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Archived News from December 2017

EVANS AND HARRY KEWELL REACTION
13th December 2017 23:08




Unbeaten streak ends as Stags lose at Crawley
mansfieldtown.net

Stags' boss Steve Evans says his side 'didn't turn up' for today's 2-0 defeat to Crawley Town but insists they will 'take it on the chin' and focus their attentions on displaying a positive reaction against Yeovil Town next week.

A game of few chances was decided in the second half, as Crawley substitutes Joe McNerney and Ibrahim Meite struck to secure three points for the home side.

And the gaffer admitted that Crawley deserved to win the game, believing they were the better of the two sides on the day.

In a frank assessment, the manager said: "We've given the lads lots of credit and plaudits [recently] and we never showed up [today]. We didn't train properly yesterday. We tried to warn them about when you train like that, what you take into games.

"I don't think we were any good at any stage and yet it's just two individual, poor errors that see us concede the two goals but there's no excuses. They're the better team on the day and they deserve to win. We have to take it on the chin and go away and come back onto the training ground.

https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2017/december/gaffer-post-crawley/

"We had a lot of dominance up to the final third and I think for 20 minutes in the game, we've controlled the game. We're not watching chances missed or goalkeepers making saves so you have to take a true reflection on it.

"If you're them, you're thinking 'well Mansfield are in good form, they've come here on the back of a run of games, they're going to have a bit of pressure early doors'. I thought their lads stood up to it well.

"We offer them our credit but we're really disappointed, we're down. We'll be down tonight and tomorrow. We've got a long week now before we can try and put that right."

Today's loss was the first time Stags have tasted defeat in eight league matches, picking up 13 points from a possible 21 before today, and the manager has issued a warning to his players about the need to avoid complacency.

"We said before we came down, there's that little word that our chairman [John Radford] used at the start of the season, complacency.

"We were complacent today, all over the pitch and we were complacent in some of the other ones we've been in and got beaten. So the ones that we think are largely responsible for it will just go out the team, that's what it is.

"You come up against certain teams and you felt there was complacency. Training was really poor yesterday and I spoke to them yesterday after the training session and said 'if that's how you train then you're going to play like that' and it's notorious that when we have trained like that, that's how we've played the following day.

"We've got a good squad of players, we've got good guys in the dressing room but we need to learn, I said it pre-match, you have to respect every opponent and the minute you don't respect them, they beat you. We were off it on most parts of the pitch today, certainly from 20 minutes on."

Supporters will be able to login to iFollow Stags and watch the manager's post-match interview on Sunday.

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Evans unhappy as Stags players fail to heed Crawley warnings
chad.co.uk, Saturday 09 December 2017

Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans had no arguments over the 2-0 defeat at his former club Crawley Town today and threatened changes next week after a poor display. Stags’ seven-game League Two unbeaten run came to an ignominious end with Evans also suggesting some of his side took the opposition’s threat too lightly, despite repeated warnings.

“I have never lost coming back here and I don’t think I lost many when I was here either,” he said. “But we only turned up for 15-20 minutes. We had a lot of the ball but didn’t really make the keeper work and that’s the disappointing thing.

“From there on in we were second best in everything we did so we were deservedly beaten.

Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/evans-unhappy-as-stags-players-fail-to-heed-crawley-warnings-1-8902007

“You have to have heart and desire to win a football match and you need more heart and desire when you play the lads who lack the ability to play in the top teams. We didn’t have enough heart and desire today to win our battles all over the pitch.” Alex MacDonald did have a late reply chalked off by the officials and Evans said: “I don’t think their goalkeeper has made a save today. “I think we scored in added time, only Gavin Ward (referee), who I think is a poor official anyway, could chalk that off. “We don’t see any reason. But it would still have been a defeat. If we’d miraculously gone and saved it late on it would have been unjust on Crawley.” Evans slammed the attitude of his side for not heeding his warnings, saying: “We didn’t train properly yesterday and if you take training onto the pitch on a Saturday you have to play as you train and vice versa. “We didn’t train properly. We tried to address it verbally yesterday as it’s notorious when we go to the likes of Cheltenham and Colchester. But that’s the way we’ve trained. “I’d be the first ever manager who was able to get into players’ heads and tell them you need to be careful here. “We tried as a management team to reinforce it several times at our team meeting today. Some obviously didn’t listen.” Mansfield had a golden early chance when CJ Hamilton rounded the keeper, but his finish lacked power and was cleared off the line. Evans said: “CJ Hamilton should have scored - he was poor today. But he wasn’t alone. Most of them were poor. He went round the goalie and should put it in the net - simple as that. “For 20 minutes there looked one winner, but we never really made the keeper work.” Evans is now looking for a reaction and said all places are up for grabs this week. “We’ll go back on the training ground now,” he said. “We were 12 games unbeaten, so the answer from the boys is to start another run off next Saturday at home. “People now need to train to be in the team next Saturday or the so-called people that are loved by supporters will just be left out. “I’m not here to please supporters. I am here to win points for them in mass - and that’s what we’ll do.”

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Kewell hails dominant display
crawleyobserver.co.uk, by LEWIS MASON, Saturday 09 December 2017

Crawley Town head coach Harry Kewell toasted a dominant display after his side made it three League 2 matches without defeat this afternoon. Substitutes Joe McNerney and Ibrahim Meite both netted as Reds sealed a 2-0 triumph over play-off hopefuls Mansfield Town at the Checkatrade Stadium. It was a second home win league in succession for Crawley - something which they hadn't managed since January before the win over Stags - and Kewell felt they fully deserved all three points.

He said: "These players understand what is asked of them, when they work hard these are the rewards they get. We must enjoy moments like these because we were dominant in the game.

"It's been a period of change, we're not the final product, we're still working. If you put a final product on it you are never going to reach your full potential."

Read more at: https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/sport/football/crawley-town/kewell-hails-dominant-display-1-8283868

A minute's applause was held in honour of former head coach Dermot Drummy prior to kick-off. It was Reds' first league home game since Drummy died last month and one Kewell admitted everyone wanted to win for him. He added: "It was important that the boys put in a good performance for Dermot (Drummy). A lot of the players knew him, loved him and this was the perfect way."

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