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" I think the feedback that I have had is - ‘well he's not the most high profile person' - but I'm here to prove to them that I can do a job. I've taken a little bit off each of the managers I've had and I'll enforce that in my own style. I've still got a lot to learn, I'm certainly a person who has strong beliefs in how to do things and how to go about them. I'm an open person though and I really ask for advice off other people and mentors on the telephone., and I'm not frightened to do that.
" A week past they asked to see my Curriculum Vitae, I sent that up and then just waited patiently. The call came and I went to see some of the directors, Fred Story, Andrew Jenkins and Steve Pattison, and obviously I did impress with what I had to say and how I was going to go about it, and they offered me the job.
" The honeymoon period is still to come I suppose, it's been good, it's just trying to get to know everybody, trying to introduce myself to everybody and let everybody know what I'm all about. As I said when I first came, I'm a people person so I try to have individual chats with everybody to reassure them what the club is all about and where I am trying to get to. That's the staff and I'm looking forward to seeing all the players on Monday.
" People have done their own homework and their own looking to see what Neil McDonald is about, they've made private phone calls without me knowing, and for them to say that they speak highly of me then I must have done something well when I worked with them. So that's pleasing, but there is still a lot to prove and I've come here with lots of drive and lots of ideas and I'm trying to push Carlisle on from where they have come from over the last two seasons to higher heights. "
" I don't live in the North-East, I live in Preston which is just down the motorway but I've already acquired a two bedroom apartment in Carlisle. I'm going to be based in both places but spend the majority of my time in Carlisle because I have to be here, I have to give it 24/7 as that's the person I am.
" As a player my mentors I suppose were Colin Harvey to start off with who was the manager at Everton. I think just before that, even when I was at Carlisle when I was a schoolboy, I always recollect that John Pickering was the first man that ever really coached me, he was fantastic. I think that Sam (Allardyce) is a fantastic manager as well as a coach, he let's you get on the job and hopefully I can fill in their little bits and bobs and add to my repertoire.
" Supposedly I was a child star footballer at the time and Carlisle acquired my services from 14 to 16-years old, with doing that I think they wanted to set a youth system up because they didn't have a youth system, and I was the catalyst for that. Bob Moncur was the manager at the time and unfortunately he moved to Hearts and Bob Stokoe took over, Bob was more, I suppose, old school to a certain extent and he just was concentrating on the first team. He didn't really bother with the youth team and I thought that that was no good for me and I decided to go to Newcastle. It went to a tribunal for a 14 to 16-year old and I had to go down to speak to the powers that be, so that was quite daunting at the time.
" There were accused of me poaching me, of course they were, Carlisle received £25,000 straight up and £25,000 after 25 games, and as a 16-year old I played in the first team and made those appearances over the first season, so that was £50,000 straight away. Then I think there was a percentage over a certain amount and I was sold for £525,000 so Carlisle definitely got their moneysworth for a 14 to16-year old. "
" I can see the, not the frustration I suppose I'm looking for, but – ‘well, who is Neil McDonald?' – hopefully the fans have seen my background as a player, they have seen the background of the clubs that I have worked with and I've got to gain their respect. It doesn't come naturally and it doesn't come easily, but I'm a hard worker and I try to do the right things at the right time and hopefully the players will transmit that on to the pitch, and that's where fans want to come and watch the team on the pitch.
" I write things down because sometimes your emotions can run away with you and you forget things, so just to highlight things that go on during the game gives you a chance to reorganise and reshape at half-time. It gives you an idea of what is important and what is not and it gives you a chance to analyse the game as you go along knowing that you are making the notes. Sometimes you see where the opposition has a weakness and try to say that I have to exploit that, sometimes that the passing game is too long and it needs to go short and go through midfield, or that we're playing too short through midfield and that it has to be stretched. Or we're playing too much down one side, the defenders are too deep, so just little things like that which point you in the right direction for a tactical change, or a manoeuvre for the second-half.
" I think it is a flip of the coin sometimes coming into new teams, if somebody is doing poorly then you can always improve it, but if somebody is doing really well then how are you going to improve it? Hopefully with new training regimes though, and trying to get the best out of players by giving them the individual attention, not just 11 v 11, individual stuff as well as unit stuff. Trying to explain on how tactical things work so they understand it, so they are improving as a footballer, and obviously improving as a person themselves, that's the way to go for me and that's the only way to do it.
" I think a new person coming in stimulates everybody from the start, they've obviously had a very good season, and a very good summer, and everyone seems to be raring to come back. It's a new voice, it's a new direction I suppose and players who want to learn and want to push on are going to listen, and they are the ones who are going to take the club forward. It's very important to keep a good dressing-room mentality going, talking to the rest of the staff it seems the team spirit is really, really good, they self-govern themselves which is excellent, so if they step over the line they are only killing themselves, which I think is excellent. There is a fine mixture between old and young which I think that trying to find that balance is difficult, but they have that balance, and to develop the football club all the way through where youngsters want to come to Carlisle because they are going to be given a chance. If they are good enough then they will be given a chance. "