Carlisle United owners 'still have faith in Mike Williamson'

That was the message today from one of the United supporters’ trust’s leading figures.

Matt Spooner, who represents Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust on one of the club’s boards, said Williamson and his coaches are “the correct people” to take United forward.

The public declaration of faith in the head coach comes after increased criticism from fans at the Blues’ dismal League Two form and position.

Carlisle are second bottom and four points adrift in the relegation zone after taking just two points from their last seven games.

A number of fans have called on the club to remove Williamson less than two months into his reign.

But Spooner, speaking on Mike Zeller’s breakfast show on BBC Radio Cumbria, came out in support of the 40-year-old.

Asked if the owners, the Piatak family, still have faith in Williamson, Spooner said: “The owners, the board of directors…yes. We still believe that Mike Williamson is the correct person.

“And not just Mike – his team that he’s brought in are the correct people to take us on this journey that we’ve started to bring in a style of play that is sustainable, exciting for fans to watch, and will help us get success in not just this league but leagues above as well.”

Spooner acknowledged that current results, and performances such as Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham Town, have been hard to stomach.

Carlisle's woes continued with a 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham on Saturday (Image: Ben Holmes)

He also said the ideas of medium and long-term vision for the team must not be at the expense of crucial short-term results.

But he stressed that there were reasons why Williamson was felt to be the right man to oversee progress.

READ MORE: Bookies further cut Carlisle United's relegation odds

“If you look statistically across football – and we’re trying to use data more and more to help us make decisions – Mike Williamson has one of the best records in the Football League and National League over the last few years, and we are confident those skills and the coaching that he can give the players will help us move towards a position where we see that on the football pitch,” Spooner added.

The trust figure said that United’s slide this season, on the back of 2023/24’s League One relegation, has been “hard to watch”, adding: “It certainly isn’t much fun at the moment being a Carlisle United fan.”

He said that, after Paul Simpson’s departure at the end of August, “[as a board] we decided we wanted an attacking style of play, we wanted to look at exciting players, building from the back, creating a lot of goal opportunities and ultimately scoring more.

“As a club and as a director of the club and part owner, we cannot hide from the fact that the table is not good reading.

The Piataks are still behind Mike Williamson, says Matt Spooner (Image: Ben Holmes)

“[For] everyone at the club, the number one priority at the moment is to pick up points.”

Spooner, though, insisted there had been signs of progress in certain games under Williamson.

“If we take Saturday’s game out of it – it was difficult as a fan to watch – in the majority of games leading up to it there has been improvements in certain areas on the pitch,” he added.

“We need to focus on the things that are improving – we are holding the ball more, getting into the final third more. We’re not turning it into goals at the moment but this is a process we’re setting out on and we need to have patience, let the team and squad learn, we’ll probably need to be active in player trading in January to complement the skill sets in the building.

“We understand the medium and long-term vision can’t come to the detriment of picking up points in the shot term.”

Asked if he would back Williamson in the January transfer window to spend the owners’ window, should United remain in a similar position, Spooner added: “I honestly believe we will not be in this position as we come into the January transfer window.

The Piataks, who have themselves not yet commented on the current crisis on the pitch, spent the last week in Carlisle with a focus being on the recruitment of a new sporting director, with a decision now believed to be close.

The Blues are next in action in the FA Cup first round on Saturday against Wigan Athletic at Brunton Park.