But the under-fire head coach insisted he remained confident in his ability to turn things around.
Elliot spoke to the News & Star after fans called for his head in the wake of the Blues’ dreadful defeat at Brunton Park.
He said he had not spoken to the club’s hierarchy directly after the game but anticipated discussions soon.
“I fully expect to have a conversation with everyone about the way we move forward because quite clearly we need to make a decision how we move forward and what’s the right path,” he said.
“We need to have a real hard look at where we need to go forward – on the pitch, off the pitch, structure, everything, every part, every facet needs to be looked at. Myself included, because it’s not acceptable, not good enough.”
Elliot has previously said he has had full support from those above him at Brunton Park and asked if he felt that was still the case, he said: “Yes, I think so. They brought me in for a reason.
The reception for Rob Elliot as he heads for the tunnel after Carlisle’s 5-2 defeat #cufc pic.twitter.com/S8WhfpFJ9j
— Jon Colman (@joncolman) September 26, 2026
“I had a chat yesterday with the owners about the transformation in terms of the way the team’s playing, and it takes time to get it right, but we do need to pick up points quite clearly.
“The realisation for me is that we probably are mentally further away as a group as a club than where I want us to be.
Elliot was booed to the tunnel by fans in the Paddock after the game (Image: Ben Holmes)
“But all I can do is just keep doing my job, keep working, and making sure that I give us the best opportunity going forward.”
Carlisle’s dreadful collapse against Woking saw them fall to 19th in the National League, a point above the relegation zone – as they conceded five at home for the first time since the 5-1 defeat to Swindon Town that cost Mike Williamson his job in February 2025.
Elliot admitted the display against Woking was “unacceptable” but added: “We [the coaches] can’t put the ball in the net for the lads, we can’t make them do their jobs and we can’t mentally make them robust enough to be able to handle that.
“We work hard in training, we’ve gone through the structure, the press, everything, but ultimately it was nothing to do with the game of football, it was to do with our mentality and it wasn’t good enough as a group.
“There are no excuses.”
Elliot faced vocal calls for his head from fans after the game while the Blues boss was involved in exchanges with some in the Paddock during United’s collapse.
On that reaction, he said: “I was expecting it to be honest. We were talking about me getting sacked since last weekend, so when we start putting that out there people jump on it and if that’s what people feel that’s fine, I have no issues.
“But I think there is that negativity around the club that we can’t seem to [remove].
“There’s more noise when it’s going wrong than when it’s going right, and since day one we got booed off on the first game [the 3-2 defeat to Worthing], and [when] you’re trying to build something and trying to start something new, it’s hard.
“I fully appreciate it after today – losing 5-2 at home is not acceptable in any way, a really poor performance and all the result are on me.”
Carlisle collapsed to a 5-2 defeat to Woking at Brunton Park (Image: Ben Holmes)
Asked if he believed he could turn things around, he said: “Yes, really confident.
“I can’t put the ball in the net, I can’t make people win their headers.
“I feel we set the team up right, we trained properly but today’s unacceptable and I totally take responsibility – but we need people at this club who are willing to do the hard yards and willing to give everything and play under that pressure and be able to deal with it.”
Asked if he felt he had enough in the squad to show the necessary mental resilience he spoke about, he said: “Clearly not, let’s be honest.
“I wanted to protect the lads the whole time but I think based on today you’d have to make the case that you haven’t, and I’m sure people say that about myself as well.
“That’s not my decision but ultimately we need to change the momentum and the mindset of the club more than anything.”
Asked if he would be looking for the backing to bring in more players, he said: “I’ve made that clear. That’s something I’ve discussed with everyone, [to] make sure we’re all on the same page and that we are going to improve the club and bring in if we need to bring in.”
Captain Morgan Feeney, meanwhile, said Carlisle’s defeat was “disgraceful” and suggested it looked like a “lack of effort” in some quarters.
But the defender said players still have full belief in Elliot and his plans.
“The tools the manager and the staff give us are superb, excellent,” he said.
“We’ve let them down. We’ve let a lot of people down today.”
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