Cambridge United head coach welcomes ‘clarity’ on future ahead of League One trip to Blackpool
Garry Monk has welcomed the ‘clarity’ that the Cambridge United board provided with regards to his future as head coach.
Last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers extended United’s poor run of form to just one victory in 14 outings – a sequence that has consequently left them eight points from safety in the fight for League One survival.
But despite those results, earlier this week the club came out in support of Monk and backed him – with the release of some additional transfer funds this month – to turn the situation around.
“It’s always great to have clarity, not just for myself but for everyone,” said Monk.
“I said it when I joined the club, one of the biggest reasons why I came here was because of that. I’ve worked in this industry long enough and had to deal with a lot of grey areas where goalposts are getting moved.
“The attraction to come here was the thought process and the alignment and the togetherness of the club.
“But like everything, clarity is key – whether that’s good news or bad news, clarity is always important.
“The clarity is there and everyone’s job is to fight. We have been doing that, like I said I have no complaints with the effort of everyone. We’re coming up short at this moment in time in certain areas of the pitch, but statistically most things back us up in terms of what we’re trying to do.
“But the only real stat that matters is the result. That’s the way this industry works and we have to get that at a much better level. We’re really clear about that, but I believe we can do it.
“We have to go into the second half (of the season) with a real determination, even greater than before. We’ve got to fight together and show that endeavour that we’ve got – and trust that it will turn these results.”
Monk is well aware that the team’s current plight will be the cause of great frustration and disappointment for a fanbase that continues to pack out the Cledara Abbey Stadium and travel in good numbers.
However, he has called on the supporters to stick with him and the players.
He added: “The clarity has always been within. The conversations we have on a daily basis, there’s been alignment from players all the way up – that’s always been there.
“Really the clarity is more for the outside, that’s where the variable noise will come from and the opinions – and quite rightly, that’s part of it.
“I’m well aware of the results side of it and of course results need to get better. I can’t sit here and say I’m happy with results, but there are other factors I am happy with and I see progress.
“My job is to be really consistent in my behaviour. I’m like that, I’m very focused on what I can control and what I can’t control. I can’t control the noise – and I don’t mean that disrespectfully by calling it noise – but you understand what I mean by that? With all of the variables on the outside, it’s my job to be really consistent and have the belief in myself and my expertise. And also to impart my experience on to the team.
“I’ve been in many difficult situations as a coach, in much trickier situations than this, and been able to lead them through it. I’ve no doubt in myself and the people I’ve got around me, from the staff to the players. We’re going to fight and we’ll see that in every game, even more than what we’ve been showing, even though I think we’ve been at a high level in terms of fight and determination and spirit.
“Now we have to be all together and that’s not just us (players and staff), it’s our fans now that we have clarity of everything. We’ve got to get behind each other because that’s the only way you get out of a difficult situation. We’re very determined, I can promise you that.
“We obviously need to give back to get that support from the outside, but also as much as we can ask for it, for them to give it no matter what – that’s an important thing as well.”
Cambridge will aim to kickstart their survival bid on Saturday when they travel to Bloomfield Road to face Blackpool.
It has been an inconsistent campaign so far for Steve Bruce’s men, who currently sit 15th after a run of six games without a victory which has included five draws.
Nevertheless, Monk is expecting a tough test on the Lancashire coast.
“They’re another (team) where they had a tricky start and they’ve managed to pick up better form,” said Monk.
“Like anything at this stage of the season, every game is hard and on paper again it’s another strong squad.
“They’ve done well in recent seasons in terms of where they’ve been and where they’ve competed.
“It’s going to be difficult, but we’re really focused on the fight and effort that we need to put into each and every game.
“We understand that not every game is going to go our way, but we feel like we’ve been very close and pretty unfortunate in recent games not to have points. We have to understand the good things in those performances and what we’re doing well.
“We’re not far away, even though it feels far away because of the results. Our job is to understand the context from within and understand that we aren’t far away – I don’t think we’ve been far away most of the season in terms of being in games.
“You have to get the fine margins right and you need that little bit of luck at times. We need to put the fight and organisation in to give yourself the best opportunity of getting those margins right.
“We’ll look to go up there (Blackpool) with that mindset, like we’ve been trying to do, but even more now because of everything that’s gone on to try and deliver the right results for ourselves.”
