Archived News from November 2014
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COX EXPLAINS WHY HE LEFT
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21 Nov 2014
Paul Cox audio interview with Radio Nottingham (recorded on Friday night 21 Nov 2014, and played out on 22 Nov 2014): listen here --> http://www.stagsnet.net/interviews/Cox_on_leaving_RadioNottm22Nov14.mp3 --------- Paul Cox targets new challenge after parting with Mansfield bbc.co.uk, 21 Nov 2014 Paul Cox says his desire for a new challenge was the main reason behind his departure from Mansfield. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30153020 The 42-year-old, who had spent three-and-a-half years at Field Mill, left the club by mutual consent on Friday. His departure came two days after they were held to a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup by non-league side Concord Rangers. "I've achieved loads at the club and it will always have a special place in my heart but I need a fresh challenge now," Cox told BBC Radio Nottingham. "We've had three amazing seasons and achieved every goal we set out to do. "We have put some great infrastructure in place at the football club. We have the four teams through to the youth team. I feel now is the time to move on and take on another challenge." Cox led the Stags to promotion back into the Football League in 2013 after a five-year absence. They finished 11th in League Two last season, but have not won for nine games in all competitions and are currently 19th in the table. Cox also paid tribute to chairman John Radford, saying: "He has been fabulous with me. He has been a pleasure to work with and I've enjoyed every minute." He added: "This is probably why I have stayed as long as I have. There is no secret there have been one or two approaches for myself but I stayed loyal to the football club and to the chairman." In a club statement, Radford said: "Paul and I have regrettably reached the conclusion that it's in the best interests of Mansfield Town Football Club if he stepped down from his current role with immediate effect." The club have put assistant manager Adam Murray in temporary charge for Saturday's home League Two game against Plymouth. Cox was appointed Stags boss in the summer of 2011 after Mansfield had finished 12th in the Conference, and led them to promotion in his second year in charge. Cox's Mansfield record Played: 175 Won: 78 Draws: 46 Lost: 51 ------------------ Cox’s decision to leave Mansfield Town chad.co.uk, 22 November 2014 The decision to leave Mansfield Town Football Club was very much that of Paul Cox as the manager departed after three and a half years last night. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/cox-s-decision-to-leave-mansfield-town-1-6967359 Cox had heart-to-heart chats with his wife and chairman John Radford amid growing pressure on his position after nine games without victory. Fans had been increasingly on his back and he came under a lot of pressure at the Stags Supporters’ Association questions and answers on Thursday. With protests planned against his tenure today, Cox suddenly decided he had reached his sell-by date with the club he brought up from the obscurity of the Conference to such joy only two seasons back. Today’s programme notes by Radford, penned before his departure, stressed he would continue to back his manager and that, despite his recent record, Radford felt Cox had earned more time with his success so far at the club. He also urged fans to back Cox. But by the time they arrived at the ground today, Adam Murray was in charge as caretaker boss and players in shock. Earlier Cox had explained his decision to go, saying: “I spoke to the chairman about 10 days back. There was a bit of frustration. We had a good chat and I decided to carry on. But my head knew I probably needed a new challenge. “I have had three amazing seasons and we have achieved every goal we set out to do. We have put some great infrastructure into the club from U14s to the youth team. “I just felt now was the time to move on and take on another challenge. “It was my approach to the chairman that set the ball rolling. He has been fantastic with me and a pleasure to work with. I have enjoyed every minute of it and he is the reason I have stayed here as long as I have. “It is no secret I have had one or two approaches from other clubs but I have remained loyal to the club and the chairman. “On Thursday night I sat down with my wife and we had a good chat about our future and I took it from there. “I have achieved a lot at this football club and it will always have a very special place in my heart. But I want to challenge myself and I need a fresh challenge.” On the heated SSA meeting on Thursday, he said: “There were a lot of passionate people who care about their football club. I was one of them and I let off steam as well. “But it had been on my mind a while. Sometimes you can be at a football club too long and become part and parcel of the furniture and lose your impetus. “I am not saying that has happened, but I did feel like I needed a new start. “I am now going to have a break first and foremost and recharge my batteries. “I have been in work consistently for eight years and in that time I have never been sacked. “I have won two or three championships, four or five promotions and come through about eight levels of football. “Now it’s just about standing still, having a look and and seeing where my next challenge may be.” The reduced budget and a long list of injuries have not helped his cause this season, and he said: “Money is everything as it buys you the better players. It is no secret this season our budget is probably in the bottom reaches of the League. Having said that I have put together a decent squad. But the culmination of so many injuries, 10-11 players, that’s going to have an impact.” Cox then backed his former assistant Murray to go for the job, adding: “It’s too soon to say but he has aspirations to be a manager. It is a tough scenario to come into, but what is an easy job these days? “You have to grab every opportunity by the hands and grasp it. “I hope for everyone that the club goes on a fantastic set of results and climbs into a healthy position. “I would like to thank everyone for their support and I wish the club all the success in the future.” ----------------------------------------- Paul Cox reveals he almost quit Mansfield Town in the summer By Matt Halfpenny, Nottingham Post, November 24, 2014 PAUL Cox has revealed he almost walked away from the Mansfield Town manager’s job in the summer before ending his three-and-a-half year tenure at the club on Friday. Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Paul-Cox-reveals-quit-Mansfield-Town-summer/story-24643203-detail/story.html?#ixzz3K0RGSxWV The former Eastwood Town boss took over at the One Call Stadium in May 2011 and led the club to a Conference play-off spot in his first season. He then led the Stags back into the Football League in 2012-13 and cemented their place at the higher level last season with a creditable 11th place finish in League Two. But Cox had become increasingly disillusioned in his role as boss and saw his budget cut severely going into the current campaign. And after a run of nine games without a win that saw the Stags sink to 19th in the table, he decided to walk away in the aftermath of an FA Cup draw with part-timers Concord Rangers, despite chairman John Radford’s attempts to persuade him otherwise. “Realistically I perhaps should have gone in the summer and that was going through my mind back then, but I get along so well with John and I thought of the things we had achieved and I thought I should give it a go,” Cox told the Post. “But it came to the point where I thought I was starting to go stale and I needed to move onto a new challenge. I wondered if I had taken the club as far as I could. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make because the club has been a massive part of my life. My daughter Ellie is three and she doesn’t know anything other than Mansfield Town. We had our wedding reception here too so it means such a lot. “As a young manager, though, I’ve probably learned now that I need to keep myself ticking along and vibrant and I had started to lose that, having previously always loved my time here. “It was my decision alone. I spoke to the chairman ten days ago and said I was thinking about walking away and he talked me around, but this time, although we discussed it, my mind was 100 per cent made up and he appreciated and understood that. I firmly believe I have made the right decision. “It’s time for me once I have had a rest to recharge the batteries to go and experience a different scenario.” The demand for a change in manager from supporters had become increasingly vocal in recent weeks following Mansfield’s poor run of results. There has also been frustration with the Stags’ direct approach under Cox, with a call for a change of style that a new boss would bring. Last Thursday night saw the former Notts County defender come under fire at a fans’ forum, but he insists he was not hounded out of the job by those on the terraces. He said: “Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am stubborn and I have broad shoulders. Every year there has been a period of discontent where people have called for my head, but that is part of being a manager and was not a reason (for stepping down). “It is part and parcel of the game because passions run high. It is up to the Mansfield fans to carve out their future. It is down to them what they want and they are entitled to their opinion as to who they want in charge.” Mansfield’s first game under the caretaker charge of Adam Murray saw a reversal in fortunes for the club as they recorded a 1-0 home win over promotion-chasing Plymouth Argyle. Cox was as delighted as anyone and hopes the club can go onto bigger and better things in the future. “I am not one of these people who once they have left a club don’t want them to do well,” he said. “They are going to go through a new phase of their future and I genuinely wish them all the best with it. “There are some good young players at the club and I feel like some of them are my babies like Ryan Tafazolli, who has come on in leaps and bounds since I signed him. “I’m a Notts boy and I want all the local clubs to do well. I have gone back to Eastwood and I would love to come back and see everyone at Mansfield too in the future because there is a lot of great people working there, including coaching staff who I brought to the club.” Cox has been linked with the vacant manager’s job at Lincoln City but suggested that opportunity, were it to present itself, may come a little too soon. But he is determined to get back into the game at some point, in whatever capacity. He added: “I need some time to go away, gather my thoughts and take it from there. Whether the phone rings this side of Christmas or in the new year for a manager’s position, assistant or coach I don’t know because there are some very good people out of work. “But I’m still young at 42 and feel I still have a lot to offer. If I can have another eight years like I’ve had at Eastwood and Mansfield then I will have some more great memories to come.” Cox is hopeful that when the dust settles he will be remembered in a positive light by supporters, despite the heavy criticism he received in his final weeks in charge. “When I first came to Mansfield Town, people told me it was a graveyard club for managers - that you didn’t get very long,” he said. “But I was something like the seventh longest serving manager in the Football League. “I would like to think people will remember me as the manager who helped the club back into the Football League and gave them some great times in the cup as well, like the Liverpool game. “I listened to an interview John Motson did with Brian Clough and he asked him which trophy he preferred to win. Brian said the league because you put your heart and soul into it for ten or 11 months of the year, work ridiculous hours, have so many ups and downs, but then at the end you have something to show for it and can say you are the best. “I agree with that entirely and it was an amazing experience with some great memories that hopefully people will embrace in the years to come. “When I first came in I probably wasn’t what people expected because I was relatively unknown and not a popular choice, but we’ve had some great seasons that don’t always come along very often in football.” ------------- Stags boss Cox knew it was time up chad.co.uk, 25 November 2014 Paul Cox has had a growing feeling all season that his time as Mansfield Town boss was approaching its end. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/stags-boss-cox-knew-it-was-time-up-1-6971088?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed His departure on Friday on the eve of the Plymouth match came a shock to players, staff and fans, 24 hours after he was subjected to a gruelling night of questioning by supporters at the Stags Supporters’ Association Fans’ Forum. But Cox said: “It’s been on my mind since the beginning of the season. We have had three years of big success but I have had to ask myself, can I take this club any further? “From the start of the season we had the budget cut along with things like losing pre-match meals and some overnight stays. “I sat down with the chairman for a chat two weeks ago but we decided to carry on and give it a go. “But I have felt low and haven’t been enjoying my football. I needed a fresh challenge. “As I said at the fans’ forum, I think I have given this football club an incredible amount of success. “A part of me didn’t know what else I could give to the supporters. So I had to look at everything logically and see what was the best scenario for me and everyone else.” He added: “It’s been eight years since I haven’t turned up for a game on a Saturday afternoon. That has been hard work week after week, so it all felt a bit surreal. But I do need a break. “Whatever comes up now from now on, I will be 100 per cent focused and I want to emulate what I have done here and over the past eight years.” But Cox admitted: “This club will always have a very special place in my heart. “I was married in and around the ground, with our reception being down there, and my daughter Ellie is only three years old and all she knows is Mansfield Town where daddy works. So this club has been a major part of my life and I have some great memories here. “But this chapter of my life is over now. I have to move on, though I will remember it very, very fondly. “I will always be in touch with the chairman who was not just my boss, but also a good friend. “I will pop back in the future. I have made a lot of good friends down there and want to keep in touch with them. “I have had so many lovely messages from fans this week, I don’t know how they’ve all got my phone number and my e-mail, but a lot of them have been very emotional.” Saturday’s programme notes by John Radford, penned before Cox’s departure, stressed the chairman was happy to continue to back his manager and that, despite his recent record, Radford felt Cox had earned more time with his success so far at the club. Cox admitted: “It was my approach to the chairman that set the ball rolling. He has been fantastic with me and a pleasure to work with. I have enjoyed every minute of it and he is the reason I have stayed here as long as I have. “It is no secret I have had one or two approaches from other clubs but I have remained loyal to the club and the chairman. “I have had three amazing seasons and we have achieved every goal we set out to do. We have put some great infrastructure into the club from U14s to the youth team. “I just felt now was the time to move on and take on another challenge. “On Thursday night I sat down with my wife and we had a good chat about our future and I took it from there. “I have achieved a lot at this football club and it will always have a very special place in my heart. But I want to challenge myself and I need a fresh challenge.” On the heated SSA meeting on Thursday, he said: “There were a lot of passionate people who care about their football club. I was one of them and I let off steam as well. “But it had been on my mind a while. Sometimes you can be at a football club too long and become part and parcel of the furniture and lose your impetus. “I am not saying that has happened, but I did feel like I needed a new start. “I am now going to have a break first and foremost and recharge my batteries. “I have been in work consistently for eight years and in that time I have never been sacked. “I have won two or three championships, four or five promotions and come through about eight levels of football. “It doesn’t really hit you until you sit back and assess what has been achieved. “Fingers crossed when I am ready I can get back in work as soon as possible.” Cox backed his former assistant Murray to go for the job, adding: “It’s too soon to say but he has aspirations to be a manager. It is a tough scenario to come into, but what is an easy job these days? “You have to grab every opportunity by the hands and grasp it. I hope for everyone that the club goes on a fantastic set of results and climbs into a healthy position. “Adam is how own man and the chairman will pick whoever he thinks will take the club forward. “I wish whoever that is all the very best. We have laid some great foundations and whoever comes in will grab hold of a club that is only going forward. “So whether it’s Adam or whoever, I sincerely wish them and the club all the best for the future.” ------------------ JOHN LOMAS STAGS BLOG: End of an era as Paul Cox is rightly praised chad.co.uk, 24 November 2014 Last weekend marked the end of an incredible era at Mansfield Town Football Club and hopefully the start of an exciting new one. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/john-lomas-stags-blog-end-of-an-era-as-paul-cox-is-rightly-praised-1-6969234 For all the hurtful criticism Paul Cox suffered in his final weeks as manager, many fans have thankfully been quick to come forward and thank him for what he did for the club since he walked on Friday night. He may not have advocated the prettiest style of football and he may have made mistakes along the way, but without him Stags would probably now be a run of the mill Conference club with little prospect of getting back into the League. Cox was the right man at the right time to grab the club by the scruff of the neck and make things happen. He will always be a club legend. Looking in from the outside, his departure is a shock to many around the country who think he has done a really good job at a small club with a tight budget. Outsiders are also baffled as to why he has been subjected to protests and abuse in all four seasons he has been here when you look at his finishing positions of Conference play-offs, Conference champions and 11th in a first season back in League Two. During that time Cox has had to keep his cool as he has taken a barrage of abuse from the terraces for poor mid-season runs, begging fans to keep the faith. That abuse has run as far as morons trying to attack him on more than one occasion and being spat at, for which there were no excuses. But almost all football managers seem to have a sell-by date and supporters recently decided that Cox’s had arrived with what had been a vocal minority suddenly becoming a vocal majority last week against Conford. A run of nine winless games, combined with what they saw as too much long ball did for him in the end. Sensing he was being hounded out, he chose to leave with dignity and Cox’s departure on Friday came as a shock to me and everyone else. Cox left with the second best managerial record in the club’s history, as measured by win-ratio in league games. His critics have scoffed at that, saying many of those were in the Conference. So what? That is the league Stags had sunk into so you have to play who is put in front of you. Cox had Conference standard players, same as the opposition, and his team selection and tactics bore fruit. So it is a ridiculous thing to belittle that. To then come into the League and almost steer the club to the play-offs in his first season was fantastic. In the summer, Cox warned fans that, with his budget cut by half, this could be a very long, hard season and he needed fans to stick behind him. That budget makes Stags one of the bottom two or three in the entire League and should therefore realistically put them in a possible relegation battle. But Cox did bring some decent players into the club this season like Fergus Bell, Simon Heslop and Rakish Bingham along with some we have yet to see the best of like Alex Fisher. Meanshile, his two marquee summer signings - Luke Jones and Liam Hearn - are unlikely to play this season with serious injury as they led the way for up to 11 players to sit it out from a squad of 22. Even Brin Clogh and Alex Ferguson would have struggled with that scenario. Had Jones and Hearn been fit and Stags had just had average injury problems, I feel convinced they would be flirting with the other end of the table right now, something they had no right to do on the budget. And fans would have been much happier, despite the style of football. So I feel very sorry for Cox that we will now never know how his first choice side might have fared. But football management is a brutal business with little room for sentiment or past achievements. You are as good as your last game. A run of nine without a win and no sign of a change in footballing style was the final straw for a growing band of fans. Cox was always adamant you can’t play your way out of this division. So it will now be very interesting to see if Adam Murray takes the job full time and tries to do just that. It was certainly a breath of fresh air to see the players in a different formation and keeping the ball. But I’d like to add my words to the salutes already given to Cox and say he was the best manager I’ve worked with journalistically, so free with his time and his openness both on off the record. He has been down to earth, approachable and honest and a pleasure to deal with. Hopefully now he has gone, so have the clouds of doom that hovered over the ground and matchday can become a nice experience once more like last Saturday. But, even if he wins his first 10 games in charge playing Barcelona-style football, the equally-likeable Murray knows the tide can change very quickly and, like George Foster before him, a club hero can quickly turn into a club villain. --------------- The League Paper, 23Nov2014 
-------------------------- Natasha Cox facebook, 21 Nov 2014 A massive chapter has come to an end for the Cox's today. Been a tough few days watching the hubby make the hardest decision he's ever had to make but totally support and agree with his decision to leave mtfc. Met some amazing people over the past few years (Mr and Mrs R, Marie Reed ) everyone else (you know who you are). Excited for the next chapter to start now! And Carolyn Radford we will one day write that book!!! Lol xx xx ---------------- |
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