Carlisle United boss reacts to Piataks' takeover and budget

The Blues manager today spoke of his excitement at the new era at Brunton Park under the American family.

Simpson also paid tribute to Carlisle’s outgoing owners as he prepares for the first game under the new regime.

The Piataks have pledged to invest in United on and off the pitch with Simpson also saying he is now clear on how he will be boosted by a “step-change” January transfer window budget.

“It’s been a crazy few weeks and months but the big news is that it’s all been completed,” said Simpson.

“We’ve had some conversations about what the future looks like, or what we all hope it looks like, and I’ve got to say, it looks really good.

“Last Friday I was told it was going to be completed then, I had Zoom calls on Friday night, Saturday, text messages Sunday, then it was going to be Monday night, then Tuesday at 8pm, then it didn’t happen, so you start thinking, ‘What’s going on here…?’

“There are lots of things that have been put on hold waiting to action and get it all started. So I’m absolutely delighted it’s finally completed.

“I know the family are delighted as well, they are really chuffed and can’t wait to get over here and get started.

“There’s been a lot of work that’s gone on in the background, particularly with the directors and the Piataks agreeing everything, getting it finalised.

“I think the real work starts now. It’s about getting some results to keep us moving forward.”

Simpson wanted to put on record his appreciation for United’s outgoing owners Andrew Jenkins, John Nixon and Steven Pattison, saying they have been “magnificent for the club” and also that they deserve credit for the way they have handed the club over.

“Like all owners do, they’ve come in for stick at times but they’ve been so loyal and dedicated, and such massive supporters of Carlisle United Football Club,” he added.

“I’m not sure what Carlisle United would have looked like without that board of directors.”

Simpson, though, also spoke of his enthusiasm for the vision the Piataks have set out.

The Piatak family have taken control of the Blues (Image: Barbara Abbott)

He also said the Florida family have already been busy in having a host of items delivered to Brunton Park aimed at improving the look and feel of the ground.

“They’ve put canopies over the top of the fan zone for the supporters – they’ve looked at it and said ‘Why should they be getting wet if it’s raining?’ Which it often does in Carlisle. That’s the first visual you’ll see,” said the manager.

“We’ve had lots of conversations. Amazon and DPD and whoever else have been regular visitors here over the last week or ten days delivering so many different things – they’re all in boxes, there are big screens going in, all sorts of stuff going in place to make it a better experience.

“They want to brighten everywhere up, freshen the whole place up. There are long term plans to improve the changing rooms, the plan is to try and get a training facility…

“I think there will be lots of visible differences hopefully by the Northampton game [United’s next home fixture after this weekend]. But it’s about making a visible difference on the pitch as well.”

Simpson said the Piataks’ vision for United is aligned with his own – but that it was also grounded.

“I think from the conversations we’ve had they’re aligned, but also realistic,” he said.

“We’re not talking about being in the Premier League in 18 months’ time. They’re realistic about what they think – they know we need to build the football club. They know a lot of things need to happen and that we need to make better.”

United's fan zone is being upgraded with covers ahead of this weekend's game - the first under the new owners - while more changes to Brunton Park are on the way, Paul Simpson says (Image: News & Star)

Asked if the “step-change budget” – a phrase used by Tom Piatak snr in recent months – was now clear as he plans for January, Simpson said: “Yes, it is.

“I know what we’ve got to work with. It’s a good step change.

“It’s not going to put us as the highest spenders in the league, we have to be realistic about it, but it’s going to give us another bit of a fighting chance.

“I will say in the summer after the play-off final it was a case of, ‘Jesus, we need to sit and talk about budget for League One’, and [the previous owners] found more money for me.

“In the conversations we had, they said, ‘Let’s not put a number on it’, but that’s not how I work. I need to know what the numbers are on it.

“I’m not prepared to go and blow hundreds of thousands that we don’t have available and then in a couple of years’ time everybody’s throwing stones at me because I’ve skint the football club.

“We managed to come up with a budget, which was a bit more than we had last year, and it helped – but this [takeover] is now going to give us another opportunity, and instead of probably being in the bottom six [in League One] I would have thought, budget-wise, this will maybe take us a little bit higher up there and give us the opportunity to look at a different pool of players.

“Hopefully we can spend it wisely and get the right people in.”