Blues sporting director Clarkson sheds light on transfer aims
Rob Clarkson says there is a “quiet confidence” about the business Carlisle United plan to do in January to help turn their season around.
And the new sporting director, who wants to do deals as early as possible in the transfer window, says his contacts as well as the club’s ambitions can help attract players.
Clarkson, who was appointed at Brunton Park in late October, on Wednesday gave his first local media interviews since his arrival at the club.
He spoke to the News & Star about:
Immediate plans for January
When he wants players in
How his CV and contacts should help
Attracting players despite United’s lowly League Two position
The challenge of moving players on, and;
Spending the club’s funds wisely under the Piatak regime.
On plans being put in place for January signings, Clarkson said: “I think at this stage we are down the road with certain players that we'd like to bring in.
“Naturally, until they sign on the dotted line things can change…so we need to make sure that we have multiple options in positions where we think we need to strengthen.
“We're very hopeful and we're quietly confident that we can really bring in some quality players that will help us.”
Clarkson did not specify how many players United would be targeting but stressed the wish for business to be sealed early once the January window opens.
“[That] is important because we have five big games coming up which takes us to January 4,” he said.
“Ideally, we'd like to have some players in by the January 4, that gives them time to get ready for January 11 onwards. Again, that would be the ideal, so fingers crossed.”
United sit bottom of League Two and facing a fight to save their EFL status, but Clarkson believes he and his colleagues can overcome the recruitment challenge that position poses.
“We've got to sell the club and the direction it's going in. That's our big thing,” he said.
Rob Clarkson spoke to the local media, including the News & Star, for the first time on Wednesday (Image: News & Star)
“We have to acknowledge where we are, but we also have to sell [the idea that] if you come here, you can be a big part of where we want to get to.
“The reason that we want these players to come is because we identified them as players that can take us where we want to get to, not just in League Two but beyond that as well.
“It's all about selling the bigger picture but [also] getting away from where we are pretty quickly.”
Clarkson arrived at United after spells with the Football Association, Manchester City and Rangers, where he held a range of analysis and recruitment positions.
He is now the overseeing figure for Carlisle’s football operations and believes the fact he has worked at higher levels should not pose any problem when it comes to sourcing players for a League Two dogfight.
“It’s different in regard of the league and the position where we're at – when I was at Rangers, yes, I was looking at a different level of player to a degree,” he said. “When I was with England [heading talent identification from under-17 to under-21], I was looking at everything.
“It's not too dissimilar because we are looking at young players that we could potentially loan, that I have got knowledge of.
“With recruitment, if you do it right, it shouldn't matter the league because ultimately it's identifying the right player for our system and the way we want to play and what can drive the club forward, whether that's [players] in League One, League Two, National League or young academies [or elsewhere].
“If we do it right and we have the right process in place, then we should be able to recruit well.”
Clarkson says he has already been drawing on his contacts to boost United’s reach in the January market – and feels the club has major selling points too.
“I've found already that in six or seven weeks [at the club] I've spoken to a lot of people at a lot of clubs, a lot of agents – I've always prided myself on building strong relationships,” he said.
“If you do that, people want to deal with you and people want to speak to you about potential players.
“The good thing as well is Carlisle is a very well-respected club. The fan base is there for all to see.
“A lot of clubs that I've spoken to or agents that I've spoken to, they've had players at Carlisle previously on loan and they've done well. There's already a strong reputation that this club has.
“Mike [Williamson, United’s head coach] is also a real selling point because a lot of players that I've spoken to really enjoyed playing for Mike and really enjoy the way that he wants the team to play.
Clarkson says head coach Mike Williamson, right, is among United's selling points to players (Image: Richard Parkes)
“When you have that, it is easier to recruit into. Similarly with Premier League clubs, if they're sending players out on loan, with all due respect, they don't really want a player to go to a club where the keeper is just going to boom it to the centre forward
“ They do want to see a kind of identity and a way of playing that will suit their younger players.
“My contacts have been a help so far and will be a help, but also the manager and the club itself is a selling point as well.”
United’s recruitment, involving Clarkson, head of recruitment Greg Abbott and recruitment analyst Jacob Blain, is now more data-driven than before.
But Clarkson said there will remain a balance in how Carlisle measure potential targets, in part because the levels of data available on lower-league players is not as detailed as with top-tier players.
He also said the recruitment staff at the club were adapting to how he wants to work in terms of talent-spotting for the Blues.
Williamson recently suggested United would steer away from players simply looking for a “payday” based on Carlisle’s improved resources under the Piataks.
On this, Clarkson said: “What we can't be and what we can't do is just give out big contracts because that's not sustainable.
“[With] the owners, it’s not a bottomless pit. They want to invest but they want to invest smartly and they want to invest in the right way.
“If we do things correctly and we recruit in the right way, we should be able to bring in assets that we can then develop. Hopefully they grow with us.
“If they grow quicker than us and we have to move them on because x-club in the Championship wants them then that's also part of the business, that's part of the model that we need to work towards.
“So yes, the owners are investing in the club but they won't invest if it's not for the benefit of the club in the long term and that's a big part of my role as well.”
The familiar challenge of location is another that various managers and recruitment personnel have wrestled with at Carlisle over the years.
Clarkson believes this can also be overcome by recruiting smartly.
“I think it will be a pull for some – so if you're based in Glasgow or the north east or the north west, it's probably quite a good club to be at because it's fairly easy to get to from there,” he said.
“If we're looking beyond that, further south, all we can do is do as much as we can to make them feel comfortable when they're here.
“We've got boys in the squad at the minute and we help them out with accommodation. The owners have been really good with that in terms of giving them places to stay when they're here, whether that's on their own or whether that's with some of the other boys as well.
Clarkson says the Piataks' investment is clear but it must be applied well at United and there is not a bottomless pit (Image: Richard Parkes)
“Also…it's a nice part of the world. There's a lot worse places to live, so there's no reason why boys can't come here and enjoy living here as well.”
Carlisle are likely to seek to move some players on in January too.
Asked about the difficulty of this, given the size and length of contracts with certain members of the squad, Clarkson said: “Every individual will be different. Ideally…all the boys are brilliant, we'd love them to be with us and we'd love them to grow with us and be successful.
“But the nature of it is some will want to move on if they're not playing. The last thing you want to do as a footballer is not play.
“So we just have to work with each individual on a case by case basis and if they're not happy and they want to move then we have to support them with that.
“In terms of the contracts and the contract lengths, we have to work with them and work with a potential buying club and do what's best for all parties.”
Tomorrow: Clarkson on his arrival at Carlisle, first impressions at the club, the chain of command, style of play, the academy, dialogue with fans – and the seriousness and pressure of the relegation battle.
