Carlisle United owner: Budget will be high enough for success

The Blues’ owner and chairman says Paul Simpson will be armed with a “League One budget” to bounce back from relegation.

And Piatak says at least a play-off finish is the target for 2024/25 when United return to the fourth tier.

Simpson at the weekend said he anticipated Carlisle’s spending power would be in “mid-table” of League Two.

Piatak, though, was more emphatic in his claim that United would have enough to be at the top end of the division.

'HIGHEST RESOURCES BY FAR'

After saying, "I don’t think anybody knows what a middle League Two budget looks like right now," he told the News & Star: "The football operations will have sufficient financial resources – the highest they’ve ever had by far.

“[In February I was asked] if we were preparing a League One and League Two budget [depending on what division we would be in for 2024/25].

“I said, ‘No, we’re preparing a League One budget’. Our budget hasn’t changed from that League One budget.

“I believe the football operations will have all the financial resources to ensure success next year. And success is top six…in the play-offs, or automatic promotion, is where we’re targeting.

“That’s our ambitions, goals, objectives. The resources, financially, are there to achieve that – no ifs, ands or buts about that.”

Piatak has reaffirmed the regime’s faith in Simpson to oversee the necessary improvements over the summer, when some significant work in the transfer window is expected.

• LISTEN: Tom Piatak on relegation, budgets, Simmo, recruitment and more

He said that, despite Carlisle’s season falling below expectations, there was not enough to persuade the owners to make a change.

The American businessman says the team’s performance “has to improve next year” and says he expects the football staff to follow the “process” that will lead to an improved recruitment set-up.

Piatak did, though, insist that United’s January signings were of the right calibre, despite results worsening since the winter window, and he believes that they can grow with more significant additions this summer.

POST-JANUARY WINDOW STRUGGLES

Asked how concerning it was that results had got worse despite the mid-season outlay, he said: “Obviously it’s very disappointing. It’s not what was expected.

“But when I sit there and watch the players, and watch the performance, I see individual players shining, I see their efforts, I see the leadership coming through. I’m pleased with the signings we had in January – I know not everybody’s going to agree with me on that.

“That it didn’t come together as well [as we had hoped]…we can take responsibility for that, that was under our watch.

United's results worsened despite a significant outlay in January on players such as Luke Armstrong (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“We all know the January transfer window was a very difficult window in trying to bring those folks together, under a very trying situation where we’re already last in the league, which is difficult, and trying to change the mentality and what’s occurring in the locker room, and what’s out on the pitch.

“It didn’t happen, I cannot put my finger on exactly what it is, but I look at the individuals we brought in…they’re all solid individuals, and we just need to round out the team with some additional resources and then we’ve got to change that to a winning mentality, a winning culture and get going again next year.

“When you look, [for example] at Luke [Armstrong] up front, he’s worked his ass off every match up there. We’re not feeding him anything…there are certain holes we weren’t able to fill in January, we needed to be just couldn’t do it because it’s a tough window and that hurt us.

“I’m making no excuses, I’m not pleased with the performance, and it has to and will change in the summer.”

Piatak told the News & Star in February that there were internal targets at the club for the rest of the season. He says those targets have been missed.

TARGETS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Asked what accountability would follow such an outcome, he said: “Yes, there were targets. Yes, they were internal targets. Yes, they were not met. But that doesn’t mean there’s not reason and rationale behind that.

“I’m not pleased that they were not met, I don’t want to sugar coat it and say ten points in the second half [of the season] was success, because it wasn’t.

“But when you look at all the issues we were facing at the club, I think there was enough so you can say we didn’t hit the target, but I see some bright aspects and I think we can get things moving in the right direction.

“When I look at the football management, and ultimately they’re responsible for performance on the pitch, I don’t think we could have had others in here that could have done better.

“It was a bad situation. I can’t put the finger on why after January we did not make steps in the right direction, because I expected us to and I think we should have. But it wasn’t enough to warrant any type of a change.”

Some fans have called for a change of manager while others remain supportive of Simpson.

BACKING FOR SIMPSON - AND RECRUITMENT

The owners are continuing to back the Cumbrian, and Piatak added: “Yes, we’re very confident in Paul.

“Am I pleased with how [the season overall] was managed…no. We did not get the results we wanted, we should have had a better performance, I believe we should have had more than ten points in the second half. I think if you asked Paul, ‘Are you pleased with that?’ he’d say no.

Paul Simpson (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“But I do believe he is the right person to move this club forward, and he has all the characteristics and qualities that we’d be looking for in a manager. Now it’s a case of saying, ‘Paul, here’s the resources, it’s a fresh start, a reset, let’s get going’ and I think we will be fine next year.”

Asked if, given United’s failure in League One, the Piataks felt any changes were needed in the overseeing of the football department, United’s owner said: “That’s a tricky one. Change of management can be difficult. Especially with the history of the English Football League, it’s not as simple as some businesses you could say in the United States.

“But we are pushing and trying to push people to step outside their comfort zone, to embrace some new challenges, new directions, new ideas.

“That needs to happen. We’re seeing it. Sometimes we may have to push a little bit harder to get it there but we are seeing that. A lot of times you get, ‘Well, this is how we’ve done it’. But things are changing a little bit, people are embracing the change, but I’m not going to say it’s easy.

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“To get to that point you have to start seeing some results, then people start buying into it. Unfortunately we haven’t had that yet. It’s going to start this summer with the recruiting process.

“We’re actively involved in the process. We’re not going to be the ones selecting the players but we’re going to make sure the process is followed and the team is stepping out of their comfort zone, and looking for individuals that in the past they may not have looked for.”

Asked if they have faith in the club’s existing personnel to adapt and bring success in that area, Piatak said: “Specifically if we’re looking at the recruitment aspect, Paul oversees that, and we’ve spoken with him on that.

“We believe yes, with following the process, we have the team that can execute it.

“Time will tell, but if for any second we didn’t feel we had that, a change would be made right now. Here’s the process, please follow it, execute it, let’s make sure we’re having good and open discussions on every player we’re looking at.

“They are embracing it. Time will tell. It has to. The performance next year has to improve, there are no ifs, ands or buts about that.”

Asked how United can mitigate against the risk of a losing culture remaining next season, leading to further struggles back in League Two, and the owner said: “We’re changing a lot. Look at the football operations, there’s going to be significant changes on that squad next year.

“We have 18 players under contract…that’s not to say all 18 are going to be here. We need to make sure we have the right players and then bring some in.

“You’re looking at some pretty significant changes. Between the January window and the summer you could be looking at an entire new squad between those two. How do you get rid of that?

“It starts with the culture – you’ve got to have a positive, corporate culture, a positive club culture, everybody’s got to be supportive, everybody has to have everybody’s back, everybody has to know they’re being supported and we’re moving in the right direction. That starts at the top.

“We’re pushing to make that happen. If for any reason I see that not happening, that we’re not all lock-step moving in the right direction, then change would occur.

“But I believe we can get that done. We are very, very positive, optimistic individuals, we believe in investment up front ,and that investment will ultimately pay off, versus always waiting and investing later.

“We believe in investing, being active, being involved, but the culture has to change. We can’t walk in with a losing, negative culture. I don’t think we will, we won’t let that happen. That’s where it all starts.

“With the turnover [of the squad] and all of us driving in the right direction, I believe we can enter the new [season] and not be thinking about how we finished and performed this year.”