Carlisle United owner 'deeply sorry' for relegation
Carlisle United Football Club (CUFC) were relegated from League Two to the National League after losing 3-2 at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
The team return to the National League after a 20-year stay in the English Football League (EFL).
CUFC chairman Tom Piatak said the "frustration and anger felt across the fanbase is fully shared by us" and added the group would "not hide from the work ahead".
Mr Piatak, a businessman from Florida whose family have been in charge of Carlisle since November 2023, said the season "started with ambition and hope".
However the club were in the bottom two for all bar three days since early October.
"We fell short of the standards you rightly expect," the owner continued, describing Saturday's match as a "painful day".
"Yet in the face of that, your loyalty has been extraordinary.
"From 11,000 at Brunton Park on Good Friday to almost 1,000 of you in Cheltenham today, you've never stopped showing up.
"That unwavering support is the soul of this football club."
Carlisle United boss Mark Hughes told BBC Radio Cumbria: "It's not a great moment for anyone connected with the club.
"It's difficult for everyone, not least the fans who came in great numbers again today.
"We gave it a shot and the players gave me everything, but for everyone connected it is really hard to take."
Mr Piatak added: "We will be transparent. We will be accountable. And we will not hide from the work ahead."
Meanwhile Barrow Association Football Club said it was "always nice to freshen up" its bio on X.
The club changed its description to "the only Football League Club in Cumbria".
Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Carlisle relegated from EFL after loss at Cheltenham
Carlisle owner gives Williamson full support
Carlisle United Football Club
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'How much risk are you willing to take?' - Askou explains Miller absence
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou admitted he made a late call on Lennon Miller's omission from the squad that played out a goalless draw with St Mirren on Saturday. The 18-year-old has missed the start of the season with an injury picked up in a pre-season friendly against Carlisle. "Yes, it was a final call with everything taken into consideration," Askou said. "It's not a secret that there are things going on in the background. We know he's been out for four weeks. "How much risk are you willing to take on a player like him in that situation? The decision was that we kept him out of it." The teenager, who won his first Scotland caps at the end of last season, is widely expected to leave Motherwell this summer with plenty of clubs fighting for his signature. "No, there's nothing I can tell," said Askou when asked for an update on Miller's seemingly imminent departure. "I've been busy with the game today so I haven't really heard any updates since early this morning." Another player who might miss the next game is right-back Johnny Koutroumbis, who has enjoyed a good start to the season, but went off with an injury in the first half in Paisley. "We'll have to assess him tomorrow (Sunday)," said Askou. "I hope it's not too bad. He was not on a stretcher. He was walking and seemed OK but we'll have to assess that when we get back."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woking boss: Superior Carlisle United 'old-manned' us
Woking boss Neal Ardley said his side were 'old-manned' by Carlisle United – who were at a higher level than his team. The Cards manager admitted his players were 'anxious' on the opening day of the National League season as Mark Hughes' Blues prevailed. And Ardley felt Carlisle's know-how proved telling as the Cumbrians secured a 2-0 victory. 'We went through their [Carlisle's] squad before, and there are loads of League One and League Two quality players,' said Ardley. 'We knew that we had to perform very, very well. 'We didn't. We're not going to dress it up. We played with anxiety. You can't find overloads and cause the opposition problems if your anxiety causes you to make wrong decisions, not work your patterns or play with clarity. 'On top of that we didn't do enough of the basics well. Hughes: Carlisle United's display at Woking sets the tone for season 'Their back line worked quicker up the pitch than we did. We couldn't get in on balls down the side, they kept getting in on balls between us. 'They were more intense on closing us down from throw-ins. 'You can't not perform great with the ball then not do the basics with the ball. Woking try to get to grips with United new boy Regan Linney (Image: Richard Parkes) 'It all spirals from being caught in the moment, it's 100mph, and you're playing against a team who can 'old man' you. They've got knowhow, experience, they're dogged and they know how to grind out results, which is why they'll be up there at the end.' After a goalless first half, Luke Armstrong and Ethan Robson struck to send United to an opening-day victory. While home keeper Craig Ross impressed with a number of good saves, Ardley accepted his side were not at Carlisle's level overall. Woking 0-2 Carlisle United: as it happened! 'We came out a bit brighter in the second half but the two goals kill you,' he said in a club interview. 'We huffed and puffed. They've kept loads of clean sheets through pre-season and it showed. 'They looked at a higher level than us at the moment. 'We need to flip back to how we play and make sure we're better at not letting the opposition test our goalie. 'But we've got to accept we played against a strong team and we underperformed. When you put those two together, you're likely to get a negative result.' Ardley reiterated his belief that Carlisle have a squad that should make them serious promotion contenders in 2025/26. 'They've recruited well. You go through most teams in League One and League Two, and if they [Carlisle] had a firesale, they'd take a load of their players,' he said. 'They'll be a strong outfit I'm sure throughout the season.' FLASH SALE: Get unlimited access to every Carlisle United article by subscribing to the News & Star for £6 for 6 months or a full year at half price - click for details


Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: A modest proposal to cure the Chicago Cubs' ills — pocket pancakes
While Chicago Cubs fans were in turmoil Friday night, White Sox fans performed the wave. It was late in the Sox's 9-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, a game that was over in the first inning when starter Aaron Civale put the Sox in a quick 5-0 hole. The wave, of course, is a 1980s cookie-cutter stadium tradition that mostly has been eradicated in baseball. But it's making a comeback with Gen Z, and Sox Park was ripe for a release from the boredom of a poorly played game between a last-place Sox team and a pseudo-wild-card contender from Cleveland. No matter your feelings on the wave, the vibe at the ballpark was convivial, a party interrupted by some bad baseball. No one goes to a Sox game expecting much, so fans have to create their own fun. That has been standard operating procedure since 2022, and until the Sox start winning again, it's here to stay. Former Sox announcer Harry Caray repeatedly bellowed 'You can't beat fun at the old ballpark,' which is code for 'Come out and watch our bad team.' We had a different kind of fun in the 1970s, but ignoring the team's play and enjoying a nice summer evening are what bind generations of South Siders. While Sox fans deal with the losing in stride, Cubs fans are having a difficult time keeping their sanity during a recent downturn in the season. The Cubs beat the Cardinals 9-1 on Saturday but remained five games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who are doing a near-perfect imitation of the 1969 New York Mets, that fateful team that put daily pressure on the '69 Cubs by never losing. (Google it, kids). The Cubs still were tied for third-best record in the National League on Saturday but look more and more like a wild-card team. After spending nearly four months in first place and having a 6½-game lead in June 17, the hitting stopped stone cold since the All-Star break. Regression was expected, of course, but not from almost the entire lineup at the same time. We know this team can hit because we've seen it. They were lauded for creating offense in adverse conditions in April and May, for providing power on normal days and using their speed when necessary. But the late-season collapse under David Ross in 2023 and the offensive funk under Craig Counsell in the first half of '24 are still fresh in the minds of otherwise rational Cubs fans. Speaking of which, David Kaplan, ESPN-1000 radio personality and original member of the Fraternal Order of Outraged Fans, (FOOF), declared on his YouTube channel that the Cubs were 'pathetic' and 'embarrassing' in Friday's 5-0 loss in St. Louis. Kaplan added he has 'NO HOPE' of the Cubs turning things around and also castigated general manager Carter Hawkins for doing whatever it is Carter Hawkins does, bypassing President Jed Hoyer in the blame game. When you've lost Kaplan, you've lost all angry Cubs fans with podcasts, blogs, YouTube channels and verified X accounts, which is to say 90% of Cubs fans. This is serious stuff. So how can the Cubs rebound from this perceived nightmare? Can they avoid going down in history alongside the 1977 Cubs, the Herman Franks-led team that had an 8½ game lead on June 29, spent 2½ months in first place and somehow melted down from 25 games over .500 to finish at 81-81? It's going to take a return to the collective offensive approach of the first four months, and perhaps some added urgency on the part of Counsell, whose solution thus far has been to play new utility man Willi Castro every day in a different position, giving his starters a rest. Castro was a nice pickup and already leads the team in the category of caps falling off head while running the bases. But he's no Ben Zobrist. Counsell seemingly is reluctant to give his stars anything more than a 'mental' break. Could he eventually sit Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, Pete-Crow Armstrong or Dansby Swanson for a stretch? Suzuki entered Saturday hitting .177 since the break with a .290 slugging percentage. Swanson had the fourth-worst strikeout percentage since the break at 38.9%, while Crow-Armstrong ranked 10th (33.3%) and Busch 12th (32.9%). That's a ton of noncontact from the Cubs' best hitters, and we haven't even mentioned Kyle Tucker's prolonged slump. Counsell is not the problem, but he's paid a lot of money to fix the problems. Someone asked the manager last week if his players picked up on him being 'super focused,' which, unbeknownst to me, is Counsell's apparent super power. 'That's part of my job, and frankly that's what you're going to get if you're going to be yourself,' he replied. 'Do it as yourself. It's good if they're picking up on that. That's what I'm going to offer.' While Counsell's super focus is under video review, Brewers manager Pat Murphy is busy stuffing pancakes in his pockets and pulling them out for midgame snacks. They've pancaked opponents since the eccentricity was revealed. This is the kind of genius that makes Cubs fans envious and why it's going to be a long winter for Counsell and Hoyer if this team doesn't pull out of its funk and makes a quick postseason exit. Pocket pancakes, meanwhile, are now being offered at the concessions at American Family Field for Brewers fans not worried about having syrup in their clothes, which is to say 90% of Brewers fans. Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney would kill for a chance to charge Cubs fans $20, plus tax, for a pancake. And at this point, nothing should be off the table for the Cubs as they try to shake off the malaise. So here's a modest proposal for Counsell — find a suitable filling for your empty pockets to get the Cubs back on track. What would it hurt? The FOOFs thank you in advance.