Archived News from December 2008
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PREVIEWS AND LATEST MANAGER NEWS
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---------------- mansfieldtown.net reports here that any replay will be on Tuesday. ------------------ Jon D'Laryea interview, live on BBC Radio Nottingham's David Jackson's Drive programme 12 Dec08. Listen here ---------------- 11 Dec 08 Perry interview here 11 Dec 08 Moses and Stallard video interview here ------------ Stags' caretakers promise changes for Trophy tie CHAD.co.uk, 11 December 2008, By Stephen Thirkill VICTORY against Wrexham in the FA Trophy on Saturday could be the springboard Stags need to kick on in the league, according to the club's new joint management duo. Full story at CHAD.co.uk here Club captain Adie Moses and striker Mark Stallard have been placed in charge for the trip to North Wales following the sacking of Billy McEwan on Wednesaday and have vowed to take the game 'very seriously'. The duo, who have been given the role for an indefinite period, say they will make changes to the starting line-up and could tinker with the formation as Mansfield look for their first victory in five games, but have refused to reveal what they changes could be. Moses said: "The FA Trophy is an important game for us and we want to have a good run. It would be great to go all the way to Wembley and we want to go as far as we can. "We have been given a job to do and we want to do it well. They are at home and will be expecting to win so the pressure is not on us, but we will be going there to win the game. "We will not be thinking this is only an FA Trophy game so it does not matter. This is a good chance for us to get a win and to improve confidence and belief in the squad." Stags, who have picked up just four points out of a possible 30 in the league, and Wrexham will both be playing in the competition for the first time following their relegations from the Football League last season. ---------------------- Blackwood back in action for the Stags CHAD.co.uk, 11 December 2008, By Stephen Thirkill INJURED Stags winger Michael Blackwood played in a competitive match for the first time on Wednesday as he continued his long road to recovery. Full story at CHAD.co.uk here Blackwood, who was injured in the FA Cup qualifier away to York in October, scored and played 45 minutes for the reserves in their 2-1 defeat away to Port Vale. The return to action is welcome news for new joint managers Adie Moses and Mark Stallard, as they look to add some much-needed creativity to the faltering Stags' attack. Said Moses: "Michael Blackwood is a good player and one of our better players. He played in the reserves and that is great to see. He looked sharp during the half he played. "He showed a great attitude and it will be good to have him back in the side when he is fully fit. He will now keep working on his fitness levels." But it is unclear whether Moses, who was forced off with injury against Kidderminster on Tuesday, will make a return to the starting XI against Wrexham on Saturday. "I am struggling still and am feeling a bit sore, but today has not been a normal day for me in terms of getting treatment on the injury," he said. "I have not really had much time to think about it because it has been a whirlwind 24 hours. My injury is something we will assess later. It is also not yet clear if loan goalkeeper Paddy Gamble, who was injured in a car crash last weekend with two Nottingham Forest players, will be back in goal for the trip to North Wales or emergency signing Jamie Annerson will keep his place in the starting line-up. ---------------------- Stags looking for management team BBC.co.uk, 11 Dec 08 Perry interview and Stallard interview here Mansfield Town chairman Andy Perry says the club are looking for a management duo with experience at Conference level to replace sacked manager Billy McEwan. Players Adie Moses and Mark Stallard have taken temporary control of the team since McEwan's departure. Perry told BBC Radio Nottingham: "We've had an unbelievable amount of interest. "We're looking for a management team - two people who can work together with coaching and management ability - who know Conference players inside out." Perry added: "[Billy] was our first appointment and ticked all the boxes as someone who was very strong, had good values. "None of that went away but it wasn't translated onto the football pitch. "Hopefully Mark Stallard and Adie can put a few smiles on the faces on the players and get them geed up for the weekend." Stags are just one point above the relegation zone after their 2-0 defeat at Kidderminster on Tuesday. But Stallard and Moses say the team are behind them ahead of their FA Trophy tie at Wrexham on Saturday. Moses told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It's an FA Trophy game but we want to go there and do well. "Me and Mark have been given a job to do and we just want to do it to the bets of our abilities. "If that means upsetting one or two lads by picking a side then so be it. I think they understand and their reaction in training was great." Stallard said: "It's been a whirlwind. We are honoured to be given the responsibility and the lads have responded brilliantly. "For whatever period of time we're in charge, we'll be doing the best for Mansfield Town." --------------- CHAD AUDIO: Moses and Stallard hope to steer Stags away from drop zone Full story at CHAD.co.uk here NEW Stags management duo Adie Moses and Mark Stallard have today spoken of their determination to help steer Mansfield Town away from the Blue Square relegation zone. The experienced players have been appointed as caretaker managers for this Saturday's FA Trophy trip to Wrexham following the sacking of Billy McEwan as Stags boss on Wednesday night. The Field Mill board dismissed the tough-talking Scot following a succession of poor results, which left the club with just four points out of a possible 30 and one place above the Blue Square Premier drop zone. Stallard told Chad the pair were honoured to have been put in temporary charge and were now fully focused on getting results in the bag. Stallard said: "We came in last night for a club function and found out the news. It was a big shock and it has just gone from there. It is a big change from being a player to having to come in and organise training sessions and pre-match meals. It is something we are still learning about. "You pick up things from previous managers we have worked under and we had a good training session today and got a good reaction from the players. They looked sharp and we are happy with how things went. "It is sad that Billy has lost his job, but unfortunately football is a results business and they dictate things. We are taking our new responsibility very seriously and want to do our best for Mansfield Town for however long we are in charge. "It was not so long ago that we were at the top of the league with the same players and there is no reason why we cannot start winning again and climbing the table. We just need to get the players believing in themselves and give them more confidence and then things will improve." It is not yet clear how long the pair will remain in charge of the side as the search for a new manager begins. Moses, who played at the top level of English football, said the pair would give it their best shot until the situation was resolved. He said: "I have gone from thinking about getting myself back to fitness to having to worry about organising training and picking the team and it is really unbelievable. "(Chairman) Andy Perry asked if we would take charge of the team for Saturday and it is a tremendous honour to be given such a role and the backing of the chairman in this way. We got a bit of stick and banter from the players this morning, but they have responded very well and we are delighted with their attitude. "Me and Mark are good friends and we will work together and decide formations and starting line-ups together. We have been given a job to do and we want to perform to the best of our abilities in our new role." ------------------- Stags may shun big name bosses Evening Post, December 12, 2008 MANSFIELD may turn to a non-league manager with a proven track record rather than a so-called big name to succeed Billy McEwan, chairman Andy Perry hinted today. Full story at Evening Post website here The Scot was sacked on Wednesday after eight defeats in ten games and a little over five months in charge. Senior players Adie Moses and Mark Stallard are in charge for tomorrow's game at Wrexham, but Perry is hoping their temporary reign will last just one game. "We need some time to consider where we go now but we are hopeful of getting someone in before we play Weymouth (on December 20)," he said. "I have been on the phone to other chairman who have been in a similar position, having come down from the Football League. %3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3CA%20HREF%3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3Dfffffffcfffffffcfffffffc/AAMSZ%3D452x118/SITE%3DTHISISNOTT/AREA%3DFOOTBALL/SUBAREA%3D/ARTICLE%3D541310/acc_random%3D6679972772/pageid%3D/RS%3D10307.%22%20target%3D%22_new%22%3E%3CIMG%20SRC%3D%22http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/anmdefaultad.gif%22%20ALT%3D%22%22%20border%3D0%20style%3D%22margin-bottom%3A%200px%3B%22%3E%3C/A%3E%3C/div%3E"They have given me some good advice. Some have appointed a big-name manager and it has not worked out. "They said we should not be afraid to look at a manager who is doing well in the Conference northern or southern divisions, someone who has a very good knowledge of non-league football. "But we are keeping an open mind." Perry says the new manager will have licence to bring in the players he wants during the January transfer window. "We are prepared to back the new manager," he said. "There certainly won't be any interference from us (the board) on the playing side of things. "But at the same time we have players here who know they can do better – they all admit to that. "They are the same players who were up near the top at the start of the season, and you do not become a bad player overnight." --------------------- Hero Barker's surprise at links with vacant Stags manager's job CHAD.co.uk, 11 December 2008, By Tim Morriss STAGS fans' favourite Richie Barker says he is in the dark about rumours linking him with the vacant manager's job at Mansfield Town - but still wants to return to Field Mill in a coaching or managerial role 'at the right time'. Full story at CHAD.co.uk here Many supporters are clamouring for the terrace hero to be appointed player manager/coach and replace Billy McEwan, who was sacked late on Wednesday. But Barker (33), who in the summer confirmed that he 'would love to go back to Mansfield Town sometime as manager', told Chad: "I have heard nothing at all." The former Stags striker is currently on loan at Rotherham United from Hartlepool United - and has signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Millers on a permanent basis in January. Despite that, there is a growing momentum among fans for the new Stags owners to try to secure his services - as player manager or as player coach working alongside a more experienced manager. And chairman Andy Perry admitted to Chad on Thursday that the return of Barker at some point was 'a great thought'. However, the club has already received a lot of interest in the manager's job (upto 30 inquiries on Thursday) and may well prefer a boss with a proven track record in non league football - and with seven other BSP managers having left their clubs already this season, not to mention those in the Football League, there will be no shortage of experienced applicants. Barker told Chad: "It is true that in the summer I said Mansfield Town would be a good place to start my management or coaching career at the right time . . . nothing has changed from that. "I am aware of what has been said today about the vacant Mansfield job and me being linked with it. But I have heard nothing at all. "I don't know where the rumours have come from, but the two lads now in charge have an important job to do at the moment preparing for the Mansfield match on Saturday and I am in the squad for Rotherham's match. "We need to concentrate on those matches at the moment. They are vital for both clubs." Though he has no managerial experience, Barker has been taking his coaching badges for the past 10 years and gained his final qualification, the UEFA A licence, a few years ago. And when asked if he would at some stage be prepared to come to the Stags as a player coach, working alongside a more experienced manager - a move suggested by some fans in a management structure hinted at by the club - Barker added: "Yes. "But only if it was with the right person - who shared the same values, ideas and playing style. "I always said I would like to go back to Mansfield Town sometime as manager or coaching; as I said before, nothing has changed from that." Barker was sold in January 2007 to Hartlepool despite fans' protests - and he later described the transfer as being 'forced out the door' from the club where he spent 'the most enjoyable two years' of his career. The popular forward netted 40 goals in 95 matches during his 27-month spell at Field Mill, where he was made captain and won player of the year accolades. In the summer, Barker broke his silence over his shock transfer from Town in January 2007 and said: "It's true I would love to go back to Mansfield Town sometime as manager. It would be the perfect place to work for me. "I have made no secret of that and there was even the odd rumour it might happen while I was there. "My time at Mansfield was probably the most enjoyable two years of my 17 years in professional football." With the new owners appearing keen to have a new manager in place in time for the January transfer window, it could well be that Stags fans will have a new boss for Christmas - perhaps as early as the end of next week. But for now his identity will be the subject of much speculation. |
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