Archived News from May 2016
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MURRAY ON TEAM SPIRIT / CONTRACTS / KAVANAGH
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twitter Mansfield Town FC @mansfieldtownfc 3rd May 2016
NEWS: Manager Adam Murray says he will 'make a decision' on a new member of his backroom staff within the next couple of weeks. NEWS: Boss Adam Murray is hoping to tie up deals for next season with some of his current players within the next 48 hours. Chad Stags facebook page Stags loanee Sean Kavanagh has returned to Fulham ahead of the final game of the season - full story to follow shortly Plenty to come from Adam Murray's press conference at a very sunny Brooksby College this morning -------------- Murray praises success of youth team mansfieldtown.net, 3rd May 2016 Boss Adam Murray believes the youth team winning the Football League Youth Alliance is a ‘massive milestone’ for the football club. The under 18s cannot be caught at the top of the Football League Youth Alliance after they concluded their 2015-16 campaign with a 2-0 win over Grimsby Town on Saturday. Manager Murray is pleased with the successful performances of the youngsters and is hopeful it’ll set a precedent in years to come. “To achieve what they’ve done this season has been phenomenal. It’s a massive milestone for the football club to be able to do that. I’ve been involved in the trials of the next group of 15-16 year-olds coming in next season and they’re strong again, so the future really is bright," Murray said. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/murray-praises-success-of-youth-team-3093619.aspx#DOKcddtK2A6OFKMT.99 “We’re going to be down at Brooksby [youth training base, Leicestershire] this week so we’ll be having chats with the youth team staff and having a look at who we think can handle the huge step up. What we don’t want to do is ‘kill’ them before they’ve even got going.” Stags’ first team were edged out by Leyton Orient at the weekend, but Murray remains encouraged by the displays the senior squad have showcased on their travels. “Our away form has been superb and you obviously can’t win every away game as much as you try to and want to. I think Saturday (against Orient) was one of them that we were coming up against a team that hasn’t had a great season in terms of what they expected, but [are] still probably the biggest club in the league. “We couldn’t really ask any more from our away form this season. The travelling support would agree that we’ve definitely given them something to shout about on the road. The last minute wins we’ve had, the performances and the results we’ve got on the road - it’s been a real excitement for everyone.” Former Football League forward Karl Hawley joined the club on a temporary basis in March to coach the strikers for the remainder of the season and he travelled to Leyton Orient as part of Murray’s backroom staff for the first time on Saturday and the boss has stated his ambition to appoint a permanent replacement for Mickey Moore, who left the club in April, as soon as possible. “Karl’s been in daily for the last month now so he’s built a good bond with the players. He obviously knows the league inside out which is important for me - he’s played at the level, he’s been promoted at the level. “It was good experience for me to see him in that environment and see him in the dressing room environment for a matchday and it worked well, so [it’s] more food for thought. “It (the decision on coaching staff) will be in the next couple of weeks; I doubt it’ll be before Saturday. It’s the same with the players, I want everything done so the football club, the supporters and myself; we all know where we are [for] next season and we can plan for what we need to do.” The Stags will continue contract talks with a number of players at the club and elsewhere in the coming days and weeks and the gaffer has provided an update on the situation. “A couple of players we’re talking to at the minute, they have got offers at other clubs as well so we’ve got to do a little bit of work on them and probably [will have to] be a little patient. I think we’ve seen this season that we are lacking a couple of ingredients in this team. “There’s a few that are very, very close - hopefully [they will] be finalised in the next 48 hours.” ----------------------- Stags let loanee Kavanagh leave early by John Lomas, chad.co.uk Mansfield Town have allowed young Fulham defender Sean Kavanagh to return to his club early ahead of Saturday’s final game at home to Cambridge United. The Irish U21 international, who had played 25 times for the Cottagers, arrived on loan in January but struggled to make an impact. He looked lightweight at left back in his first game and, although he was tried on the left of midfield too, he found the competition too strong as he ended up with just two starts and coming on five times from the bench “Kav has gone back this week as we didn’t see him being involved in the final game, so there was no point in keeping him away from London,” said manager Adam Murray. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/stags-let-loanee-kavanagh-leave-early-1-7892161#ixzz47hUD2Eh2 “We thank him for his time here. Obviously it didn’t work out as we’d planned in terms of the amount of game time he got. “But part of that is because the lads performed really well at times and it was tough for him to get in. “We thank Fulham for their help with that one and we move on.” Murray still has other loanees in Swansea right back Dan Alfei, Port Vale winger Junior Daniel, and Chesterfield striker Mani Dieseruvwe, and has yet to decide on their futures. “We will speak to the other loan players this week,” he said. “We’ve obviously got to touch base with their clubs before we can do anything. “We will see where the club lies. We will see where the individual lies. Then we can plan a bit more from there.” ------- Hawley hat in ring as Stags boss Murray ponders over new No.2 by John Lomas, chad.co.uk Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray hopes to decide on his new No.2 next week after this weekend’s final game against Cambridge United. Murray has already cast a good eye over over youth coach Scott Rickards on the first team bench over the past month as well as speaking to some more experienced names. Last weekend at Leyton Orient, striker coach Karl Hawley was ablke to throw his hat into the ring with his first afternoon on the first team bench and Murray said: “It was good. “Obviously Karl has been in daily for the last month now and has built a good bond with the players. “He obviously knows the league inside out, which is important for me. He has played at the level. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/hawley-hat-in-ring-as-stags-boss-murray-ponders-over-new-no-2-1-7891292#ixzz47gOPRry8 “Karl has been promoted from the level, so he knows the level very well. “It was good experience for me to see him in that environment and to see him in the dressing room on a matchday. So it worked well and is more food for thought.” On making his mind up, he said: “It will be in the next couple of weeks. I doubt it will be before Saturday. “It’s the same with the players - I want everything done so the football club, the supporters and myself all know where we are for next season and we can plan for what we need to do. “There will be a couple of signings that won’t happen straight away as the players I am talking to at the minute have got offers from other clubs as well. So we’ve got to do a bit more work on them and be a bit more patient with them. “But I think we’ve seen this season we are lacking a couple of ingredients to this team. “They have been fantastic but, like any team, we want to progress and move on again next season.” ---------------- Stags youth title winners hoping on first team debuts by John Lomas, chad.co.uk, Tuesday 03 May 2016 There was silverware at One Call Stadium this week as Mansfield Town’s U18s were crowned champions of the Football League Youth Alliance after a 2-0 victory over Grimsby Town on Saturday. Goals by defender Kieran Harrison and striker Zayn Hakeem clinched the title for John Dempster’s youngsters and first team boss Adam Murray said he now had to weigh up whether any were ready to blood in the first team in Saturday’s final game at home to Cambridge United. “We will have the youth team there this weekend,” said Murray. “To achieve what they have done this season has been phenomenal. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/stags-youth-title-winners-hoping-on-first-team-debuts-1-7890680#ixzz47ceHMTV3 “To come back into the league and to win it in the first outing was superb, considering everything was rushed over last summer and the recruitment was a last minute thing after we got the go-ahead from the Football League. “We were all at the trials last summer to try to get the best players we possibly could. We went through all our contacts, then we handed it over to John Dempster and the team who have all made it happen this season. “It’s a massive milestone for the football club. To be able to do that after the length of time the club has been out of it in their first season is incredible. “I have been involved in the trials for the next group of 15/16-year-olds coming in for next season and they are strong again. So the future really is bright.” On giving any youngsters first team experience this weekend, he said: “We are going to be down at Brooksby (College) this week and having chats with the youth team staff and having a look who we think could handle the step-up. “As well as they have done, it is a huge step-up. Without having a reserve team this year they have been limited to what men’s football they could get. “What we don’t want to do is throw them in and kill them before they’ve got going. “It will be a calculated view on what we do and how we do it. At the end of the day, even though we can only move a couple of places either way in the league, we still want to win the match. “So we won’t be throwing it away just to get kids in the team. “We’ll do what we feel is best for the three points and what we feel is best building into next season for lads we feel might have a chance.” ------------------ Leicester’s team spirit the way forward for Stags, says boss Murray by John Lomas, chad.co.uk, Tuesday 03 May 2016 Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray is holding up Leicester City’s stunning title success as a shining example of what Stags could achieve at their own level with the right team spirit. Although Leicester are at Premier League level and the Stags in League Two, there are definite parallels in being two unglamorous clubs with smaller budgets than most of their rivals. Like the Foxes, Murray has also tried to overcome the lack of big names or big wages by fostering a fantastic team spirit that saw his side in the play-off spots against the odds for much of the campaign before their push petered out. So he was quick to praise Claudio Ranieri’s men, who were 5000-1 outsiders to lift the title, saying: “They have been phenomenal. “When we played them in pre-season I think everyone in the football world said this could be a long season for Leicester. It just goes to show. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/leicester-s-team-spirit-the-way-forward-for-stags-says-boss-murray-1-7890148#ixzz47bMrONFI “I was listening to Scott Parker on Monday Night Football - and these are people that have been in good Premiership teams - and he said it just goes to show the power of team spirit. “On a slightly lesser note, that’s just what we’ve tried to do here this season. We’ve had a ridiculous fighting spirit as a team. “Everyone has bought into what I’ve wanted as a manager. Everybody has bought into each other as individuals. “I think Leicester is the pinnacle of what you can achieve if you do that.” Murray added: “It doesn’t have to be about superstars or 11 fantastic individual footballers, whatever level it is. “If you have a team that believes in the targets you’re setting, in each other and in the way forward, the world really is your oyster. “Do you need that little bit of X-Factor? Of course you do. “You look at Leicester and they’ve had two or three of the best players in the Premier League this season. So yes you do. “But in the grander scheme of things, if you’ve got that team spirit, that fighting spirit, you can’t buy that.” -------------- Stags boss Murray calls on players to be professional as contract talks surround last game by John Lomas, chad.co.uk Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray has called on his players to be professional and end the season on a high in the final game of the season at home to Cambridge United on Saturday. Murray has already told a small number of players they won’t be back next season while he is also in contract negotiations with a large number of them, which he hopes won’t distract any from the task in hand. Often managers leave players waiting until after the final game before telling them if they remain in his plans. But Murray, like several other managers, has done it early this season to try to help his players be a step ahead of what Murray describes as what will be a ‘real rat race’ to find employment elsewhere this summer. “It’s a pain in the backside to be honest,” he said. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/stags-boss-murray-calls-on-players-to-be-professional-as-contract-talks-surround-last-game-1-7894196#ixzz47mUBtOdX “We saw that on Saturday. Me and Karl (Hawley) were talking before the game and we said as players when we were in that situation it is a kind of subconscious thing, as much as you try to motivate yourself to finish as strongly as you can. “It’s the environment as well. For me the last home environment was a little disappointing after the results we’d come off the back of. Even half an hour before the game everything was very quiet and sombre. “It’s up to the players to motivate themselves. We can give them all the geeing up and motivate them as much as possible - like we will do and always do - I am a motivator and I will do everything I can. “Then it’s asking players to take responsibility and be professional. It’s three points available and we want to finish as high as possible. “We are giving fair deals out to players and you want people’s minds settled going into the game. You don’t want all the ups and downs and focus on other things other than three points. “Unfortunately this week that’s something we can’t affect. Unfortunately, there will be people’s minds elsewhere. Some will have their minds on their job status and the ability to get a job and that’s just the way it is. “We won’t be the only club in that position this week. I think I read David Flitcroft’s press at Bury that he let his lads know last week and he said it was a bad mistake as the performance on Saturday wasn’t to the standard it should have been for that reason. “People’s minds go elsewhere. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast. If we were going for a play-off place or we were in the play-offs, you’d obviously hold off and don’t give people the news. “But we have plans and I think it’s best. I think a lot of clubs have done it this week and let their players know so you’re not leaving them in the rat race. We will get our business done as quickly as we can.” He added: “Last year was a little bit easier at this time as we knew we were safe and I knew everybody was going. “I think they did as well, so it was an easy week. This one is a little bit trickier as we are trying to negotiate with people we want here and at the same time the players have to understand we are Mansfield Town and won’t be throwing massive money around.” Murray said he would not release the retained list ahead of the game. “I will probably let that one out of the bag later in the week, but there are not a lot really to be honest,” he said. “A lot have been offered something, so there are only a handful that’s we have spoken to (about leaving). Like the lads with contracts, we hope we will have that all done by the weekend going into the start of next week. “There are a few that are very very close (to signing) and will be hopefully finalised over the next 48 hours, then there is a few that are a little bit further away from being done. But it will all be done one way or the other before next week.” Murray stressed there would be no room for negotiating wage increases and the new contracts are incentive-based. He explained: “As I said at the weekend I want to keep this group together. “Every single one of them have given me everything and gone through brick walls this season. I’d like to think they could turn round and say I’ve given the same. “So it’s been a mutual respect between me and the group. I believe this group can move forward again and I want to keep it together. “But for each individual there is still room for improvement. So they will be given a contract that I believe they deserve and a contract that I believe there is scope in it for them to achieve more if they do better. “Like anything in life, if you’ve not got targets and incentives people get into comfort zones. So a lot of my work will be based around that.” Murray is also working hard to bring in new faces as soon as possible. “I think we’ve seen this season we are lacking a couple of ingredients to this team,” he said. “They have been fantastic but, like any team, we want to progress and move on again next season. “We need to get better as ourselves and we need a bit of help. “We are in the race for quite a few at the minute in terms of the ones we are speaking to. “There are a few that won’t be done as they are in the play-offs at the minute and they don’t want to make decisions until after that. “There are a couple from the league above that also want to wait until the end of the season to decide on their futures. “So we are going to have to be patient with one or two. But we have got a few irons in the fire that we are quite down the road with. “We’ve probably ended up this season where we’ve deserved to overall. “We have missed a ruthlessness at times in both boxes which will be the difference next season if we can get it, which pushes us on.” Junior Daniel (ankle) and Jack Thomas (groin) remain doubts after missing last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Leyton Orient. “They’ve had a week off up to now and need to be back in physical training to have a chance for Saturday,” said Murray. “The tempo we play at as a team, especially our home performances lately, which have been of a real high tempo. “One of our big things at the start of the season was about improving our home form and I think we’ve done that. “It’s come with a higher intensity and getting the ball forward a little bit quicker. It’s a high energy environment and if these boys haven’t had a god few days training they won’t be ready.” Adam Chapman, Dan Alfei and Chris Beardsley are also having treatment this week while loanee Shaun Kavanagh has returned to Fulham. So Murray may dip into his title-winning youth team to bolster numbers and possibly blood one or two at senior level. The U’s, who saw their play-off bid end last weekend, have some long-term absentees in Barry Corr (knee), Greg Taylor (ankle) and Conor Newton (back/hamstring), while Ryan Haynes (knee) is also likely to be out. ------------------ Patience will bring Stags success, says boss Murray by John Lomas, chad.co.uk Adam Murray admitted it’s tough to be patient as he tries to build for a successful long-term future for Mansfield Town Football Club. Ahead of the final game of the season at home to Cambridge United tomorrow when a win could see them end up ninth, he said: “From where we’ve come from we’ve had a very good season with the steps we’ve made, not just the first team but the whole club. “I remember saying at the start of the season that this league would be tougher this year than it has been over the last few years and I think it’s proven that way. There’s been that many teams going for the play-offs, especially the last place, all season. Read more: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-news/patience-will-bring-stags-success-says-boss-murray-1-7895234#ixzz47s13QDuV “And we spent a large part of the season in the top seven. So we have done really well and just didn’t have enough to keep up that level of performance as high as we needed to stay up there.” However, he warned: “But I look at AFC Wimbledon and they’ve had six years. It’s taken them six years of constant progress to nick the seventh spot. “Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to wait six years. But you can’t do things overnight as much as we all wanted to have that achievement straight away - and for me in my first season as a manager I wanted it more than anything. “But we have to be realistic and these things do take time and patience is the hardest thing to do. “Now it is about assessing and reviewing every little thing to the smallest details to see what we can do better next season and what will ultimately move us up the league.” -------------- Mansfield Town v Cambridge United: Shaun Derry desperate for U’s to finish on a high note Cambridge News, May 06, 2016, By Aaron Mason Shaun Derry will resist the temptation to make wholesale changes for Cambridge United's final Sky Bet League Two game of the season at Mansfield tomorrow. Cambridge United are out of the running for the play-offs following last Saturday's 2-2 draw at home to Plymouth. But they go into the game off the back of a seven-match unbeaten run and Derry wants that to continue against the Stags by sticking with his strongest possible team. He said: "The squad has been pretty consistent of late and there aren't going to be wholesale changes just because it's the final day of the season and we've got no chance of getting into the top seven, I'll be putting out my strongest side. Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Mansfield-Town-v-Cambridge-United-Shaun-Derry/story-29234747-detail/story.html#ixzz47rU9vPAc "This weekend it's a group that's going to be a strong group. "In terms of bringing anybody else into the squad from the junior levels, I'll be bringing them in at the right time rather than just bringing them in for a one-off occasion to get a bit of experience. "I'll blood the guys at the right time, we've done that with Dylan (Williams) and going forward when they're ready they'll come into the group, but there's got to be a process. "Just because we haven't got that top seven to play for doesn't mean I'll be changing the group." Derry added he was confident United could complete the season on a high note. He said: "One of my big ?messages this week has been that we've still got 95 minutes of football left to play. "The season hasn't ended yet and we want to finish as high in the league as we possibly can, and so do Mansfield so they'll be approaching the game in the same manner as us. "Obviously, the only objective is to put in a performance that everybody is proud of and that's enough for me, that drives me on." Ryan Haynes is set to remain out with a knee injury, but United will otherwise be at full strength. -------------- |
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