Down, Down, Deeper and Down

This book was going to be a celebration of the brave new world of Carlisle United, the first full season under new American ownership. Howard Falshaw had already published an account of Carlisle's journey to promotion in 2023 and invited his fellow supporter and friend John Clarke to co-author a new book about the new era of the club. They fully expected to be writing an account of the club's glorious return to winning ways, with significant investment both on and off the pitch. The reality of the 2024-25 season turned out to be a very different matter. It saw three different coaches tasked to manage the team. It saw a massive turnover of the playing staff. It saw some dismal tactics and performances that ultimately led to the ignominy of a second successive relegation, despite a late rally. Throughout the decline the authors never questioned their sanity in regularly making the long journey from Wakefield to Carlisle. Nor did they question their belief in the club's ability to recover until it was much too late. instead, they focused on writing their individual perspectives on the travails of their team, and it is their journeys from expectation and optimism to disappointment and despair that are the narrative of this book.