Archived News from January 2016
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MURRAY, COLLINS, JIM BENTLEY REACTION
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Morecambe win is biggest of season - Murray
mansfieldtown.net, 26th January 2016 Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray paid tribute to his side’s character after their dramatic 2-1 victory over Morecambe this evening. I’m absolutely over the moon and id go as far as saying it’s the biggest win of our season." Adam Murray, manager The Stags trailed 1-0 to Paul Mullin’s penalty after Nicky Hunt brought down Kevin Ellison in the box, but Murray’s side turned the game on its head in an astonishing final ten minutes. Midfielder Chris Clements reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line to draw the Stags level, before substitute Adi Yussuf pounced in the 90th minute to hand Stags a fantastic three points. Speaking post-match, Murray said the spirit which was shown by his side epitomised what they're about: “For the lads to have a kick in the ‘gonads’ like that and then come back in the way that they did - I think they’ve repaid the angry fans from Saturday with that character and that spirit that they showed today, and that’s what we’re about. “It epitomised everything we wanted from the team today. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/morecambe-win-is-biggest-of-season-murray-2922832.aspx#KhI2XuALFkq5PqUE.99 “I’m absolutely over the moon and I'd go as far as saying it’s the biggest win of our season. I’m a little bit emotional at the minute, if I’m honest.” The gaffer chose to go with a different system for the trip to Lancashire and he says credit has to go to the players for carrying it out with such conviction. “It takes a lot of concentration to carry out what we just did, especially with a couple of hours’ walk-through, not even proper work because the lads were recovering yesterday. It’s important that you stay switched on all over the park. “I think it was a real tactical battle today. We had an inkling that they’d go three at the back today, because they do it at home so we changed our shape a little bit,” Murray continued. “When they got on top in the second half, we had to change it again and that’s credit to the footballers because they had to take on the information and change shape, it’s hard work. All the credit goes to the boys; [it was] a superb performance.” Murray says the substitutions which the Stags made were key to the victory and was keen to emphasise the importance of every player. “When we did go 1-0 down, we tweaked it again and I thought the subs tonight were incredible. “Every single one of them made a difference and Kav (Sean Kavanagh) came on, in what is probably his preferred position, and looked a class above. His tactical positioning and his delivery with his left foot was superb. “That was the Jack Thomas that we all know and love. What a difference. When I get him to where he needs to be, he’s the perfect midfielder to play in a two which will allow us to play that formation that everybody wants us to play - that 4-4-2. When he does that today, he changed the game. “Adi (Yussuf) does what Adi does, I don’t think he’s got his breath yet! “Chris Beardsley came in tonight for his first start [since Accrington away in August] and I thought he was outstanding. He was a proper centre forward; he got battered, took some punches, he was probably lacking a little bit of match sharpness but you expect that because he’s not played.” ---------------------- Adam Murray says John Radford was key to win bbc.co.uk Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray has dedicated the 2-1 victory at Morecambe to club chairman John Radford. Radford publicly backed the current squad leading into the game, pointing out the players had guided the club to "their best position in 12 years". "The last 24 hours have been very important," said Murray. "The chairman has been very brave and honest. Read more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35416120 "I could feel the freshness around the ground. The depressing feeling had lifted and this victory goes to him." The Stags trailed 1-0 at the Globe Arena before late goals from midfielder Chris Clements and substitute striker Adi Yussuf stunned the Shrimps. It was Mansfield's seventh League Two victory of the campaign away from home and carried them to within a point of the play-off places. Murray added: "We have been through a bit of a sticky patch and the confidence has been low so to go 1-0 behind and show the spirit and hunger to come back is massive. "The players have been anxious and haven't wanted to take risks - they've been happy to keep the ball and not really try anything. Confidence is not something that comes overnight, but this will help. "There's so much progress I need to make. I have changed the brand and now I need to make it effective." -------------------- Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray dedicates ‘massive’ away win at Morecambe to chairman John Radford chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray dedicated last night’s superb 2-1 away win at Morecambe to John Radford after a statement from the chairman had helped to lift the pressure of expectation on his side. A fine first half to the season on a lesser budget to their rivals had seen some fans begin to expect a place in the play-offs - so two successive defeats had seen anger rising and pressure building. Radford had also gone on record last week, talking about possibly reaching League One next season. But Radford’s statement on Monday declared he was very happy with the season so far and the progress being made by Murray. And after seeing his never-say-die side score twice in the last four minutes to win last night, Murray said: “The last 24 hours have been very important for the football club. “The chairman has been very brave and very honest. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/mansfield-town-boss-adam-murray-dedicates-massive-away-win-at-morecambe-to-chairman-john-radford-1-7698649#ixzz3yRczanRN “Like I said before the game, I could feel the freshness around my players. There was a lifting of pressure. That kind of depressing feeling had lifted and that is credit to him. “This victory tonight probably goes to him to be honest with you. “We have gone through a bit of a sticky patch and confidence has been low. We haven’t been playing our game. “So to come away, go 1-0 behind and show the spirit and hunger to come back was absolutely massive.” Murray is trying to further lift the pressure by telling his players not to worry about league tables. “We will keep going,” he said. “We’re not even going to look at the league. “I’ve told the lads we don’t care about the league. The rest of the season we are going to play each game as it is, try to win every game and where we end up, we end up. “It’s a really fine line. I have put this team together and there are no cheats and nobody who will take easy options and cut corners. “Saturday (a 2-0 home defeat by Luton) wasn’t a case of they went through the motions and didn’t want to run or work. “They had been feeling anxious and low on confidence and they hadn’t been wanting to take risks. They were happy to keep the ball but didn’t want to try anything. “When you go 1-0 down at home it’s always tough, so it looked worse than it really was. “These boys would not cheat the club or cheat the supporters - I wouldn’t allow that. But to see that fightback in them today was massive for me.” Mansfield did play a little more direct than recently last night, a Plan B they were able to enact due to striker Chris Beardsley being fit at last. It also saw Murray play with two strikers for a change. He said: “We have got to get the balance right. There is so much in the progress I need to make. I can’t do it all at once. “My first aim this season was to change the brand, and I think I’ve done that now. People look at us in a different light. Now I need to make it effective. “That will take tweaks here and there. It will take punches on the nose. It will take time. We all want it yesterday, but I can’t bring 14 or 15 new players in and click my fingers and be everything. “But we will keep progressing, keep working hard, and eventually we will make this a continuously competitive football club.” Beardsley had a fine game, winning so much in the air and making his presence felt while the returning Jamie McGuire came in to protect his defence superbly. “Men - that sums it up,” said Murray. “They are massive characters. They are leaders, and know how to win games and to grind results out at times. “That showed. Jamie McGuire came in and did what he does. I though Bax (James Baxendale) was very good today. Jack Thomas came on and what a performance. Kav (Sean Kavanagh) came on and gave us balance and showed us the quality he’s got. Then Adi (Yussuf) came on and did what Adi does. “He needs to get a lot fitter. He had another injury which set him back again. But we keep seeing in fits and starts that Adi is a goalscorer.” Ahead of another long trip at the weekend to Crawley, Murray felt last night’s win was a start in restoring lost confidence. “It will help,” he said. “Confidence isn’t a thing that comes overnight. It’s something that drips in and the worst thing about confidence is that it can go overnight. To get it back is a drip feed. “It was a big win for us, but we are not getting carried away. We know how hard this league is. “I know it’s a massive cliché. But it’s tough to come away to Morecambe on a Tuesday night. It’s hard.” Monday’s statement from John Radford had said: “As chairman of Mansfield Town, I would like to place on record how happy I am with the current position of the football club. “Expectation can be high; however, the squad has already met my expectation when you look at the budget with which it has been put together. “My expectation has always been to remain in the Football League, but to consistently progress on the field. “We are always looking to improve and want to continually progress, both in terms of league position and the stature of the football club as a whole. “I don’t believe that we can bring in any better strikers than we already have, any better midfielders than we already have, or any better defenders than we already have. “This is our squad until the end of the season and I believe Adam (Murray) has put together the best squad possible with the budget he’s had. “In my opinion, this squad is the best squad we’ve had in the last three years. “We have carefully constructed a squad with a good mix of both youth and experience, which has proved to be a good combination so far this season.” He added: “If you look at the league table historically, we are in a very good position. “We are in the best position that we have been, at this stage of the season, in 12 years - since the 2003/04 season.” ---------------------- Collins believes spirit of Stags was key to win - Collins mansfieldtown.net, 26th January 2016 Defender Lee Collins believes the ‘self-pride’ which is instilled in his team-mates was paramount to their win over Morecambe this evening. There was a lot of self-pride. The lads didn’t want to go home with a loss in the manner that it was." Lee Collins, defender The Stags had to come from behind after Paul Mullin put the Shrimps ahead from the penalty spot, before goals from Chris Clements and Adi Yussuf secured all three points for Adam Murray’s side. Collins, who slotted in at left-back tonight for the first time this season, believes that the players ‘dug in deep’ to turn the game around. “There was a lot of self-pride. The lads didn’t want to go home with a loss in the manner that it was, so we dug in deep and managed to get our just rewards. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/collins-believes-spirit-of-stags-was-key-to-win-collins-2922894.aspx#BUIRWkrttSuvOW4L.99 “It’s picked us back up. We didn’t have a great performance [on] Saturday, but we’ve turned it around today and we showed how much quality’s there. “They’re the games we should live for, especially away from home. You nick the win like that in the last three minutes and you’ve got a three-hour trip ahead of you, it makes your day. It shows our depth with the starting eleven and the subs coming on.” The former Northampton man said he enjoyed playing on the left-side of defence at the Globe Arena and the aim now is to keep his place in the side. “I thought I did alright. [I was] steady in the first half but I tried to get more involved up the pitch [in the] second half and luckily played a part in the goals. “I’d like to play there [on] Saturday. We’ve got superb options in there - we’ve brought Kav (Sean Kavanagh) in and obviously we’ve got Mal coming back. Hoepfully he comes back sooner rather than later because he was a great addition at the start of the season." After seeing the Shrimps begin to dominate the game in the second half, manager Adam Murray made his substitutions and Collins believes that the gaffer deserves credit for making the changes when he did. “He got them (the substitutions) spot on. Hopefully he gets his just rewards for that. “It’s easy to get in an accidental negative mode when you’re on the bench because you want to come on but for the lads to come on and show what they’ve got it really is a good credit to themselves.” --------------------- Morecambe boss Bentley: I'd let some 'weak' players leave if I could afford to replace them Morecambe Guardian, by Adam Lord Jim Bentley blasted his “weak” players after two goals in the final five minutes saw Mansfield come from nowhere to snatch victory at the Globe Arena on Tuesday night. Morecambe were seemingly cruising after Paul Mullin’s penalty on 71 minutes but Chris Clements and Adi Yussuf were on target as the Stags won 2-1, leaving The Shrimps boss fuming. Bentley went as far as to say he would happily let some of his under-performing players leave the club if he had the money to replace them as he pulled no punches post-match. He said: “It’s shocking, absolutely shocking. Read more: http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/sport/football/morecambe-fc/morecambe-boss-bentley-i-d-let-some-weak-players-leave-if-i-could-afford-to-replace-them-1-7698148#ixzz3yRazAgi9 “I tell you what there’s a few of them I’d empty out right away if I had a couple of quid to bring a few players in because they were weak and lacked character. “I’ve just said to the lads that tonight was the winning lottery ticket. Three points puts you on the same points as Mansfield with a game in hand and you’re close to the play-offs which is where we want to be. “We go on about fine dividing lines and all that but you’ve got to show balls on the pitch to look after something as precious as what that three points was. “When you’ve got something in your hands that’s life and death. “It’s for your family, friends, the supporters, the football club, your team mates, the staff, everyone. that should be closed down. “Even to draw 1-1 would be a little bit criminal but to get beat 2-1 in the manner we did I can’t defend them.” Asked whether he could delve into the transfer market before the close of the window on Monday Bentley was quick to point out how his budget meant his hands were tied. He said: “I can’t do nothing. I wish people would understand. I can’t do nothing. “I’ve got one or two young lads on loan but that’s it. “We’re trying to tie one or two of our players down but they’re getting touted around left, right and centre by agents. “Most of those lads are out of contract but they aren’t fighting and trying to make an impression. “There won’t be any changes made. It’s just the way it is. We’ll battle on with what we’ve got. “But some of them don’t deserve to be here, never mind play Saturday on that performance in the last five minutes.” Bentley, never keen to point fingers, insisted he had no choice after such a gut-wrenching defeat. He said: “The finger will be pointed at me. I feel let down by them tonight. “I always say we win and lose together and that’s always been the case but I’ve got to ask questions of them tonight because they’ve massively let me down.” -------------------- Jim Bentley: Morecambe boss 'would sell players' after loss bbc.co.uk Morecambe boss Jim Bentley claimed he would sell some of his players if he could after they conceded two late goals to lose at home to Mansfield. The Shrimps were leading through a Paul Mullin penalty but with four minutes to go, Chris Clements and Adi Yussuf secured three points for the Stags. It leaves Bentley's side 14th in League Two, seven points off the play-offs. Asked about the performance, Bentley told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Shocking, absolutely shocking." The 39-year-old added: "I call that a sackable performance. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35420617?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_match_of_the_day&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=sport "There would be a few of them (the players) I would empty out right away if I had a couple of quid to bring a few players in, because they were weak and lacked character. "The desire of their team, and they've got a lot of experience compared to us, but what they have got is a lot more characters and winners. "That will hurt me now for days until the weekend. That has absolutely booted me right in the stomach as that should've been three points." ------------------- JAMIE MCGUIRE @JAMIEMCGUIRE23 Great win tonite tough place to get 3 points at morecambe whole squad dug in @mansfieldtownfc ! O and Liverpool on way to Wembley ------------------ |
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