Archived News from February 2012
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COX, EDWARDS, EDINBURGH REACTION
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audio interviews with Paul Cox and Paul Edwards from Mansfield 103.2 http://soundcloud.com/mansfield-103-2-sport/sets/18-02-2012-newport-county-1 audio interview with Paul Cox from BBC Radio Nottingham---> http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16994954 VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM Mansfield Town manager Paul Cox told BBC Radio Nottingham: "After that performance a few harsh words were needed to be said and I needed to question desire levels today. Use accessible player and disable flyout menus"I just think we looked sluggish, I think we looked a yard off the pace all over the park, I don't think that work ethic was there today. "We dust ourselves down, pick ourselves up and there's 15 games to go. Hopefully we'll try and rectify what went wrong today. "When in possession we didn't look sharp and more than anything mentally we were a mile off the pace" ---------------- Stags boss Paul Cox apologises to Mansfield Town fans after Newport defeat chad.co.uk FURIOUS boss Paul Cox slammed his side's display in today's 1-0 defeat at Newport and said sorry to the 89 away fans who endured a dire display in South Wales. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/stags_boss_paul_cox_apologises_to_mansfield_town_fans_after_newport_defeat_1_4263126 “We never turned up today,” he said. “We were second best from start to finish. “From our six games unbeaten, that wasn't the same team today. We were just inept with the ball from the first minute to the last. I apologise to the supporters who came all the way down here. “You can make excuses to say we've not played for three weeks and the pitch was heavy but that's a load of crap in my eyes. The pitch was the same for both sides but their quality was better on it. “I tried to change things at half-time but with the ball we were poor and without it we were awful. We lost a game we never looked as if we had any intention of winning. “The quality of the balls up to our strikers was crap. You could have had a Champions League striker up there and they would not have had a chance.” He added: “We looked a yard off the pace all over the pitch. You can't blame the three weeks off. We have worked them hard and they are professional players who are paid to look after their bodies and keep themselves fit. “Newport probably had that bit more desire than us to win a football match. “It sums our season up that we are a very good team in grinding out results which makes this more alarming. Teams that win championships and get promoted come here today and get a result of some kind. “We need to put it right straight away. We have only lost six games all season and god players don't become bad players overnight. “I never thought we would stay unbeaten in our last 16 games. But whenever these boys have been questioned they have bounced back this season. I include myself in that. I have had a bad day at the office and now we need to put it right on Tuesday.” Debut-making defender Paul Edwards added: “We are all disappointed as you want to win every game you play in. “I think Newport played the conditions a lot better than we did. “We pushed on in the second half and put them under a bit of pressure. We might have nicked one near the end when we possibly could have had a penalty.” Edwards' loan spell from Fleetwood ends this week and he said: “It's been frustrating as I have not had much of a chance with all the games called off. I can play much better than I did today. “I will speak to the manager later in the week and see if he is going to extend it and then hopefully I can show what I can do.” -------------- Stags boss Paul Cox- We were like a Sunday pub team Nottingham Post PAUL Cox felt Mansfield Town's performance in their 1-0 defeat at Newport resembled that of a Sunday League pub team – and his contribution that of their manager The Stags failed to get out of first gear at any point in South Wales and consequently stumbled to their first defeat in 2012, ending a six-game unbeaten run. Cox made no excuses for his side's reverse – which put a dent in their bid to reach the Blue Square Bet Premier play-offs – despite a three-week lay-off because of the recent cold snap. Instead, he admitted Mansfield got exactly what they deserved and has urged his players to re-focus and get back on track in tomorrow's important home game with Darlington. "We just never turned up and were second best from start to finish," said Cox. "That just wasn't the same team as the one that went six games unbeaten, yet it's the same players. "You can say we haven't played for a while and the pitch was heavy, but it was just down to the fact we were awful. "With the ball we were poor, there was no quality, and without it we were even worse. We looked as if we had no intention of winning it. "Newport had a greater desire to go and win the game. Good teams that get promoted grind out results at places like this, but this was alarming. "The service into the strikers was poor. All we did was kick it from back to front and we never gave them a chance. "We looked like a Sunday morning side and I looked like a Sunday morning manager. I can only apologise to the supporters and we need to put in right straight away." "It's frustrating because it is a step backwards again after we have taken a few forward. "Even if we had come away with just a point, it would have set it up nicely for the home games to come. As it is, I'm very disappointed." ------------------ Edwards makes Stags bow but can't stop defeat Nottingham Post PAUL Edwards finally made his long-awaited Mansfield Town debut as a second half substitute at Newport, but could not stop the Stags sliding to a dismal defeat. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-15280894-detail/story.html The left-back has been made to wait for his bow in the amber and blue having joined on loan from Fleetwood, first by his team-mates' good form and then by bad weather. But as manager Paul Cox rung the changes after a poor first half at Spytty Park, Edwards was handed a chance to impress after the restart. And though the former Manchester City trainee let no-one down with a gusty display, Mansfield still sunk to their first defeat in seven, going down 1-0. "I just think they adapted to the conditions better than us because it was a horrible pitch and players kept shanking it as they went to kick it," said Edwards. "I don't think we would want to use our lack of games recently as an excuse. The break has halted some of the momentum we were building up, but it has been the same from everyone and we just have to try to learn from this. "It was pleasing personally to be out there because I have had to wait a while and I just want to get some games. "I'm sure I will get better the more I play and can help the team out, it's just that I have come in at the exact time games have been called off." Edwards has just one game left of his one-month loan spell – tomorrow night's home clash with Darlington. But he is hopeful that the deal can be extended so Mansfield fans can see the best of him. He said: "I will sit down and discuss it with the manager at the end of the week, but I would love to extend it. If I can stay and help the team push on into the play-offs, that would be great." ------------------ Newport County 1 Mansfield 0: Confident County in form to climb table walesonline.co.uk Newport County 1-0 Mansfield NEWPORT boss Justin Edinburgh revealed his players have already convinced themselves they will avoid Blue Square Bet Premier relegation – and insists they are now going about proving it on the pitch. Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/newport-county-fc/2012/02/19/newport-county-1-mansfield-0-confident-county-in-form-to-climb-table-91466-30362664/#ixzz1musYKSdp Edinburgh's charges have enjoyed a fantastic upturn in form in 2012. After finding themselves languishing inside the drop zone for months, they have now climbed to 17th following a seven-match unbeaten streak, capped off with consecutive 1-0 victories in the past week. Last Tuesday's hard-fought triumph over Bath City was followed up on Saturday with a single-goal victory over Mansfield Town thanks to Sam Foley's strike, with the latter performance delighting Edinburgh more than any other game in his tenure. And the manager puts the Exiles' change in fortunes down to the positive atmosphere inside the Spytty Park dressing room – which is finally starting to manifest itself in their results. “We have a great team spirit at the moment and a very good desire to continue that unbeaten run further,” said Edinburgh. “The atmosphere around the club at the moment is really good, really positive. “The players are convinced that they won't be relegated and that is half the battle. “The team completed a perfect week for me, in terms of both results and performance, because Saturday was the best we have played since I came here. “The chances we made, especially first half, were superb. “Their keeper made three or four really good saves. “Andrew Hughes at centre-back was excellent and Paul Rodgers, when he came on half time, was absolutely magnificent. “Gary Warren had to go off and we may be missing him for the next game, but Ismail Yakubu, who I didn't feel was quite ready, will hopefully be fit. “Sam Foley was our match winner and I'm delighted for him. Sam is someone I highlighted as a quality player when I first came here. “We were excellent with the ball during the first half, we should have been at least two or three up at the interval. “Second half, though, even though we played extremely well, we had to be incredibly disciplined and we were.” Next up for County is a trip to Tamworth tomorrow, a side they trail in the league table by five points – the same total Newport have managed to put between themselves and the bottom three. But Edinburgh insists he is far more focused on closing the gap with the mid-table clubs rather than looking over their shoulder at their relegation rivals. “I could spout a thousand clichés at you, but it's a football truth that winning breeds confidence and I'm very happy with our form at the moment. “We beat Bath, but didn't play well here on Tuesday, our fans weren't very happy with our display and rightly so. “The supporters here aren't silly, they know when everybody is giving their all and when they're not, but I've got to say they've been absolutely immense since I came here and it was brilliant to hear them cheer us off the pitch.” --------------------------------------- Newport County 1 - 0 Mansfield walesonline.co.uk JUSTIN Edinburgh hailed this Newport's best performance since he became manager as Sam Foley's goal completed 'the perfect week' with victory over Mansfield. Foley's 33rd minute strike may have been all that separated the sides in a closely-fought Blue Square Bet Premier encounter but Newport's new-found steel and determination saw them clinch three points at Spytty Park for the second time in four days. Buoyed after scraping a midweek win over Bath City, a confident County dominated the first half then controlled the second, showing a more assured example of how to close out a match. And, after barely giving Mansfield a sniff at goal until the final stages, Edinburgh was beaming and declared it 'the perfect week', racking up two straight shutouts and one-goal triumphs. “This was the best we have played since I came here I felt,” said Edinburgh. “The team have completed a perfect week for me in terms of both results and performance. “The chances we made, especially first-half, were superb. Their keeper made three or four really good saves for them. “Sam Foley is someone I highlighted as a quality player when I first came here. He's been an absolute pleasure to work with and was back to his top self – his energy levels are quite amazing. “We were excellent with the ball during the first half. We should have been at least two or three up at the interval. Second-half though, even though we played extremely well, we had to be incredibly disciplined and we were.” In a game of fine margins, Foley proved to be the match-winner when he finished Nat Jarvis' cross – although he could have doubled his tally on a number of occasions before the break. But the hosts stretched their seven-match unbeaten run by fending off their visitors' advances with relative ease. Mansfield's only chance of note fell to Matt Green – who nipped behind the Exiles backline late on – but the Stags striker lost control of the ball as Edinburgh's mean defence slammed shut the door, much to the supporters' delight. “We beat Bath but didn't play well here on Tuesday, our fans weren't very happy with our display and rightly so,” Edinburgh added. “The supporters here aren't silly, they know when everybody is giving their all and when they're not. “I've got to say they've been absolutely immense since I came here and it was brilliant to hear them cheer us off the pitch.” Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/newport-county-fc/2012/02/18/newport-county-1-0-mansfield-91466-30358544/#ixzz1mlqlk2kG --------------------- |
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