Daniel Kearns, the subject of a CAS case between the FAI and IFA over his nationality, was one of them
We love the way Keith Curle speaks about his relationship with Alex Marrow
We wouldn’t normally be too bothered about the goings on at Carlisle United. Sitting in 22nd place in League 2, the 90th spot on the English pro pyramid, the ins and outs of life at Brunton Park are of little concern to most football fans on this side of the Irish Sea but some quotes from their manager Keith Curle today were simply so good we had to bring them to you.
It seems that the return to training of Alex Marrow and Belfast born Daniel Kearns is not something that Curle is too chuffed about, especially Morrow.
“Alex Marrow is back with us after his sick note period expired,” Curle says on the
Carlisle website. “The situation with him is that Alex wants to leave the football club. I also want Alex to leave the football club.
“We’re going through a process of finding the best way for him to leave the club which is financially beneficial to both parties. Fortunately for Alex, while he is here, and doesn’t want to be here, he still gets paid. Unfortunately for me while Alex is here, and doesn’t want to be here, I’ve still got to pay him.
“I’ve asked Alex to leave and not take the money he’s owed. That has been my negotiating strategy. We’ve obviously hit a stumbling block on that.
“In the short term the beauty of what we’ve got with working for a very honourable football club is that we will continue to pay Alex for his services, even though he doesn’t want to be here.”
Curle seems to have more time for Kearns, who was at the centre of a famous row between the IFA and the FAI over his eligibility, a dispute which the CAS settled in favour of the FAI.
Speaking about the former Dundalk player, Curle said:
“With Danny Kearns, he is also back in the building with us after his short break,” he confirmed. “He’s been handed straight to our strength and conditioning coach because the first thing we need to see is that he’s in the right frame of mind mentally.
“Once that’s been assessed, and we feel he’s in the right frame of mind, we then need to work on the physical attributes required to make sure the player can perform. That’s where Lee Fearn will work on getting him to a physical condition where he is able to join in the training sessions we do.”
“The situation with him wasn’t one where I asked him to go away for his break,” he explained. “To be completely honest, Danny wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t either. When you have two unhappy people you usually find there needs to be a separation.
“We were basically unhappy about the same things. He wasn’t happy that he wasn’t playing football. I wasn’t happy that he wasn’t playing football. I know the reasons why he wasn’t playing.”
We might just start keeping a closer eye on Carlisle, and Curle’s press conferences, from now on.
The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10
