Archived News from February 2017
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STEVE EVANS MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
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Boss relishing opportunity to meet fans at Q&A evening
mansfieldtown.net, 20th February 2017 Stags’ boss Steve Evans says he is looking forward to sharing opinions with the club’s supporters at tonight’s ‘An Evening with’ event in the 1861 Suite at One Call Stadium. The manager will be taking to the stage from 7.30pm this evening for a night of Q&A in our hospitality suite at One Call Stadium. Entry to the event is FREE for all supporters. The gaffer says he is relishing the opportunity to meet some of the club's fans this evening after his first three months at the helm. “I think you can never spend enough time talking to supporters and getting opinions,” the Stags’ chief said. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/2016-17/boss-relishing-opportunity-to-meet-fans-at-qa-evening-3586255.aspx#XpwhgmCL8tfLZiMk.99 “We all have opinions - I have opinions, I’m sure supporters have and you don’t have to necessarily agree but I think the one common goal in the room is we all want this football club to be in the play-offs come the end of the season. “I think you have to be honest [in response to supporters’ questions]. I think you have to take them as they’re made at face value. “As long as there’s never anything personal or anything like that, then you’ll always answer them openly and honestly. I am the manager who ultimately represents the fans.” The boss used this afternoon’s news conference as a chance to reflect on his first three months in charge and reaffirmed his ambition to lead the club to a top seven finish at the end of the season. “We’ve had 16 games as a management team here in the league and we’ve taken 30 points - that would be top of the league [form] if it was all the way through. But we’re not, we are where we are and fighting for where we need to be. “I said to the players, they will be the difference as we go forward. We are so proud of what they’ve achieved - 16 games, 30 points - it’s championship [winning] form. “If we can deliver as near as that, we’ll deliver a play-off place and I don’t care who we play in the play-offs, bring the biggest, bring the smallest - if we get in the play-offs, I think we’ll win them.” The former Leeds United manager was sent to the stands at Blundell Park on Saturday by referee Seb Stockbridge whilst assistant boss Paul Raynor watched the second half of our 4-4 draw with Accrington Stanley from the directors’ box following a half-time disagreement with Mark Heywood, the night's referee. Subsequently, the gaffer has provided an update in regards to whether either one of the duo will be in the dugout for Saturday’s home match against Newport County. Furthermore, defender Hayden White will miss the Sky Bet League Two clash with the Exiles after being sent off for two bookable offences against Grimsby on Saturday. “Paul’s had a letter asking him to explain his position. I think he’s got a couple of days to decide on that. He’ll make his decision as to what he wants to say on it. I think he’s a little bit disappointed with what some of the content is. “I’m not aware what Paul’s decided to do in terms of his Football Association bits and as of now, I’ve heard nothing myself. “I would expect it to come and we’ll look at the content of that. If it’s different to what I’ve said then I’ll go and speak to the Football Association," the manager continued. “What I do now is if I speak to the Football Association and the head of discipline there, Mark Ives, I expect a full and fair hearing. That’s what I’ve tended to get when Mark Ives has been involved in that process, 100 percent. “I’ll see what the paperwork says. I’ll discuss it with John Radford and Carolyn Radford, as you should do, take their advice on board and ultimately make a decision as to whether I accept what they’ve said or whether I disagree.” Supporters can view Steve Evans’ news conference, in full, by logging in to Stags PlayerHD. -------------------- Stags hoping management duo are not both banned for Saturday chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Monday 20 February 2017 Mansfield Town will be hoping the FA do not ban both manager Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor from the bench for Saturday’s visit of Newport County. Raynor was already in hot water after being sent to the stand during the crazy midweek 4-4 home draw with Accrington. Then Evans was also sent to the stand in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Grimsby Town where he was forced to sit in the middle of a hostile home crowd and eventually missed the end of the game. Raynor has already had a letter which he needs to answer and Evans is keeping an eye on the letterbox after a spat with the fourth official at Grimsby saw him dismissed by referee Sebastian Stockbridge - an official he has fallen foul of before. As far as whether one or both of them would be missing from the dug-out on Saturday, Evans said: “I don’t know. “I am not aware of what Paul has decided to do and, as of now, I’ve heard nothing myself. “I would expect it to come. We’ll look at the content of that. If it’s different to what I’ve said I will go and speak to the Football Association. “What I do know if I speak to the FA under the head of discipline there, Mark Ives, I’d expect a full and fair hearing. That’s what I’ve tended to get when Mark Ives has been involved in that process. Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/stags-hoping-management-duo-are-not-both-banned-for-saturday-1-8400248 “I will see what the paperwork says, discuss it with John Radford and Carolyn Radford as you should do, and take their advice on board and ultimately make a decision as to whether I accept what they’ve said or disagree. “Until I see the paperwork I don’t know what the referee is going to say.” He added: “Paul has had a letter asking him to explain his position. I think he has a couple of days to decide on that. He will make his decision what he wants to say. “Paul can speak for himself - he’s a big boy. But I think he is a little disappointed by some of the content in it.” A fiery game saw Stags finish with 10 men after two yellow cards for defender Hayden White and Evans was quick to meet referee Stockbridge after the game. “I spoke to the referee on a number of fronts as you’d expect,” he said. “I spoke to him about my own situation and I think he had a lot of empathy for what I went through afterwards. “That happened. It’s gone now. No doubt the FA will be in touch and I will answer properly. “It was only the fourth official that heard it, despite the assistant referee being half a yard away. He didn’t hear what I was meant to have said and I didn’t say it. “The assistant referee says he will confirm that to anyone who asks. “I have questioned the fourth official. Why would I do that? I was trying to get him to ask the referee a question which he clearly refused. “I have never hidden what I said. I told him I’d speak to his boss and I think maybe he’s reacted to that and taken action. I will deal with that. “My thoughts on that particular referee I’ve never hidden either. I can’t say it’s anything personal other than I just think he’s a poor official.” Evans wants to put his nightmare in the stand with the home supporters quickly behind him, though knows it could have turned very ugly. “There is a mandate from the Football League which every club, including our club, respects that you have to be allocated a place in the directors’ box,” he said. “Of course the difference at Grimsby Town, and you have to respect it, is that the directors’ box is at the opposite end of the pitch. I don’t know if that’s feasible given the circumstances. “You should still be given a vantage point where you are not going to be in amongst home supporters. That would always create difficulty. “I was smiling and listening to Neil Warnock yesterday about getting booed by both the Bury and the Bradford fans. I can understand when Neil’s gone off in the past and he’s been amongst supporters, it causes that type of reaction. “In terms of the Grimsby supporters getting behind their team, that’s what you want to see - passion and pride. They were so pleased to win and it showed what beating us meant to them.” ----------------- Stags to send youngsters to Grimsby for Central League clash chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town will send a young side to Grimsby Town for this afternoon’s Central League reserve game (2pm) and protect their big guns. Senior players needing minutes will get them in an inter-squad game after a torrid afternoon at Grimsby last weekend saw Stags boss Steve Evans sent to the stand, where he was intimidated by home supporters, and Hayden White red-carded in a 3-0 defeat. “We have had enough of Grimsby,” smiled boss Steve Evans. Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/stags-to-send-youngsters-to-grimsby-for-central-league-clash-1-8400904 “We have a practice match scheduled which will give everyone an opportunity for those needing minutes to play. “Then we don’t get any double yellow cards for saying the official might be weak! “We will protect ourselves and be very much in-house this week.” Centre half George Taft is expected to play some part in the game as he aims for a return from a long-term hamstring injury. ---------------- Stags need to react well to wobble on Saturday chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town players have been told to forget Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Grimsby and get back to winning ways after only one point from the last six rocked their play-off ambitions. “It’s now how we react to last weekend,” said boss Steve Evans. “We are so proud of what we’ve achieved. To get 30 points from 16 games is championship form and if we can get as near as damn it that again in the remaining games we will deliver a play-off place. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/stags-need-to-react-well-to-wobble-on-saturday-1-8402333 “Then I don’t care who we play in the play-offs. Bring the biggest, bring the smallest, if we get in the play-offs I think we’ll win them.” “But we need to get back to winning ways and we need to do it sooner than later. We have 14 games left and we play I think it’s eight or nine out of the top 10. That’s wonderful. “That’s not a disadvantage to us. We fancy ourselves against those teams. Our fate is in our hands. We are not looking at other results around the country. “When we get into the last single figure games of the season we are suddenly playing all the teams around us. And single figure games come thick and fast and go very quickly and people are squeaking all over the place. “We won’t be squeaking, we will be trying to win the games. “If we take the same points difference as we have done since we joined the club, we’ll be in the play-offs. It’s as simple as that. We have that objective focused in our mind. “But if we take the same points return since before we came in, we’ll be nowhere near it.” He added: “We didn’t have a good December and everyone had wrote us off by Christmas Day. But this group has achieved far more than anyone expected. “I think the reality is, in only mine and Paul Raynor’s opinions, is that this team would have been fighting relegation if we’d not come in - the team that was, not the team that is now.” Evans will not even accept his side are in the top seven until everyone has played as many games. “There is a big game in League Two tonight when Colchester host Wycombe,” he said. “If one of them win they go above us, if they draw it will be the first time I as a manager at this football club recognise we are in the play-offs. “I have always said you have to take games into account. “Whatever happens, we can’t affect it tomorrow, but we can affect what happens with Newport. What I do know is that if we beat Newport on Saturday we’ll be in the play-offs.” --------------------- Stags weigh up right back options after White’s red card chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Monday 20 February 2017 Mansfield Town expect to have a wealth of options to replace right back Hayden White when he serves his one game ban against Newport on Saturday. The Peterborough loanee was dismissed for a second yellow card following comments he made to referee Sebastian Stockbridge, who also sent manager Steve Evans to the stands. On the incident, Evans said: “I obviously asked him about Hayden getting sent off. Hayden has been given a second yellow for saying the referee was weak, no swear words, no foul language. But the referee took that as a question on his integrity. “It’s pretty stern to dismiss a player from the field of play for that given that referees are part of communication with players all over the pitch every game. There is far worse than that said that doesn’t result in a card.” Read more at: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/football/stags-weigh-up-right-back-options-after-white-s-red-card-1-8400281 Despite his red card, White edged man of the match for Mansfield and Evans said: “He didn’t have too many candidates to compete with, but I think he was very good. “When Hayden gets into the flow of wanting to go and attack the game and be on the front foot he is quite an exceptional player for this level and we are delighted to work with him. “I feel sorry for the kid sent off for saying to a referee he is weak for giving a penalty. I can think of a lot worse to say to a referee.” Evans will now look at replacing him for Saturday with centre half Kyle Howkins on the verge of a comeback from injury and Rhys Bennet, Lee Collins and Ben Whiteman candidates too. “One change has got to be made and two or three others we will made,” said Evans. “I have spoken to Tony Pulis and Howkins is playing tonight for West Brom. We’ll have a member of staff in attendance at that to make sure that Kyle comes through in line with where we want him to be. “Tafty (George Taft) has trained and been impressive for eight or nine days now and takes part in a practice match tomorrow. That’s good for him ,though it’s maybe a bit early to be getting back into the team. “We have options. Rhys Bennett can go across there and Ben Whiteman, of course, has played in the first team for Sheffield United there. “So we have no concerns who we play there. We just need to make sure we have the right 11 and the right 18 named for Saturday to take on Newport County.” -------------------- Ignore the table says Evans as bottom club come to town chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans has warned fans to ignore the current League Two table when bottom side Newport County visit One Call Stadium on Saturday. The Welsh club may only have won just once in 17 games, but are improving with a win and five draws in their previous six before last weekend’s defeat. Evans said: “We know how difficult it’s going to be, but we can’t stop our supporters looking at league tables and looking at newspapers at what, in their opinion, should be easy, but there is not a game in this league that is ever easy. “They lost on Saturday but I have no idea how after I watched the game back. They lost after eight or nine games themselves unbeaten, and that includes three or four of the teams in the top six or seven. Every game is tough.” He added “They wouldn’t be at the bottom of the table if Graham Westley (current manager) had been there last July - that’s my belief. “He has taken the approach that when you’re down there and you are battling, you have to find the type of players that are prepared to give everything for you. “Mitch Rose, who we let go down there, is a wonderful kid and a good player. He has signed a lot like that who have a never-say-die attitude and if you beat Newport County, you’ve earned your spurs. You’ve deserved it.” Far from berating his players for their last two results, Evans is lifting them with praise. “I had a good meeting with the players and told them how well they’d done,” he said. “Forgetting Saturday, the point against Accrington could be a good one. They beat Colchester United on Saturday. We condemned a 4-4 draw and we didn’t defend well, but we scored four times. “I reminded the players from when we walked in here to where we are now, to take 30 points from 16 games I have to applaud them. But we need to get back to winning ways and we need to do it sooner than later. “We have 14 games left and we play I think it’s eight or nine out of the top 10. That’s wonderful. “That’s not a disadvantage to us. We fancy ourselves against those teams. Our fate is in our hands. We are not looking at other results around the country. “We have two or three games that are not involved at that end of the league straight afterwards. “When we get into the last single figure games of the season we are suddenly playing all the teams around us. And single figure games come thick and fast and go very quickly and people are squeaking all over the place. “We won’t be squeaking, we will be trying to win the games.” Despite a poor December Stags have stayed in the running and Evans said: “We didn’t have a good December and everyone had wrote us off by Christmas Day. “But this group has achieved far more than anyone expected. I think the reality is, in only mine and Paul Raynor’s opinions, is that this team would have been fighting relegation if we’d not come in - the team that was, not the team that is now. “We kept some great players and added to the group with some additional good players. We have a fantastic dressing room with fantastic spirit.” He concluded: “If we can achieve the play-offs I think people wider in football will talk about what a job I’ve done. But I don’t take no credit here. “The credit belongs in the dressing room 100 per cent. I have told the players they will be the difference as we go forward. “We are so proud of what we’ve achieved. To get 30 points from 16 games is championship form and if we can get as near as damn it that again in the remaining games we will deliver a play-off place. “Then I don’t care who we play in the play-offs. Bring the biggest, bring the smallest, if we get in the play-offs I think we’ll win them.” Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/ignore-the-table-says-evans-as-bottom-club-come-to-town-1-8403581 ------------------- No complacency at Stags says boss after defensive lapses chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Steve Evans has dismissed any suggestions of complacency after his team’s magnificent defensive record collapsed spectacularly after they conceded seven goals in two games. Stags had conceded just one League goal all year in their seven games, but a 4-4 thriller at home to Accrington, followed by a 3-0 defeat at Grimsby at the weekend, ended that run. Evans said: “You can look back and say is there complacency? But I don’t think for one minute with this group that there is. “I think it’s just the fine lines and fine margins. “Cambridge had gone one up against the run of play, but we get a bit of good fortune with the own goal and we are back in the game, that never happened at Grimsby on Saturday. “I don’t think there is any one specific reason. Even at 2-0 you are still in the game, when you go 3-0 down and the referee puts a young man off the pitch for a second yellow, which was incomprehensible for the reasons given by the referee, it’s goodnight Vienna. “We have no excuses. Saturday was a performance in many respects that was not like us. But I have always maintained that results come down to certain things that happen in games that create differences.” Evans continued: “I can remember recently at Barnet where Jake Kean made a good save from Campbell-Ryce and we got up the park and scored to go one in front. “It was a pivotal moment for me. And I look at a couple of chances Matt Green had in the first half on Saturday, normally one or two of those he would bury without a shadow of a doubt. “Shaq Coulthirst, too, early in the second half after Hayden White had a great run and stood it up to him - that should be 1-1 and it’s a different game then. “It’s fine margins but we have no excuses as if you take the whole game into context at Grimsby we were a yard off it all over the pitch. “When you are like against a team that’s probably focused on a little bit of a cup final for them, then you have to take it. “I heard a supporter say on Saturday night to a member of my family who was watching the game that we’ve taken one point out of six this week so how can we be in the play-offs? It shows you how tough it is. “We have had 16 games as a management team here and we’ve taken 30 points. That would be top of the league if that had been all the way through, but we’re not. We are where where we are fighting for where we need to be.” Stags now have to get back to winning ways against bottom club Newport County at the One Call Stadium on Saturday. But, with Hayden White suspended this weekend, Stags will have one enforced change at the back. Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/no-complacency-at-stags-says-boss-after-defensive-lapses-1-8403527 ------------------- |
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