Archived News from December 2013
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COX, DYER AND JIM BENTLEY REACTION
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Cox: It's time to be ruthless
mansfieldtown.net, 30th November 2013 Manager Paul Cox believes it is time for him to become ruthless with his players, following today’s 2-1 defeat to Morecambe at One Call Stadium. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/cox-its-time-to-be-ruthless-1206668.aspx#sSiiYyCOicPYtiqH.99 The Shrimps, who trailed to Ross Dyer’s early goal for us, snatched all three points courtesy of Kevin Ellison’s brave close-range header with just five minutes remaining. “I don’t think Morecambe won the game. I think we lost the game,” said our boss. “We shouldn’t have let them get back in the game at all. We were 1-0 up, under no pressure at all, and it’s basic fundamental errors that have cost us. “I don’t know what is getting into players’ minds, but some of our decision making wasn’t good enough. “I don’t know if they feel under pressure, but with two or three minutes to go before half-time, we were giving the ball away on the edge of our own box.” Cox continued: “So we’ve got to go back to basics. Sometimes you’ve got to win a game ugly and I’m sure our supporters and everyone else wouldn’t mind if we won ugly. “I’d have been happy today if we won this game 1-0. All we needed to do was be disciplined, keep our shape and be mentally strong.” “But if you analyse the last three games, some of the goals we have conceded aren’t [from] great creative play or anything like that, they are bad fundamental mistakes. “We need to stop our run. [Players] have had a fair crack of the whip, so now I need to be ruthless. If changes need to be made then I’m going to make them - it’s as simple as that.” Our side could have snatched all three points after we were awarded a spot-kick when Morecambe keeper Barry Roche fouled Junior Daniel inside the area. However, the Shrimps custodian, who was unfortunate not to be shown a red card for the offence, saved Sam Clucas’ resulting spot-kick. “I’m sick of talking about referee’s decisions. It’s not about that, it’s about making basic errors,” said Cox. “At no point in the second half did I feel as though we were under any real pressure, but we’ve got a bit of a soft underbelly at the moment and that needs rectifying.” He added: “I thought the fans were excellent today. I thought they deserved better and deserved more.” -------------- Stags manager’s patience running out after ‘soft’ defeat by Morecambe chad.co.uk Mansfield Town manager Paul Cox today said his patience was running out with some of his players after two soft second half goals saw Morecambe come from behind to inflict a sixth straight defeat on the Stags at One Call Stadium. http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/stags-manager-s-patience-running-out-after-soft-defeat-by-morecambe-1-6287506 Ross Dyer’s 17th minute goal had Stags comfortably in front at the break only to let in two second half goals and see Sam Clucas miss a penalty. Cox snapped: “I don’t think Morecambe won that, I think we lost it. We were 1-0 up and under no pressure whatsover. “It is just basic errors that are costing us. “I hear all that stuff about having bad luck when you are on a run like this but I am not buying into that. We have good players here but they have to start making better decisions. “We should never have let them back into the game. They were basic, fundamental errors - schooboy errors - that cost us. “We seem to have a bit of a soft underbelly at the minute and that needs rectifying. We are the softest I’ve seen us since I came here. “There were some harsh words in there and the gloves are off. “I don’t know what’s getting into players’ minds, if they are feeling the pressure and needing an extra touch. “We have got to go back to basics and win games ugly. I am sure our supporters won’t mind if we are winning games. “Look at our win at Chesterfield. That was ugly but effective. “We are coming up to halfway now and no one will feel sorry for us. It is tough and it was tough on me today. I now need to see who is prepared to come with me and stand up and be counted. “I now need to be ruthless with players. Some of them have been given a fair crack of the whip. If I need to make big decisions, I will make them - simple as that. We can’t carry on like this. “I would have been very happy to just win 1-0 today. We need to get back to being disciplined, keep our shape and be mentally strong.” Asked if Morecambe keeper Barry Roche should have been red-carded for the challenge that conceded the penalty, Cox said: “I am sick of talking about referee’s decisions. We should have put the penalty away and kept a clean sheet. “I though the fans were excellent today and deserved more.” The result left Stags without a win in 10 League games after defeat by a Morecambe side who had won just once in eight before this. Delighted Shrimps boss Jim Bentley said: “I am made up with that. We had a fantastic start to the season, but we’ve just had a bit of a sticky spell which every club has. “But I knew Mansfield were on probably an even worse spell than ourselves and we came here with a game plan. “I didn’t rest anyone from the York game as I wanted to build on that and I thought, overall, we were the better side today, “It went against us with that first goal and I thought it was the right thing to do to make the two changes at half-time, and they really affected the game, Jack Redmond scoring one and making one. “Ellison put his head in where few other professionals would for the winner and paid the price. He has had to go to hospital with a facial injury. “We now have two home games to come and I hope today will have given us our confidence back. We just have to go into every game believing and not look too far ahead.” --------------------- Mansfield Town boss Paul Cox is the most angry he has been since joining Stags Nottingham Post by Matt Halfpenny SEETHING Mansfield Town boss Paul Cox has promised to wield the axe on those players who are unable to follow simple team orders. Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Mansfield-Town-boss-Paul-Cox-angry-joining-Stags/story-20248146-detail/story.html#ixzz2mJBEQCe5 He was left "fuming" after seeing the Stags surrender an early lead to slump to a sixth league defeat in a row, this time 2-1 at home to Morecambe. Cox refused to defend his troops, saying his players had "gifted" their opponents the three points. "This is as angry as I have been since I joined the club," said Cox. "I've gone way past frustration. We have talked about injuries and suspensions, but this is basics. "It's not like me to get annoyed, but the gloves are off and there were some hard words said in the dressing room. "It's not a team of kids out there. We've got people who have made two or three hundred League games who are making bad decisions they weren't making at the start of the season. "We will see the ones now who want to be successful in the team and the ones who are happy with mediocrity." Ross Dyer scored his second goal in as many games since he returned to the club after a loan spell at Hednesford (correction by Martin: Hereford). But the Shrimps hit back through Jack Redshaw and Kevin Ellison, prompting Cox to promise a tough regime under Micky Moore, who has been re-appointed first team coach. He added: "As a group now we have to become that machine we were. We've played sides in the past and come off having beaten them 3-0 or 3-1 because of our discipline, structure, ruthlessness and mental strength. "I put Chesterfield at the top of our list of performances this season, but did we play any nice football? No. But no-one complained when we won. "We were structured, organised, disciplined and strong - all the words that when you analyse this league, get you into that top ten. "My teams have been called ugly since I've been here, but we were always hard to play against and successful. "That's what we have to get back to being and will do with the help of Micky. The players will be given their role and job description and they have to stick to it. "It might get worse before it gets better, but I'm not particularly concerned about that, because it will get better in the long term." -------------------- Dyer reflects on loss mansfieldtown.net, 30th November 2013 Striker Ross Dyer believes ‘luck is not quite on our side’ at present, following today’s 2-1 home defeat to Morecambe. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/dyer-reflects-on-loss-1206814.aspx?#rzYVafzbQuyqbhRV.99 The Shrimps came from behind to take all three points from One Call Stadium, courtesy of second half goals by Jack Redshaw and Kevin Ellison. Meanwhile, Dyer was pleased to score his first goal on home turf in the Football League, despite being bitterly disappointed with the full-time result. “At half time it was a dream for me really,” said the 25-year-old. “I’ve struggled with injury problems for the last 12 months, so to come back and score on my home debut in the Football League was a dream return. “In the second half, we made a few individual errors, which is really poor. We’ve gone on to lose the game when we looked the likely winners at one stage. “Maybe it was a bit of naivety on the team’s part. Individual errors, we can’t account for, and obviously with penalties, we don’t mean to miss them. It’s just one of those things. “Luck is not quite on our side at the minute, but I think the effort and determination has been a different class. If we keep doing that then we can turn it around.” The frontman believes next weekend’s match at Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup with Budweiser provides us with an excellent opportunity to rediscover the form, which we showed earlier on in the campaign. He continued: “Last season, the FA Cup helped us kick-start our season, so we will be hoping something similar will happen again this term. “It’s one of those games where we can go out and express ourselves and hopefully if we can beat Oldham, it will carry on into our league form.” Reflecting on his own current form, Dyer added: “At the moment I’m feeling confident. I’ve always wanted to play up front and I’ve shown what I can do. I’ve come back and scored two in two. “I’ve always believed in myself I just need everyone else to as well. The gaffer has shown faith in me so hopefully I can score a few more goals this season.” --------------------- Dyer over injury nightmare chad.co.uk Despite losing again, Mansfield Town can take some consolation at the moment that they at least have striker Ross Dyer back firing on all cylinders after a year’s lay-off when his career looked in doubt. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/dyer-over-injury-nightmare-1-6287589?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed The dreadful knee injury in the first game of last season that saw him miss the whole campaign was a dreadful blow. But Dyer bagged his second in two games after a successful loan spell at Hereford yesterday in the 2-1 home defeat by Morecambe and said he now felt as good as new. “After all my injury problems I wasn’t as sharp as I thought I was for the first game back,” he said after making his first start since the season opener at Scunthorpe. “But, out on loan, I have scored four in five games so that’s now six in seven for me and I am feeling good. “I always had the confidence in myself and the gaffer has always shown confidence in me too so I hope I can now go on and score a few more. “I feel now like the injury never happened to be honest which is credit to the surgeon and Simon, our physio. I feel just as good as I was before.” While disappointed with yesterday’s second half fightback by the Shrimps after giving Stags an interval lead, Dyer didn’t think there was too much wrong at the moment and felt their luck would soon turn. “As a game we got ourselves ahead and never looked like losing to be honest,” he said. “But we did and that is three games on the trot when you can’t understand how we didn’t come away with any points. “Maybe there was a bit of naivety from the players’ point of view. We tried to go on to win it in the second half when we should have been trying for a clean sheet. “A bit of luck needs to turn then we will be fine if we keep working hard like we did today. “There is a lot of talk about how we play football, but it was a long ball that carved out our goal today. “I was pleased to score again. I am feeling confident at the moment and I hit it first time and it’s gone in. “If we can all get a bit of confidence going through the team we will be fine.” ------------------- Bentley delighted by late win http://www.sportinglife.com/football/league-two/news/article/422/9051487/-? Morecambe boss Jim Bentley was delighted after his side came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Mansfield. Having found themselves a goal down, a double substitution paid off at the break for the Shrimps as substitute Jack Redshaw turned home a close-range equaliser within six minutes. They had to survive a scare when Barry Roche brought down Junior Daniel in a one-on-one to concede a penalty but he guessed correctly to keep out Sam Clucas' low kick down full stretch to his left. And the points were stolen when Kevin Ellison grabbed the winner to delight his manager. "I am made up with that," he said. "We had a fantastic start to the season, but we've just had a bit of a sticky spell which every club has. "But I knew Mansfield were on probably an even worse spell than ourselves and we came here with a game plan. "I didn't rest anyone from the York game as I wanted to build on that and I thought, overall, we were the better side. "It went against us with that first goal and I thought it was the right thing to do to make the two changes at half-time, and they really affected the game, Jack Redshaw scoring one and making one. "Ellison put his head in where few other professionals would for the winner and paid the price. He has had to go to hospital with a facial injury. "We now have two home games to come and I hope this will have given us our confidence back. We just have to go into every game believing and not look too far ahead." ------------------- |
Latest | December 2013