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Archived News from March 2005

PALMER AND PETERS REACTION
6th March 2005 22:03


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Audio interview with Carlton Palmer from Radio Nottingham (RealPlayer needed)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/football/2005/stags_shrewsbury_home_palmer.ram
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Quotes from Carlton Palmer:

"We were poor today, but I feel the atmosphere here is injuring the players."

"I've been made a bit of a scapegoat here because of the Keith Curle situation...it's got to me a little bit now."

"At least I've come here and been big enough to address the problems."

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CHAD WEBSITE
Under-fire Palmer considers future
CARLTON Palmer is considering his Field Mill future after Stags let two more precious home points slip away when they were held 1-1 by in-form Shrewsbury Town this afternoon.
Palmer was expected to be named manager this week but hinted he may now walk away from the job after suffering more abuse from a section of the home fans.
Mansfield had shrugged off a dreadful first half display to go up a gear after the break and take the lead through Alex Neil on 64 minutes.
But the Shrews, who won four and drew one of their six games last month to ease themselves clear of the relegation battle, showed their new-found mettle to level 11 minutes later through Luke Rodgers.
And, after twice hitting the woodwork in the first half, it was little more than the visitors deserved.
The home crowd gave Palmer a rough ride and booed the side from the field at half-time and at the end as, for once, the home side failed to create their usual quota of chances.
It was a third game without victory for Mansfield and they have managed just one home point out of a possible nine which hardly bodes well for their play-off ambitions.
Palmer said: "I am disappointed with the crowd today and I will have a chat with the chairman and my family over the weekend before I decide what to do.
"If I am not going to be allowed to do the job properly I will just walk away.
"I feel I have done well since I came here and I have won more points in my first 18 matches than Keith Curle did and have a better defensive record.
"Some supporters seem to have come here today to have a go at me instead of getting behind the players. The supporters are affecting the players and it's no co-incidence we are winning away from home and not getting results at home.
"The fans have got at Fraser McLachlan so much that he now can't play here at home.
"The fans were muted from the start and it does affect the players.
"I inherited a side that were not doing it and I have been brave enough to make decisions on players. All I've done is bring in new young players for the future and I am getting vilified for it.
"We were poor today and lucky to get a point. Shrewsbury should have been out of sight by half-time. I asked the players to show me more commitment at half-time and they did that."
Stags made one change with Simon Brown returning from a four-game ban.
Luke Dimech was dropped to the bench with Alex Neil moving to right back and Jake Buxton to centre half.
Rhys Day was a welcome return to the bench from injury. Also among the subs was on-loan Birmingham striker Andrew Barrowman who arrived at Field Mill yesterday for the rest of the season.
A 20-year-old former Glasgow Rangers trainee with Scottish youth caps, he has already had spells out on loan at Blackpool and Crewe.
Stags almost made a stunning start. Barker got stuck in to edge a pass to Murray and he quickly lofted a pass towards Larkin.
The keeper had raced out to the edge of his box to clear just ahead of the incoming striker but could only kick the ball to Murray some 50 yards from goal. He instantly tried the hit the empty net but is bounced just wide of the far post with just 52 seconds on the watch.
Mansfield then won two successive corners. The Shrews tried to break quickly from the second but Rodgers lost control as he got to the box and the ball ran harmlessly out of play.
Pilkington did well to clear at the edge of his box as John-Baptiste's header back to him looked set to drop short with Rodgers racing in.
There was a hold-up for treatment to Langmead and the visitors played with 10 men for a few minutes while he limped the injury off on the touchline before returning to the action.
Langmead won Shrewsbury a free kick just outside the Mansfield box. Up stepped Sedgemore to crash a superb effort against the right hand post, Stags eventually surviving the ensuing scramble.
John-Baptiste then got a good block on a Langmead shot.
Neil showed great skill in flicking the ball past two opponents, but Murray stepped in to try to finish and chipped well wide of goal.
John-Baptiste took a knock and, while he was still limping, Rodgers cut in between him and Neil to send in a low shot wide of the far post.
Jelleyman fouled Rodgers just outside the box to allow Shrewsbury another free kick from a similar position to the one that hit the post. But this time Ashton curled the ball well over.
Challis was booked for a tackle from behind on Brown on 31 minutes, but Brown over hit the free kick to waste the chance.
The home fans were becoming impatient at the home side's inability to get their game going and poor passing and boos began to ring round the ground.
Mansfield wasted two more corners, the first taken short and blocked and the second under-hit and easy for the visitors to clear at the near post.
Stags' frustrations were apparent as Murray hacked down Tolley to earn a booking.
Mansfield had another huge let-off on 41 minutes. Sedgemore floated a free kick towards Langmead who headed into the box where Rodgers, from 12 yards, lashed a powerful finish against the underside of the crossbar and Stags were able to clear.
Stags' passing was improving as half-time approached and their first shot on target came in stoppage time as Murray chested Neil's pass towards Barker who fired straight at Howie.
Langmead headed straight at Pilkington at the other end in the four minutes of time added on and the home side also had to survive two more Shrews corners.
Palmer made two changes for the second half with Curtis on for McLachlan in midfield and Barrowman on for Larkin up front.
Rundle, who took a knock to the head in the first half, returned wearing a head bandage.
The home side began the second half looking much improved from that dreadful first half showing with early flowing passes.
And Howie was lucky when he fumbled a Rundle free kick at his near post but was able to gather at the second attempt.
Howie then had to palm a dangerous Rundle cross over his bar for a corner.
Another followed which was just to high for Barrowman at the far post and he could only glance it wide.
Two more soon followed but still the home side could not find a way through.
John Baptiste, presumably still suffering from a painful first half tackle, was replaced by Dimech on 56 minutes.
Shrewsbury replied with a Lowe volley that was deflected wide for a corner.
Curtis was caught in possession which allowed Lanmead a chance to run at goal. But Dimech stayed with him and produced the crucial tackle.
But the game turned in the 64th minute. Pilkington was well placed to save a powerful Langmead drive. Play swept up to the other end and Neil cut in from the right, tried a left foot shot and, with the aid of a deflection off Darren Tinson, Howie could not prevent in finding the back of the net for Neil's first League goal for the club.
Stags were alive now and Barrowman forced a save from Howie with a low shot as did Jelleyman on a great run forward after a one-two with Barker.
Shrews made a change on 68 minutes as Aiston came on for Challis.
And they threatened when Rodgers' square pass sent Lowe on a run which saw him slice a dreadful finish wide.
Back came Stags and Brown set up Neil for a low shot that was blocked.
But Shrewsbury conjured up an equaliser on 75 minutes. Aiston got away from Neil on the left and sent in a superb low cross in front of goal which Rodgers reached to turn over the line.
Curtis then had to get a block on a Tolley shot to concede a corner. The Shrews soon forced another as they turned the screw in their hunt for a winner. And they sent on O'Connor for Sedgemore for the final seven minutes.
Rundle was furious when the referee played on after he had gone down in the box under O'Connor's first lunging challenge.
But another great run from Aiston then won a corner at the other end.
Edwards replaced Lowe on 86 minutes.
Another four minutes were added on, with Shrewsbury forcing another corner, but neither side could produce a winner.
Shrews boss Gary Peters said: "We could have won that game. We had good chances, hit the bar and post and their goal was a deflection.
"Although we have got a fair few points away from home, I still feel we have been unlucky and not got what we've deserved. If we had who knows where we would be.
"Mansfield had about 10-15 minutes at the start of the second half. Otherwise I thought we were the better side."

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Gary Peters Postmatch
ShrewsWorld

ShrewsWorld listened to the postmatch interviews to get the thoughts of Gary Peters

We should have won that game, we had good chances, hit the bar, hit the post, had good chances in the second half and their goal was a deflection.

Their lads shot was going nowhere, it has caught Darren on the back and sent Scott the wrong way to give him no chance, if it wasn't for that I couldn't see them beating Scott.

Although we've got a fair few points and are scrambling away from the bottom bit by bit I still feel we've been very, very unlucky away from home. We've had games like today, we've had the same at Chester and Rushden and Yeovil where we're not getting as much as we deserve.

We were the better team for me, they had a period of 10 to 15-minutes where they were on top but other than that we were on top.

We've shown we can come back from going behind, it's something I wasn't sure we could do when I came to the club, we can fight back and that's because we have spirit and don't lay down.

I kept faith with the lads who got us the 5-0 win over Chester but who knows what will happen, we got a draw here but I don't know what we will do for next weeks game against Macclesfield.

Luke's picked up another booking but I'm not sure if he'll pick up a suspension, it's gone past the time where you get suspended for reaching five booking but I'm not sure if that's the same for ten.

If Luke is suspended then we'll deal with it, I've had to deal with missing players all the way through the time I've been here, ones who are potential match winners. Teams evolved and one player will go out and another will come in and the ones who come in have to stake their claim.

They were playing a winger type at right-back and that allowed us to get in down the side, that was important as it's an area where we can get good pressure on.

I brought Sam Aiston on as we'd gone 1-0 down and we had to try and open them up, we went very attacking in having two real wingers on and once we got the goal back I though that it was good to bring Martin on for that little experience.

The crowd were superb and the away supporters have always been and it was excellent to travel to Mansfield with such backing.
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EVENING POST WEBSITE:
CARLTON ROUNDS ON STAGS FANS AFTER DRAW
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Mansfield Town 1 v 1 Shrewsbury Town
Mansfield caretaker-manager Carlton Palmer criticised his own team's fans after the 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury.


An equaliser from Luke Rodgers denied Palmer's men victory after Alex Neil had given them the lead, but Palmer was more concerned by the barracking he received from the terraces.

Palmer had been expected to be appointed as the long-term successor to Keith Curle this week, but admitted: "I am disappointed with the crowd and will have a chat with the chairman and my family over the weekend before I decide what to do.

"If I am not going to be allowed to do the job properly I will just walk away. I feel I have done well since I came here and I have won more points in my first 18 matches than Keith Curle did and have a better defensive record.

"Some supporters seem to have come here just to have a go at me instead of getting behind the players.

"The supporters are affecting the players and it's no coincidence we are winning away from home and not getting results at home. The fans were muted from the start and it does affect the players. They have got at Fraser McLachlan so much that he now can't play here at home.

"I inherited a side that were not doing it and I have been brave enough to make decisions on players. All I've done is bring in new young players for the future and I am getting vilified for it."

Palmer also criticised his team's performance and admitted they deserved to lose.

"We were poor and lucky to get a point," he said. "Shrewsbury should have been out of sight by half time. I asked the players to show me more commitment at half time and they did that."

Shrewsbury boss Gary Peters agreed with Palmer's assessment of the game, and cursed his side's luck at only taking a point.

Peters said: "We should have won that game. We had good chances, hit the bar and the post, and their goal was a deflection.

"Mansfield had about 15 minutes at the start of the second half but otherwise I thought we were the better side.

"Although we have got a fair few points away from home I still feel we have been unlucky and not got what we deserved. If we had who knows where we would be?"


 

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