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" These games are what I can't really give my players, we can work at the fitness levels, I can do my small games, I can even play eleven v eleven if I like. Everyone is so familiar with each other though that there is nothing like coming to a club, whether it be here or Middlesbrough at home or whatever, those types of games. Playing in a competitive game, because whatever we say to our lads this is a competitive match.
" These guys don't want to get beat, my boys don't want to get beat, they all want to make a good account of themselves. So it's something that I can't put on on the training ground and certainly we can't have a crowd that is going to be here tonight. So it's vital for the boys to get that football eleven v eleven feeling again.
" I'd hope we'd be getting a lot nearer to my first-team a week before the season. Because I think that when you are getting into your last couple of games you have got to be looking at one or two things in terms of a team shape and understanding. The nice thing about this group is that they have been together for quite a while anyway so you are hoping that that comes quite quickly.
" Just a couple of new faces in there and a couple of young ones coming through and improving, but at the same time this group has been together enough times now. We're still fine tuning it and getting it ready though, and we'll be looking at perhaps set-plays and things like that as we get that wee bit nearer to Bristol Rovers.
" We'll find out which is the better keeper, Ben (Williams) was too good to miss really. When we knew Keiren (Westwood) was going to move on, and good luck to him, he has been fantastic for us, Ben was the best of the bunch that were available. I've been quoted before that if I had gone to Ben in January for instance and tried to buy him from Crewe then it would have cost me a lot of money. We might have had to say no, we can't afford that, we can't do that. "
" When he became immediately available though on a Bosman, his choice, he had been offered a four year deal at Crewe. We went in and spoke to the young guy and it went very quickly actually, he wanted to come to Carlisle, I wanted him to come and we got the job done. So we had to do that, Chris Howarth understands that, Chris knew we had to go and get a good keeper in and compete, but I am very open-minded at this particular stage.
" Saying that these guys have got to fight for their places and quite rightly they are good mates and they work a lot together with Simon Smith the coach, and they get this goalkeeper camaraderie. They have to compete for that first-team spot though, and I have got no fixed ideas about it at this moment.
" We had a super season last year, and the year before, the boys have done really well haven't they at this football club. You can't go in expecting it to be the same though, they have got to have demands. We are talking about having less tolerance of things, when they go quite wrong or they are a bit sloppy and making sure that everything gets tightened up.
" I want the competition to be tight and strong and I think that the guys know that. You are talking about fierce positions, midfield is a real fierce position, so those boys have got to be working for themselves. They all get on terrifically well but they all want to be at Bristol Rovers on the 9th of August and that means upsetting their mates. So I am interested to see how they cope with this.
" I think I've already said to you that the forward area is an area that I have got to look at. We are talking about the guys that are in there, Joe (Garner), whatever goes with Joe, Joe is not going to be fit for the start and for a big part of the beginning of the season, so we can't really count him in there. If he stays then terrific, we all want to see Joe in a Carlisle shirt again but he is not going to be available through the injury so we have got to move on. "
" Danny Carlton has not really had his shot last year because other people went in before him. Danny Graham has done extremely well with 17 goals and we tend to forget that a little bit, he stepped up to the mark when we lost Joe. Scott Dobie has played wide right, he needs this match fitness that we are getting him this pre-season. Young Gary Madine, we have got to look after him, we would be wrong to think that there are 30-40 games out of Gary this season because he is still 17. Whilst he is a big man in stature he is still a young boy learning his trade and getting his fitness.
" Kevin Gall we have offered a free transfer to, that is widely known. So there is a little bit of freedom there to find a place maybe and see what we can do with that position. I like good strikers in a football club, I like that as a competitive edge, I have got some, if I could get one more it would be lovely for me as the manager, so it is something that we are looking at.
" There isn't a back-up at right-back with Paul Arnison moving on to Bradford, there isn't at this moment, but I have just spoken to someone tonight. Maybe when we come back from Scotland there will be a younger guy coming in for a bit of a trial period with us and he can play that position. So that is something that we are looking at and trying to improve.
" Everything is geared towards Bristol Rovers, and I can only do this bit by bit. We trained this morning and I just said to the boys that we are one training session, this is tonight obviously at the game, away from having a terrific week. If I can wake up tomorrow and say that I have got a fit squad, everyone has played some match-fit football here tonight.
" No injuries, no problems, we go into next week up to Scotland and prepare for that then I'll be delighted. What the idea is in the long run is to get as many players available fit and ready to go for Bristol Rovers on the 9th of August. It has got to be bit by bit though as I have just said. "
" I'm trying very hard to make signings, we got Josh (Gowling) quite quickly and Ben Williams quite quickly so that was nice. Other things take their time though, there are a lot of factors involved in things, and I am looking at trying to bring a couple more faces in prior to the start of the season. So it's active but it wouldn't be right for me to start speculating with you because that's really what I would be.
" I don't think it's fair to name names and players at other clubs and stuff like that. Just rest assured, I hope people trust me to believe what I am saying, we are trying very hard to get another couple in and strengthen the squad. That is the tough bit because it is a darn good squad as you well know and I want players that are going to fit in as personalities obviously but as players as well.
" I'm looking for people at this level, not young kids that have got to wait a couple of years. I have got them, there are some good kids in our club and we'll wait for those boys, but at the moment I am looking for a couple of senior ones to come and compete strongly with this group that I have got.
" We finished fourth last season and got to the play-offs, we got there because we were a close-knit squad. Maybe, just maybe, we didn't just quite get the last bit because we were still a close-knit squad and missed the (Danny) Livesey, missed the (David) Raven. Joe (Garner) just missed out onto the last two or three months.
" So if I can strengthen it up, there are not going to be six or seven, but that is as the season progresses you know. Maybe if we are still fighting up at the top of the league come January then maybe I can persuade the board then to say here are three or four. We brought four in in January to strengthen it so maybe we can look at that if we are getting close this year, maybe we need one or two more. "