Carlisle United manager on the players he's told can leave

The Blues boss has informed some under-contract members of his squad that they are unlikely to figure in his plans next season if he makes the signings he wants.

Simpson has not named the individuals he has urged to look elsewhere.

But he said those concerned accept his decision and suggestion.

“Yes, they understood, so that’s something that will be ongoing,” said the United manager.

“They understood that and it’s part of football.”

Simpson has said that he has decided not to name the players – or publicly transfer-list them – so as not to invite accusations that any individuals are not committed should they remain part of things next season.

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United’s boss said the alternative view – that not naming them leads to speculation on the identities of the players involved – was not something he would be entertaining.

“I can't do anything about speculation,” he said.

Paul Simpson made his decisions two days after the last game of the season at Derby (Image: Richard Parkes)

“In the world that we're in, and I'm not complaining about it because it's made the world better, the internet, but the internet just creates its own things anyway, so that's why I don't go on it.

“I know what we're trying to do, I know what I want to do, so when people pay the money and they come and watch the game, they've got every right to voice their opinion.

“I don't have to worry about it when it's on a social media platform.”

Simpson also released eight players last weekend as he looks to clear space for a significant overhaul of his relegated squad ahead of the return to League Two.

“It had to be done,” he said.

“I actually spoke to a couple of players last week, before the Derby game, once I knew where we were going to be, so I'd started the process.

“And I have been having conversations over the recent week with players and sort of just testing it out and seeing where the land lies.

“So, it sounds wrong to say I'm pleased it's done, because it's a horrible day for the players, because ultimately we're telling them that they're being released from a contract and they've now got that uncertainty of, ‘where am I going to go, what am I going to do?’

“It’s not pleasant, but none of the decisions were taken on a personal point of view. They were all taken for what I believe and what the staff believe is the benefit of Carlisle United moving forward.”

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Simpson released Paul Huntington, Jordan Gibson, Tomas Holy, Josh Emmanuel, Sean Maguire, Corey Whelan, Max Kilsby and Kai Nugent.

He said some decisions were easier to reach than others.

“They all give you a different sort of challenge,” he said.

“Some of them were really straightforward, really straightforward. But there was a couple who there was...I wouldn't say on a knife edge, but there were certainly more conversations went on.

“Can we take a chance? Are they going to play enough games? Can we trust them in and out of possession?

“So, there were a couple in that that came into that bracket, but we just felt that, to give us as much of a clean slate as we possibly could to move forward, those were the right decisions.”