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Fans View '05: Carlisle United

Last updated : 24 July 2005 By Richard Brown

Name: Mark Fawcett
Web-site: Carlisle United/Cumbrian crack

How long have you been a supporter of the club?

31 years (a glory hunter as I started supporting the blues when in the old 1st division and just stuck with them)

What is your view of Notts County going on previous meetings?

Unfortunately I have never seen the games between ourselves and Notts County as work or other things have always come between me and getting to them

Who of your current crop do you think will cause the rest of the League problems this year?

Adam Murray: If played in the right position and not out wide can run circles around anyone

Simon Hackney: A young lad we signed last season from a Sunday league team in Stockport, only had a couple of first team outings last season, but saw him in the reserves and he ran circles around all the defences including Manchester United's.

Give us some background as to your current situation…

We have just come up from non-league football in what was a harder season than most expected as the quality of the Conference is comparable to League Two (apart from half a dozen teams who were whipping boys).

Our finishing position of third actually came around do to things out of our control, due to a bad run early in the New Year due to the flooding of Carlisle and the fact that Brunton Park was under 20,000,000 litres of water (estimated).

We had to play some home games at neutral grounds, though, we conceded fewer goals than anyone else did and only Barnet scored more.

Any signings and/or departures worthy of note over the summer?

The only noteworthy departure so far has been Magno Vierra, a young Brazilian who we had on a season long loan from Wigan. Although I believe we are now in talks with Wigan to bring him back as he may be surplus to requirements now they are in the Premiership, so watch this space…

Do you have the right manager in place?

Yes, Paul ‘Simmo’ Simpson is a hometown lad and although very monotone in his interviews and uninsipiring, he seems to know how to get the best out of the squad and if he doesn’t then his number 2 Dennis Booth (former number 2 at villa to graham Taylor) seems to…

Anyone in League Two you feel you should look out for?

'Bring on the subs!'
I think out of the four who are coming down from League One only Peterborough and Torquay could possibly be challenging at the end of the season. From watching, there seems to have been a bit of a change in pecking order last season as teams who had struggled the season before (i.e. Macclesfield, Scunthorpe, etc) seem to have turned things around and it looked like a league where anyone could beat anyone else on their day.

Where do you think your side will finish this season?

I think we’ll surprise a few people and finish top half if not play-offs. We have the funding in place to strengthen where needed though if players we have sign new contracts I can’t see us needing that much strengthening and we have some of the best team spirit I have seen for over a decade at Brunton park.

Any other business…

Just glad to be back where we belong, it was nice to have a 'year out’ and have the time to sort out things with the finances and team, but here’s where the real game starts, we’re back and we ain’t going any other direction than up…

Although the boards choice to up our season ticket prices by 30% is a bit hard to swallow unless we do get some success this coming season.