Archived News from January 2005
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PALMER ON FUTURE, MACCA, McLACHLAN, MAXWELL, WARNE
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Palmer Admits MacKenzie Offer
By Gary J , Date: 19/1/2005 http://macclesfieldtown.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=962&p=2&stid=8370928 Mansfield Town caretaker manager Carlton Palmer has admitted he has received an offer for midfielder Neil MacKenzie. According to todays Macclesfield Express, Palmer is said to be "considering it". It is common knowledge now that Palmer has fallen out with MacKenzie having fined the midfielder one months wages for comments he made in a Mansfield newspaper. MacKenzie made his home debut for the Silkmen last Saturday and the Macc fans will welcome his signing with open arms. The Stags though are currently going through a bit of a midfield crisis and Palmer has stated he may have to recall MacKenzie on before the weekend if a permanent deal isn't reached. Palmer said "I have spoken to Glenn Hoddle about a player but that would depend if Neil MacKenzie were to sign for Macclesfield permanently. I would only recall him as a last resort as neither Brian Horton nor the player would want me to. But they (Macc) have seen enough of him now to know if they are likely to want to keep him after the three-month loan ends and if I am still struggling on Thursday, I will be ringing Brian to discuss the situation." ---------- Palmer in talks over future CHAD website, 19 January 2005 CARLTON Palmer will today hold talks with chairman Keith Haslam over his own future and that of the football club. Palmer has acted as an unpaid caretaker-manager since mid-November when Keith Curle and assistant John Gannon were suspended. But, with lucrative offers also on the table to continue as a BBC pundit, he now wants to make a decision on his own future, and also know of Haslam's aims and ambitions. An appeal against Keith Curle's sacking was heard on Friday and the result of that is imminent. But Palmer admits he wants the job if everything is right for him. Haslam has been on holiday for two weeks but will have plenty to sort on his return to work today with Palmer wanting to sort out his own job, bring in two players and sort out a playing budget for next season. "I have a blueprint that I want to work to this and next season if I am manager here," said Palmer. "I want to bring in two players this week - a left back and a central midfielder - and I need the chairman to rubberstamp those. And I want to make sure that all the players I want to keep here next season are on new contracts by the end of February. "I wouldn't want to see it like it was last year with no one knowing their futures when they got to the play-offs. "I want players to be settled. And those that are going will still want to do well to find another club. Look at how Luke Dimech and Alex Neil have responded since I said they may leave." Palmer has already confirmed Dimech will be offered a new deal. "If I am here I want to make sure I have a squad good enough to play in the division above - that has to be my benchmark," he added. "I have a decision to make about my future. It was certainly a baptism of fire when I came here to help out and, after a couple of weeks, if the players had not responded as they did, then I would have just walked away as I didn't need the hassle. "But they have been absolutely magnificent and have done everything I have asked them to do. "So now I am starting to enjoy it. And if all is right and I can agree everything with the chairman I would like to stay. "But I want to know what he expects of me and the budget I will be working to. "If I need to move other players on to bring the ones in I want then so be it. "But, with a transfer window coming in next season, I want a good squad and not one of those packed with young loan players from Premiership clubs. "All we are doing then is improving other people's players to move on. I want us to bring in good young players of our own and maybe sell one every couple of years like they do at Crewe. "You can't build a team on loan players. "Also, it will help bring players in if I know I am staying. It's hard saying to players you are bringing them in on behalf of the football club but may not be staying yourself. "What happens if they come here, uproot their families, only to find the manager changes and the new one just doesn't fancy them?" Stags will be hoping to build on that 1-1 draw at Rochdale on Saturday by completing the double over visitors Southend United at Field Mill this Saturday (3pm). The side could include a new left back and either a new midfielder player or a recalled Neil MacKenzie (full story inside on page 143). Richie Barker's superb overhead finish earned Stags a draw at soggy Spotland and Palmer said: "That was a great point. "Rochdale could have run away with it but I thought we showed great character. "I thought we looked better than them going forward early on but I wasn't happy with us defensively. "Steve Parkin knows Alex Neil is not a right back and they tried to expose him. Second half I told him to just stay in the hole and we looked much better. "I think the game was about to run away from us when we scored. But I think we shaded the second half and had two or three chances to nick it near the end. "Considering the state of the pitch I thought it was a decent game and both sides tried to pass the ball. "Rochdale probably thought this was three points guaranteed. All the talk before the game was about me not wanting to play the game but all I wanted was a decent surface." Midfield headache for Palmer CHAD website, 19 January 2005 CARETAKER-MANAGER Carlton Palmer faces a central midfield headache ahead of Saturday's visit of Southend United (3pm). Tom Curtis, Adam Murray and Fraser McLachlan were all on the treatment table this week while Layton Maxwell, drafted in for an emergency debut on Saturday is still well short of match fitness. Palmer admitted he may have to recall on-loan Neil MacKenzie from Macclesfield Town, though he does has an alternative up his sleeve with a Wolves player waiting in the wings should Macclesfield want to make MacKenzie's stay permanent. "Adam Murray has had a scan on his ankle and it is not serious, thankfully," said Palmer. "He does have some debris in there which needs cleaning out, like all footballers get, and that is why it locked on him. "But we are hoping to put that off until the end of the season and he has a chance for Saturday. "Tom is coming on well also but I don't want to rush him and I think Saturday may be too soon. "With Fraser we'll have to wait and see. He has been carrying a knee injury recently which has left him less than 100 per cent. "It's the type of lad that he is that he wants to keep playing but I need him at 100 per cent. "Once he is, fans will see what he can do. Sometimes people who don't understand the game don't appreciate players like Fraser. "But, when he played in the side at Stockport and when he has played for us here, we rarely lose a game. "He will not spray 60 yard passes - that is not his game. But he will win the ball and give a simple pass and every side needs a player like that." Palmer added: "I have spoken to Glenn Hoddle about a player but that would depend if Neil MacKenzie were to sign for Macclesfield permanently. "I would only recall him as a last resort as neither Brian Horton nor the player would want me to. But they have seen enough of him now to know if they are likely to want to keep him after the three-month loan ends and if I am still struggling on Thursday, I will be ringing Brian to discuss the situation." Palmer is also hoping Keith Haslam will rubberstamp a deal agreed over a new left back today. That will allow Palmer to switch Jake Buxton to his favoured right back role on Saturday. Palmer is not naming the full back though rumour is rife he is Peterborough United's former Welsh U-21 Gareth Jelleyman (24). Palmer did have defensive cover in Joel Kitamariki, but the former Chelsea player's agent managed to fix him up a two-year deal at Dundee on Friday. "I was a bit upset how it happened but Joel has rung me to apologise and I have wished him all the best," said Palmer. "He is a good defender with promise and I was happy to work with him. But I would not have offered him a two-year deal as I feel, for that money, I can get a better player on the ball." It seems unlikely Paul Warne will immediately rejoin Mansfield Town after being recalled from his loan spell at Rotherham due to injury and illness problems for the Millers. There was an 18-month deal on the table for him at Field Mill, but he is a contracted Rotherham until the end of the season and Palmer added; "I would love to have Paul here but he is not a priority right now. "My priorities are sorting out a left full back and a central midfielder. "I have not spoken to Paul or Ronnie Moore since the weekend but I have read on Teletext that he will be staying there for the rest of the season as they are short on players. "I understand the consortium that has taken over have actually had to borrow the money to do so and that will mean Ronnie will not be given any more money to spend on players. So if he is short then logically he isn't going to let Warney come back here." Palmer has two other players on trial in left winger Adam Rundle and striker Shane Smeltz - both on one-month contracts. New Zealand international Smeltz - who made his debut at Rochdale as a second half substitute - has attracted the attention of several clubs after his trial period at West Ham, while Rundle was formerly with Darlington, Carlisle and Dublin City. Stags only played Southend on 28th December, enjoying a 1-0 win at Roots Hall with a Paul Warne goal. But Palmer warned: "Southend are a big, physical side who we played very well against down there. "We matched them defensively, battled hard in midfield and Derek Asamoah caused them problems up front. "We will need the same sort of determined performance to beat them here. "I am quite happy with our defending. Over the last 10 matches we have the best defensive record in the division and over the whole season only Swansea have conceded a goal less. "We just need to put more of the chances we are creating way at the other end." England push for Stags pair CHAD website, 19 January 2005 CARLTON Palmer is to push Alex John-Baptiste (and Jake Buxton forward for England U20 or U21 selection. The pair have been outstanding recently in a Mansfield Town defence that has kept five clean sheets in the last seven games and Palmer said: "The lads have done well and deserve some recognition. "I know Peter Taylor very well and will be talking to him. "Jake has been my best player since I came here and when he is switched back to right back I know he will kick on a lot more. "If there is a better England U21 central defender than Alex right now then someone tell me who and I will sign him. "Good players sometimes get overlooked for international honours - sometimes because they are at unfashionable clubs." ---------- Palmer on future: skysports.com by Tom Adams - created on 18 Jan 2005 Mansfield Town caretaker manager Carlton Palmer is currently deliberating on whether to take the job full time. The ex-Stockport boss was installed after Keith Curle was suspended, and later sacked, following allegations of bullying at the League Two club. Palmer made an inauspicious start as Mansfield manager although his side's form has improved recently with three wins and two draws in the last six games. Palmer does have media commitments to take into account, and will only take the job on full time if all the conditions are right to do so. "I would like to take the job but there are a lot of things that need considering and sorting out first," said Palmer. "I will have to sit down and think about my situation at the BBC and when the chairman gets back we will need to get things sorted out as soon as possible. "If all is right and I can agree everything with the chairman then I would take the job but it would have to be right for me because I was in a situation at Stockport where I had that support from my chairman and directors. "The important thing is that we know exactly what we expect from each other and get it down in writing so there are no misunderstandings later on." Palmer first stepped in to help The Stags as he is a close personal friend of supremo Keith Haslam, and if he decides to commit himself fully to the club it may well be down to the attitude of the players. "It was like a baptism of fire when I first came here to help the chairman out, and, if I'm honest, if the players had not been the way that they had been I probably would have walked away, I didn't need the hassle. "But the players have been absolutely marvellous in every way, they have done everything that I have asked of them. "They are a good bunch of lads and I am starting to enjoy it, getting it the way I would want it to be with a lot of spirit in the side at the moment. "We have quality in the team and that will start showing, just look at the Cambridge game with the strong winds and the pitch situation at Rochdale on Saturday. "You have to play against those elements which can be difficult but the lads' spirit showed and we managed a draw in both games." Curle is in the process of appealing to the club in a bid to clear his name, but it may be left to Palmer to pick up the pieces in a full time role. ------- bbc.co.uk: Mansfield caretaker boss Carlton Palmer would consider taking the manager's post on a full-time basis. But Palmer, appointed following Keith Curle's sacking for disciplinary reasons, says it would be on his terms. Palmer told the Stags' website: "I would like to take the job but there are a lot of things that need sorting out first. "If all is right and I can agree everything with the chairman then I would take the job." ---------- mansfieldtown.net: Palmer Considers Future Caretaker Manager Carlton Palmer has said that he has to sit down and make a decision as to where his future lies. With Keith Curle making his appeal to the club last week in a bid to clear his name, thoughts of who will become the Stags manager come to mind. When asked if he would accept the job if it was offered Palmer said "I would like to take the job but there are a lot of things that need considering and sorting out first. I will have to sit down and think about my situation at the BBC and when the chairman gets back we will need to get things sorted out ASAP. If all is right and I can agree everything with the chairman then I would take the job but it would have to be right for me because I was in a situation at Stockport where I had that support form my chairman and directors. The important thing is that we know exactly what we expect from each other and get it down in writing so there are no misunderstandings later on" "It was like a baptism of fire when I first came here to help the chairman out. And if I'm honest if the players had not been the way that they had been I probably would have walked away, I didn't need the hassle but the players have been absolutely marvellous in every way they have done everything that I have asked of them, they are a good bunch of lads and I am starting to enjoy it, getting it the way I would want it to be with a lot of spirit in the side at the moment. We have quality in the team and that will start showing, just look at the Cambridge game with the strong winds and the pitch situation at Rochdale on Saturday. You have to play against those elements which can be difficult but the lads spirit showed and we managed a draw in both games" he added. Meanwhile mansfieldtown.net reports that Layton Maxwell made his stags Debut against Rochdale in some extreme conditions and despite not been one hundred percent match fit carried out his duties well impressing caretaker manager Palmer: "I asked Layton to do a job on Saturday and I thought he did well considering the circumstances. He has good quality about but as everybody could see he is a million miles away from been fully fit. With the injury situation in the midfield roles I will have to speak to Brian Horton about Neil MacKenzie and the possibility that we may have to recall him. I wouldn't want to recall him because I wouldn't like to do that to another manager but if we are left with no options then I would do it. "There is a deal on the table that at the end of the three months Macclesfield can buy MacKenzie so if necessary come Thursday morning and I have no midfield players I won't risk the likes of Tom Curtis by bringing them back too soon, I will speak to Brian Horton about the possibilities of doing the deal or we will have to recall Macca." Said Palmer. On McLachlan : Fraser Mclachlan has found himself on the sharp end of a small section of the stags supporters and Caretaker Manager Carlton Palmer feels that this is most unjustified: "Fraser has been getting a bit of stick form the fans and I feel that this is not really justified. Players like Fraser gives a lot to the team. He is not 100% fit at the moment after picking up a knee injury against Boston. He has been carrying the injury since and did well to come back against Scunthorpe. "He does the ugly side of football giving a physical presence, winning headers and a strong character. People will only realise this when is out of the team. At the end of the day I believe that he will become a fans favourite so give him a chance and he will prove himself to everybody" On Buxton & Baptiste: Carlton Palmer told mansfieldtown.net that Stags youngster defenders Jake Buxton and Alex John-Baptiste should be given the chance to represent their country. "I believe that Jake Buxton and Alex John-Baptiste should be playing for their country and I will be speaking to Peter Taylor about this" Said Palmer. Singling out the young Stags skipper Baptiste he added: "I believe that there is not a better centre half under 21 years old in the country and if Peter Taylor can show me any I will sign them" then talking of Jake Buxton who has been doing sterling work out of position on the left of the back row he added: "Jake has been one of my best players since I took over this club and when I get the opportunity to move him to the right full back position I believe we see really good things from him. Both these players should be playing for England Under 20 squad" On Kitamirike departure: Caretaker Carlton Palmer told mansfieldtown.net that he was a little upset in the way that defender Joel Kitamirike left the club to sign for Scottish outfit Dundee in a sudden deal that saw Carlton receive a call on Thursday asking to release him on Friday morning: "Joel wasn't good enough for us on the football but what he did do is give us an option defensively. We had an agreement that if he got a permanent contract somewhere he could go so there was no problem in that but I would have liked a little more notice and I was disappointed that Joel didn't contact me until yesterday (Monday). " I am not surprised that he has managed to secure a deal at one of Scotland's top clubs he is a good defender but it all depends on what you are looking for. I was willing to work with the boy to see how he could go for the next three or four weeks, he's quick with lots of pace. But if you don't play football matches for a few weeks it takes time for you to show your true potential and I couldn't be one hundred percent sure I couldn't get anybody better than Joel and I think I can get somebody who is better on the ball, so I have no problem with him leaving the club as I said it was just the way in which it was done. I do wish him all the best at Dundee" Palmer Said. On Warne : mansfieldtown.net reports that Caretaker manager Carlton Palmer has not given up hope on acquiring the services of Rotherham Midfield player Paul Warne but does admit that at the moment it is not a priority issue: "I am still interested in getting Warne to the club but I believe that Rotherham have now got new owners and that at the moment they are working out their finances and not allowing Ronnie Moore any money to bring new players into the club. So I think that he will not be allowing Warne to leave just yet. Anyway, I have to speak to the chairman about one or two things but my main priority at the moment is bringing in a left back and a central midfield player. Ultimately it all depends on what he says I can and cannot do" he told the official website. ---------- WARNE SET TO REJOIN STAGS Evening Post, 18 January 2005 MARK ROACH Paul Warne could rejoin Mansfield in time to face Southend on Saturday. The striker, who can also play in midfield, returned to Rotherham after impressing during a loan spell at Field Mill. But Warne says he has probably made his last appearance for the Millers. The 30-year-old, recalled from Mansfield for the Millers' FA Cup clash with Yeovil, played 90 minutes in Saturday's 2-0 Championship defeat against Wigan. "I think I'll be leaving the club this week," he said. Other clubs are reported to be interested in signing Warne, including League Two high-flyers Scunthorpe. "The money's on Mansfield, as I have been there on loan, but boss Ronnie Moore told me there were a few clubs intrested." Warne has made 185 appearances for the Millers, scoring 29 goals. |
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