Archived News from July 2005
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SHIRTLIFF INTERVIEW
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Football Post :
transcribed by carole Stags first team coach Peter Shirtliff looks forward to his new role at Field Mill…… Only way is up “I see this as a good chance” PETER SHIRTLIFF'S main aim between now and August 6 is to help Carlton Palmer in getting Mansfield Town to gel before their League Two opener at Palmer's former club Stockport County. Shirtliff was officially installed as first-team coach this week. The 44-year-old played with Palmer at Sheffield Wednesday and also saw service as a defender with Charlton, Wolves, Barnsley and Carlisle – followed by coaching spells with Barnsley and Leicester City. “You learn a bit from each manager,” he said. “They all have their own style, and one of the skills I learned was organisation. The team ethic is very important. Players need to know their jobs and be comfortable in the position they are playing in and be able to express themselves. “I had a good spell as a coach at Barnsley. The reserve team got promotion, then I took a job as assistant manager when Dave Bassett was there. We got to the play-off final and just missed out on getting promoted to the Premiership. “I had a good spell at Leicester as a coach and we got promotion. I had three good years there.” Shirtliff was out of work when he discovered that Palmer had got the Mansfield job and a phone call to his former team-mate led to a new job at Field Mill. “I congratulated Carlton on getting the job and asked him to give me a call if he needed any help. Now, I'm looking to get a winning team, playing good football. I'm looking for a good spirit and team ethic. It's a case of we, rather than me. “I'm friends with Carlton. That doesn't mean we haven't had rows and disagreements but we are pulling in the same direction. I'm getting to know the players at the moment and what systems Carlton wants to play. It's a new team and it's a good platform to work from. I've come in cold with no preconceived ideas. “Hopefully the players will gel as a team quickly. I'm looking for that to happen as soon as possible. We want to go up automatically and we're going to go for it, but most of the other clubs in this division will have the same idea.” Shirtliff is looking forward to working with young players and monitoring their development. “Some of the players have come to Mansfield Town from bigger clubs and have got something to prove. They need to prove they can play league football,” he said. “We're looking for good performances in the pre-season friendlies, and a team understanding. But you always want to win games. Winning breeds confidence. I've only been involved in a few training sessions so far but the players are very enthusiastic. There are a lot of new players but they are new together and that can be a positive.” Shirtliff says he will not have a realistic idea of how successful the Stags can be this season until the end of August. “It's a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment and I haven't seen some of the players play yet. But they all fancy our chances of being successful this season and there are six league games in August so, by the end of August, we should have an idea of how things are shaping up.” Shirtliff stressed that knowing Palmer is not the only reason he joined Mansfield. “I looked at the situation and I thought it was a good opportunity. Carlton said the right things and so did the chairman. I want to be successful and wouldn't have come to Mansfield if I didn't think we could get promoted.” |
Latest | July 2005