Archived News from September 2011
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RADFORD ON 1ST YEAR, GROUND & CEO CAROLYN STILL
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Saturday 24 September 2011 pre Kidderminster match audio with John Radford ---> http://soundcloud.com/mansfield-103-2-sport/sets/mansfield-town-0-kidderminster?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter&utm_content=http://soundcloud.com/mansfield-103-2-sport/sets/mansfield-town-0-kidderminster In case this audio is deleted at some point, audio for the Stagsnet archive will appear here. -------------------------------------- Stags Owner Backs Chief Exec mansfield103.co.uk Mansfield Town's owner says he still fully supports the club's new Chief Exec. http://www.mansfield103.co.uk/sport.php?n=1521 Newspaper allegations about Carolyn Still's past have overshadowed her appointment at Field Mill. But, in an exclusive interview with Mansfield 103.2 before Saturday's match with Kidderminster, John Radford says he backs her 100%. He said: "You get newspapers coming out with stories and things like that. I've sat down and talked with her. She says there's no truth in them so that's it. But, this is a legal issue at the moment that has to be dealt with by the club. "When you appoint someone like Carolyn to the club, you're going to get a bit of press. "She doesn't look a normal CEO for the Football League but she will be very good at her job. "She's held high level positions before at multi-million pound companies so I don't think she will have any problems being an effective CEO for Mansfield Town Football Club." -------------- Mansfield Town chairman John Radford backs Carolyn Still after recent tabloid stories chad.co.uk, Saturday 24 September 2011 SEVEN days on from the tabloid stories about the private life of new Mansfield Town chief executive officer Carolyn Still, Stags chairman John Radford today said she has 'picked herself up' and 'was getting on with the job'. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/mansfield_town_chairman_john_radford_backs_carolyn_still_after_recent_tabloid_stories_1_3808148 The club was rocked by the national newspapers stories a week ago but Radford said: “I sat down and talked with her and she said there was no truth in them and that's it. “It is now a legal issue at the moment and has to be dealt with. “When you appoint someone like Carolyn Still you are going to get a bit of pres as she doesn't look like your normal COE at a football club. “But she is very good at her job. She has held very high positions at multi million pond companies and she will be very effective for Mansfield Town Football Club. “Obviously she was hurt by the stories but Carolyn has picked herself up and is getting on with the job.” Radford has been in place as club chairman for a year this week and said by this time next year he hoped the club would be in the same position, but a league higher. He said he continued to speak to landlord Keith Haslam twice a month and was confident that, if Paul Cox can achieve promotion on the field, he would sort out the ground issues to allow them to go up ----------------- Radford: Why I'm happy with first year at Stags helm Nottingham Post, Tuesday, September 27, 2011 IT doesn't seem two minutes since John Radford strode onto the pitch to take the acclaim of the Field Mill crowd as Mansfield Town's new owner just over 12 months ago. Yet such a lot has happened in his first year at the club – which began with a 4-0 victory over Eastbourne and ended with a 3-0 defeat by Kidderminster Harriers. There has hardly been chance for him to draw breath. On the face of it, Mansfield would appear to be in a similar situation to when Radford took the reins from Andrew Saunders, Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton. The team are in a comparable position in the Blue Square Bet Premier table, their stalemate with landlord Keith Haslam remains unresolved and expenditure in terms of wages is still outstripping income. Even so, Radford is pleased with the first 12 months of his tenure and feels he has learned plenty for the future. "It has pretty much gone as I expected, although it has involved more work than I might have expected," said Radford. "And things can often take twice as long as you want them to – it's been an interesting year. "We've had three managers, two CEOs, a trip to Wembley and been locked out of the stadium and also been in what is now potentially three court battles. "We have a fantastic manager now who I feel can get us promoted this season. "It's been a steep learning curve but I feel now that I am getting into the final quarter of that." New chief executive Carolyn Still described the club as 'financially stricken' in her opening days at the club – and recent accounts have highlighted Mansfield are consistently running at a loss. But Radford is prepared to recover that deficit to ensure the Stags do not run into trouble and remain competitive. He said: "A football club is not like any other business which is often said, but true. "I took an approach initially that I would try to run it like any other business, but you can't. "It would be nice if the club was closer to self-sustainability, nicer if we could maybe lose £500,000 a year and I think that can be done, especially if we get back into the league. "But if you want to get promoted, then you have to be prepared to put cash in. The players wages do not tally with the amount of people coming to watch and there is not much in the way of TV money in the Conference the same as in the Football League. "I'm happy to keep putting money in, but of course no-one likes giving money away and we have to squeeze the most out of it. "But I'm happy with the way we have stabilised the club." Radford's number one priority is still to acquire Field Mill from landlord Keith Haslam, with a court case pending. "In the next year the first aim is to get promoted and also look at strengthening the youth academy and then ultimately add to the development of the ground," he said. "In the past, because we have not been the owners, we have not been overly concerned in doing it up. "The ground has been my main focus in the last year, but it's obviously something I can't talk too much about because of the legal situation. "But I still feel confident it should be OK. I don't want to be in a situation where we are in a position to go up but can't. "I know that is something that is on my head and I'm well aware of that." On the pitch, Radford is happy with the way things are shaping up under Paul Cox, who has lost only two of his first 11 games in charge. He said: "I could have gone for a manager from a higher league but success breeds success and Paul is used to winning. "Going forward, I can't see us not finishing in the top five. "I think what marks Paul out is that he understands the players and their feelings in the dressing room and he gets respect from them for that. "He has no favourites no matter where they have been or what they have done. If you are not playing well then you will be out of the team, no matter who you are." But Radford will not be rushing into extending the year-long contract he agreed with Cox in the summer. "We have got an option on him. I think Paul and I both know where we are coming from," he said. "It is not something that we are talking about at this stage but something we will be looking at towards the end of the season. February or March time. "He feels he can take Mansfield up the leagues and I trust he will, regardless of the contract situation." --------------- Stags CEO in media spotlight CHAD, 21 Sep 2011 THE national media spotlight does not very often shine on Mansfield Town and the goings on at Field Mill. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/stags_ceo_in_media_spotlight_1_3813794 But the unveiling last week of 29-year-old Carolyn Still as the Stags' new chief executive certainly captured the attention of the country's press. And though this attention is more to do with Still's youth and appearance than anything else, the Durham University graduate is keen to prove that it is for her business acumen that she has landed the role. Having worked as a business consultant for chairman John Radford and also with him on a project to set up a fashion boutique in Doncaster, she was seen as the right choice for the job when former chief executive Steve Barker moved to a new position within Radford's One Call Group. “It's happened very quickly. There was quite a quick turnaround between the previous CEO leaving and myself,” she said. “John, knowing my capacity, knowing my strengths, thought that I would be a good candidate for the position. “Steve Barker has done a fantastic job in pushing the club forward and everyone is really thankful for all his hard work and support. “He will be equally successful in his new role, I am sure. “I am taking on the work that's been started but want to push ahead very quickly with things.” Change, and quick change, is one of the things that Still is keen to implement to get the Blue Square Bet Premier outfit moving forward as quickly as possible. She already has several strategies in mind that will immediately improve the way things are run, such as upgrading the club's IT and phone facilities. But she is aware of the size of the task she faces in improving the business performance of the club. “The division we are in at the moment means it's difficult to get exposure,” she said. “The players are working so hard, Paul Cox is a fantastic manager, but off the pitch commercially it's very difficult to balance because you need the funding to get the players you need and if you're not drawing the crowds, not filling the seats - everything joins together.” Still is brimming full of ideas of how to improve the Stags' commercial performance and will be able to draw on her experience of working with some top business brains at luxury fashion brands Bulgari and Gucci. She plans to strengthen ties with local businesses and grow the Stags' brand, wanting to make sure that Field Mill is the hub of the community that it should be. And she is confident that she has the necessary skills to ensure that she is a success, describing herself as a 'doer' who doesn't take no for an answer and is very good at negotiating. “I am a very good at talking to different people at different levels” she added. “Communication is one of my best assets, explaining myself and my position.” Though not a huge football fan and not a native to Mansfield, Still says that she has already started to immerse herself in the world of Mansfield Town FC. She has spent some time getting to know fans, who she describes as the most passionate she has ever seen about their club, and is getting fully acquainted with the issues that have plagued the Stags in recent years. For one, she is hoping that she can help bring the ground ownership dispute to 'a swift conclusion'. “I know there's a lot of people and politics involved with the club and that has to change,” she said. “Everyone needs to be on side. I want the fans' support as well. Negativity achieves nothing - I don't want contention. It's a simple thing - get behind your football club. I will do the best I can but they have to do their bit as well.” The furore caused by Still's appointment shows that there is still some way to go before women being involved in professional football is seen as normal. But she hopes that by being in her role, it will encourage more women to become involved in the male-dominated world. “Whether male or female you can't be a wilting flower in this day and age but I really hope it brings confidence. “I want to get more women fans in - behind the scenes about 60 per cent here are women. Women have got an input and they need to be heard. “It's going to change and I want to get more women in football.” Still's main aim though is to push Mansfield Town onwards and upwards, but she is under no illusions that this is something she can achieve single-handedly, relying on the co-operation of the whole club. She said: “I want to really enthuse everybody and get people behind the club and put Mansfield back on the map and in the position it needs to be in and can be in. “With Paul as manager, the players we have, the directors, the team behind the scenes, it makes my job a whole lot easier.” The supporters will also play a key part and she is keen to encourage as many as possible through the gates. She added: “I just need their enthusiasm to come and support the club, to watch the games, get behind Paul and the team, and I am going to be communicating as quickly as possible with them to find out what they want, what they need and how I can facilitate that as quickly as possible.” ------------------- Carolyn Still gives her vocal support to the team at the Kidderminster game. Photo by James Williamson 
----------------- Meanwhile on the Stagsnet messageboard, Joanne Barker, wife of former CEO Steve Barker wrote: I WOULD LIKE IT KNOWN THAT STEVE HAS LEFT MANSFIELD TOWN BECAUSE HE WAS HEADHUNTED FOR A JOB IN GERMANY. IT WAS A HARD DECISION N ONE THAT WILL RIP OUR FAMILY APART BUT HE COULD NOT TURN THE OPPORTUNITY DOWN .HE HAS WORKED HARD TO GET WERE HE HAS AND HAS NEVER BEEN HANDED ANYTHING ON A PLATE. HE TOOK THE JOB AT MTFC BY THE HORNS AND TURNED IT AROUND IN SO MANY FIELDS HE SUPPORTED ALL THE STAFF WHEN LOCKED OUT THE GROUND WHILE STILL KEEPING THE CLUB AFLOAT N THAT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE LOYAL STAFF THERE !!!! HE ALSO EARNED THE RESPECT HE WELL DESERVED FOR IT TOO!! RIGHT UP TO THE DAY HE LEFT HE PUT HIS ALL INTO THAT JOB AND WAS PROUD TO BE THE CEO ALTHOUGH AT TIMES IT WAS CHALLENGING, HE IS BY FAR NO EGO MANIC PERSON JUST A GOOD HONEST, HARDWORKING ,CARING MAN AND WILL MISS CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE CLUB!! IT IS A VERY UPSETTING TIME FOR US AND OUR KIDS FOR THE CHANGE BUT WE HAVE TO DO WHAT WE THINKS RIGHT. I HAVE HAD EMAILS N PHONE CALLS THIS MORNING FROM UPSET PEOPLE BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN PUT THAT HE HAS GONE TO ONE CALL. THAT IS WRONG AND JUST TO LET ALL OUR FAMILY N FRIENDS NO WE ARE GOING TO GERMANY AND NOT TO LISTEN OR BELIEVE WOT THEY ARE READING !!!! THIS SAVES ME TIME RINGING N REPLYING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINLY WORRIED FOR US THANKU!!! --------------- |
Latest | September 2011