Any thoughts of using the January transfer window are not being suggested by Carlisle United manager Keith Millen.
Less than a fortnight into the job Millen says he is learning, and concentrating, on how to get the best out of the current group of players.
He said: “I don’t want to talk about January transfer window. We’ve got so many games from now until then, it’s disrespectful to the group.
“I’ve got to give everyone a chance. They can’t all play. I’ll pick the strongest team I can on Saturday against Horsham in the FA Cup and see how it goes there.
“Now we’ve got these nine subs it brings the whole squad into the equation, which is good in a way. Then we’ve got the EFL cup game on Tuesday at Morecambe which we can maybe look at in a slightly different way.”
Millen has changed the training schedule for his players – giving them today off instead of the usual Wednesday. He prefers to put the bulk of his training programme into operation at the start of the week.
He said: “The lads have had three good days of work now, and we’ll come together on Friday, and hopefully I’ll have a full squad to pick from.
“I’ve learned that they want to learn and improve. They’re disappointed with what’s going on at the moment. I can see that in them. They want to be guided to something that’s hopefully going to give them success. They’re listening, they’re trying their hardest. That’s all you can ask as a coach.
“I’ve got to make sure they understand what we’re trying to get across to them, not over-complicate it, try and keep it simple for now, and then try and develop an identity to what we’re doing.”
Millen has only one injury concern ahead of the Horsham Cup-tie as winger Brennan Dickenson suffered a dead leg during the first half of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Northampton.
Millen said: “We’re being careful with him. With a dead leg, even though it’s settled down, if you get another whack on it you get more bleeding in the muscle and you can have complications.
“He’s done some work, but non-contact. We’ll assess him in the next couple of days, but everyone else is fine.”
