“I know it isn’t pleasant, and I actually say it as an apology when I’m speaking to the players. I’ve been a manager for long enough and I know this is how it goes. “I think when we were back at the hotel on Sunday night it sort of hit me that I had to do this ugly part of the game. “I went from cloud nine to being low as a snake’s belly having to make those decisions but it’s the nature of the game. I then had to have a meeting with a player on Monday morning in the hotel to let them know I wasn’t going to be retaining them. “Myself and Greg sat with a beer talking about what could and couldn’t be done. “The work started on Sunday night,” he added. It’s about trying to keep on moving forward as well as we possibly can.” “Some players who were involved at the weekend in what was a brilliant day for everybody connected with the club unfortunately will be leaving us, and that’s just the nature of football. I’ve had to make some tough decisions, we’ve discussed it all as a group of staff, and I’ve made the final call on it. “We’ve done absolutely fantastic this season to take ourselves to the next level, and that’s going to be a real challenge for us now that we’re there. “It isn’t a nice thing when you’re talking about letting players go but it’s the normal order that goes on at the end of the season, and we’re in a position as a football club where we’re trying to improve and get better,” he said. That was even more the case for Carlisle boss Paul Simpson today, when he sat down with his group, with the extreme high of a Wembley win and promotion to League One still very fresh in the memory. Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Mental HealthĬlub News CLUB: Retained and released list.Coming to a game? Everything you need to know.

Tough decisions