This weekend i had to go to the sheepmount and organise a pitch for Saturday as St Margaret Mary's pitch is unplayable. Then get the gear ready for the players then have to find a goalkeeper as ours mysteriously had to go to his uncles side two minutes before we were leaving. Then had to fly through to Newcastleton. Playing several players under twenty we were five minutes away from a final drawing 4 - 4. All the officials commented on how we were both a credit to the league as we both tried to play football and i marked Mark Backhouse 90 points for his handling of the game. I then had to go and take the youngsters home then go and arrange the refreshments for next weeks cup tie. I don't even think about next weeks game as we have two training sessions before then and we want our players to improve with each training session and i start to think aboput saturday's game about 9:00 O'Clock on Thursday when training has finished and see what players are available. I never worry about the opposition i am only concerned about my team my players and how we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch. So whoever carlislecoach is concentrate on your team and you'll get better results. Carlisle City is no concern of yours
This weekend i had to go to the sheepmount and organise a pitch for Saturday as St Margaret Mary's pitch is unplayable. Then get the gear ready for the players then have to find a goalkeeper as ours mysteriously had to go to his uncles side two minutes before we were leaving. Then had to fly through to Newcastleton. Playing several players under twenty we were five minutes away from a final drawing 4 - 4. All the officials commented on how we were both a credit to the league as we both tried to play football and i marked Mark Backhouse 90 points for his handling of the game. I then had to go and take the youngsters home then go and arrange the refreshments for next weeks cup tie. I don't even think about next weeks game as we have two training sessions before then and we want our players to improve with each training session and i start to think aboput saturday's game about 9:00 O'Clock on Thursday when training has finished and see what players are available. I never worry about the opposition i am only concerned about my team my players and how we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch. So whoever carlislecoach is concentrate on your team and you'll get better results. Carlisle City is no concern of yours
Was my message to difficult. I am not bothered about any other side i am concerned only about my players and my team as long as they improve and enjoy there football i am happy. Only Harraby Catholic & Gillford Park can finish above Carlisle City so unless you run one of those teams then you will never finish above Carlisle City.
I am so sorry if i offend you city worrier or should i say warriors, but im a keen grassroots supporter and i wish all hope for the future but i would like to give my league table for potential and ambition:
1st Gillford Park 2nd Harraby Catholic 3rd Margaret Marys 4th Carlisle City 5th Northbank
Well if you can only think that then it will never happen and your league table will never happen in my life time. Remember Carlisle City started in 1975 probably before you were born and have achieved the most in the Northern Alliance of any club in Cumbria. So instead of thinking put your plans into action and join the Northern Alliance. City are the only Alliance team to run a reserve side and the reserve sides aim is to get players to progress into Alliance football as is our Under 18's to progress into County League football and if they are good enough which four have already proved to play in the Alliance Premier League which we have been in since 1991. Grassroot football is about getting players ready and able to play at the next level. So get your grassroots to grow into Bamboo Shoots.
I would add that carlisle coach must have his/her fingers in many pies if he/she is aware of the ambitions of GP, HCC, St Margaret Mary's, Ourselves and Northbank.
I have no idea what the ambitions of each of our neighbours are, but whatever they are good luck to them.
So far as City are concerned the Management and Executive Committees are kept up to date with our Club's development plans but whilst we meet regularly things happen between meetings that change things. For Example I received a call last night re a development that we may want to get involved with and the respective committee's will not get to know about this until the next management meeting on 06th April. It goes to prove that your plans have to be fluid and views regarding ambition are generally subjective. One man's caviar is another man's fish eggs.
You also have to be realistic with your ambition, I could say that our ambition is to be in the BS North in 10 years but realistically that is not going to happen. Another example might be that Olly Driver has an ambition to be as trendy and good looking as Scott Priest, but realistically!!!!!
Now that i have a few Committee members on board i would like to ask why is it Harraby CC are the only Cumbrian Club to win the Northern Alliance and possibly the next to win this season and yet as you quote since 1991 you have not been "lucky" enough to win it?
You quote that you have been going since 1975 and may i say progressing wonderfully but correct me if im wrong all well run clubs strive to be the best but at the moment you are failing as your two neighbours have developed better than you City Gents?
Like i pointed out in an earlier post you have to have Potential this being well run, good coaches, good players and LOADS of money! Ambition may i add is like Mark W says is to be in the BS North in 10 years BUT what you have to do is have the POTENTIAL to do this!
Measure success by the number of times that you appear on the Leagues Roll of Honour. One swallow doen't make a summer Go to www.northernfootballalliance.org.uk
League Table for Appearances on Roll of Honour (Doesn't count our Div 1 or Cup Win) Carlisle City 20 Harraby Catholic 4 Northbank 2 Gillford Park 0
Does not look a competition. The rest will need a few years to catch that up. Have a look at the Roll of Honour and Count how many teams are now not in the League but moved onto Northern League thus diluting the strength of the League. Team Northumbria, Ryton, West Allotment, Prudhoe, Brandon, South Shields, Morpeth, Dunston, Benfield, all winners of the league whilst we have played and all now in the Northern League and all moved on before Harraby Catholic won the league. That's half the league gone from competing for the League title. So your league is only half as strong as it was when City first started. Harraby played Walker Central at the Sheepmount as they have problems with their pitch and changing rooms at the School. Gillford Park have the potential but it is not there pitch and if the Gillford Park club want them off they could be gone tomorrow. That is what happened to Carlisle City in the early 80's
Potential: go to full-time.thefa.com
Look at the League tables for the Under 18's. You will see City top of the pile and the younger under 18's 4th. They play each other this Sunday in the Cumberland Cup semi-final. So we will have a representative in the final. So if you want to see potential make your way to the Sheepmount on Sunday Afternoon. You can browse other leagues as well and you will see City have sides in all the leagues.
Very interesting to look at the rankings of the clubs when four of those clubs are playing in the alliance at the moment!
Things are looking good at the club at the moment with the Development Squad, Under 18s and 16s supplementing both the alliance and county squads for Steve and Dougie. Two weekly training sessions are producing good numbers of quality players, structured coaching with up to 6 coaches working at the sessions with different team units.
The key step for City is to now build on these proper groundings and encourage players to make the step from the Junior set up into the seniors, and to continue to develop players by bridging this gap.
Building on from Dougie, this Sunday promises to be a very good game, I know that both teams will try to get the ball down and play and its great that the club will have a representative in the final of the county cup at the oldest level of the junior football.
As for Mark talking about fashion......... behave! I have this picture of Mark from Saturdays game just after the nasty number 9 from ashington 'rolled' the ball into the river!!
