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Archived News from November 2008

PERRY ON SUPPORTER REP AND McEWAN
18th November 2008 12:21


Perry: McEwan is the right man for Stags
Evening Post, November 11, 2008

MANSFIELD chairman Andy Perry today backed Billy McEwan as the man to bring long-term success to the club.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homesport/Perry-McEwan-right-man-Stags/article-463247-detail/article.html

Perry remains convinced the Scot can bring the good times back to Field Mill following his appointment in the summer
And the Stags chairman is also determined that McEwan will be in it for the long haul as they look to get the club back in the Football league.
Perry defended his decision to give McEwan a three-year contract and pointed to the fact a succession of short managerial appointments have not done the club any favours.
He said: "The length of contract for a manager is always a difficult one. Where do you pitch yourself as new owners coming in?
"We were looking to put stability back into the club in all areas.
"Over the last seven years we have had seven different managers.
"It is time to pick the right person and stick with him and we believe we have the right person in Billy McEwan.
"No disrespect to the other managers who were here before but the club was drifting and Billy has a good record of keeping players in check and making sure they have high standards on and off the pitch."


Stags chairman Perry plans for the future
Evening Post, November 11, 2008

GORDON Brown and the rest of the world's leaders are not the only ones to have encountered a testing last few months.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homesport/Stags-chairman-Perry-plans-future/article-462862-detail/article.html
Since taking the top job at Mansfield, Andy Perry has faced his own set of difficult challenges that he is striving to overcome.
Along with the chief executive John Hemmingham, and co-owners and directors Andy Saunders and Steve Middleton, the aim is to take the club in a new direction and stabilise it financially after losses in previous years.
There has also been a significant effort to mend broken bridges with supporters, improve facilities around the ground and give greater backing to manager Billy McEwan and the players.
Some of that work has already been accomplished, but Perry knows there is still a long way yet to go, and that this is just the start of the journey.
As if to underline that things are not going to be plain sailing in re-establishing Mansfield as a Football League club – the number one goal – the last few weeks have been hard going on and off the field.
But Perry has pledged in an exclusive interview with the Evening Post that he and his staff will stop at nothing to bring success to Field Mill in the long term.
Perry says the long-awaited completion of the takeover from Keith Haslam is imminent.
A binding agreement was first announced in early July.
"It is about there and there is no doubt about it – we are 99% done and are just waiting for our solicitors to send over the final paperwork," he said.
"After four months of being involved the original binding agreement has been slightly amended for both parties.
"The extra time has only been for the benefit of us to make sure everything is all right. We are hoping now it is going to be a matter of days rather than weeks."
Perry said the club would reveal basic details of the deal where possible.
"There is obviously confidentiality built into some parts of it, but the whole deal is no different to that which was offered to James Derry before us," he said. "When we have completion, we will make a statement and talk about it more then.
The club are to examine the possibility of a fan sitting on the board once a takeover deal has been finalised.
But Perry wonders if that option is now still needed – and if it will be practical on a day-to-day basis.
"We speak to the fans groups on and off quite regularly. It's something we see as having gone quite well," he said.
"There are the supporters' bodies to consider, but we also know there are a lot of fans who are not in any organisations and we want to be inclusive of them too.
"When we have completion we can look at it in more detail, but we have to look at if it will be any better than it is now.
"The lines of communication are already there and we are not talking about a supporters' director but supporter representation.
"Four months on and I don't think we can be any more welcoming. If the fans have had anything to say, we have been listening.
"The biggest problems is that the directors and chief executive are meeting all the time to discuss things.
"It is not as if we are having a board meeting at the end of every month. To make it worthwhile, it has to benefit the whole football club."
Perry remains convinced the Scot is the right man to bring the good times back to Field Mill.
He defended his decision to give him a three-year contract and pointed to the fact a succession of short managerial reigns have not done the club any favours.
"The length of contract for a manager is always a difficult one," said Perry.
"We were looking to put stability back into the club in all areas. We have done that in one way by taking over the running of the club and we are trying to do that on the management side with Billy.
"Over the last seven years we have had seven different managers (Dearden, Watkiss, Curle, Palmer, Shirtliff, Dearden again and Holland).
"It is time to pick the right person and stick with him and we believe we have the right person in Billy McEwan.
"No disrespect to the other managers who were here before, but the club was drifting and Billy has a good record of keeping players in check and making sure they have high standards on and off the pitch.
"In the short term we want to win every game, but it is the long term that will be important.
"Sometimes you have to go through tough times to get things right but, so long as you get them right in the end, that's what matters."



Perry: Field Mill a priority for Stags
Evening Post, November 12, 2008

MANSFIELD Town chairman Andy Perry would love nothing more than to bring Field Mill back up to scratch.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/football/running-Wollaton-charity-event/article-269184-detail/article.html

And he has not ruled out the possibility of the club once again owning the stadium they currently lease from former owner Keith Haslam.
A revamp of the Bishop Street stand – to make Field Mill a four-sided ground – is well within Mansfield's scope, believes Perry.
He said: "Making it a four-sided ground is very much a long-term goal. It would give the ground a better feel for everyone who comes to games.
"We have had some good news on the Bishop Street Stand in that it can be brought into play a lot easier than everyone previously thought.
It is not quite as dilapidated as we were led to believe and it is not a case of knocking the whole thing down and starting again because the structure is quite sound.
"There is a lot more that can be done with it, without having to go over the top. We could have a standing area there, which would be allowed with the amount of seats we have in the other areas of the ground.
"An alternative is to have it as a seating area or a corporate area, which would free up some space over in the West Stand which is full in the week for meetings and conferences.
"We would also like to put the television cameras on that side looking towards the west stand. That way when people see pictures of the ground they are seeing it for the better rather than boards."
Perry added the club are looking at all possibilities regarding their future home but insists buying out Keith Haslam and staying could happen.
"At the present we have a long-term lease and we are not the only club in the country to do that," he said.
"We have the option to purchase the ground, which would be beneficial, but if we do that we have to make sure it is for the right reasons and cost effective.
"We know it is in the right place for the town and it is a realistic option and we will be discussing it with Keith Haslam."
Mansfield are one of only a handful of clubs averaging over 2,000 for home games as fans have stayed away during the onset of economic downturn.
Perry is pleased with the support so far and hopes that will stay strong for the rest of the campaign.
He said: "From our point of view we know how difficult the economic climate is out there at the moment.
"We are doing everything we can to keep the crowds coming back and we have our double bubble offer for the Altrincham and Salisbury home games coming up.
"It is also a case of trying to make people as comfortable as they can in the ground by making sure all the facilities are right.
"For example, there were no sanitary arrangements in the women's toilets, which was unacceptable, but now we are looking after that.
"We have sold 1,200 season tickets and for others who pay on the day we have taken on board the fact they think the prices are a bit hefty.
"It would be nice to do it and if we made it £15 and knew we would get a crowd of 3,000 then we would do it. But football doesn't work that way."
Perry admits the best way to ensure the numbers continue to attend Field Mill is for the team to produce good results out on the pitch.
"All people crave is a bit of success and that is the same no matter what football club you look at," he said.
"Success often comes over the long-term and we are mindful of that, but we are trying to put the finances in place that will benefit the club as a whole.
"What happens on the field is the reason why we do everything else and why we are here.
"It is a tough time at the moment but I'm sure we will get through them. There is certainly no panic management or knee-jerk reaction."
Perry revealed the club are prepared to back manager Billy McEwan in the transfer market in January – even if they are not challenging for the play-offs.
But he added it has to be in the right circumstances.
Perry said: "The budget is there and still not been fully spent. It is not that Billy doesn't want to but that in the current climate he can only bring in loan players.
"He did well to bring in the players he did in the short time he had before the start of the season.
"Now it is a case of adding the right people to improve the squad.
"We said we would make money available in January if we were going well and if there is someone who will benefit the club long-term and Billy wants to bring in on an 18-month contract.
"We said we would back the manager if we were up there but we will also back him up if he needs a player to make sure we keep stability at the club."
Perry acknowledges the cash from the FA Cup clashes with York and Chesterfield had been gratefully received.
"The FA Cup has been very important from a monetary point of view because it all adds up to help the running of the club," he said.
"We are fortunate that we were able to get to the first round stage and also pull out a decent draw.
"I have heard people say forget about the FA Cup and Setanta Shield and concentrate on the league.
"But it doesn't work that way. There is no divine right for us to win our next two home games at the expense of losing cup matches."

 

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