Carlisle United's new director of football David Holdsworth says he is helping the Blues "pick up the pieces" of its previous spending in a bid to make the club less "vulnerable" in the long-term.

Holdsworth admitted United are facing a "demanding" year of transition as they try to establish a different structure at Brunton Park.

The 49-year-old made the remarks to a gathering of United's sponsors and business colleagues as he spoke about his new role with the Blues.

The former Watford, Birmingham and Gretna player and ex-Mansfield, Lincoln, Ilkeston and Goole manager - understood to have connections to United's financial backers Edinburgh Woollen Mill and their billionaire boss Philip Day - made no secret of the fact he has been brought in to oversee a change of financial approach.

Asked to describe his targets, Holdsworth said: "Being brutally honest, it is to have a structured club, right from the bottom upwards.

"Right now we are dealing with a legacy. We have one more year in terms of contracts that, I would say, will change - that will be my policy and certainly the club's policy.

"Dealing with that part is difficult when the club, in the last two or three years, have had a great go at it, and it hasn't worked out. Unfortunately you have to pick those pieces up.

"We have to be pragmatic and clinical in terms of the decision-making. We want to make sure that this is a successful club but also a club that's not in trouble - a club that shouldn't be putting itself in a position of frailty."

Holdsworth's comments were a thinly-veiled reference to the deals handed out during some of previous manager Keith Curle's tenure, suggesting some of United's spending in that period stretched the club's finances considerably.

The director of football, who reports to the club's Holdings board that comprises United's owners along with EWM's group financial controller John Jackson, also spoke of the financial limitations new manager John Sheridan faced upon appointment.

"John inherited about 65 per cent of his budget [already] taken up on contracts," Holdsworth said.

"It's not for me to say whether they are good enough - all of you will have your own opinions there. All I'm dealing with is the structure going forward, and how relevant it is to what the club has in terms of its budget."

Holdsworth told the meeting of the Blues' relaunched business club, United for Business, that he had initially been approached by the club to assist with the appointment of their new manager.

That had since evolved into his wider and, since early August, official role.

"I have overseen all the contracts that have gone through," he said. "We've got to be careful with what we give out.

"When clubs at certain levels give out contracts that are somewhat outbalancing the quality of the player, you don't get what you pay for.

"Unfortunately...that has been the case. There is no hiding place there. We want value for money.

"We've got to have a DNA in this football club that says if you're going onto that field, you have to have an identity.

"John [Sheridan] picks the players - I don't get involved in that whatsoever - but there won't be a player that comes through the door and rips us off.

"It's a transition, a tough time, and the next year is demanding, but I've had to deal with tough times before."

Holdsworth also spoke of the importance of United nurturing its youth players to provide more home-grown talent for the first-team.

He added that Sheridan, who replaced Curle in June, was the outstanding candidate for the job.

"I was delighted when I got the phonecall [from the board] asking if I could come and help," Holdsworth said.

"We sat down and I asked what they were looking for, and what type of situation they were in. John stood out, in terms of the profile of what we needed at the time, because it was rather late in appointing a manager.

"He stood out with his experience, and as a winner. There were a few good young managers out there who could do well, if they get the backing, but with John it was a case of getting someone who knows the division, knows the players and can deal with expectations."

Holdsworth also made an appeal to businesses to support United as much as possible and that he would be prepared to meet anyone in a bid to "embrace" the community.

"Over the years I'm sure there have been fractures here and there - that's irrelevant to me but I will deal with it," he added.

Holdsworth also said United would not be signing any more loan players, having already brought in five, which is the maximum Sheridan can include in a matchday squad. He did not rule out looking at free agents.

The director of football has yet to give any media interviews but said he wanted to speak to the press soon. No mention was made in the business club meeting of his connections to EWM, which were referred to by fans' group CUOSC at their recent AGM and acknowledged by chief executive Nigel Clibbens in a recent press conference.

On United's potential, Holdsworth - who lived in Carlisle during his spell at Gretna under the late Brooks Mileson - added: "It's a great city, which has good people in it, and we've got to bring people together - that's what I think the whole club has to look at.

"We can get 6-7,000 people in here, without a doubt, maybe more. But we've got to start again. Sometimes change has to happen. It is a full-on job at the moment but we will work our socks off to achieve it."