Inside Brunton Park with Jon Colman

Don’t round on Greg Abbott over absent applause

Greg Abbott photo Turning and applauding your travelling supporters should be a switch that flicks on in the brain when you hear the last toot of the ref’s whistle.

Last updated 15 January 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

Good to see Neil McDonald looking to break out alone

In the mind’s eye of the average Carlisle United fan Neil McDonald risked becoming another Mervyn Day: mysteriously dismissed after a single season, before settling into a less volatile life as a managerial support act.

Last updated 8 January 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

Confusion to blame for Carlisle Utd penalty-kick mix-up

Insubordination hasn’t been a frequent feature of Peter Murphy’s Carlisle United story, so it was worth waiting for the defender’s explanation for what happened during Monday’s defeat at Tranmere before charging to judgement.

Last updated 8 January 2011
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A Xmas turkey?

Three relaxing weeks in Australia haven’t been enough to make the following fixture appear any less insane: Carlisle United v Exeter City, Tuesday, December 28.

Last updated 18 December 2010
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Be careful what you wish for

It should be called The Curbishley Principle: that deceptive time when a long-serving manager toddles off into the sunset and supporters sit back for another golden dawn, only to find that their fun has just disappeared over the horizon with its pants on fire.

Last updated 18 December 2010
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Otherwise engaged

WHICH is more irritating: hearing an endless engaged tone at the end of a phoneline, or learning precisely why the bloke at the other end had better things to do than take your call?

Last updated 30 October 2010
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Always the good guys

IF only there was some sort of karma scale in football, where the game’s least appealing characters would be more susceptible to misfortune than others.

Last updated 30 October 2010
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Carlisle United transform £1m loss into profit

CARLISLE United’s financial recovery will today be confirmed when the club announce they turned a profit in the last financial year – just 12 months after posting a massive £1.21 million loss.

Last updated 29 October 2010
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Why Carlisle Utd should always be up for the Cumberland Cup

The best noise of the week wasn’t the scrape of Mike Grella’s pen nib across a loan contract, but the sound of Carlisle United reconnecting with a competition which is more important than they might ever know.

Last updated 16 October 2010
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Nixon's tribute to Harrison is more than fitting

Neil Nixon’s two-page tribute to his fellow author, Paul Harrison, was the best read inside the latest copy of Hit the Bar, United’s London Branch supporters’ monthly publication.

Last updated 16 October 2010
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Does Ian Goodison really deserve his gong?

This column is happy to salute doughty pros like Ian Goodison, the veteran Tranmere Rovers defender who could give a lesson in durability to so many younger hopefuls.

Last updated 16 October 2010
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Tony Kane: Resolutely chipper in the face of unpromising odds

Tony Kane photo It’s tempting but wrong to describe Tony Kane as an escapee from the sitcom Extras. Wrong, because the eternal Carlisle United substitute’s situation is entirely without comedy. (2 comments)

Last updated 9 October 2010
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Watson, I smell the whiff of an agent...

Francois Zoko photo A line from Sherlock Holmes is useful when trying to fathom how Francois Zoko’s name came to appear in one of our national prints alongside some Premier League and Championship clubs.

Last updated 2 October 2010
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Can Gary Madine heed a lesson like Les?

Gary Madine photo Les O’Neill got so far through his Who’s Who of professional role models for Gary Madine that he skipped one obvious entry: himself.

Last updated 2 October 2010
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Why it should be a bench too far for Murphy

mbmurphy1 Dilemma (n): a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. Carlisle United supporters can wrap that dictionary definition right around the emotional conflict they are currently suffering over the fate of a benched hero.

Last updated 25 September 2010
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Refs not the only ones who should face music

Please excuse this column for its reluctance to sign up to Greg Abbott’s campaign to persuade referees to front up to notebooks and microphones in the wake of a contentious decision.

Last updated 25 September 2010
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Anyone for baiting?

ANYONE who presumed the end of the cricket season also brought down the curtain on another summer of sledging reckoned without Paul Nixon, who at 39 remains the sport’s badger-in-chief.

Last updated 25 September 2010
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Why Gus and Greg’s Paint Pot row should really be all the rage

mikeabbo The Plain English Campaign, a hawk-eyed group that exposes gobbledegook in public life, won’t have found much to engage their red biros in Carlisle and Brighton lately.

Last updated 18 September 2010
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Carlisle Utd boss left singing the Blues

A new gift to headline writers: during a Victor Meldrew rant against the tuneless R&B emanating from United’s dressing room, Greg Abbott this week revealed his own musical preferences.

Last updated 18 September 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

Why Billy Barr no longer deserves the cold shoulder

Billy Barr photo At some stage after 2pm today we will learn whether Billy Barr is no longer out there at the cold frontier of Carlisle United fans’ affections, or whether he is going to be stuck in Siberia for good, exiled because of 10 clumsy words that he would dearly love to winch back into his mouth.