Archived News from December 2019
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DEMPSTER, MELLIS, SAM RICKETTS REACTION
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Manager analyses cup exit
mansfieldtown.net, Saturday 30 November 2019 Stags’ boss John Dempster has delivered his post-match verdict on today’s 2-0 defeat at Sky Bet League One side Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup. Mansfield were given a good opportunity to make the Third Round of the competition after Shrews’ captain Oliver Norburn was shown a straight red card on the hour mark, but late goals from Josh Laurent and Brad Walker sealed victory for the hosts. Speaking after the match, the Stags’ manager analysed the defeat. “I think after the hour, we weren’t good enough,” he told iFollow Stags. “You expect to dominate the ball and create more chances when you’re up against ten men and we did the opposite. “It’s happened too many times this season when we’ve been in the ascendancy and played reasonably well, and either drawn or lost, which is unacceptable. “[We wanted] to dominate the ball [when Shrewsbury went down to ten men]. We ended up going 4-4-2 so we could get more bodies up the pitch. “We were hoping to get more crosses into the box but it didn’t happen and that’s been the story of the season so far. The buck stops with me - I’m responsible for how the players are set up and how they perform, but the players have to look at themselves in the mirror as well. “Some of the individual performances in vital moments in games haven’t been good enough. I go home and look at myself in the mirror and it’s important that other people do as well. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/november/gaffer-post-shrewsbury-a/ “We’re out of the FA Cup and 15th in the table - the potential that the players have is greater than that. It’s my job to get that potential out of them, which hasn’t happened.” John Dempster then added that there is ‘no hiding place’ after the nature of today’s disappointing loss. “The goal killed us. We were in the ascendancy and putting a ball in the box - first of all the delivery was poor and the reaction after that, I expect my players to sprint back as fast as they can and stop any counter. “They got a goal and their tails are then up. We committed a cardinal sin in conceding the second. “For an hour, we were probably the better side, but it’s a 90 plus minute game and we’ve fallen well short. “We thought it was a great opportunity before the game, never mind after they had a man sent off - we came here looking to win. “At times, I thought we were the better side, but over the 90 minutes you can’t hide away from the fact that we’ve lost 2-0 and had half-an-hour with 11 versus ten. There’s no hiding place.” Despite the defeat this afternoon, the manager has urged his charges to respond positively. “The players have to look at themselves and ask if they are performing to the best of their ability. I’ll keep looking at myself and working hard on the training ground. “We’ll be back in training on Monday and will go again - there’s no other option in football. You have to react positively to disappointment. “But I’m not hiding away from the fact that I’m absolutely gutted.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the boss’ interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ------------------ Mansfield Town boss John Dempster admits he is feeling the pressure chad.co.uk, Saturday 30 November 2019 Underfire Mansfield Town boss John Dempster admitted he was feeling the pressure after the Stags’ 2-0 FA Cup exit at 10-man Shrewsbury - and his side’s poor form in League Two. Dempster said after two late goals knocked his side out of the FA Cup: “I have felt the pressure since I was given the job. It is a pressure I put on myself, never mind the external factors. “There are bigger and better managers from this level up to the Premier League who have lost their jobs because of results and our results have not been good enough. “Of course, I am confident in my own ability that I can learn from mistakes and put things right, but there is no hiding away - this is a pressure cooker environment. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-boss-john-dempster-admits-he-is-feeling-the-pressure-1-10130463 “I was well aware of that before I took the job and I will always face a challenge head on.” ------------------------ It is not good enough, admits Mansfield Town manager John Dempster after FA Cup exit chad.co.uk, Saturday 30 November 2019 A missed opportunity was how Mansfield Town boss John Dempster described his side’s late 2-0 FA Cup Second Round defeat at 10-man Shrewsbury. The home side played for half an hour with 10 men but snatched victory with goals in the 88th and 95th minutes. Dempster said he had felt the trip to a side in a league above the Stags had represented a chance for progress to the Third Round - and the chance to land a tie against a Premier League club. But the late heartbreak meant the Stags were denied even the chance of a second bite of the cherry in a replay at One Call Stadium. “To play for half an hour against 10 men; you won’t get a better opportunity. So, yes, I am gutted to be out of the cup. We are 15th in the table and out of the FA Cup so over a period of time it hasn’t been good enough and the buck stops with me. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/it-is-not-good-enough-admits-mansfield-town-manager-john-dempster-after-fa-cup-exit-1-10130445 “I always look at myself and want to improve. It’s important that the players do the same because over the course of the period I have been in charge it has not been good enough and I take responsibility for that. “At crucial moments in games when you expect characters to step up and make the difference, we havn’t. Today what an opportunity to progress to the next round and in crucial moments we didn’t do what counts. “It hasn’t been a good return (on the owners’ investment in the squad) for the last four seasons. The owners deserve a better return. It hasn’t been good enough. It is gut-wrenching for me. I will always look at myself, but it is vitally important for the future of this football club that the players do the same. “I have made mistakes on the way, I have learnt no end. You have got to learn quickly because it is a results business. I will always face a challenge face on but there is no hiding from the fact we have not been good enough over a period of time and today we fell well short.” Dempster was upset that his side was “soft” as they were twice hit on the break for the two goals. I have felt the pressure since I was given the job. It is a pressure I put on myself, never mind the external factors. There are bigger and better managers from this level up to the Premier League who have lost their jobs because of results and our results have not been good enough. Of course, I am confident in my own ability that I can learn from mistakes and put things right, but there is no hiding away - this is a pressure cooker environment. I was well aware of that before I took the job and I will always face a challenge head on. --------------------- twitter BBC Nottingham Sport @BBCRNS John Dempster: “I’ve made mistakes along the way. I’ve learnt no end, and you’ve got to learn quickly in this game. Today was a fantastic opportunity, and we’ve fallen well short”. ------------------ Midfielder reflects on 'massively disappointing' defeat mansfieldtown.net, Saturday 30 November 2019 Midfielder Jacob Mellis believes it was a ‘massively disappointing’ result as Mansfield Town exited the Emirates FA Cup through a 2-0 loss to Shrewsbury Town. The Stags battled for a place in the third round against Sky Bet League One opposition but were undone by two late counter attacks. Forward Josh Laurent and substitute Brad Walker sealed the victory late on, despite having been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of skipper Ollie Norburn. Mellis feels as though his side missed an opportunity at the Montgomery Waters Meadow stadium to make their one-man advantage count. “It’s disappointing - I think we played better when it was 11 versus 11,” he told iFollow Stags. “When they went down to 10 men we probably took our foot off the gas. We didn’t move the ball quick enough, which is what you need to do to break down 10 men, then they’ve caught us on the counter. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/november/mellis-post-shrewsbury/ “Sometimes teams with 10 men have better awareness. They’re more switched on and I think today they started playing better when they had 10 men. “But that’s down to us because we had a man advantage and we needed to make it count.” The former Blackpool man also detailed the incident that led to Norburn’s straight red card. “I caught him [Ollie Norburn] with one on the edge of their box and the referee hasn’t seen it, so I think he was a bit frustrated. “From that he’s lashed out and got the red card. I’m not sure if it was a red because I was on the floor and I don’t know if he meant to do it, but the ref obviously saw it as a red card.” And the 28-year-old quickly wants to get back onto the training pitch to start working towards victories in Sky Bet League Two. “We have to get back on the training pitch and work hard,” the midfielder continued. “We need to stop talking, to be honest, we need to get back into league action and start picking up wins. “The last couple of weeks have been encouraging, we played the league leaders Swindon last week so we came into this one with confidence. “In the first half and until the red card I thought we played well, but ultimately it’s another defeat.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch Jacob's interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ------------------- 'We probably took our foot off the gas' says Mansfield Town's Jacob Mellis after FA Cup exit at 10-men Shrewsbury Town chad.co.uk, Saturday 30 November 2019 Mansfield Town midfield ace Jacob Mellis believes his side took their foot off the gas when Shrewsbury Town had a man sent off on Saturday and paid the price with a 2-0 FA Cup exit. Stags had been in the game until Ollie Norburn was dismissed for kicking the ball at the face of the fallen Mellis, but it all went downhill from then as they failed to press their advantage and were knocked out by two late strikes. “It’s disappointing - I think we played better when it was 11 versus 11, but ultimately it's another defeat” said Mellis. “When they went down to 10 men we probably took our foot off the gas. “We didn’t move the ball quick enough, which is what you need to do to break down 10 men, then they’ve caught us on the counter. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/we-probably-took-our-foot-off-the-gas-says-mansfield-town-s-jacob-mellis-after-fa-cup-exit-at-10-men-shrewsbury-town-1-10131859 “Sometimes teams with 10 men have better awareness. They’re more switched on and I think today they started playing better when they had 10 men. “But that’s down to us because we had a man advantage and we needed to make it count.” He added: “I caught him (Norburn) with one on the edge of their box and the referee hasn’t seen it, so I think he was a bit frustrated. “From that he’s lashed out and got the red card. I’m not sure if it was a red because I was on the floor and I don’t know if he meant to do it, but the ref obviously saw it as a red card.” Stags play away at Port Vale in the second round of the Leasing.com Trophy tomorrow night but Mellis knows the most important thing is to pick things up and beat Cheltenham in League Two action on Saturday. “We need to stop talking, to be honest, we need to get back into league action and start picking up wins,” he said. “The last couple of weeks have been encouraging, we played the league leaders Swindon last week so we came into this one with confidence.” -------------------- twitter BBC Nottingham Sport @BBCRNS Jacob Mellis: “It’s the same squad as last year, with Cookie, and Nicky - there is only so much the manager and Gloves can do. It’s down to us”. Neal @NealBish Massive thanks to all that travelled today, didn't get the performance or the result we all wanted, way off we what are capable of. Oliver Norburn @olivernorburn29 Great character from all the boys today and impact from the subs. In the hat for the 3rd round @JoshLaurent28 on (fire emoji). Apologies for the sending off but my personal opinion very harsh ---------------- Sam Ricketts Post Mansfield Town shrewsburytown.com Sam Ricketts reflects on Town's 2-0 win over Mansfield Town. Shrewsbury Town welcomed Mansfield Town to the Montgomery Waters Meadow for the second-round of the FA Cup. Two goals in the last 10 minutes from Josh Laurent and Brad Walker secured the win for Salop and secured a place in the third-round of the competition. Town manager Sam Ricketts was pleased with his teams’ performance against the Stags, despite Town going down to 10 men in the early stages of the second-half. “I am delighted at getting through,” said Sam. “I thought we were good all game, in the first-half we just couldn’t get that final shot or pass. https://www.shrewsburytown.com/news/2019/november/interview-sam-ricketts-post-mansfield-town/ “We got into really good situations a couple of times, and then in the second-half we started well. Even after going down to 10 men, we were outstanding - the best we played all game. “We pinned them down in their own half, had really good patterns of play and were patient when we didn’t have the ball. Even with 10 men, we could have scored three or four but we managed to get the two. “Josh is loving goals at the minute, he is really stepping up - he’s finally getting into those positions. He has got such good energy to get into the box and now he’s scoring - I am really pleased for him. “You always want your substitutions to make an impact, and Daniel Udoh certainly did that today. All the subs we made, made a difference. It shows that they are ready and willing to get on and do their bit. “Brad took his goal really well, he showed good pace to catch Daniel up. He finished it very calmly, I am delighted for him.” Sam is looking forward to the third-round draw and hopes the club can benefit from a run in the competition. “We will have to wait and see the draw,” said Town’s manager. “All of the lads are in there asking who they want to draw. You get the usual reaction of wanting the big teams. “A few of the lads want another tie where we have a good chance of going through again. I’m sure all the fans and the players will be watching the draw to see where we end up. “We are run fantastically well and are self-sustained but an FA Cup run would be a good way of being able to spend a bit more without putting the club at risk. “The competition is really important, so what I will ask is that we are on TV so we get more revenue. We are in a good space when it comes to cup games at the moment.” ------------------ Shrewsbury Town consider appealing Ollie Norburn ban after red card, reveals Sam Ricketts By Lewis Cox, shropshirestar.com https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/football/shrewsbury-town-fc/2019/12/01/shrewsbury-town-consider-appealing-ollie-norburn-ban-after-red-card-reveals-sam-ricketts/Sam Ricketts has revealed Shrewsbury Town will consider appealing any suspension handed to skipper Ollie Norburn following his red card. Norburn was dismissed an hour into Town's 2-0 FA Cup second round victory over Mansfield with the score locked at 0-0. He will likely be hit with a three-match ban, which Ricketts believes crosses all competitions - though not thought to include the EFL Trophy, which Town play in on Tuesday. But Shrewsbury will review the footage of the incident before deciding whether to lodge another appeal to the Football Association's disciplinary panel after they successfully overturned a charge of violent conduct against defender Aaron Pierre last week. Norburn was sent off by referee Andy Haines after an incident near the halfway line against the Stags. Replays show the captain appear to kick the ball in the direction of a prone Mansfield player's head from close range, barely fractions of a second after the official had blew his whistle for a foul. Asked about the ban Ricketts said: "I don't know, we'll have to check, but I'm led to believe it crosses all competitions for what he's been given a straight red for. "But first and foremost I need to look back to whether it should or shouldn't be." The boss added: "Nobody wants to get sent off but Ollie's a fantastic player and a fantastic character. "As a person he's excellent. He's a driving force in that dressing room and training ground on a matchday. "I think he's an outstanding person and player as well." --------------------- Sam Ricketts pleads with TV chiefs after Shrewsbury's FA Cup win over Mansfield By Lewis Cox, shropshirestar.com Sam Ricketts wants Shrewsbury Town to be in the television spotlight in the FA Cup third round after an 'outstanding' response to progress with 10 men. Late goals from in-form FA Cup specialist Josh Laurent and Brad Walker against Mansfield sealed Shrewsbury's place in round three for a fifth time in 10 years. Town had captain Ollie Norburn dismissed on the hour for his part in a flashpoint after a Mansfield player was brought to the ground. But Ricketts' side grabbed the initiative and were clearly the better side, deservedly going on to win. And after last season's run to a fourth round replay at Wolves was ignored by television chiefs, Ricketts wants Town to be in the TV spotlight in January regardless of who they are drawn against on Monday. "We'll have to wait and see the draw," Ricketts said. "The lads are speaking about it in there. https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/football/shrewsbury-town-fc/2019/11/30/sam-ricketts-pleads-with-tv-chiefs-after-shrewsburys-fa-cup-win-over-mansfield/ "The lads are asking 'who do you want?' and you get the Liverpools, Man Uniteds and Chelseas. "Then there's a couple of lads saying they wouldn't mind another tie we can go on in and get through. "It's the excitement of the FA Cup. Myself, the players and all the supporters will be watching the draw to see where we end up." Town have already pocketed £90,000 in prize money for winning through rounds one and two, with £135,000 on the line for third round winners. Last season's run to the fourth-round replay at Wolves was worth £225,500 in prize money alone. Broadcast fees due to appearing on live television are worth significantly extra to clubs. The boss added: "For a club like ours who are fantastically well run and self-sustained the FA Cup runs are the way to spend a little bit more without putting the club at risk. "It's really important. What I do ask for in the next round, it doesn't matter who we get, but can it be on TV so we get a little bit more revenue?" Ricketts thought his side played some of their best football this season after going to 10 men on the hour. Laurent made it four goals in five games before Daniel Udoh came from the bench to create for fellow sub Walker in added time. "I'm obviously delighted to get through," the boss continued. "We were good in the first half, there was a lot of good stuff, but we couldn't get the final shot from really good situations. "Once we went down to 10 men in the second half I thought we were outstanding, probably the best we played in the game and arguably all season with the ball. "Considering we had a man down we pinned them in their half with really good patterns of play and patience out of possession. "Even with 10 men we could've scored three or four and eventually got the two." Ricketts admitted he had not seen back footage of Norburn's dismissal after Aaron Pierre had initially gone into a challenge with a Mansfield player. Thought goalscorer Laurent admitted afterwards that captain Norburn will learn from the incident. "I've not seen it back. I was trying to make a sub. The fourth official is telling the referee and holding the ball up and then play goes on," said Ricketts. "We didn't win the first contact and then I saw a player of theirs go down and hold his head, I asked Norbs and he said he did nothing wrong. "I'm disappointed. There was a tackle in the first half their player made and the player came out and said 'sorry you didn't touch me at all I was rolling around trying to get you in trouble'. "In the second half Jacob Mellis goes down holding his shin, I'm disappointed seeing things like that." ------------------ |
Latest | December 2019