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Favourites to become new Carlisle manager with Mike Williamson sacked after 25 games in charge

We look at the favourites to become new Carlisle United manager with Mike Williamson getting sacked after 25 games in charge.

The Cumbrian outfit sit bottom of the League Two table, five points from safety following a 5-1 home defeat to Swindon.

Williamson left MK Dons boss to take over at Carlisle, replacing Paul Simpson in September, but has won just five times in his 25 games in charge in all competitions and leaves the club facing a potential second successive relegation.

CLUB STATEMENT:

Carlisle United Football Club can confirm that head coach Mike Williamson has this morning been relieved of his duties and has left the club with immediate effect.

Everyone at the club would like to thank Mike for his efforts during his time at the club.

The club will give a further update in the coming days.

FAVOURITES TO BECOME NEW CARLISLE MANAGER:

BetVictor – 3 Feb 2025
Ian Evatt – 5/4
Steven Gerrard – 5/1
Stuart kettlewell – 5/1
Leam Richardson – 6/1
Keith Curle – 12/1
Ian Foster – 14/1
Neil Warnock – 16/1
Neil Harris – 16/1

Speaking to CUTV after a heavy defeat to Swindon, he said: “Disappointing, not good enough. Basic things, simple things that we’re getting punished with consistently, which seems to be a consistent narrative, which is hard to stomach, but the first 20 minutes, half an hour of the game, we’re on the front-foot, we create chances, we don’t take them. That probably takes a little bit of wind out of our sails.

“But when I’m stood here on the back of the result, looking at that, it’s difficult to stomach, it’s difficult to digest, but two direct goalkicks, one direct from a corner, and two counter-attacks, and we’re sitting here after a 5-1, defeat so it’s hard to process that at the minute.”

On how he approaches those basic errors: “We have to just drill it, obviously we just have to drill that even more, defending any set pieces all over the pitch, even from a goal kick, because we’ve been punished twice.

“We know the threat of every goalkick is not just a dead set piece, it’s an opportunity for them to score a goal, and likewise when we have them and we work that, we give the boys detail, obviously at the minute, off the back of two promising performances and one promising result, you come in here and you want to really start on the front-foot, which we did, and then we get punished by simple errors.”

“Standing here right now it’s hard to put a finger on what’s changed from the last two games, obviously there’s a lot of pressure, but that’s no excuse, at the minute we’re working extremely hard and we’re getting punished by the smallest mistakes, but that’s on us because we’re making the mistakes.

“All we can do is come, dust ourselves down, come back in, just be relentless in our preparation again, and try and do everything we possibly can, but the Fleetwood performance and result, really good, and then obviously not the result at Notts County, but a real performance to be proud of, and you go toe-to-toe and the lads get a lot of plaudits from it, and there was a lot of good things, and you feel like you’re building that momentum, and it’s one of those when you think there’s that light at the end of the tunnel, at the minute it seems to be a steam train that just wants to take us out.”

On Jordan Jones was sent off after two yellow cards, both for simulation: “Again it’s another anomaly for me, I’d say there’s two soft fouls there, but there’s contact in both, and nine times out of ten, 9.9 times out of ten you get the free-kick, and nobody bats an eyelid, but for some strange reason, we get a man sent off”

On the mood in the camp: “They’ve just had the stuffing knocked out of them, they’re just in disbelief, we’re certainly not 5-1 worse than Swindon, and that performance didn’t warrant that, but we’re sat here again, and the frustrating thing for us, for the lads, for all the staff, is it’s a consistent narrative of being punished by small things, because we have to work extremely hard to create our chances, and then at the minute we’re not taking our chances.

“There’s many things I would be critical of the lads for, but the main thing for me is endeavour and effort, and really wearing your heart on your sleeve. I can say that they’re giving everything, but we’re just making schoolboy errors, that are costing us, and the lads are just emptying the tank and giving what they can, but getting hit from left to right, it’s hard to digest.

“It’s all down to us, and I don’t want to be disrespectful, but the manager [Ian Holloway] is very experienced, and he’s got them from a difficult place to a very good place, so they deserve a lot of credit, they’re really hard to play against, and they made it hard all afternoon, but for me, I’ve already watched it back now, and that’s why I was late here, but little bit by little, we just hand things over, and then when we should be going in nil-nil, trying to tweak a few things, trying to get lads to liven up, and go back to the ideas that got them in that first half an hour, that got us into those opportunities and chances, really on that front foot, giving Swindon a real hard time, we’d brush up on it and we’d go again, but we’d come in one nil down, and then a few minutes into the second half, the same thing happens.”

On Joe Hugill’s scored a wonderful goal: “I’m pleased for him, like I said to him at half-time, he can’t drop his head, because since he’s come in he’s worked his socks off, he probably feels in another season he would have had two or three goals already, but pleased for him to get off the mark, and I’ve got no doubt that if Joe keeps working the way he does, he’ll get more.”

On injuries/absentees. First, on Aaron Hayden, Mike said: “He’s feeling much better, so I think he should be getting the all-clear, probably just see the doc on Monday, and hopefully get the green light.”

Next, Stephen Wearne: “He did a little bit today, still not fully back to where he needs to be, but we’re hoping he should be available for next week.”

On Paul Dummett: “He’s not having surgery, I think he’s going to have a couple of injections, and try and rehab it conservatively.”

On the transfer deadline on Monday: “I don’t know, we’re working, and that’s all I can say, obviously this is very much taking our attention today, so there are things, there are possibilities, and we’ve just got to keep working and see it through.”

A message to Carlisle supporters: “I’m repeating myself, but I understand it, and the boos and the chants and the comments, are because they care, I fully understand that, and they feel as though if they were on the pitch, they’d be dragging that ball into the back of the net, and fighting with everything that they’ve got, so I fully understand the messaging, we’ve just got to keep working hard, and control the controllables, and make sure that we just stop making school boy errors.”

Twitter users reacted amid the favourites to become new Carlisle manager with Mike Williamson sacked after 25 games in charge…

@ashlazy1991: Just didn’t work, shame. I think he will have a good career just playing his style of football here at the bottom of the league after suffering a relegation was going to be very hard. This team on paper is more than good enough

@james_cufc2000: Poor from the owners to give him time we go down it’s on them big time

@Nick_Brown86: It’s never nice to see folk lose their jobs but it wasn’t working and it was only getting worse. Good to see common sense prevail and at least we’ll now give ourselves a chance to climb out of the hole we’re in.

@leecrowe007: Should have been gone after the Cheltenham and Morecambe games but got there in the end. Timing awful again but atleast we might have a chance with the right man

@MarkWhitfield2: Tom talked about metric and 5 losses in 6 since the New Year had to be failing to meet those. After Fleetwood and Notts County we looked to be improving but Saturday was inexcusable in our position!

@D_Stokoe: It simply couldn’t continue. The timing should have been earlier but we’ve got a chance of staying up now

@ticketaddict: Nothing against him personally but he had to go. It wasn’t working, it wasn’t showing any signs of working and he wasn’t prepared to change anything. Think we need an experienced L2 manager who can somehow turn this around.

@1StevieKilner: I’m never one to celebrate someone losing their job. Mike was a decent man. I wish him well. But this HAD to be done. Should have been Boxing Day, which would have given a new coach a chance in the window. Might be too late but we now have hope (albeit, small) of survival. #cufc

@havenmarra: Mike was brought in (wrongly) to implement a style that want warranted. Whilst he was stubborn, he was doing what he was brought in to do. The ownership have to take responsibility for a misjudged appointment – it was said a while ago “right man, wrong time”. Steep learning curve

@Halpinforpope: No other choice sadly. Seemed a genuinely nice bloke but ultimately this is about our status as a an EFL club!

@TheDB30: Wednesday: Carl Magnay has left Gateshead to take up the vacant position as Carlisle United manager. Friday: Mike Williamson has returned to Gateshead for a second stint as manager

@rjb_1998: Sacking your manager on deadline day, phenomenal work I have to say, funniest carlisle behaviour since paying money to hire a manager who was at most a week from being sacked

@OffTheLineBlog: Hang on… So, they’ve given Mike Williamson the whole of the January window. Allowed him to make 11 signings. Worse still, 5 of them likely only signed for #CUFC to play for MW given links. These lot ain’t staying up. This season has been an absolute disaster.

@Mathew_scfc: Crazy. 0 plan. Given him the whole window to sign players for his style and possession based football to sack him on deadline day. Minimum 5 of the players are there because of links with him. Now you get a manager to scrap with the wrong players

@Alex_Jordan85: Feel for him as a person, but it couldn’t go on any longer!Far too stubborn for his own good, wish him well. We need to go back to basics and stay in this league by any means necessary

@EarnThtDanegeld: Thank you for listening to fans. Let’s get someone one in for the rest of the season who can motivate the squad. They’re going to need a manager bounce that puts fire in their bellies if we are going to stay up. #cufc #utb

@edward_w97: There’s a time and place for realising the error that you made in hiring Mike Williamson, and it’s not on the final day of a transfer window that he’s had the entirety of…

@sam_jeffs: Genuinely hope they turn it round but it mad how things have turned out. Regardless of what happens, we have had a fantastic season. Gone up a season too soon. Said at the time, wasn’t disappointed at the end result as I knew we would be ok

@Grwylie: I am happy with the off the field stuff with the owners , the fact he was given January is ridiculous, People involved in his recruitment should not be involved in the next hire , non of this philosophy shit, if you want to do that , do it over time not in relegation fight

@AdamStoddart007: Shame it didn’t work out, wish him all the best. Thankyou for doing the right thing @CastleSportsGrp @TP2CUFC @jennapiatak, can’t of been easy but well done. 3 options now, Either John Sheridan or Neil Warnock till the end of the season keep us up. Or long term Ian Evatt.

@ABlue757: His appointment was an arrogant choice by the owners, wanted to play a certain way, no respect to the other teams in the league. They have watched this club sink lower and lower, yet still look at the future, not the present. They have 18 games to save the club from oblivion

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