Archived News from January 2016
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MURRAY PREVIEWS STEVENAGE
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Yussuf out for 3 weeks. Beardsley to see another specialist
------------ News round up with Adam Murray mansfieldtown.net, 6th January 2016 Here’s a round-up of the main points from manager Adam Murray’s news conference this morning, including news of a potential signing before the weekend Murray on... January transfer window “We’ve had a chat with the chairman and he’s as proactive as always. We’re hoping that with what we can do, we’re going to try and get someone in over the next couple of days that I feel will affect it. At the minute we lack that final pass, that little cutting edge - I think we’ve got goals in us, but sometimes we get into positions and the final cross isn’t right, the final pass isn’t right, the final execution isn’t right. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/adam-murray-news-conference-main-points-2887299.aspx#oLi5igW2FjVtPpkw.99 “The chairman is proactive so he’s given me the go-ahead to try and find that body that I feel will make a difference, so that’s what I’m going to do. Because of our small squad we’re not going to be able to go out and find three, four players. “We’ve seen over the first part of the season [that] any injuries [sustained] shakes the life out of us, it really does. “[We want] somebody that can create and score a goal - and somebody that can excite people. Our brand in the first quarter [of the season] was free-flowing, I was proud of it, I know the fans were. I want us to get back to that.” Matt Green’s, injury situation better than feared “It’s not as bad as we expected, he’ll be touch-and-go for the weekend but it was diabolical if I’m honest with you [the challenge leading to his injury against Accrington]. The kid’s cleaned him out and the ref’s ten yards away and he’s actually told me he didn’t see it. “It killed us to be honest. At that point, even though we could’ve gone in at half-time at 4-4, we could’ve gone in at 4-1 down or gone in at 3-1 up. Greeny [said] ‘I don’t think I can run gaffer, I don’t think I can carry on’ so I said ‘I need you, [for] ten minutes, see if you can get through it.’ Matt being Matt, 'no problem' - after five minutes [he said] ‘I can’t move’. “That change let them (Accrington) off the hook because he (Matt Green) had the back four on toast. The first 45 minutes on Saturday, he ran them ragged, every time he got in he looked like he was going to score. “It’s his quad [affected], but it’s had a knock-on effect to a couple of other bits, it’s not a simple one where it’s one muscle - it’s had an effect on his joint and we’re trying to wait for that to settle down, hopefully sooner rather than later.” Adi Yussuf out through injury “Adi’s going to be out for about three weeks. Bless him, he’s tried because he knows that we need him, even if it’s for ten minutes [and he] gets a chance. But he came on on Saturday and after the game he apologised. “He said, ‘look I tried to give you everything gaffer but I can’t move. I tried to turn’ - it’s his groin so he’s struggling.” Chris Beardsley's injury “Chris has had a stress fracture and he’s got to go and see another specialist. At the minute he’s only training once a week so in that area we’ve had limited options of what we can do.” Ryan Tafazolli's absence from the line up “I’ve had a good chat with Taf (Ryan Tafazolli) over the last couple of weeks - no one’s come in for Taf, let’s get that one right, there’s been no offers on the table for Taf. "Taf has been a big part of this so far [but] over the last few weeks I don’t think his performances have been the Tafazolli that we saw at the start of the season. “Can he be one of the best defenders in League Two? Yes, 100%. But he has to be on it every game. "Taf wants to be here, his focus is on Mansfield Town for the next six months. After that, it’s Taf’s decision then - he’s obviously out of contract in the summer, he wants to do what’s best for Ryan, I’d do what’s best for me. “He wants to be part of this, he’s going to give his all for the cause. He’s one of the best defenders we’ve got when he’s on it. Taf will come in to play when I feel the time’s right, there’s nothing like we’ve left him out because we’ve got a bid. It’s not that, we haven’t had any interest in Taf. “I love him as a player, as his manager. I want Ryan to be here for the next few years. There’s a target where I’m taking this football club, if I have to drag people kicking, screaming, moaning and crying, I’m going to do it. “I’m trying to change something here - I want Ryan to be a part of that. I could turn around to Ryan and say, ‘look, I promise you [in] four years we’re going to be top of League One. Get on board’. "And I could guarantee you [of that], he might sign a contract tomorrow, but Ryan wants to play at the highest level. What he’s going to do for the here and now; he’s going to commit himself, like he has done in the time he’s been here. He’s going to put his body on the line for Mansfield Town and that’s all we can ask for.” Liam Lawrence rumours “I hadn’t heard about it until someone mentioned it to me. I know Loz (Lawrence) very well, I played with him. I haven’t spoken to him since we played there [Shrewsbury] last year. No idea where that one [the rumour] could’ve come from. “At the stage he’s at now, he’s probably like the midfielders we’ve already got - technical ball players when we probably need a Jack Thomas. We need the legs and the energy.” Blair Adams’ future “We’ve asked the question obviously (about extending his stay at the club) - we haven’t got a definite answer on that. I’ll be asking the question again today because I want it done [the extension of his loan from Notts County] this week.” Nicky Hunt returning to training “I think he expected to be in the squad on Saturday! He’d only trained two days by then. We tried him again a little bit more intensely at the start of this week and he’s done okay. It’ll be about how he’s reacted to the last two days’ work. If he reacts well, we’ll see if he’s in a position to start [for Saturday versus Stevenage], if not he’ll be on the bench. “[Mitch Rose] is a young pup who’s not a right-back. It’s like Lee Collins, he’s an experienced lad [but] he’s not a right-back. It shook our shape, it shook our balance - we’ve hung Mitch out to dry a bit because we haven’t had any more options. We’ve got Mars (Liam Marsden) who hasn’t played games so to throw him in would’ve been more detrimental to Mars than it has Mitch. “To have Hunty’s, not just his ability as a right-back but his distribution, his composure, his know-how, his experience, his attacking threat that he gives us; we’ve lost all of that so at the minute I’ve got him in cotton wool, a quilt and got him locked in my garage!” Mal Benning resuming training “I’ve got a date in my head but I’m not letting you lot [the media] know. He’s doing really well, at the minute it’s all going to plan. “Mal’s back running now. It’s a super sight to see - him and Nicky Hunt back on the training ground makes me happy.” Conor Green, who is to be released “We’ve made a decision on Conor [and] we’ve had a meeting with Conor. We don’t feel in the immediate future Conor will affect the first team. He’s a great lad, he’s one of these that we have, and we will continue to do everything we can for him. “I know he’s had a career path that he’s lined up as a physio, so we’ve put in place that he’s going to come in and work with our physios to get some experience before he goes into uni which will ultimately give him the life experience of being a physio. What we do for all of our 'young pups' that we have; if we can’t find them another club to get the best out of them, we’ll help them with their life skills and life [in general].” --------------------- I'll make this club successful if it kills me - gaffer mansfieldtown.net, 6th January 2016 Passionate Stags' manager Adam Murray today outlined his vision for the club in an insightful interview at One Call Stadium. Speaking with real fervour at this morning's news conference with the local media, Murray was keen to express his determination to shape the club’s future, and do whatever it takes to make the club more successful, whilst balancing ambition with reality. Reflecting firstly on Stags' last match, a 3-2 defeat at home to Accrington Stanley, Murray said: “To put it simply, we need to be better in a lot of aspects. We got off to another poor start [against Accrington], got ourselves back into the game [but] the game was way too open. When you’re playing against teams like that with no fear, it’s always a danger. “The weekend has been a blessing in disguise, it’s been a [chance to] refocus in everything - it’s been a real good 72 hours for us as a group. I honestly think we’re at a crossroads as a football club. “If it kills me, I’m going to make this football club successful and competitive - that is the bottom line of it. I need people to get on board with that, let’s ride it together. If the culture doesn’t change, the next 20 years will be the same as the last.” Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/murray-says-club-culture-has-to-change-2887144.aspx#EFld7QLGElg6TmZW.99 And Stags’ boss was keen to emphasise that old habits must be binned if the club are to go forward, and knows patience is required as they take strides to improve further. “When you look at the last 20 years as a football club; in the league it’s got one promotion then got relegated straight back [to Division Three]. Then it spent five years in non-league, and it’s been an average to a poor League Two club. “I want it [to be successful] more than anything. We have to change [the] culture. "You can bring another manager in, you can bring another set of players in, it’s going to go down the same trend. You look at the successful times, it was the club’s own [the young local players] that did it. “I’m going to take this football club forward; not just for a one-off season, but for a period of time - we’re not going to be average, we’re not going to be poor, we’re going to be competitive. But to get there, that takes time.” Murray added: “When we take one on the chin [a defeat], let’s react differently now - because I ultimately believe [that] these players and me as a manager are going to make this football club successful. I always said when I got this job, I’d give the football club and its fans something to be proud of. “We got used, last year, at the football club to getting battered. As a manager, probably because I’m too close to the club, that tore my heart out." Speaking further, Murray reaffirmed the confidence he has in himself and the rest of the club’s staff to advance on the club's current position of 12th in the league, with only a four point gap between the Stags and the play-offs, and called on the town of Mansfield to play their part as well. “Our expectation as a football club [is that] you’ve got to beat everyone in this league. We’re trying our best here, we will ultimately get to where we need to be. It can go the same as it always does, or we can go, ‘do you know what, let’s make this different now’. “I believe in these players, I believe in this football club and I believe in myself. "The chairman puts on a ‘pound for a game’ [for children] on Saturday, [and] we get less fans - that doesn’t make sense. People have got to go that extra yard.” Looking ahead to the next ‘kids for a quid’ game at One Call Stadium with Stevenage on Saturday afternoon (3pm), Murray said: “They’re a little bit inconsistent; [they’ve] got good players when you look at it. I’m not going to stop thinking about it [the opposition] but we’re putting our focus on us for the next 22 games. “For 16 games our focus for the squad was on us - we stopped winning for a couple of games so I changed the focus to the opposition - my biggest mistake. When we’re at it, we’re one of the best teams in this league.” You can watch Adam Murray's news conference, in full, on Stags Player. --------------- Mansfield Town goal ace Matt Green ‘touch and go’ for Stevenage visit chad.co.uk, by John Lomas, Wednesday 06 January 2016 Mansfield Town will leave it as late as possible to see if goal ace Matt Green can recover in time from a bad tackle that forced him out of last weekend’s home defeat by Accrington Stanley. Green had just scored his eighth goal of the season before the challenge, which went unpunished, and with Adi Yussuf (groin) also struggling and now ruled out along with Chris Beardsley (shin), Stags are very short in the striker department. “Greeny is not as bad as we expected though he will be touch and go for the weekend,” said boss Adam Murray. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/mansfield-town-goal-ace-matt-green-touch-and-go-for-stevenage-visit-1-7660136#ixzz3wUIY70Gm “It was diabolical to be honest. The kid has cleared him out and the referee was 10 yards away and didn’t see it. He could have really caused some damage to Matt there and it killed us to be honest. “The injury is his quad but it’s had a knock-on effect to another couple of muscles. So it’s not as simple as it’s just one muscle. It’s had an effect on his joint so we are waiting on that to settle down - hopefully sooner than later.” On the other injured pair, Murray added: “Adi will be out for about three weeks with his groin. Bless him he tried as he knows we need him, but he came on on Saturday and afterwards apologised. He tried to turn but couldn’t. “Chris has had his stress fracture and has to go and see another specialist as it’s not healing how it should. At the minute he is only training once a week. “So in that area we have limited options as to what we can do.” ------------------ Relief for Mansfield Town as Nicky Hunt returns chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town skipper Nicky Hunt makes a welcome return to the squad for tomorrow’s visit of Stevenage with boss Adam Murray admitting he has struggled to adequately cover Hunt’s absence at right back. “I think Hunty expected to be in the squad last Saturday, that’s why he was changed before the game,” said Murray. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/relief-for-mansfield-town-as-nicky-hunt-returns-1-7662328#ixzz3wdo1xFfq “He had only trained two days by then. But we’ve been a bit more intensive with him this week and he’s done okay. “So it will be how he has reacted to the last two days work now. If he reacts well and comes through it we will see if he is in a position to start. If not he will be on the bench.” Both midfielder Mitch Rose and centre half Lee Collins have been played at right back with varying degrees of success from game to game while Liam Marsden, a right back by trade, was not considered match fit enough to risk. Murray said: “Mitch is a young pup who is not a right back. It’s like Lee Collins, he is an experienced centre half but he’s not a right back and it has shook our shape and we’ve lost our balance. “When Mitch plays in midfield he is one of our best players, so we have hung him out to dry a bit as we’ve not had any more options. “We’ve got Liam Marsden, who hasn’t played games. So to throw him in would have been more detrimental to him than Mitch, who has played and is up to speed. “To have Hunty’s ability as a right back, his distribution and composure, his experience, the attacking threat he gives us will be great. “At the minute I have him in cotton wool - I’ve got him in a quilt and he’s locked in my garage.” ---------------- Mansfield Town hoping on new face for Stevenage visit chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Adam Murray has been given the green light to bring in a new player to bolster his Mansfield Town squad before Saturday’s visit of Stevenage. The Stags boss said he had been told to go ahead with the move by chairman John Radford as he faces a weekend with up to five first team players out injured. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/mansfield-town-hoping-on-new-face-for-stevenage-visit-1-7660700#ixzz3wYETVTbV Mal Benning, Adi Yussuf and Chris Beardsley are ruled out while Matt Green and Nicky Hunt face fitness tests. Murray is hoping to bring in an attacking utility player who can make things happen. “I have had a chat with the chairman and obviously he is pro-active as always,” he said. “We are hoping with what we can do, we are going to try to bring someone in over the next couple of days that I think will affect games like last Saturday in which we could have had another two goals. “At the minute we lack that final pass, that little cutting edge. “I think we have goals in us, but at times our final cross or pass isn’t right or the final execution or decision isn’t right. “If we can find someone who matches that we are going to try to get them in. “Because of our small squad we can’t go out and get three or four more players. We’ve seen over the first part of the season that any injuries or suspensions shakes the life out of us. “So it will be someone that can play in that front part of the pitch in a number of positions, but that can be effective. Someone that can create, can score a goal and someone that excites people. “Our brand in the first quarter was free-flowing and excited me to watch. I was proud of it and I know the fans were. I want to get us back to that, so it will be someone who who can help us do that.” ----------------- Mansfield Town at a crossroads as boss Adam Murray pleas for change of culture from angry fans chad.co.uk, by John Lomas, Wednesday 06 January 2016 Adam Murray today said he believed Mansfield Town Football Club were at a crossroads and called on the small number of dissenting fans to help him steer the club down the road to success. A highly passionate Murray, who in his first full season as a manager has turned last season’s relegation-battlers into play-off chasers, was upset to hear some of the abuse directed his way after Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Accrington. And he was hurt to hear boos for skipper Adam Chapman on Saturday after he was given sponsors’ man of the match and then appalled to see teen prospect Jack Thomas come in upset on Monday after being given personal abuse on social media over the weekend. Ahead of Saturday’s visit of Stevenage, Murray praised the majority of the club’s fans but called on the dissenters to break with their long-standing culture of anger and stick with the club. In a brave and impassioned plea, Murray said: “There has to be a culture change. If it kills me I am going to do everything to make this club successful and competitive - and that is the bottom line of it. “I need people to get on board with that. Through the highs and the lows, let’s ride it together. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/mansfield-town-at-a-crossroads-as-boss-adam-murray-pleas-for-change-of-culture-from-angry-fans-1-7659869#ixzz3wUIzh5MI “We have to change the culture, we have to change history. Because if we keep doing what we’ve always done, we bring in another manager, we bring another set of players in, it’s going to follow the same trend. “I honestly think we are at a crossroads at the football club. “We have got to be better out there in certain aspects, but I won’t allow our success in the first quarter to be our downfall for the rest of the season. We did what we did. But it’s like World War VIII now and it can’t happen. “As a player here over the last 12 years I know the club always implodes at some point. It always attacks itself and implodes.” He added: “I have said it over the years and I get battered for it, and today I will get battered for it again as there will always be some other reason. “But the chairman puts on a Kids for a Quid deal and we get less fans - that doesn’t make sense. “People have got to go that extra yard. Before the game on Saturday I am getting abuse before the kick-off because someone wants me to play two strikers. “That’s before the game so that’s where people’s mindsets are at even before kick-off and that rubs off on the players. “One of my players, for me he wasn’t having the best of games but for the majority of the season has been a good player, got man of the match on Saturday - how, I don’t know. But he got booed. “Then one of our kids came in on Monday, who is also one of the fans’ own and he runs his absolute socks off every game, said he needed to have words with me. “He said he’d been getting some personal messages abusing him - the kid is 19. So if we are expected to get the best out of people doing what we have always done, let’s react in a different way. “Okay we weren’t good enough on Saturday. We are going to take this football club forward, but if we act like we always do, the same thing will happen as always.” Murray conceded: “We need to be better in a lot of aspects. We got off to a poor start last weekend, got ourselves back in the game and then, to be fair, the game was way too open and it could have been 4-4 at half-time. “We were up against a team that play with no fear, which is always dangerous. And when you are chasing the game, we conceded - for us - poor goals. We’ve prided ourselves all season on our defending. “Even when we’ve not been winning games we’ve not conceded a lot of goals.” However, the manager and the squad have used last Saturday’s loss as a springboard and a positive spur. “For me last weekend has been a blessing in disguise,” he said. “It’s been good for the team. It has made us re-focus on everything. When we’ve sat back and analysed the first quarter of the season, then the second quarter, looked at the tweaks and what has changed without knowing, there have been a fair few things that have changed. So it’s been a good 72 hours for us as a group. “You look at the last 20 years at this football club and in the League it’s had one promotion, then it got relegated straight back, then it spent five years non-League, and then it’s been an average to poor League Two club. “Now I am going to make that better - there is no doubt about that. I know how proud everyone here are as people. But we can’t have this imploding and people saying - you were fourth three months ago and now we’re dead. “We don’t deserve to be anywhere in this league. The facts and the stats say this club has been an average League Two club for a big part of its history. “My job is to put that right and I am going to do that. This group of players, they want that more than anything and I want it more than anything - and we are going to do it. “You look at the successful times - it was the club’s own that did it. From U12s to the youth team, we brought through a group of players that saw a big part of them go on to the Championship and some to the Premiership. “That brought the club success. So in 12 months we have put that back in place. “I am going to take this football club, not just for a one-off season but for a period of time, where everyone who walks through this door believes we are competive at what we do. “We are not going to be average, we are not going to be poor, we are going to be competitive. But to get there it takes time and will take learning curves for all of us. It’s got to be that change in culture and history of the whole place to ultimately get the football club where it needs to be. “If we don’t we’ll keep fighting the same battles. It will go - new manager, new set of players, and, eventually, new chairman and just keep going round. “When we take one on the chin, let’s react differently now. Let’s see if that works. Because I ultimately believe these players and me as a manager are going to make this football club successful. “I have enjoyed the last 72 hours as I don’t think I’ve slept but I’ve tore the so-and-sos out of it. When I took this job I always said I’d give this football club and these fans something to be proud of. “Part of this season I have gone off a few scars from last season if I am being totally up front. “Last year as a football club we got used to getting battered. As a manager, probably because I am too close to the club, that tore my heart out. “So I have gone the opposite this year and said let’s be cautious at what we do. “You look at Accrington and they are where they are because they don’t care as there is no expectation. There is no pressure on them to win any football matches. “They go - we don’t care. They just go out and play free which makes them dangerous. “If they lose, they just say - we are Accrington, we’ll try to win the next one. If they lose they go - we weren’t supposed to win that one anyway. Look what they’ve done. “Our expectations here are that we have to beat everyone in this league and you must be top of the league. We are trying our best here. “We will ultimately get to where we need to be. If we can change the way we deal with things and change the reactions in certain areas, that’s what has to happen. “It won’t happen overnight. But for me this is a crossroad and it can go the way it always does as history tells us what will happen, or we can go - let’s make this different now. “Let’s really try to make it different as I believe in this place, I believe in this club and, ultimately I believe in myself. “I have taken a negative here and made it a massive positive. We had a good meeting on Monday with the lads - open with a lot of honesty in it. “You look at the little things that have changed out there from my point of view, they have changed into big things. “When you break it down, there is a reason why we keep conceding so many goals. “You look at the start of the season, people couldn’t get in our half for the first 20 minutes. “We know what has changed and we now can’t wait to get back and get out teeth into it and really attack it.” Murray stressed that the Stags - on their budget and crowds - had to entitlement to compete at the top end. He said: “Oxford United at the start of the season came out as a football club and said - there are no excuses for us this season. We are going to get promoted. “Northampton also said we are getting promoted this season, so they go and sign the best striker for me in League Two last year, and they’ve already got one of the best strikers - we are not in a position to do that. “We have got one man here that saved the football club (chairman John Radford). We don’t get four, five, six, seven thousand fans every week. So this one man, it’s all about him. “He does his best, but we can’t go and sign (James) Collins on x-amount of thousand pounds a week. “If we were doing that and were 18th in the league - abuse us. “It hurts the players and myself that we were fourth at one point, so we know we are good enough. “The bits I’ve tweaked over the last few months I will take a big responsibility for. But our success in the first quarter can’t be our downfall now.” There is certainly a siege mentality developing in the dressing room and a determination to prove the rest of the country - and the pre-season bookies’ forecasts - wrong. “Everyone outside this club, I can guarantee you, will be saying the wheels have fallen off here,” said Murray. “But inside the building me and my team are saying no chance. We have worked too hard for this not to happen. “Now the second quarter has not been as good as the first we have got to get this back on track. “Do we react and go - not good enough and ultimately end up like it always does? Or do we go - let’s dig in here and get back to where we were?” Despite being upset with a section of the home fans, Murray was quick to praise the majority. “Even though I am saying this, big parts of the crowd on Saturday were superb,” he said. “I walked out there for the first time in a long time and - I know people don’t agree with it sometimes - but there was a smoke bomb gone off somewhere, there was noise, there was a drum and I looked in the stand and I thought - you have sent shivers down my spine. That’s the Mansfield Town fans I know and it felt like a proper atmosphere. “We are getting back to full strength now with injuries which will make a difference. I am not making excuses, but we have had to change things round that haven’t worked and played people out of position. That was always going to be a problem from the start of the season. “If the culture doesn’t change then the next 20 years are going to be the same as the last 20. “I’ve had double figures in football managers and double figures in clubs, so I am experienced. I have been in the professional game 18 years, so I know the game inside out. I sleep the game. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. “The only success will be when you get like your ‘Busby Babes’ like we had with our Lawrences and Hassells. “You get promoted then come back down in 23rd. I will make this club competitive over a period of time. Whoever comes in after me, Mansfield Town will be looked at as a strong club.” Murray again shot down hopes of fans wanting him to play a 4-4-2 formation, saying: “This season people have said we are a good team and this will be a tough game, now we have to get back on the horse. “It doesn’t come with the naivety that you’ve got to play two centre forwards, it’s not about that. It doesn’t work and I won’t do. It’s not what I believe in and that’s not what got us to fourth in the league. “I will do what I believe in and what I have seen this group can do and suits them. “Whether success comes this season, what will happen will happen, but we will have success in the next couple of seasons - that’s a promise.” He added: “From someone who has this club in their blood, all I will ask is listen to me. “A lot of our fans have been coming for 40-50 years and it’s hard to change those traits. I get that. “But there is a good freshness in this stadium right now. I see a lot of the kids coming in and people go - they are a pain the backside. But they care. They make a noise. They want the club to win.” On Saturday’s visit of Stevenage, Murray smiled: “We’ll just get our boxing gloves on, we’ll forget the ball on Saturday. “No, we have had a good couple of days so far and there is a lot of passion and fight in the camp right now. “It starts with me against Stevenage on Saturday. Win, lose or draw I want to see that passion and pride and I want to see my players run around at 100mph, putting people in the stand and trying to score goals. That’s what we are about. That’s what I stand for.” -------------- Mansfield Town press Notts County for decision on Blair Adams move chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town are keen to tie up a deal to take loanee left back Blair Adams on a permanent deal from Notts County before the weekend. Adams has impressed since coming in as cover for the injured Mal Benning, the loan due to end on January 19. Read more: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/mansfield-town-press-notts-county-for-decision-on-blair-adams-move-1-7662093#ixzz3wa4vK1ty However, with County currently interviewing for a new manager this week after last month’s sacking of Ricardo Moniz, the situation is up in the air. “We have asked the question obviously, we haven’t got a definite answer yet,” said Stags boss Adam Murray. “I will be asking the question again today as I want it done this week if it can be done.” On Benning’s progress, he said: “Mal is back running again and back kicking a ball which is a super sight to see. Seeing him back on the training field makes me happy.” -------------------- No bids for Ryan Tafazolli as Mansfield Town stress defender is part of their plans for success chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Adam Murray today stressed that centre half Ryan Tafazolli had not been left out the Mansfield Town side due to a bid coming in for him. And the Stags boss stressed the classy youngster would play a big part in the rest of the season - though admitted he could leave as a free agent in the summer. The rumour mill has been in full swing since Murray left Tafazolli out the side over Christmas. “I had a good chat with him over the last couple of weeks,” said Murray. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/no-bids-for-ryan-tafazolli-as-mansfield-town-stress-defender-is-part-of-their-plans-for-success-1-7662339#ixzz3we7bKKXj “No one has come in for Taff, let’s get that one right first, there’s been no offers on the table for him. “Taff has been a big part of this so far. But over the last few weeks I don’t think his performances have been the Tafazolli we saw earlier in the season for a number of reasons we both spoke about. “Can he be one of the best defenders in League Two? 100 per cent yes. He wants to be here, his focus is on Mansfield Town for the next six months, after that it’s Taff decision time. “He is obviously out of contract in the summer and he wants to do what’s best for Ryan which I’d want to do the best for me. “He wants to be part of this and is going to give his all for the cause. He is one of the best defenders we’ve got when he’s on it.” Murray added: “He will come into play when I feel the time is right. “We’ve not left him out because we’ve had a bid, I know how the stories about Ryan go as I’ve had him for the last three years. “It’s not that. We’ve had no interest in him. It’s not like we don’t want to risk him because he’s going. “I’d love Ryan to be here the next few years. But Ryan wants to play at the highest level as he has ridiculous ambition. “But here and now he is going to commit himself and put his body on the line for Mansfield Town which is all we can ask of him.” ------------------ Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray calls on side to become the entertainers again for Stevenage visit chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray is calling on his players to express themselves and entertain when struggling Stevenage visit on Saturday. Stags have a poor home record this season, winning just three times in front of their own fans, some of whom showed their anger at last week’s 3-2 home defeat by Accrington Stanley. However, Murray said: “Early in the season we were what I call a free side. People just went and played - the front boys had no positions as we were that secure in what we did. Read more: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/mansfield-town-boss-adam-murray-calls-on-side-to-become-the-entertainers-again-for-stevenage-visit-1-7662091#ixzz3wa54yN9F “There was no expectation on us to win at that time so they played with freedom. “Because results went the other way a bit, I decided we needed to be a bit more rigid. That made us stiff and I’ve hated watching us at times as it’s boring. That’s not the team that plays the free-flowing football we’ve got a reputation for now. “Win, lose or draw that’s what I am putting back into this team.” On Stevenage, who haven’t won in their last four matches, he said: “Stevenage are a weird one. From the outside you see they pick some decent results up but are a bit inconsistent. “They had a good result against Leyton Orient and they have some good players. “Their front two - big man and a little man - cause problems. They have some good physical presence and pace and power. “But we are putting all the focus on us. We stopped winning for a couple of games and I changed the focus onto the opposition which was a huge mistake. When we are at it we are one of the best teams in his league.” Murray added: “We have had a good couple of days so far and there is a lot of passion and fight in the camp right now. “It starts with me against Stevenage on Saturday. Win, lose or draw I want to see that passion and pride and I want to see my players run around at 100mph, putting people in the stand and trying to score goals. That’s what we are about. That’s what I stand for.” Stags will leave it until then last minute to see if striker Matt Green and right back Nicky Hunt are fit enough to start. Murray is also hoping he may be able to bring in an attacking utility player to bolster numbers in time for the game. ---------------------- BIG MATCH PREVIEW: Mansfield Town v Stevenage - Saturday, January 9 2016 chad.co.uk, by John Lomas BIG MATCH PREVIEW Mansfield Town will again look to get their home form kick-started when Stevenage visit on Saturday. Stags have only won three times at home all season and, although this will be their third home game in a row, they have failed to win the other two, drawing 1-1 with struggling York and losing 3-2 against impressive Accrington Stanley last weekend. Read more: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/big-match-preview-mansfield-town-v-stevenage-saturday-january-9-2016-1-7660994#ixzz3wa5RYeuf Mansfield v Stevenage games have never ended in a draw as yet in their seven League meetings to date, Stags winning three and Stevenage four. STAGS TEAM NEWS Adam Murray has said he would love to bring in a new face before the game - an attacking utility player. All eyes will be on whether skipper Nicky Hunt is fit enough to return to right back. It’s been a problem position since he limped off the training field with a pulled hamstring in November, missing seven games with Lee Collins and Mitch Rose both filling in with various degrees of success. The other worry is striker Matt Green who, after scoring his eighth goal of the season on Saturday, was forced to leave the field after struggling to run off a knock from a nasty tackle. With Adi Yussuf and Chris Beardsley already on the treatment table, Stags will be very short up front if Green misses out. Stags continue to miss injured left back Mal Benning, who is expected to be another three weeks with his knee injury, but Stags are fine while ever they still have Notts County loanee Blair Adams there. Mansfield have said they would like to make the move permanent, but the change in management at Notts could scupper that hope. Ryan Tafazolli, who has played well at centre half all season, has been left out on the bench for the last two games with rumours about his future, the player being out of contract this summer. STEVENAGE TEAM NEWS Stevenage have considerable injury issues at the moment. Steven Schumacher (knee), Lee Cox (hamstring), Jerome Okimo (knee), Dave McAllister (knee), Dean Wells (ankle) are all likely to miss out. They’re all first team squad players. Chris Whelpdale, the club’s top scorer this season, has a groin injury but could feature, but the game may come too early for midfielder Dean Parrett who has a tear in his quadriceps. Jack Jebb (thigh) could be available. If he is, it’s likely to be on the bench. Possible Stevenage starting XI GK: Chris Day RB: Ronnie Henry (captain) LB: Connor Ogilvie (on loan from Spurs) CB: Jamie McCombe CB: Fraser Franks LM: Callum McFadzean (on loan from Sheff Utd) RM: I expect Ben Kennedy to start in place of Rohdell Gordon. CM: Michael Tonge. CM: Tom Pett AM: Charlie Lee ST: Could be Jamille Matt, but after Armand Gnanduillet scored two against Orient I expect him to start. KEY BATTLE: Blair Adams v Ben Kennedy Blair Adams could find his hands full at left back as he is likely to be up again winger Ben Kennedy - a Northern Ireland U18 international, and a product of the club’s academy. He burst on to the scene last year playing as a forward, and scored twice at Hartlepool. He’s played more as a winger for Teddy Sheringham this season, and came off the bench (he was recently given a couple of weeks off by the club) to help orchestrate a comeback against Leyton Orient, getting the assist for Boro’s second goal in the 2-2 draw. STEVENAGE ONE TO WATCH Connor Ogilvie has been superb since joining on loan from Spurs. The left-back came back into the side last Saturday following a shoulder injury. Ogilvie is an attacking full-back, and has a good cross on him. He’s only 19, but has a superb temperament and is such a calm player under pressure. His loan deal ends after this weekend’s game, but the club are keen to keep him on. OPPOSITION MANAGER: TEDDY SHERINGHAM Graham Westley’s contract wasn’t renewed in the summer, despite a decent return last year of guiding the club to the play-offs. Sheringham came in and said that his aim was to go one better than last season. It hasn’t happened. He’s spent much of the first half of the season learning about his players, and things had just started to gel before Christmas. However, in the club’s last four games they’ve conceded goals in the 85th minute or later three times and it’s cost them a win against Accrington, a draw against Crawley and a win against Orient. It’s becoming a real problem. Boro have conceded 18 goals in the last 15 minutes of games this season. The style of play is different, less direct, but results haven’t really come yet. And with quite a few of his loan players going back to their parent clubs after this weekend’s game - and with a mounting injury list - the future looks tough. However, the club is already working to bring in fresh faces. They are still aiming for the play-offs, but mid-table looks a more likely destination. STEVENAGE SEASON SO FAR After a 2-0 home defeat by Notts County on the opening day, it took Stevenage four attempts to secure their first League Two win of the season, beating Hartlepool 2-0. In September they added only one more win, seeing off current leaders Plymouth 2-1. Mansfield Town’s 2-0 win there on Tuesday, 29th September was part of a five-game losing streak for the Hertfordshire club, the 2-1 home win over Wycombe on October 17 ending a run of seven games without a win. By the start of November Stevenage sat 20th in the table with only three wins to their name. But November finally saw them light some fireworks as they won two and drew two League games and beat League One Gillingham in the FA Cup. However, December produced just one win from their four League matches and an FA Cup exit at struggling Yeovil Town. They opened 2016 with a 2-2 home draw with Leyton Orient last weekend that had looked like three points until an injury time equaliser from the O’s denied them.. All the goals came in the final 32 minutes. Jay Simpson put the visitors ahead just past the hour from the spot, but Chesterfield loanee Armand Gnanduillet came on as a substitute and struck twice in six minutes to swing the game in Boro’s favour. It looked like all three points were Stevenage’s until Simpson struck again in the 92nd minute, finding the top corner from close range. LAST MEETING Tuesday, 29th September 2015: Stevenage 0, Mansfield Town 2 After three straight defeats there, Mansfield Town finally chalked up their first ever win at Stevenage this season with a dominant 2-0 victory to move back up into the play-off spots. Although Brian Jensen did have a crucial save to make early on, Stags bossed the first half and Craig Westcarr, Matt Green and Mal Benning all wasted good chances. But they took full control after the break with two goals in the first four minutes from Ryan Tafazolli and Jack Thomas and the win never looked in doubt. ---------------------- Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray dismisses Liam Lawrence rumour, but Chad poll says readers would welcome him back chad.co.uk, by John Lomas, Wednesday 06 January 2016 Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray said this morning that there had been no contact between him and Liam Lawrence about a rumoured return for the former Stags hero this January. Read more: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/poll-mansfield-town-boss-adam-murray-dismisses-liam-lawrence-rumour-but-chad-poll-says-readers-would-welcome-him-back-1-7659023#ixzz3wTUuzjYP But Chad readers overwhelmingly said they would love to see him back in the Amber & Blue in our special poll yesterday. We asked you, if the rumours were true, do you think a return to Mansfield Town for Liam Lawrence would be good for the club? A total of 62 per cent said ‘Yes, I’d have him back as soon as possible’, five per cent said ‘He’d be worth having on the coaching staff, but we should have better player options’ while 32 per cent felt ‘ ‘I think he is past his best and the club should look elsewhere.’ Speculation was that the 34-year-old Shrews captain was set to be released this month to return to Mansfield as a player-coach. Lawrence is out of contract in the summer and made the last of his 10 League starts this season way back on October 31 at Port Vale. His boss Micky Mellon did little to quell the Mansfield rumours when he told the Shropshire Star: “I haven’t heard that and if that comes up, we’ll speak about it and do the best for everyone, because I’ve got a brilliant relationship with Liam.” However, this morning, Stags boss Murray smiled: “I’d not heard about it until someone mentioned it to me. “Obviously I know Loz very well - I’ve played with him. He is a good pal, but I haven’t spoken to him since we played them last year to be honest. “It’s very interesting where these rumours come from - that’s football. “If I thought Liam could affect things on the pitch I’d think about it, but when we are on it we have got good midfielders. “And, at the stage he is at now in his career, Liam is a bit like the midfielders we’ve already got, technical and a ball player, whereas we probably need the energy and the legs of a Jack Thomas. “Considering he hadn’t played for so long on Saturday Jack gave us a drive and an energy.” ---------------- Conor Green released but Mansfield Town pledge to help teen become a physio chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town have told teenager Conor Green he has no future with the club as a player - but they have pledged to help the 18-year-old left-sided player fulfil an ambition to become a physio. “We’ve made a decision with Conor,” said boss Adam Murray. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/conor-green-released-but-mansfield-town-pledge-to-help-teen-become-a-physio-1-7662343#ixzz3wg5ttDlX “We’ve had a meeting with him and we don’t feel in the immediate future Conor will affect the first team. “He is a great lad and we will continue to do everything we can for him. “I know he has a career path lined up that he wants to be a physio so he is going to come in and work with our physio to get some experience before he goes to Uni which will give him the life experience of being a physio. “We have a lot of time for him. Like all our young pups, if we can’t find them another club that we trust to get the best out of them, we will help them in their life skills.” He added: “We have some big decisions on the kids coming up.” ----------------- Sheringham expects Mansfield to ‘bring the game’ to his Stevenage side chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Stevenage chief Teddy Sheringham says his side are expecting a frantic match when they travel to Mansfield on Saturday. Former Manchester United and England striker Sheringham brings his side to the OneCall Stadium looking to bridge the eight-point gap between the two sides. The Stags ran out 2-0 winners in the reverse game earlier this season and Sheringham is acutely aware of the threat that Adam Murray’s side will pose. Sheringham said: “They came down to our place and did a good job on us that night. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/stags-opposition-sheringham-expects-mansfield-to-bring-the-game-to-his-stevenage-side-1-7664465#ixzz3wg5gHk4q “I’d like to think we’ve learnt a lot in the first half of the season and I’d like to think we’ll be better [this time]. “I’m sure Mansfield will want to be better as well and keep us were we are. That’s football for you. “I think there’s an air of difference when you play away from home than at home. “You do approach games slightly differently. It’s only human nature to do it like that. “Outside of football people would go ‘why is there a difference? All you’re doing is playing on a football pitch’. “But for some reason they’re different; whether it is fans driving you on or whether it’s your home facilities that you grow accustomed to. “They’ll be playing at home. They’ll want to bring the game to us. “We’ll have to be ready for that. “We have our way of trying to play, they have their way. “We have to be ready for whatever they’re going to throw at us.” --------------- |
Latest | January 2016