Carlisle United: Mike Williamson could make somewhat surprising player call in the coming weeks - View | OneFootball

The new head coach could have a tough call to make soon.

Mike Williamson had some pre-existing connections to the Carlisle United squad before becoming the club's head coach.

A large chunk of the 40-year-old's playing and coaching career has been in the north of England. He spent six years with Newcastle United and then ended his time on the pitch with Gateshead, who he then went on to manage and build up his reputation with.

His time with the Heed is where his relationships with some players in the Carlisle team come from. He brought Taylor Charters across to the North East on loan in January 2022 and he played alongside Luke Armstrong and Jon Mellish before he retired.

Armstrong was handed his first start of the season by Williamson in his inaugural match in charge of the Blues, against Swindon Town. He rewarded the boss by netting United's second goal of the game.

Mellish kept up his run of being in the first XI despite the change in leadership. That ever-present status in the starting line-up may come into question though, despite his relationship with the head coach.

Jon Mellish could be at risk of losing his starting spot at Carlisle United

The way that Williamson wants his teams to play is well-established. They often play out from the back, control the ball for the majority of the game, and require most players on the pitch to be comfortable when in possession for long periods of time.

The stats from his MK Dons side of last season clearly reflect these possession-based principles that he instills in his team.

Against Swindon, the likes of Harrison Biggins and Dylan McGeouch showed signs here and there that, as this style becomes more and more prevalent at Brunton Park, they will be able to adapt.

Whether Mellish will be able to do the same remains to be seen.

The 27-year-old would probably admit that he isn't the most technically gifted footballer out there. His best attributes are more in the physical department.

Despite all the ground that he tends to cover in games, he rarely looks fatigued or gets injured. But, if you want him to be involved in an intricate passing sequence, he's not quite as reliable.

So far in this League Two season, Mellish ranks 15th out of 20 active Carlisle players for accurate passing percentage at 66.9%, according to WhoScored.

One major downside at times to this passing out from the back system is that it can lead to turnovers near your goal. To avoid that, you need the players at the back to be strong passers so they can progress the ball up the pitch to their teammates. That's just not one of Mellish's strongest areas, unfortunately.

His skillset doesn't match what the head coach is likely to want, and, therefore, he could be at risk of dropping out of the team.

With that said, any changes to the backline aren't expected immediately. Summer signings Aaron Hayden and Terell Thomas aren't expected to be fully fit in time for this weekend, but they aren't far away from a return.

Jon Mellish may need to evolve again

Since making Brunton Park his new home in 2019, the defender has shown a great ability to adapt and evolve. He's played almost every single position possible on the pitch over the years, and he has been able to develop technically too.

If he is to become less of a key cog in this new United team under Williamson, either that enhancement of his footballing ability will need to continue, and continue quickly at that, or his role in the team may need to change, again.

In the 2020/21 season, he became a goalscoring midfielder under Chris Beech. He's slowly transitioned back into his more natural position in defence since then, but he was used further forward at times under Paul Simpson.

It's been quite openly stated that his preferred position is at the back rather than in the middle of the park. However, his ability to be that Jack of all trades may come in handy if Williamson decides that Mellish isn't part of his best XI and he drops to the bench.

Or he could morph into a poacher or a goalkeeper; you never really know with big Jon.

You'd expect him to still make an impact on Carlisle one way or the other. Whether that is as a starting centre-back remains to be seen.