Carlisle United breakdown: Two new managers, the Paul Simpson factor and their weaknesses

Bristol Rovers continue their push for the League Two automatic spots as they travel to Brunton Park to face Carlisle United this coming Saturday (March 26).

The Gas, on a high after defeating promotion rivals Northampton Town last week, are outside of the automatics only on the virtue of goal difference with the Cobblers one goal ahead of them.

With the international break forcing a postponement between Forest Green and Swindon Town, there is now an opportuntity to narrow the gap on top whilst widening the one between them and the teams below them.

Standing in their way are Carlisle, who have their own objective, which is to remain in the division, though their picture looks rosier than what it once was. They are 12 points clear of 23rd-placed Oldham Athletic which should put them in a good position to retain their fourth tier status.

To get the inside track of what to expect from Carlisle United, we spoke to Jon Colman, responsible for the coverage of Carlisle United for the News & Star and the Cumberlan News, to give us a picture of the scene up there.

Strengths

Simpson has gone with a back five since taking charge, and this has certainly made the team more secure. They’ve stopped leaking goals in abundance, while the pace and direct running of Patrick, combined with Dennis’s canny movement off the front line, are giving teams new problems.

The most recent win at Barrow also showed the value of playing the percentages and battling as much as attempting attractive football. Simpson’s first Carlisle spell, which brought success, relied on the value of graft and muscle as much as flair and quality, and it’s helped a struggling team find their feet again this time.

Weaknesses

This is a harder question to answer than before bearing in mind Carlisle, under Simpson, have won five from six and their one defeat in that time came with a much-changed team and a bit of pre-match disruption. Barrow gave them some concerns with set-pieces last weekend but by and large Simpson’s team have dealt with those well enough too. Their central midfield has been disrupted by injuries in the last couple of weeks so that may be an area Barton thinks he can target - up to now, though, Simpson and the team have found the answers.

Team news

Jamie Devitt is sadly out for the season with a hamstring injury, and that’s a blow given the composure on the ball he’d shown since returning to the club in January. At the time of writing it hasn’t been clarified how long Callum Guy will be out for with the knee injury he suffered at Barrow, but that’s more than likely a first choice central midfield duo (and captain in Guy’s case) who’ll be missing on Saturday.

Last meeting

For one thing, Carlisle have had two more managers since then, with Chris Beech sacked after that defeat and Keith Millen only lasting four months before United turned to Simpson. There have been significant changes in the market too, with certain players either loaned out or departed permanently (Zach Clough, Tristan Abrahams, for instance) and some key men having joined in January (Dennis, Dynel Simeu).

Simpson has also recently restored Jon Mellish to defence after a season and a half spent in midfield and occasionally up front, and he has also performed well since the switch. Carlisle were a flaky and largely bereft team that autumn day at the Memorial Stadium and, thankfully so far, do not bear the slightest comparison since Simpson got to work on them.

And finally...How much of a difference has Paul Simpson made since returning to the club?

An enormous one, possibly unprecedented in terms of rapid turnaround. No previous Carlisle manager has won five of his first six league games, and considering United took one point from their six before he came in, the difference is scarcely believable. Simpson is vastly popular with fans, has the respect of the community, clearly pushes the right buttons with the players and has gravitas and authority around the club. Supporters are understandably eager to see the relationship extended beyond this season.