Why Paul Simpson's short-term Carlisle United philosophy is all we need right now

We’re ace at this, aren’t we? Leaping headlong into the future, imagining that because something is good now we immediately have to make it last as long as possible.

The here and now is never enough. Tomorrow is better. Tomorrow is where it’s at.

We’re conditioned to think this way, not just in football but in life. In this space seven days ago, it was not sufficient that Carlisle United had just dispensed with a clearly unpopular director of football and moved towards happier times with Paul Simpson as manager.

We couldn’t stop ourselves, less than two weeks on, from asking the currently unanswerable: about whether the Blues would ever revisit the DoF position again, and how.

Now, it’s certainly a topic worth exploring in its own time. There should be no restrictions on when we can debate such matters. The column prompted some thoughtful responses from United fans, one of which – a suggestion that Simpson might be a future DoF to mentor a younger manager like Michael Bridges – received a Twitter ‘like’ from Carlisle’s chief executive, Nigel Clibbens.

This moment right now, though, is clearly not the time for conclusions on that particular subject. Didn’t stop muggins here going off on one about it though, did it?

There are obviously many times when forward-thinking, future-gazing, even a little canny speculation, are not just desirable but needed. Equally, there are stages when it’s wise not to look beyond the end of our noses.

Simpson told a fans' forum last week why his managerial philosophy boiled down to "bloody win" (photo: Barbara Abbott)

At Brunton Park we are in exactly such a situation and given what’s going on at present we would be wise to take our counsel from the man all this is about, their Mr Right Now.

Simpson will not hear any talk of the long term. He was asked about it at last week’s fans’ forum and, decently and politely, shut it right down. He did the same when it was put to him at his latest press conference.

This, he stressed, remains a 15-game job. It started the other Wednesday, when Keith Millen and David Holdsworth departed and Simmo arrived, and finishes in early May at Bradford City.

Will Simpson still be here after that? Will be fancy the job if he pulls off this survival attempt? Would he be willing to lead the recovery if the worst was to happen?

We don’t know, we can’t know and, as much as we’d dearly like to, we don’t need to know. There are times when the short term needs to be left as the sole focus of minds, and there are other ways we can take heed of Simpson on this too.

At the same CUSG forum, last Thursday night, United’s manager was asked about his managerial philosophy. It was a good question, designed to tap into his bank of experience. Duly it did.

Simpson, right, said his experience at Preston had helped to shape his outlook on management (photo: PA)

Simpson spoke about his various jobs and the circumstances involved. In particular he reflected on his time at Preston North End, where, he said, he had given thoughtful attention to various departments of the club.

A few years later, he noted that some players from the academy he had helped to foster were now making headway in the Preston first team. The only snag was that Simpson, by then, had long been sacked.

This crystallised a certain something in the Cumbrian. No matter how many concepts you arrive with, no matter all the holistic growth you’d like to influence across a club, and no matter how creatively you’d like to reshape all manner of things, it counts for very little unless the top priority is success on Saturday at 3pm.

Simpson, after answering the question for three or four minutes, eventually came to his conclusion. What was his philosophy, all this considered? “Bloody win.”

Nothing could be more vital to Carlisle United right now. The Blues could have the best fan engagement, the sturdiest pies and the best social media activity in the National League if they don’t get the up-front stuff right from March to May.

If there have been failings of philosophy, vision and the other stuff – these can certainly be pinned on others higher up the chain over recent years – Carlisle do not, here in this spring, need a manager who is already thinking about 2022/23 and all the changes he could make if he was left at the controls for as long as he wanted.

Amid the current positivity, directors must still focus on making United the best possible environment for a manager for the longer term - meaning "succession" still has to remain a priority (photo: Richard Parkes)

As long as many of us, let’s be honest, would also want. The campaign for Simmo 2.0 to be extended far into the sunset is on one obvious level perfectly logical. The Blues appear to have hit upon something very good here. Simpson has lifted and enhanced a great deal in short time.

It also very much falls to those at the top of the club to make Carlisle United a more attractive environment for any manager beyond that trip to Bradford on May 7.

That wider work concerning "succession" must continue, however positive things feel right now. Yet for everyone else, nothing more is attainable than the present situation.

At some stage, we and he will need to know much more. One-fifth of the way through a job of finite prospects is not, though, that stage.

So let’s, for the moment, cool the statue talk and the freedom of Carlisle chat and the where-do-you-want-your-bronze-bust-Simmo conversations, tempting as they are. Let’s not be Rio Ferdinand, immediately demanding Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be allowed to write his own terms.

Let’s fight with all we’ve got against one of the most powerful instincts we have. Let’s listen long and hard to Simpson and, from here to May, reduce most of Carlisle United’s farsighted thoughts and our own impatient urges to two little words, week after week, until the Blues are safe. Bloody win.