Carlisle United manager Mark Hughes has revealed that he has banned any negativity in his squad ahead of their crucial League Two clash against Barrow.
The Cumbrians are edging closer to a second successive relegation and are staring down the barrel of a drop into the National League. In a bid to salvage their EFL status, they made the decision to part company with Mike Williamson in February, bringing in Mark Hughes as their third manager of the season shortly after.
The former Blackburn Rovers and Bradford City boss is still waiting for his first win since taking charge, although has managed two draws in his last two outings. However, they have scored just once in his four games in charge, that coming in the 2-1 defeat against Grimsby Town.
Hughes Lays Down The Law To Squad
Carlisle were by far and away the busiest team in the EFL during the recent transfer window. As a result, Hughes has inherited a larger than normal squad. Speaking ahead of tonight’s fixture against Barrow, the 61-year-old revealed that tough conversations have had to take place:
“Yes, it is the case that I’ll upset players. Some players will feel that they haven’t had the opportunities that they feel they deserve.
“Obviously, some players will feel when a change of management comes in, they have a better chance of playing. If they don’t get those opportunities, then they can get upset.
“I said at the outset when I first came into the building that yes, there’s a lot of change, but we can’t have any negativity.
“If you’re not part of one game, then you may well be part of the next game. So, you have to be really positive.
“If there was any negativity or if anybody was displaying that, then I’d just have to park them. They were told that.
“It’s just that I can’t have that anywhere around the team because it’s too important for the group. So, they understand that and they’ve been good in that regard.”
Writer’s View
It says something about how tight it is at the bottom of League Two that Carlisle are still within touching distance of those just above the relegation zone. A win tonight would see them move level on points with 23rd-placed Morecambe and just two points behind Tranmere Rovers in 22nd. Barrow are a team who are also in poor form but it’s getting to the stage where draws aren’t good enough. Mark Hughes needs to start grinding out wins before it is too late. It appears as if he isn’t willing to pull any punches in the dressing room in order to secure that.
