I think he's finally built the squad he wants, and although we may not challenge this season we have a very young group of players that could stick together for a number of seasons, hopefully though we will be in the top half of the table.

Which managers would you prefer for Carlisle to have? Think we maybe need to tone down our expectations, I doubt without massive investment we would have any sort of success in the Championship.

I have noticed that Managers who spent a long playing career as a defender, tend to produce defensive and boring teams.
ie, Jack Charlton, Sam Allerdyce.
On the other hand Managers who were attackers produce exiting teams, ie Keegan, Cloughie, Daglish.
Abbott seems to fit this stereotype perfectly and I honestly believe that not only would he fail to recognise a decent striker, I believe that he lacks the courage to make a decision, his confidence having being shattered by the Offiong signing.

Thought i heard he did'nt mean to sign Offiong.............a case of mistaken identity?

I agree we have been lacking a striker who threatened to score 20 a season since Graham left, but I think at the moment we have a talented squad which will likely have almost all players scoring.

I'm not so sure the signing of Offiong alone would shatter his confidence so much when you look at the other players he has brought in through both loans and permanent deals, maybe what happened to McDaid won't have helped his confidence but it was a gamble which with Simek definitely paid off.

Unfurtunatly Strikers have to strike, so it is very easy to proclaim such a signing as a failure if he fails to strike.
If Gregg was to procure a new striker, presumably with
funds supplied by our hard up Board, and that player simply did not strike, then after ther Offiong debacle for which Gregg may be forgiven but not forgotten by the Board, then such a signing may prove terminal for Greggs employment prospects at United.