"Important" - Pundit backs Carlisle United's new direction as part of search for Paul Simpson replacement | OneFootball

The Cumbrians parted ways with their promotion-winning boss last weekend

Adrian Clarke believes Carlisle United are going about things the right way in their search to appoint a sporting director before replacing Paul Simpson.

The Cumbrians boss left his post at Brunton Park just hours after their 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, after overseeing an indifferent start to the season.

After relegation from League One last season, United have won just one of their opening four league matches, with three more defeats piling the pressure on the former Shrewsbury Town man.

With just eight wins since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the Carlisle hierarchy decided it was best to part ways with the boss, while also committing to a restructure of personnel at the club.

Carlisle chairman Tom Piatak decided to part ways with Simpson on Saturday, leaving academy coaches Mark Birch, Steven Rudd, and Jamie Devitt in charge until further notice.

In the meantime, the Florida-based businessman has outlined his new plans for the future at Brunton Park, with a change of approach coming at all levels of the football club.

Piatak said earlier this week: “We really want to take more of a broader vision and move towards a sporting director.

"We want to have the coach focused just on the day-to-day operation, the match, the team selections, squad selection, the tactics.

"In today's modern football, there are so many aspects going on - to have one person responsible for the broader vision, the budget, the recruiting, the academy, it's just too much.

"We think that by having someone who is very focused on the day-to-day, the match selection, it's going to help us win, it's going to help us build for the future.

"We have a vision of where we want to go and to do that, it doesn't happen overnight.

"You need some strength, so we need someone with experience on that sporting director's side to come in with networks, contacts - someone who has been successful and done it before that can help strengthen the squad."

Adrian Clarke backs Carlisle United sporting director decision

Former Carlisle United loanee Adrian Clarke believes Piatek’s pragmatic approach will have long-term positive impacts at the club, with no rush needed to appoint a new person in the dugout.

After seeing the back of club hero Simpson, Clarke believes a good relationship between the next people appointed to oversee footballing matters will be paramount to the success of the club in the future.

Speaking on the What the EFL?! Podcast, he said: “I get it, the sporting director and the manager have to be aligned, they have to have the same ideas and they have to get on, first and foremost.

“They have to work really closely together on identifying what is working and what is not working, and what they need. It is a really important dynamic.

“So it kind of makes sense, I think that most managers would have gone far earlier than when Paul Simpson did. It’s that desire, that want for him to turn around, because he has got them promoted three or four times before.

“So they wanted to give him every chance, but it just wasn’t happening. Carlisle would consider themselves one of the favourites to get promoted, and it’s been a really indifferent start to the season.”