Richard Keogh mould, he is not pleasing on the eye at times. But I am not really too bothered about my centre-half being too pleasing on the eye as long as they head it, kick it, tackle and make interceptions. Some of his covering round and his pace at the back was vital at times in the second-half. We are getting him back to somewhere like we know he can.

JP

What did you make of Vincent Pericard's display today?

GA

Vincent I thought first-half was outstanding, yet again it is everything in fits, sticks and he gives us a platform to play off behind him. He is probably sitting here thinking that he should have had a hat-trick, we want him to get more goals, we want him to do what he is doing all the time first-half.

To be fair Vincent has been playing under severe hindrance today, he has had an injection on Monday and it wasn't until really yesterday that he said he was finally starting to get the heel moving. So he was 50-50 on whether we were even going to start him today, so I think judging that his performance has been very, very good for us.

He is a team player, we are asking a lot of him up there on his own but if it goes into him with any sort of quality he looks after it and we can have a platform then for our midfield players to drive on. I thought Adam Clayton as well at times was excellent today with his energy and his inventiveness, add a goal to his game and you are talking about a really good performer as well.

JP

Peter Murphy as well, we must talk about him.

GA

Terrific, we didn't find out until half past seven last night that Tom Taiwo wasn't going to be with us. He has got a bout of tonsillitis, felt really, really poorly. Rang me today at ten o'clock, I am not playing, Peter didn't even know he was playing until half past one. I didn't tell him because I thought I would leave him until he comes in, decided to go with the same shape which has served us well over the past period.

Come in, unfussy, gets on with it, terrific, professional, that is what Peter is all about. That is why we were talking last night on the radio about how he was important to what I am trying to do and I don't like people making and listening to speculation, rumour mongering that he is on his way out of the football club.

It is a nonsense and it is a little bit upsetting for me and my players because my squad is my squad and I stick by them and they stick by me. Yes there is disappointment around his thing at the minute because he is not playing every game but he is very important to what I am all about. I hope we can quash that and see him crack on with us.





JP

Might he get another run out on Tuesday?

GA

I have just had a good talk to the players there, I am going to have a good think about what we do Tuesday. I want to digest this, I don't make snap decisions, all the players are in my thoughts, we have got a busy period coming up with lots of games.

Players are going to be stretched to the fore, we haven't got a massive squad and I will have a good think about tomorrow. I am going to enjoy this tonight and I am going to have a good think about Tuesday tomorrow. I will come on in Monday with my gameplan and I will talk to the rest of the staff and we will go from there.

JP

And the warrior Danny Livesey of course looked like he picked up another injury, what is that?

GA

I just think he has made himself look a little bit better looking with a few stitches in his head. I haven't seen him really, I don't know where he has gone, he could have gone anywhere to be fair. But sure if it is only a cut probably sometimes they look worse than they are, the sight of blood doesn't hurt too many.

JP

I bet it doesn't put him off, just on that game on Tuesday night, a game against a club who you have a lot of fond memories here at Brunton Park, it should be a great occasion for a lot of reasons for you?

GA

Yeah, I mean you don't spend ten years at a football club without having a big feeling for them. I loved my time there, I loved the people there, a lot of what they do reminds me of what we are when I first went. They got into the Premier League and they have got a wonderful stadium, we had some good times, we had the really bad one with obviously what happened.

But I will be looking forward to seeing all the people that run the football club, generally those people are still there. The manager (Stuart McCall) is a really, really good friend of mine, I won't be giving them anything on the pitch to chew on. I hope that we win the game comfortably, they have nothing to shout about and I can pat everybody on the back and we wish them the best of journeys home, but I am not so sure it will be as easy as that.

JP

You said you wanted to enjoy this, 11th in League One now which must be great for you. But also you have not been beaten for five matches now, the last time that happened was that play-off season in 2008.

GA

Don't start you talking about play-offs otherwise you will feel the back of my hand.