Carlisle United boss on Luke Armstrong, criticism and advice

The record January signing has one strike from six appearances since his move from Harrogate Town.

Armstrong has often been starved of chances despite some hard-working displays at the front of United’s attack.

Manager Simpson says the Blues must be more adventurous in the final third – and produce better quality to serve the frontman.

“I think we’ve adjusted the shape a bit recently to be more attack-minded,” said Simpson, whose side take on Cambridge United at Brunton Park tomorrow.

“Our wide players who played recently, Jack Diamond, Jordan Gibson, they are capable of creating chances.

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“I expect our full-backs or wing-backs to be creating things. If I look over the season, on our left side I think we’ve got three goals or assists between [those players], and our right side it’s zero goals or assists.

“We are really lacking in creativity in those areas, and when you’re relying on that you need a bit more.

“We’ve got to find a way of getting these players into better areas and producing better quality to create those chances.

Armstrong has one goal for United to his name so far, at Barnsley last month (Image: Richard Parkes)

“Last weekend Luke Armstrong had what I’d put down as a half-chance at the near post in the first half. Apart from that he’s hardly getting anything at all.

“This is a guy who we know can score goals, and we’ve just got to create opportunities for him.

“It’s not just about that either, it’s about set-plays. We’ve got to get deliveries right from set-plays. They are opportunities where you’re unopposed for delivering that ball in and we’re not able to execute that properly.

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“We have to get that better, the runs have to be a bit more determined to go and score.

“It’s all those things that you have to improve on that I’m quite sure every manager or coach who’s at the bottom of the table are all saying the same things.

Luke Armstrong was denied at the near post against Portsmouth last weekend (Image: Ben Holmes)

“That’s what happens [in this position] – players become tense and are not able to deliver it, and instead of having a desire to go and score they have a fear of missing.

“We’ve got to rid ourselves of that.”

'Direct' criticism

Some critical fans have accused Carlisle of being too direct during their struggling form of late.

Simpson said he was not aware of that criticism but suggested United needed to be “braver” on the ball rather than overhaul their style.

“I wasn’t aware of it [the criticism] to be perfectly honest with you,” he said.

“The style of play until the last few weeks…we prepared the same and went about it the same way as we did last season to get promotion.

Luke Armstrong in aerial battle for Carlisle at Orient (Image: Richard Parkes)

“But it’s been really clear this year that opposition teams are better than us at keeping the ball.

“We tried to get them to be braver in keeping the ball at Orient, and it didn’t work. We tried to get them to be braver in keeping the ball at home to Portsmouth and it worked for periods of the game – even at the end when we were 1-0 down we were patient and tried to keep the ball and pass the ball.

“When you’re winning games of football people deal with whatever’s coming. When you’re losing, everybody looks at it.

“I had something thrown at me the other week at the Kendal fans’ forum – somebody stood up and said, ‘Do you not pay any attention to the nutrition at the football club?’, because this particular person saw a group of players after a game stopping at Tescos getting crisps and whatever else it was.

“Those same players were doing that last season as well, but because we were winning, it’s ok to do it there, but when you’re losing it’s not ok.

“We have to take every criticism people throw at us – because we’re losing games, everybody scrutinises everything you do.

Dennis Booth, who was Simpson's assistant in his first Carlisle spell from 2003 to 2006 (Image: Louise Porter)

“I always remember [my former assistant manager] Dennis Booth when I was here first time around…Boothy used to say, ‘If you win on Saturday, you could have played tiddlywinks all week and nobody gives a monkeys’.

“But because we lose everything gets scrutinised.

“I’ve made mistakes this year, I absolutely hold my hands up. I didn’t think they were mistakes before the game but with hindsight when I’ve reviewed, yes, I’ve made mistakes but I’m still trying to improve, trying to learn all the time and hopefully I’ll be better for this horrible experience we’re going through at the moment.”