With so much happening since the end of last season, we've kicked off this season's Q&A interviews by putting Jimmy Quinn 'on the spot' with a selection of your questions.

Here's the fourth and final part of the interview. Click on the "Q&A" link on the left to access the previous instalments.

Simon from Brampton asks:
Are we still due a friendly with Everton as part of the John Ruddy deal? If so, why hasn't this happened so far when he has been gone two years now?

JQ: Yes we are, and we're also due a game with Blackburn Rovers. We were supposed to have them this summer but they said they couldn't do it because of other commitments. These big teams go and play in tournaments all over the world because they get vast sums of money, and whilst we have an agreement to play them that's still on the burner.

Wayne Purser was on to them very early for dates when they could play us in pre-season period and they couldn't commit to anything, so it's disappointing from that point of view but we'll have to make sure we get something sorted for next year.

Keith Anderson asks:
Jimmy, What are your feelings with regard to the Setanta Cameras conducting interviews during televised matches. Will you be taking part?

JQ: It's a new thing and I feel it's very difficult to do that in the heat of the moment because you're watching the game and football matches can get very emotional. If you're doing well everybody is happy and it's easy to talk about positives, but if you're not playing well and they stick a microphone in your face then it's going to be very difficult to come up with the right answers.

Obviously, what I have to do is be as truthful and honest as I can and if they ask me about a situation in a game then I'll have to tell them what I see. It will be difficult because you want to concentrate, whether you're doing well or not.

James Webb asks:
How easy was the decision to appoint Danny Brown as Club Captain? And do you have a points target for Christmas?

JQ: Danny Brown stands out a mile. When you're looking at captains you're looking at players who are going to be consistent and perform to a level, and also a player who's going to help and encourage his team-mates and sometimes give them a kick up the backside to get them going, and Danny fits all those criteria.

He's an honest lad. I have discussions with him all the time and I have a point of view but sometimes he doesn't agree with me and he has his own opinion, which is great - I don't want robots working for me saying 'yes gaffer, no gaffer'. He offers an honest opinion about things and I'm sure that will come across to the fans in his interviews.

And regarding a points target, I think it's important that you set yourself targets and goals and we're going to work off twelve week periods and set ourselves a target for those games accordingly. But I'll be looking to average two points a game over the course of the season and I don't think that's unrealistic.

Obviously there are some tough games but we have to go into every game feeling that we can beat everyone and pick up as many points as quickly as we can. And once we've reached the 50 point mark as quickly as we can then we can take it from there.

After last season I don't want to be talking about promotion or the play-offs but certainly, as I've said before. I'll be very disappointed if we don't finish a lot higher than we did last season.

Sam from Ellesmere Port asks:
How close were you to resigning after the consecutive 0-5 defeats by Altrincham and York last season? Did you discuss your future with Lee Power?

JQ: No. I was disappointed in the results, obviously, but what sort of man would I be if we get beaten in a few games and I want to lay down and die? That's not in my character. You get very disappointed and it's a lonely game at times, being a manager, because when you're winning it's great and when you're losing everyone can do your job and tell you where you're going wrong.

It's very important that you understand how disappointed people get when you have bad matches, but I've got to make sure that I'm strong in character and sometimes you've got to be thick-skinned and analyse the games. It's about getting down to that hard work to try to put it right, which we did.

It's very difficult but I'm not the character to lay down and die and I'll never resign unless it was affecting my health or something like that. There's a lot of pressure in the game and I'm my own biggest critic - I'm always analysing myself as well as the players - and I'm very aware of the disappointment that people have when they lose games, but I'm not a quitter.

Jon asks:
What's the one piece of advice you would give to a young player starting out in the game?

JQ: Get as fit as you can and get playing regular football, and then when you're playing for a team that's when people will assess you and tell you whether or not you're good enough for whatever level.

If they have aspirations to be a professional, young people have got a lot of work and a lot of learning to do and it depends whether they've got the ability and the mental attitude and fitness levels to go along with that. To be a professional football player these days is a lot harder than people think; it's not enough to just be talented, you need to have the complete set of attributes to make it. You could be talented but not have the right attitude or you may not be strong enough.

There are many aspects that come into play, but the biggest piece of advice I think I would give is 'go out and enjoy it, get better at it, and keep working on your technique'.

And Jon also asks:
And the one piece of advice you'd give to a young manager?

JQ: Be a winner. Don't settle for anything less and always put yourself under pressure, always try to learn as much as you can and keep up to date with the latest methods, talk to as many experienced people in the game as you can to learn any new techniques, and always try to do your best for the players because at the end of the day the players are the tools for your job.

You can get frustrated as a manager at times and be over-critical and then the players lose confidence, so it's about getting the balance right and you really have to make sure that everything is right for the players.

It's your responsibility to make sure they're fit and strong enough and mentally up for the job, but again you have to enjoy what you're doing and it's all about winning games of football, at whatever level you want to manage at.

Andy wants to know:
What qualities do you believe are vital in any player you sign?

JQ: Consistency, which is a word that takes in a lot of aspects, and obviously they've got to be good in whatever position they play at, with good technique, and they've got to be strong. You don't have to be the best player in the world but mental attitude is probably one of the most important things that can help any player and it's what I'm looking for.

Like I said before, there are lots of players with talent but a lot of the time they're not strong enough and they haven't got the willpower, so mental attitude would probably be the biggest thing that I'd be looking at.

Sara asks:
What do you do like to do in your spare time?

JQ: I like playing a bit of golf, I like watching football - I go to a lot of games at all levels and I like watching teams play different systems - I like to go to clubs in higher leagues to watch them train and see if I can pick up any ideas that would help me in my job, and obviously I enjoy being with my wife when I can.

We've just acquired a new dog and I like taking the dog out for walks and just relaxing. You do need to get away from football and it's very difficult because your phone's going 24 hours a day, but it's important to have some time to reflect and enjoy yourself, which helps to take the pressure off the job at times.

'Anonymous' asks:
Is it true that we had a lucky mascot at the end of last season in the form of your nephew, as every game he attended we won?

JQ: That's true, and I'm going to try to get him up here for every game this season too! His name is Mark Makin and he's a ringer for John Hartson, and it's always nice to see him at our games.

Andrea Thrussell

Is there a player or member of the backroom staff you'd like to put on the spot? Nominate them now by writing to web@cambridge-united.co.uk

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