John Ward tell his Carlisle United players not to be 'bullied' again
Last updated 13:08, Thursday, 02 October 2008
Manager John Ward has warned his Carlisle United players he won’t tolerate the sight of them being “bullied” in another League One clash this weekend.
Ward admits he was concerned by the manner of United’s surrender at Walsall last weekend in their third defeat on the spin.
And he is demanding a more robust approach when Tranmere visit Brunton Park on Saturday.
“The Walsall game was the first time we’ve been bullied this season,” said the United chief.
“We wanted to play a nice game, but when people don’t want to do that against you, you’ve got to be a bit stronger.
“We did that at Shrewsbury, for example, in the cup earlier in the season. We really scrapped it out and got the result.
“We failed to do that on Saturday – there was a big part of the game when we didn’t get to grips with it. That disturbed me because it’s something that hasn’t cropped up before. I’ve told the players and we are working hard to come through that.”
While United are desperately hoping to get back on track in Saturday’s clash, they will be confronted by a 13th-placed Wirral outfit themselves aiming to rebound from a frustrating setback last week.
Ronnie Moore’s men were beaten 4-3 at home by struggling Colchester – but Ward needs no reminding of their strengths.
“They beat us twice last year and Ronnie Moore will be reminding his team about that,” said Ward. “They will see Carlisle as a team they can beat.
“I see them as a top-half team, and Ronnie will probably take exception to that because he wants to be higher.
“They will be smarting from their last game and we have to be aware of that. Greg Abbott and Dave Timmins went to see them last Friday and had a good look at them, and no doubt they saw us at Walsall.
“I don’t think either ourselves or Tranmere performed to their capabilities and both myself and Ronnie will be seeking a response.
“Ronnie has been around for a long time and you don’t do that unless you’re able to deal with the disappointments just as well as the excitements.”
Ward is pondering changes to his starting line-up after admitting places are up for grabs. Loan winger Jennison Myrie-Williams, who spent half of last season on loan at Prenton Park, is understood to have been pencilled in to start against Moore’s men, while Michael Bridges is also pressing hard for his first league start of the campaign.
