Carlisle United's January transfer window: the merits of calm planning

Unsurprisingly, Carlisle United under Paul Simpson conducted themselves for a second consecutive window in a manner you would associate with the man himself: methodical, planned, proactive, unrushed.

It might have meant deadline day itself was something of a tumbleweed affair at Brunton Park (until the highly eventful undressing of Barrow, that is). Those jabbing at their phones, refreshing Twitter, scouring live blogs or having Sky Sports News on an incessant loop won’t have had much fun where the Blues were concerned during the morning and afternoon. 

Anyone, though, invested in the idea of United making long-term progress - in getting things right rather than producing a single-day sugar rush - would have been perfectly comfortable with that. 

This was another window where Carlisle, rather than chasing emergency business, plugged a couple of necessary holes and did some calculated strengthening. It was about supporting rather than totally revamping a team and a season. 

Yes, a desperate splurge can sometimes pay off. You can't dismiss a trolley-dash entirely bearing in mind the ludicrous, repeated lunging of last January’s final minutes managed to leave United with Kristian Dennis. 

READ MORE: Transfer deadline day - as it happened

It’s not, though, the way to plan. Carlisle survived in League Two after that surreal wave of 11th-hour recruitment, but only because of a later emergency measure: the appointment of Simpson in February. 

Since then we have seen the evidence of the man getting crucially to work. Upon his hiring, one of the first things he noticed was the lack of a credible recruitment set-up at Brunton Park. 

The forehead involuntarily meets the table at the very thought of that. What, you have to ask once more, were the Blues playing at? 

No need, though, to go over bitter old ground. Better to cast the eye over how Simpson, with some definite and determined steps, has swiftly sorted it. 

Greg Abbott's appointment as head of recruitment was a significant move (Image: Richard Parkes)

The appointment of Greg Abbott as head of recruitment came a few breaths after the final game of last season. That’s how sharply United needed to work in order to fill a significant void. 

It would, Simpson, said, take several windows for him to get them in a fully appropriate condition. Yet the first two have been excellent, surely better than imagined, hallmarked by a lack of haste and lots of evident preparation. 

The summer, followed by Carlisle’s fine form since, meant they could go through this January in a highly selective manner. The first couple of signings, Jack Robinson and Alfie McCalmont, were made to restock areas of the squad deprived of cover by the departure of two earlier loanees (Duncan Idehen and Sonny Hilton).

It will take time before we know to what extent those two signings are upgrades. What’s most important at this stage is knowing Carlisle were ready to move. McCalmont, given his background, would surely have tickled the fancy of others in League Two had United not made their swift and convincing approach. 

John-Kymani Gordon, the third incomer, has been an instant hit: another reward for targeted scouting, effective knowledge of the under-21 scene and the ability of Simpson and Abbott to sell an opportunity. 

The Blues have not yet been given cause to regret the loss of Jack Stretton to a Stockport County whose financial muscle is greater than United’s. Stretton should not be dismissed as a forgettable option; though his goals tally never took off, and injuries were a regular bedfellow, there were still good reasons why Simpson wanted to keep him. 

The best you can do, though, in those circumstances, is demonstrate the true strength of your recruitment capabilities. Gordon has undeniably added something new and vibrant to Simpson’s squad. 

He, and the inevitably popular re-signing of Joe Garner, leave Carlisle’s attack much more tooled-up than it was going into the new year. Stretton’s injuries and subsequent exit, plus Ryan Edmondson’s dislocated shoulder and Omari Patrick’s gradual return, left a promotion challenge initially a frontline matter without appropriate back-up.

Jack Stretton left United in January - but Simpson has since bolstered his attack well (Image: Richard Parkes)

There was no great fear in this, though, given the faith supporters and club had in the manager and his set-up. ‘In Simmo We Trust’ is both a slogan written on banners, and probably the best in-house motto for Carlisle United 2022-23.

The same applied when the manager was making certain challenging decisions last summer – releasing Mark Howard, for instance – yet nobody has jumped off the bus since, to use a Keith Curle phrase. Plenty more have, in fact, hopped on.

Carlisle, unlike previous seasons, have not hinged all their hopes on loanees. They suffered one late loss of a promising youth player (Ryan Carr, whose regrettable move to Ipswich Town was another reminder of how the Elite Player Performance Plan leaves clubs like Carlisle largely powerless in the face of such attention) yet also – and praise be for this – got this far without losing any of the individuals who have made their rise possible.

READ MORE: Carlisle United teenager's move to Ipswich Town on deadline day

What the summer will bring for the precocious development of Owen Moxon may be another matter. Where the energetic potential of Jon Mellish will go, the same. Whether others will catch eyes – Jack Armer’s consistency and durability could certainly tick a few scouting boxes, you'd think – is a question United, somewhere down the road, will probably have to accept and address.

The immediate term, though, is reassuring. It is already 180 degrees from that winter day in 2021 when you just knew the Blues were hurling a few last-ditch ideas at the wall and hoping something, anything, anyone would stick. 

The much more careful work since then is among the many reasons why you hire a man like Simpson. You get his signature on a contract, then give him the tools and let him work. As such, Carlisle enter the last three-and-a-bit months of this tantalising season in steady, confident and, all in all, enhanced shape. 

The outcome, as ever, will depend on all manner of variables from here. But through good and detailed plotting, they have built an opportunity. Given the starting point, it's hard to ask for much more.