Neil McDonald - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 03 March 2007 By Thetashkentterror
Blues manager Neil McDonald
United boss Neil McDonald spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday evening as he gave his thoughts on the season as a whole and what is going on in and around Brunton Park at the moment :


" Every game is a big game now until the end of the season. I think we have to, not so much go for the jugular, but start off on a high tempo and really get into the teams in the first-half, and then see where that takes us. Survival was the key but we've given ourselves a chance to pass that a little bit so let's see where the last eleven games take us.

" We've given ourselves a bit of a chance to be in the mix with a few good results. Certainly Saturday was because after the game I didn't realise they (Cheltenham) hadn't been beaten at home since the 4th of November, which was really, really good. They are obviously very strong at home and that gives everybody confidence and a positive attitude for the rest of the season. We're unbeaten in ten games away from home and we've only lost eight, we did say at the turn of the year that we were going to improve our away record and I think we've done that.

" The ones out of contract - we are trying to get them to sign, and obviously the ones that are on loan we might have a chance of signing later on in the season, fingers crossed on both points. Nobody has been told what is really happening in the summer yet although I've had private conversations with each and every one of the players on what the situation is. That will remain private until the right time comes to tell everybody.

" It is difficult on what division we are going to be in because we've still got a chance of getting promoted. Looking not so much short-term though, as I did from the start, but a little bit more long-term is trying to bring in obviously stronger, and fitter and possibly younger players in. Although I think we still need the balance between young and old, and we've got that balance at the moment. We're still deciding, still talking and still discussing on which way we go. "



" I think they (Karl Hawley and Peter Murphy) have been offered good contracts, we're certainly not in the Championship, so there is a fine line sometimes. The both of them have been offered very, very good contracts for this league, with the incentives if we do go up, so the club are showing a lot of ambition in trying to secure, and acquire, better players at the football club.

" It's got be worked out with last season and then starting off this season playing nine games. We all thought that he (Paul Murray) was over the worst and then he gets an injury which keeps him out for a long time. Then he comes back and plays another five games and gets injured again. That has to be reassessed on how the injury is going to turn out and how long it is going to take to get better. Then we'll have a private chat and see which way we go. If we did decide on a pay-as-you-play contract we'd have to see if Paul was happy with that. He is a fine player but he's injury prone, we'll reassess it at the end of the season but it is quite a tricky one.

" I'm not so sure he (Michael Bridges) would want to come back to be fair. He's gone to Hull and they are fighting for their lives, he's played a few games in and out of the team but I'm sure that Hull will see the best of him there next year. Danny Graham is out of contract at the end of the season, Johann (Smith) is still under contract I think and is very highly thought of at Bolton, he just needs the first-team games which we've given. James (Krause) is out of contract at the end of the year so we'll see how he develops until the end of the season. If we get the chance to make them permanent then I would say we would give it a good go on the four of them (including Joe Garner) to be fair.

" I've tried to get in touch with them (Blackburn) this week and they have had a couple of important games themselves but I'll keep on trying next week to see what the situation is with Joe Garner. He's only just signed a new contract with Blackburn so fingers crossed. I suppose the more goals he scores the more difficult it is going to be for us to try to get him. We might need him to have a little bit of a nightmare, which nobody wants to have to be fair. He's enjoying himself and whether he goes back to Blackburn and gets in their team I don't know, I'm sure he doesn't want to go back to playing reserve team football though.

" I think everybody who plays for somebody else but comes from Cumbria wants to come back so we'll have a few more rumours about him (Paul Reid) as well I suppose. He's playing well enough for Barnsley, he was with us pre-season actually, he comes in and does the first few days training with us because he's living up here. I know of him but, as I say, we'll see how that develops as well. "



" The better you are doing then you can attract better players. They want to come and see that Carlisle are near the top with a chance of going up, it makes them want to come. I think you enhance relationships with clubs asking them if you can have a player, sometimes players go to a club and they don't play so it's then very, very difficult to go back and ask for another one. There is a knock-on effect, as for progressing the club - I think it is because if you can attract players from Premiership clubs and big clubs then that shows you must be doing something right.

" I suppose every time Carlisle have been promoted people have wondered how they are going to do in League Two, saying I'm sure they'll do OK and then they got promoted. How are we going to do in League One - I think we've more than held our own this season and where we finish will determine on new signings and who stays and who goes. It will also determine if the club are really going to go for it because not many times, if you do get promoted this time, do you have a chance of promotion. So we'll have to try and persuade Fred (Story) and the rest of the board to get their money out.

" The players believe they can get promotion this season, that's the way we're trying to look at it. First and foremost get enough points to mathematically make sure that we are safe, then we can kick on from there. The games certainly aren't going to be easy though, we've seen over the last two or three games that it has been difficult even if we have been playing top teams as well as bottom teams. Everybody is fighting for the points, either survival or trying to go for promotion. We're in fine form at the minute and we're in good confidence and that gives us a chance to try and win as many games as we possibly can.

" Everybody I have spoken to has been very, very complimentary. They have certainly enjoyed their season so far, you get your negative press or your negative comments, but that is only natural in a full packed season. The supporters have seen their team win, win, win over the last two or three years and sometimes to see their team lose is frustrating for them. The higher you go up sometimes the more difficult it becomes though, hopefully we've won and drawn more than we have lost which is excellent. We're in a nice little position at the minute to try to push on and try to keep everybody smiling.

" Greg Abbott is a lot of paper talk, it's only natural that when he was there (at Bradford City) for eight years and played so many games that his name was always going to be mentioned. We work together on a day-to-day basis and for me he looks very, very happy and very content in what he is doing, so we'll see how that develops. I don't agree with the booking system, he (Jeff Smith) has got four bookings for Port Vale. We've paid money for him, yet he gets one booking for us and he gets suspended so let's have a debate on that. Let's see if that when you sign somebody they bring their bookings with them or do they leave them where they have come from? I'd only like to see technology introduced on the goal-line, I think on the goal-line is very, very important, on anything else no. "