Last updated at 12:19, Wednesday, 09 December 2009

When Paul Jewell walked through the Brunton Park car park after watching Carlisle United’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, he was stopped by fans demanding to know if he was set to become the Cumbrians’ next manager.

Greg Abbott

To disgruntled United supporters, the out-of-work former Wigan Athletic and Derby County boss was precisely the experienced, so-called big-name they were craving as manager.

But Jewell wasn’t there to check out his new workplace; he was there simply to support his old pal and former Bradford City team-mate Greg Abbott and one of his former Wigan players Graham Kavanagh, who were struggling to win over the terrace boo-boys.

For the Sky Sports pundit, it brought back memories of his own battle for popularity at Bradford City when he was struggling to make his mark in management.

“Carlisle fans were asking me if I was getting the job, but the only reason I was there was to support Greg and Kav,” said Jewell.

“For 91 minutes everyone was happy and Greg was a hero, and then with seconds to go they conceded a goal from a free-kick when it wasn’t even a foul in the first place.

“I was very impressed with what I saw from Carlisle that day. I know how angry and upset I would have been by how it ended but, even though Greg was very disappointed, he was very philosophical and took it on the chin. I was impressed by the way he handled it.

“When I was leaving and the fans were asking if I was taking over, I thought to myself ‘But they have a perfectly good manager’.

“When a manager leaves, fans always want him replaced by a big name.

“It was just like when I first got the job at Bradford, there were people who stayed away – deliberately – saying ‘What does he know?’.

“Two years later, we were in the Premier League. It’s all very well getting someone with a proven track record but the problem in England is that we don’t give new, young managers a chance to succeed.

“Then if it doesn’t work out immediately and fans don’t get instant success, the chairman gives in to them and the manager is down the road.

“Luckily, Carlisle have stuck by Greg – and he will hopefully repay that faith.”

This week marks Abbott’s first year at the helm at Carlisle after stepping up from assistant manager to John Ward, who was sacked after paying the price for a run of nine defeats in 10 league games.

Abbott’s first anniversary coincides with clear signs that he is at long last starting to win over doubting fans after guiding the Blues into the top half of League One, into the FA Cup third round where they will face Everton and into the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy northern semi-finals, following an eye-catching run of seven wins in the last 12 league and cup games.

Most of his 12 months in charge have been spent firefighting, creating a more competitive and hungrier squad on a dramatically reduced budget and keeping his players’ minds off turmoil behind the scenes with the shock departure of chief executive David Allen.

During that time, he has faced terrace catcalls and constant demands for his head on fans’ phone-ins and message boards, while his position looked less secure than ever when United slipped to 19th in League One after a terrible performance during the 1-0 defeat at home to Swindon last month.

Since that crisis point, they have racked three wins for the first time under Abbott’s rule with victories over MK Dons, Norwich City and Hartlepool United, and extended their unbeaten run to four games with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Gillingham on Saturday.

And the straight-talking Jewell believes the United board were right to resist calls to sack Abbott, his No2 Dennis Booth and first-team coach Kavanagh, and is convinced the trio will bring success to Brunton Park.

Jewell said: “I think the board at Carlisle realise they have a good man at the helm and want to stay with him.

“There are a lot of bluff merchants in football, but Greg isn’t one of them.

“He’s very enthusiastic and a good coach and a real football person. Football needs people like him – straight, honest and no bull.

“Him and Kav are winners and I know they are both fantastic guys. They’re old-fashioned football people with modern ideas.

“I played with Greg and he is so competitive, he would kick his grandma to win a game of football.

“Carlisle had a very good result against Norwich and they were excellent against Leeds.

“We’ve seen clubs go from A to B very quickly and then crash, but if you can have patience and a sense of realism then that can reap the rewards.

“Greg will do well but there are no quick fixes in football. If you look at successful clubs, the managers are the ones who have been there the longest. At clubs like Carlisle, it is very difficult to keep on producing miracles. People want success yesterday and you need that little bit of good fortune.

“I know from my time at Derby County, you need good people around you when you have bad times and you need confidence in your own ability. The manager at Carlisle has held his confidence through tough times and proved he’s very determined.

“The only way to win fans over is with results, but Greg won’t get carried away by the success they are now enjoying.

“The chairman at Carlisle deserves a lot of credit because he has clearly seen something in Greg, who is a very good coach, very enthusiastic and very hard working. What supporters will get from Greg and Kav is honesty and commitment, and that goes a long way in football.”

ALittle@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:24, Wednesday, 09 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk