You may have read elsewhere online that Keith Millen has asked Carlisle United’s supporters for ideas on which free agents he could sign.

Social media, naturally, lapped up the headline. That obnoxious laughing emoji got a right old airing.

Look at the silly Carlisle manager: no ideas of his own, so he has to beg the punters for clues. What a shambles. Share, share, share.

It is said that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has got its boots on. The same can be said about an unfairly promoted throwaway comment that Facebook gets its hands on.

Anyone who was actually in the post-match press conference on Tuesday when Millen said those words will know the true context in which they came.

“If anyone’s got any names, then let me know…” was said with a smile, at the end of a longer, more serious answer on the free agent market and the Blues’ attempts to explore it.

It was not a headline remark. It was a semi-exasperated quip, implying: ‘We’re looking everywhere, turning over every stone we can find. If you know better, go nuts.’

Now, whether Carlisle and Millen can find the necessary signings and the necessary help is something we will be able to judge over time.

The need is plainly urgent. If not free agents, then January arrivals are essential.

However we judge the new Blues manager, though, he at least deserves the decency of a fair and accurate hearing – not the casual, rather disrespectful impression he’s a doofus.