John Ward - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 15 April 2008 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey on Tuesday morning as he talked about the see-saw 3-2 defeat at Elland Road against Leeds United, Ward also looking ahead to the Southend match at Brunton Park on Saturday :


" I think my hair is falling out let alone going grey after a game like that. At this stage of the year you want to win your games obviously in the position that we are in. If that game had been in September where you think the result has little bearing on the final part of the season then you would be waxing lyrical over it. I'd much rather have had a quieter dull game and a 1-0 win and come away with that, but it wasn't.

" The only thing I have really got in terms of a positive is that if you are going to lose then you lose that way, we had a right good go and it's only our second defeat in the last sixteen, and you comfort yourself with that a little bit. At this stage of the season though with the position that we are in one point or three points would obviously have been better to have been talking about.

" We've come a massive way in a short period of time, the whole club. Before I got here it was moving rapidly and I think we have kept it on the right track, we've kept it moving forward. When you look at two defeats in sixteen, and they are to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, the two biggest clubs in our division. Then you can console yourself a little bit that that we have been pretty close with both of them, as well as being unbeaten in the other fourteen.

" So I think that you stand your ground on that with Carlisle United and say to come on and that Saturday is another big game with Southend United. If we can replicate that type of form we have shown in those last sixteen games then we have a good chance of winning that, and that's exactly where we will be talking to the players.

" I was aware that he (Paul Huntington) was deliberately putting his arms up to the Carlisle supporters. I think that since then though I've read how sorry he is, and he's accepted that it was foolish and that he's embarrassed himself and his family and he's apologised. I think that we also have to be big enough to accept that as well. "



" The goalposts will have been changed with three games to go if Leeds get points back, which in any kind of competition would be exceptionally strange and completely wrong. Rules tend to be made at the beginning of a season, they should be accepted and adhered to, but again, it's out of my hands and out of my control. I have the feeling that something will be given back to Leeds, I don't think that it will be the whole lot, but then I don't know.

" The full ramifications of it are going to affect a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons. Swansea particularly have had the champagne out on Saturday, quite right, because for me they are the best side. They've got the top of the league position and probably should go and be champions, but by the end of the week they might not be, and that just doesn't ring true does it.

" Having a different table in the programme might fire the tribunal up the wrong way, and that may be something that rebounds on them a little bit. They have been doing that right the way through the season, not just in our programme, I think they have had that propaganda in their programme for some time. We'll wait and see what happens and what the result of it is, and maybe we can have an opinion afterwards.

" I think it's fantastic that we are talking like this about the possibility of us being promoted. When you look at the whole thing it has been a fantastic effort from everybody and it's still there, it's still possible for us to achieve it on our own without looking at other results. Southend come, I think they have scored 33 away from home but conceded 33 away from home, so it tells you a couple of little things about them. They have got a really strong strike-force but if you can get at them enough there is maybe a goal or two for the home team sometimes.

" So it's on the day, it's dealing with it, we'll be fine, we'll prepare ourselves as well as we can. There are a lot of plusses to be taken from Leeds United. Southend will be disappointed that they didn't win their home game against Northampton, so it's not just about us. They need to really get that win and get themselves into play-off positions, so a lot to fight for on the day and you can rest assured that Carlisle United will be fighting just as hard as anybody. "