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Archived News from November 2010

RADFORD HOPES FOR FIELD MILL PROGRESS
5th November 2010 0:07


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Stags Owner Meets Landlord For Talks
mansfield103.co.uk, Friday 29th October, 2010
Mansfield Town owner John Radford was involved in talks with landlord Keith Haslam about the future of Field Mill on Friday evening.

http://www.mansfield103.co.uk/sport.php?n=1221

The club has paid rent on the ground since Mr Haslam sold the Stags in 2008 but Mr Radford wants them to own the stadium once again.

The meeting was brought together by Mayor Tony Egginton who says the negotiations are fantastic for the club and the town.

He added that Mr Haslam was being very realistic in what he wanted from the deal.

Stags Chief Executive Steve Barker spoke live on Mansfield 103.2 to say the negotiations were going well and there was an air of optimism across the table.

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Stags chairman Radford hopes for Field Mill progress
Evening Post, 26 Oct 2010, By matt halfpenny
JOHN Radford hopes to reveal inside the next two weeks if he can buy back Field Mill for Mansfield Town.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/sport/Stags-chairman-Radford-hopes-Field-progress/article-2796612-detail/article.html

The ground is currently in the hands of former club owner Keith Haslam, who leases the stadium to the Stags.

It costs them more than £100,000 every year and sees them forced to annually re-negotiate a ten-year lease with their landlord – the minimum required for Football League membership should the club be promoted.

But Radford made it one of his primary aims on taking over at the end of September to get them playing at their own ground.

His preferred option is for Mansfield to remain at Field Mill, the club's home since 1919. Another possibility is to build a new ground.

Radford is set for talks with Haslam in the next few days, during which he will discuss the possibility of a ground sale.

"We have still got to resolve one or two issues with the previous chairman, but hopefully by the first week in November we will know where we are going," he said.

"I have not had any dialogue with Mr Haslam yet, other than set up a meeting and we can move forward from there."

Mansfield have been drawn at home to League Two side Torquay United on Saturday, November 6.

Last year the club desperately needed a successful cup run to boost their coffers, only to be knocked out at this stage by Forest Green Rovers.

With Radford now at the helm, any extra revenue will go straight into manager David Holdsworth's budget.

Radford said: "Whatever we make from our run gives us more to spend in the transfer window."

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Meeting Over Field Mill Future On Friday
mansfield103.co.uk, Tuesday 26th October, 2010
Mansfield Town are set to enter talks with former owner Keith Haslam about buying Field Mill off of him.

http://www.mansfield103.co.uk/sport.php?n=1216

Our sources say that Stags owner John Radford will meet him on Friday to discuss buying Field Mill.

Since Haslam's departure from the club in 2008, the Stags have been renting the ground for a fee of £100,000 a season.

On taking over the club in September, Mr Radford stated that one of his main priorities was for the football club to take ownership of the ground once again.

It is unclear as to how much the sale of Field Mill could cost.

However, Mansfield 103.2 has been informed that the deal could cost Mr Radford around £2m.

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Why Stags chairman is pleased with first month at Field Mill
Evening Post, 30 Oct 2010
JUST over a month into his takeover of Mansfield Town, John Radford is reveling in his role as the club's new chairman.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/sport/Stags-chairman-pleased-month-Field/article-2816806-detail/article.html?

It was never going to be easy for the multi-millionaire to bring the good times back to Field Mill, considering the woes of recent times.

After relegation out of the Football League at the end of the 2007-2008 season, the Stags then lost in excess of £1million in their first two seasons at non-league level.

Things on the pitch have, at times, also been a struggle, with Stags fans at one stage forced to contemplate a second relegation in a row during the latter stages of Billy McEwan's tenure.

But Radford knew the size of his task when he took on the project of resurrecting the Stags' fortunes, buying out previous owners Andy Saunders, Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton.

He knew that it would take time to see the impact of his investment, which saw £250,000 immediately pumped into the club.

And despite a run of five league games without a win – though the Stags won last time out in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round at FC Halifax Town – he is pleased with early progress.

"Things are pretty much how I envisaged it and there have been no big surprises," said Radford.

"There has been the historical stuff that has been there for years, but I expected that.

"The big thing is that the response from the Mansfield fans has been fantastic.

"We want to get the fans swarming back in the long-term.

"Steve Barker (the club's new chief executive) is starting to get involved and get his feet under the table.

"He is reporting how things are going to me and I am also managing to get into the club once a week as well.

"Things have been disappointing in terms of results but there's only been one game that we have been outplayed. In the other things haven't gone our way.

"We were turned over by Wimbledon, but in the other matches we could have easily had another five points."

Radford has quickly established a rapport with his manager David Holdsworth, who shares his vision of delivering a top-five finish come the end of the season.

He believes the former Watford, Sheffield United and Birmingham player is going about his duties in an intelligent and thorough manner.

Radford said: "David and I sit down and have a chat for a couple of hours, normally on a Monday afternoon.

"He has his plans for the team and I agree with him 100 per cent.

"The manager's knowledge of players in this league is fantastic and he has some really good ideas.

"I'm very pleased with what I have seen so far and I have no reason to doubt him."

Already, the purse strings have been loosened to bring in Adam Murray, who has signed on loan for Oxford until January but will then sign an 18-month contract.

Other temporary arrivals include Rhys Day, Simon Grand, Steve Cook, Peter Vincenti and Kevin Pilkington.

Radford expects those additions to push Mansfield up the table in the lead up to the New Year.

"David has got the players in now that can definitely get the club into the top five by Christmas," he said.

"There aren't any more changes that we need to make to the team now.

"It's still early days with the new players. I have been to the training ground and the morale among the squad is fantastic.

"We have definitely not had the rub of the green in recent matches. But it's now we need to start getting the results."

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