Archived News from December 2019
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GRAHAM COUGHLAN APPOINTED NEW MANAGER
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Stags appoint Graham Coughlan
mansfieldtown.net, 1.45pm Tues 17 Dec 2019 Mansfield Town Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Graham Coughlan as its new manager. Mr. Coughlan joins the Stags after leading his Bristol Rovers side to fourth place in Sky Bet League One this season, just two points shy of second-placed Ipswich Town. In his playing days, the 45-year-old featured as an uncompromising centre-back for the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town, and won the PFA Second Division Player of the Year award in the 2003/04 season as well as three promotions. His managerial career began as caretaker boss of Bristol Rovers in 2018, following the departure of Darrell Clarke. In his five games as caretaker manager, Graham Coughlan saw the Pirates gain 10 points, lifting them out of the relegation zone. Read more at https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/december/stags-appoint-graham-coughlan/ He was appointed as permanent manager of the Gas in January 2019, where he held a win rate of 45% - losing just 13 of his 56 matches in charge - and leaves the club on the brink of the automatic promotion places in Sky Bet League One. Graham Coughlan said: “This is a massive opportunity and a massive chance for me. The main attraction was the ambition of the chairman [John Radford]. “How he [John Radford] spoke, the ambition he was displaying, the facilities at the club, it was a tremendous and huge opportunity to take on a football club and try to get them promoted. “I’ve gone across to the training ground [The RH Academy] and I think the facilities are better than a lot of Championship clubs’ facilities - they are very impressive. “The opportunity to manage a club like Mansfield Town, with the ambition at this football club, the facilities, and of course to be able to be at home with my wife and kids, was an absolute mammoth attraction. “I’ve been living in this part of the country for the best part of 20 years and it’s an honest, hard-working area - that’s what I am and that’s the background I’ve come from. “That’s all we drummed into the players at Bristol Rovers. If you’re not honest and you’re not hard-working, you won’t have any place at this football club. We will be honest, we will be hard-working and we will wear that jersey with pride. That’s all I ask of the players.” The Stags’ new boss will take his first training session tomorrow morning, before meeting the media at a news conference at One Call Stadium at 1pm. ------------------- Note: 2.5 year contract (see below) ------------------- twitter @mansfieldtownfc Graham Coughlan: "I like my teams to win, plain and obvious. I like up and at ‘em, in your face, high energy, high tempo football. I love a high press and a high energy game - you’ve got to move the ball quickly and you’ve got to move the ball fast." ----------------- Graham Coughlan unveiled as new Mansfield Town manager chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Tues 17 Dec 2019 Dubliner Graham Coughlan has finally, as expected, been unveiled as the new Mansfield Town new manager this afternoon. The 45-year-old had officially left League One Bristol Rovers in a healthy fourth place earlier in the day with the media at both ends expecting him to join the struggling Stags, who sacked John Dempster last weekend. Succeeding ex-Stag Darrell Clarke in 2018 he had lifted Rovers from the relegation zone to a promotion chase, with a win rate of 45 per cent - losing just 13 of his 56 matches in charge. Coughlan is delighted to get a job at an ambitious club within reach of his wife and family in Sheffield and smiled: “This is a massive opportunity and a massive chance for me. The main attraction was the ambition of the chairman. “The opportunity to manage a club like Mansfield Town, with the ambition at this football club, the facilities, and of course to be able to be at home with my wife and kids, was an absolute mammoth attraction. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/graham-coughlan-unveiled-as-new-mansfield-town-manager-1-10158544?fbclid=IwAR2Vq7-FSz76v1acAVgzT7OV99teocA8SEY4NPewZ7nHoEAkHjNucp-PpZQ “I’ve been living in this part of the country for the best part of 20 years and it’s an honest, hard-working area - that’s what I am and that’s the background I’ve come from. “That’s all we drummed into the players at Bristol Rovers. If you’re not honest and you’re not hard-working, you won’t have any place at this football club. “We will be honest, we will be hard-working and we will wear that jersey with pride. That’s all I ask of the players. “We have a tremendous group of players here that are just not functioning. We need to ask questions and find out why they are 18th in League Two.” In his playing days, the 45-year-old featured as an uncompromising centre back for the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town, and won the PFA Second Division Player of the Year award in the 2003/04 season as well as three promotions. The Stags new boss will take his first training session tomorrow morning, before meeting the media at a news conference at One Call Stadium at 1pm. ------------------- New Mansfield Town boss Graham Coughlan aiming to instil confidence and self-belief as he dreams of a winning start against Northampton chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS New Mansfield Town manager Graham Coughlan intends to instil confidence and self-belief into the players and is dreaming of a win in his opening game at home to in-form Northampton Town on Saturday. Coughlan left Bristol Rovers in fourth place in League One yesterday to take over the hot seat from John Dempster, sacked last Saturday with Stags in 18th and without a win in six. The Dublin-born former defender was delighted to take a job nearer his family in Sheffield, but promised no miracles or promises of promotion. “It would be nonsensical if I was to come here and start singing from the rooftops that we're going to do this and do that as clearly there is a bit of a problem somewhere that we need to tidy up,” he said. “Let's take it one game at a time. We're going into a really difficult period over Christmas against some top teams who are on form. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/new-mansfield-town-boss-graham-coughlan-aiming-to-instil-confidence-and-self-belief-as-he-dreams-of-a-winning-start-against-northampton-1-10158950 “Achievement is something we should speak about later on rather than now. “We need to walk before we run. We can't start shooting for the stars. We need to relax, see what we've got and what we need. Let's see if there are additions to made and one or two players are to get off the bus. “We need to get on the training ground and work with them, give a bit of structure and a bit of a regime to ourselves, and instil a bit of confidence and self-belief.” Northampton are the side Stags must currently chase, 12 points ahead of them in the final play-off spot and Coughlan said: “I would like to win my first game and get off to a good start. “I'd like to see a response and a reaction and three points on the board on Saturday. “Yes, it will be difficult as Northampton are flying and in a good place at the moment. “But if we can get some points on the board we can look to get a bit of momentum into our play and ease a little bit of pressure.” He said supporters would play a major part. “Ultimately I'd like the supporters to give us a chance and give the players a chance and back them for 90 minutes whether we play well, win, lose or draw,” said Coughlan. “I have been here as a player as an opponent and as an assistant manager and, let me tell you, it's a difficult place to come when the crowd get up and behind this team. It galvanises their team and they get an extra 10 per cent. “So the fans will play a major part in it as well. I can't do it on my own without the fans and players and the players can't do it without me and the fans. It's a three-way ball game and we all need to play ball with each other. Hopefully we can then fulfil our potential. “We have a tremendous group of players here that are just not functioning. They are maybe short on confidence and maybe missing one or two vital ingredients. It's up to us to put that in. “On paper, this club should not be where they are in the division. “We need to ask questions and find out why they are 18th in League Two. “There has to be a reason behind that as the squad is too good to be there.” He added: “Naturally confidence has drained. It is difficult and I have been through it as a player, when you go so near following a season of expectation, that expectation level can weight heavy on people's shoulders. “The club went very close to getting promoted last season and to pick that club up again and go again is a very difficult thing to do. “There is a lull and a down period where the bubble has burst. Getting over that disappointment is not easy. “That may need addressing. The club might need a little pick-me-up. It's only the players that can pick the club up.” --------------------- John Radford's ambition and home sweet home lured Graham Coughlan to become Mansfield Town's new manager chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Graham Coughlan said the ambition of chairman John Radford and a chance to live at home with his family again after over 10 years on the road were the biggest factors in him deciding to become the new Mansfield Town manager. Coughlan has quit League One Bristol Rovers to join the struggling League Two Stags and said: “It is obviously a massive opportunity and a massive chance for me at this football club. “It was down to how John Radford spoke, the way he wanted to go, the ambition he was displaying, and the facilities. The training facilities here are a lot better than many of the Championship clubs - they are very impressive. “But his ambition was the main attraction. “It was a tremendous and huge opportunity to take on a football club and try to get them promoted. “But the club is obviously local to my family and my home, so that has a big bearing on it too. I have been away from home for the last 10/11 years. “Leaving Rovers was an horrendous decision to make and a terrible, terrible 48 hours. It was a really tough decision with a lot of variables to it. There were a lot of pros and cons, weighing things up. “To move on from where we were in League One was really difficult. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/john-radford-s-ambition-and-home-sweet-home-lured-graham-coughlan-to-become-mansfield-town-s-new-manager-1-10158955 “Bristol Rovers were brilliant and it was a great 12 months we had, rising from obscurity really to get into a challenging position.” He added: “It was a tough decision, but I have not spent enough time with my kids or my family over a 10/11 year period. That was just getting to me and weighing me down. “So the opportunity to manage a club with the ambition of Mansfield Town and be at home with my wife and kids was an absolute mammoth attraction. “I think I will be a happier person and my life will be more fulfilled. It will make a massive difference to myself and my wife. “It's really hard when you are 10/11 years on the road and having a microwaved meal for one. You just sit in watching four walls of an evening, it's really difficult living a life like that. “You have to look at your own personal well-being. You just don't know the avenues you could end up going down.” --------------------- New Mansfield Town boss Graham Coughlan promises 'up and at em' in your face football chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS New Mansfield Town manager Graham Coughlan has promised 'up and at em, in your face, high tempo football' and 'honesty and hard work' from his players. Coughlan faces a huge task to lift the struggling Stags up the League Two table, but has promised the very least fans can expect and believes he has seen where some of the problems lie. “I like up and at 'em and in your face, high energy, high tempo football,” he said. “I love balls going down the side of the pitch and into the box, giving the strikers something to attack. You've got to move the ball. “We will make mistakes and we may get beaten every now and again, but we'll be honest and hard-working and wear that jersey with pride. That's all I ask of the players. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/new-mansfield-town-boss-graham-coughlan-promises-up-and-at-em-in-your-face-football-1-10160510 “I have been living in this part of the country for the past 20 years and it's an honest hard-working area. That's what I am and the background I have come from. “That's all we drummed into the players at Bristol Rovers and what has been drummed into me all my career and all my life from my parents. If you're not honest and hard-working you won't have any place at this football club.” Coughlan has already studied video of Stags this season and begun to build a picture. “The club as a whole has been struggling this season confidence-wise,” he said. “I looked at some of the training clips and games and we are making silly basic errors. “We are not pressing or squeezing enough, there is no cohesion to our play and we look like, when we get the ball, what are we going to do with it next? Where are we going? What are our aims? “Stags fans don't need me to tell them the basics are you put it in at one one end and keep it out the other. It just needs reaffirming to the players.” Coughlan has already proved he can turn a struggling club around, hoisting Bristol Rovers from the relegation zone in League One to the play-offs spots. “We had a tough challenge when we went in and, if I am being honest, Bristol Rovers fans would agree, we were set for League Two,” he said. “Again I think it was about belief and confidence. It all had to be re-installed in the players and show them where they were heading if they didn't get their act together. “They needed some structure and morale. Our unity got stronger. “I had a tremendous support network with the chief executive.” He continued: “There was a lot of negativity surrounding the club. “We just went in and spelt it out to the players - it is what it is and it was what it was. “The lads just got on with it and they were brilliant. “I made some good additions - even if I do say so myself - in January with some men, some leaders, and a goalscorer. “And we increased our work output and training time, giving the players clear targets, set goals and clear objectives. “It just came off as I had a tremendous group of players - and I see very much the same group of players here with the same issues and same problems I inherited at Bristol Rovers.” -------------------- Shirts up for grabs says new Mansfield Town boss Graham Coughlan after positive first training session chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Graham Coughlan completed his first training session with his Mansfield Town squad today and said it had been very positive and shirts were up for grabs for Saturday's visit of Northampton. Dubliner Coughlan took over the reins from John Dempster yesterday and after meeting his players for the first time, got out on the grass with them. “It was very good, very positive,” he said. “I was a little bit longer on the training ground than I planned, but it was good. “A couple of the lads had smiles on their faces which was nice. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/shirts-up-for-grabs-says-new-mansfield-town-boss-graham-coughlan-after-positive-first-training-session-1-10160900 “There was a lot of energy and hard work. The group was vibrant. “They took on board the information they were given so fingers crossed they can take that into tomorrow and into Friday and on into Saturday. “I enjoyed being back on the grass as it's been three or four days since I was last on there.” Coughlan knows the quality he has, having tried to sign one or two of them while at Bristol Rovers. “I have not worked with any of these players before though I think I have played against a couple of them,” he said. “With my previous club I was quite keen on taking one or two of them, but I couldn't. They obviously stayed here. So I know plenty about them. “I don't know the team yet for Saturday so my message to the players is just keep working the way you worked this morning, we have to crawl, walk and run in that order, we can't start off sprinting. “Let's build something and not expect too much of this group too early.” Coughlan believes he needs to pick up a squad possibly still struggling to shrug off last season's failure to gain promotion. “I missed out on a Wembley play-off final in 2009 and it's very, very difficult to pick yourself up the next season if you fall short with expectation levels on the players as well,” he admitted. “Obviously this club came up short last year so there may be a hangover from the disappointment. “But they need to pick themselves up. There's plenty of quality and ability. They just need a little bit more confidence. “It's easy to get into a rut. It can become a lonely and negative place. “I think they will be fine. They need to grow and they need to get stronger. Confidence and self-belief needs to grow but, in the end, I think we'll see what their value is. “It's a tough slog ahead and every game can become even tougher. So we will deal with it one game at a time. “They need to get back to where they were, why they were brought to the football club and why did they do so well here last season?” So what sort of manager will Coughlan be for Mansfield? He said: “Well I don't suffer fools gladly and there is no excuse for lack of discipline or not being on time. “They are basics. They are a given. All fans want up and won the country, irrespective of which division, is honest, hard-working, committed players.” ------------------------- New boss hopes to ‘breed confidence’ mansfieldtown.net, Wed 18 Dec 2019 New manager Graham Coughlan says he wants to instil 'confidence and self-belief' into the Mansfield Town players. The Dubliner arrives from Sky Bet League One high-flyers Bristol Rovers, having guided the Pirates from a relegation battle to promotion contenders within a year. The former Plymouth Argyle and Shrewsbury Town defender will hope to emulate his progress at Bristol Rovers by turning the Stags’ season around. “The club as a whole has been struggling this season - confidence wise - and being local you can actually get a feel for the club, a feel for the players, the supporters, and you can actually tell where, how and why they’re struggling," he began. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/december/new-boss-hopes-to-breed-confidence/ “We’ve got a tremendous group of players at the club and they’re just not functioning. They may be short in confidence, they may be missing one or two vital ingredients and it’s up to us to put that in. But on paper, this club shouldn’t be where they are in the division and that, for me, we need to get in, we need to ask questions and we need to find out why they are 18th in League Two. “It’s a top squad, let’s be honest, it’s a real top squad. They’ve proved that, I think it was October that they picked up and how they played. They’ve tinkered with the system, there have been various systems and various players playing in different positions so I think all that will need to be addressed. At this moment in time they’re missing a bit of continuity and if you give them that, they should breed confidence. “Let’s see what we’ve got, let’s see what we need, if there are additions to be made, if one or two players have to get off the bus, we just need to get a little bit of structure, a little bit of regime to ourselves and to instil a bit of confidence and self-belief then maybe, maybe we can answer that ambition question.” The 45-year-old discussed the reasons behind his decision to swap League One football for Mansfield Town. He said: “It’s obviously a massive opportunity and a massive chance for me at this football club. The football club is obviously local to my family, to my home, so that would have a big bearing on it. “I think I’ll be a happier person, I think my life will be more fulfilled - you’ve got to look at your own personal well-being as well - it’s a massive opportunity, it’s a massive chance. I think it will make a massive difference to both myself and my wife.” The new boss also described the style of football he wants his Mansfield Town side to play with. "I like up and at ‘em, in your face, high energy, high tempo football. I love balls going down the side of the pitch and coming into the box to give strikers something to attack. I love a high press and a high energy game, you’ve got to move the ball quickly, you’ve got to move the ball fast. “Let’s take it one game at a time. We’re going into a really difficult time over the Christmas period, some top teams in this division who are on form, we’re not on form so we need to get that sorted first. “Achievement is something we should speak about later rather than now - it’s crawl, walk, then run.” Looking ahead to this weekend’s match against Northampton Town, Graham Coughlan aims for a fast start to his reign at One Call Stadium, and called on the Stags' faithful to show their support. “Personally, I would like to win my first game, get off to a good start. I’d like to see a response, I’d like to see a reaction and I’d like to see three points on the board on Saturday. Yes, it will be difficult, yes, the team coming - Northampton - are flying, they’re in a good place at this moment in time. “Let me tell you, this is a difficult place to come and when the crowd get up and get behind this team it galvanises the team and the team gets an extra ten per cent, so the fans will play a major part in it as well. “We can’t do it on our own, I can’t do it on my own without the fans. The players can’t do it without me or without the fans and the fans can’t do it without myself and the players so it’s a three-way ball game. We all need to play ball with each other and I hope we can fulfil our potential.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the new manager's interview and first news conference in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow. ------------------ No backroom staff changes at Mansfield Town for now chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Although boss John Dempster was sacked last weekend, new Mansfield Town manager Graham Coughlan expects to continue working with Dempster's backroom staff for the time being. “We've had a great session this morning with the lads that are here,” said Coughlan. “We've had a staff meeting and there is plenty of information being traded. “I am happy with the staff here and we will assess it over the coming weeks. Will I let anyone go the week before Christmas? No way. “We will sit down and work with them at this moment in time and see what they have to offer. I believe there is some expertise to be tapped into.” https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/no-backroom-staff-changes-at-mansfield-town-for-now-1-10161542 He continued: “I would obviously like to bring one or two to the football club myself for familiarity, knowing how I work and how they work, and getting off to a quick start rather than hang around and waiting. “But if I have to wait and it has to be done next week, next month, next year, so be it. At the moment we'll work with what we've been given.” Coughlan’s words suggest John Dempster’s deputy Lee Glover will be in the dug-out with Coughlan for this weekend’s visit of Northampton Town. However, Bristol Rovers have publicly stated that they believe their assistant coach Joe Dunne plus fellow backroom staff members Kevin Maher, Lee Mansell and Chris Hargreaves are all possibilities to join Coughlan at Mansfield at some stage. ---------------------- No big flood of new players for Mansfield Town in January chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Graham Coughlan does not envisage huge changes to the squad in January. The new Mansfield Town boss this week began working with his new charges and said, after so many changes in line-up and formation this season, he wanted to give the players some stability and continuity, saying: “I have to give these players a chance. “I will give players a jersey on Saturday. They either hold onto it or they give it back to me. It's their decision, the ball is in their court. “Let's be honest this is a real top squad. They proved that with the results they produced and the way they played in October. “But they have tinkered with the system and there have been various players playing in different positions and all that will need to be addressed. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/no-big-flood-of-new-players-for-mansfield-town-in-january-1-10163094 “They are missing a bit of continuity and, if you give them that, it should breed confidence. “They are possibly missing a bit of self-belief. If you look at the squad as a whole, some of those players should be playing at a higher level, though some may think they are better than they actually are. So there is a lot to delve into and a lot to work with. “We have to get their minds and mentality correct. It will be a slow process as we'll have to get into the players.” But Coughlan knows funds will be available in the window if required. “The chairman is a man that will back you,” he said. “He is ambitious and wants to push the club on. He has a dream and an ambition for the club and that is admirable. “As far as January is concerned I will have to have a week or two working with the players, see what they have and what we can get out of them, and then look if we need change. “I won't flood the place with players and make change for the sake of change. These lads deserve an opportunity and a chance. But that comes Monday to Friday.” ------------------------ Let’s make home hostile for opponents again says new Mansfield Town boss Graham Coughlan chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Graham Coughlan admitted he never liked playing at Mansfield Town and wants fans to help get back to creating a hostile environment for opponents, starting tomorrow. The new Mansfield Town boss is hoping for a good turn out for his first game in charge against Northampton Town and said: “I have to say I never enjoyed coming here as a player and that's what we probably need to get back to. “I have been here as a player and an assistant manager. “It is never an easy place to come. It's a tough place. That's down to the fans. They make it a tough place. They make it a hostile place. “I hope fans come out in their numbers and hopefully we can send them home happy. We need them. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/let-s-make-home-hostile-for-opponents-again-says-new-mansfield-town-boss-graham-coughlan-1-10163163 “Last season this stadium was rocking and I am sure that's one of the reasons why they got to where they got to.” ------------------ New Mansfield Town boss keen to blood youngsters chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town youngsters will continue to be given every chance to play in the first team under new boss Graham Coughlan. Previous bosses John Dempster and David Flitcroft were both keen to blood local talent and Coughlan, who took over the manager's seat on Tuesday, said he shares that enthusiasm and was delighted to see the U18s progress into round four of the FA Youth Cup this week. “To go and beat QPR 3-1 was an immense performance from any team and it was a really proud moment for the young lads,” he smiled. “I am looking forward to building that pathway between 18s and 23s and into the senior team. “I have done it myself as a player, I've done it as a coach and as manager. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/new-mansfield-town-boss-keen-to-blood-youngsters-1-10163125 “I love chucking the young kids into the first team. So if they are up to it and can handle it they will be given a chance. “I was only 12 months in charge at Bristol Rovers but look at the number of debutants I've given from the academy - there is nothing better than the fans singing 'he's one of our own'.” He added: “They are vibrant, they are energetic, and the big one for me is that they are fearless and don't fear the noise and negativity of being 18th in the table. “They would just go in and give their all. “For sure, there is opportunity and chance for kids at this club.” -------------------- NEWS CONFERENCE: Graham Coughlan's first news conference as #Mansfield Town manager will get under way at approximately 1pm! Wed 18 Dec 2019, 1.15pm https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-rovers-live-coughlan-mansfield-3654939 Presser under way shortly Let’s see what Coughlan has to say Coughlan speaks “I think it’s a great Christmas present for my wife and my kids. I’ve spent 11 years on the road, I’ve missed my kids and I missed my life. I just felt Mansfield Town were very ambitious and a club going forward. It’s a great opportunity and great chance. It’s a blank canvas and a new challenge.” Coughlan: A massive decision “I spoke with Carolyn and John on Monday, it was brilliant and very positive. Their dedication and ambition shone through. After that it was a done deal, I didn’t need any more convincing. It was a massive decision, there’s no getting away from that, but it was a double whammy to manage a club with ambition like this and, being selfish, returning to my family. It wasn’t easy, my family looked at me and wanted to make sure I was in the right mindset. After the club got permission, it was more or less where I wanted to go.” Coughlan on Mansfield's fixtures “It’s a tough slog ahead. Every game, when you’re looking up, becomes even tougher. Deal with it one game at a time.” Coughlan on if he is uncomprimising “You’ll have to ask the players. I don’t suffer fools gladly, there’s no excuse for a lack of discipline or not being on time. There’s no excuse, they’re basics and a given. All football fans want is honesty, hard work and committed players.” Coughlan to keep staff as they are “We are as we are. I’m still getting used to names and faces. We had a staff meeting this morning, I’m happy with the staff we have here. We’ll assess over the coming weeks. Will I let anyone go the week before Christmas? No way.” Mansfield CEO on Coughlan “Football is results-based and results were just not there. We spoke to quite a few managers and we had to go with our heart and our gut reaction and that was with Graham. He seemed to have all the qualities going forward. He’s taken a club that weren’t doing very well to right up there so hopefully he can replicate that.” Coughlan's contract is 2.5 years Ironically the same as the one he got at Rovers... Coughlan talks up record of giving youngsters game time at Rovers “I’ve done it as a manager. I was only 12 months in charge of Bristol Rovers but if you look at the number of debutants I’ve given to the academy, there’s nothing better than fans singing ‘he’s one of our own’.” Coughlan on Mansfield players “At my previous club I was quite keen on taking one or two of them but I couldn’t. I know a lot about them.” ----------------------- twitter @bbcbristolsport Graham Coughlan on “Having a Gas”: “I try not to let anybody down in my life... “I would ask any parent, what would you do? Would you go and get security for your family? Would you go and be with your family? “My own well-being as well, I just had to do something” On the Rovers fans: “Yes, we may have had a colourful relationship. Yes, they may have had a few ideas and thoughts about me. But they have been absolutely immense” ---------------- We're not giving up on the play-offs yet says Mansfield Town CEO Carolyn Radford chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town CEO Carolyn Radford believes new boss Graham Coughlan could yet still drive the struggling Stags into this season's play-offs. Despite being 12 points adrift, Radford feels Coughlan - finally chosen from their final two outstanding candidates to replace John Dempster - is the right man to get Stags into a winning habit. “Graham is incentivised to go out there and turn this season around, and it's not unheard of,” she said. “If he can galvanise this exceptionally talented group of players and get them winning, winning is contagious. The play-off places are there. “We put so much financial support, time, effort and love, we always expect our managers to go out there and win and get three points every game. Read more at https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/we-re-not-giving-up-on-the-play-offs-yet-says-mansfield-town-ceo-carolyn-radford-1-10158969 “When we went into the play-offs last season, the players were down after going for that automatic place. Sometimes when it's the teams that just slip in there that are statistically the ones that get promoted.” She revealed the club had been inundated with applications for the job. “People would have been looking at our results and seeing it as inevitable something was going to happen, so we've been approached a lot by different managers,” she said. “They look at Mansfield as a progressive and ambitious club. We've been inundated with CVs and had lots of conversations with a wide range of different managers, but ultimately it had to be a gut feeling. “There were two particular managers we really, really wanted. Both were exceptional candidates for the job. We ended up going with our heart - and that said Graham. “He is incredibly driven - a very humble character with a huge aura about him. He is extremely charismatic. “As we can see from the exceptional way he's led Bristol Rovers since January, he's got a proven ability to take a club that's not doing very well and get them up to the top of the table where they need to be, “Our squad is a phenomenal group of players who were carefully selected and deserve to be fulfilling their potential and that of the football club.” On sacking Dempster last weekend, she added: “It's been very busy and very chaotic as these things are. I've not slept very much. It's a very emotional time. “It's always very sad to see a manager move on and we had a great relationship with John Dempster. “We'd known him for over seven years, but unfortunately football is such a results-based industry that we had to take the decision, which was not made lightly, to move on.” ---------------- It was hard and emotional to sack John Dempster - CEO Carolyn Radford on change of manager at Mansfield Town chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS Mansfield Town CEO Carolyn Radford admitted it had been hard and emotional to sack manager John Dempster. Club stalwart Dempster was dismissed with the side 18th in the league last weekend and quickly replaced by Bristol Rovers boss Graham Coughlan. “It was incredibly hard,” she said. “We'd built up such a relationship over seven and a half years through promotion with him as a player and then he did such a great job with the youth system. “There were so many things he'd contributed to the football club and he deserved to have a chance. “It was just one of those things where you wonder how long do you give? https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/it-was-hard-and-emotional-to-sack-john-dempster-ceo-carolyn-radford-on-change-of-manager-at-mansfield-town-1-10161577 “But we owed it to the supporters and to the football club. It's never an easy decision, but we just had to say goodbye.” She added: “I get very emotional. It's not an easy job to do to say goodbye to someone. “We were taking it game by game but he had a certain amount of points he should get, but it just wasn't getting there at all. “We were thinking about it for quite a number of weeks. “Succession planning is what you do in any business. Football is results-based and our results were just not there. “So we have been looking around and spoke to quite a few managers. “We had an amazing number of talented managers approach us so it just shows how far this club has come and people see us as ambitious and going places.” Mrs Radford said the play-offs remained a hugely ambitious target, despite how much ground needed to be made up, but admitted: “We have to be careful of expectation levels and maybe a more measured approach game by game is probably going to be the way we close the season and just keep building up those points. “We just need to be authentic, keep working hard and turn round the mindset of the players. They are amazing people and so talented. They don't want to be where they are currently.” Coughlan has been given a two and a half year contract with Mrs Radford saying: “We want stability too. The previous regime before John Dempster I didn't want that to move. It was a board decision. “I think it's always good to maintain longevity with managers.” The move from Bristol Rovers to Mansfield brings Coughlan closer to his Sheffield home and he smiled: “It's a great Christmas present for my wife and my kids after 11 years on the road. I have missed my kids and I've missed my wife. “At the end of the day it was a double whammy for me to manage a club like this and be associated with ambitious people, and, call it being selfish, being with my family.” ------------------- Carolyn Radford in press conference to introduce the new manager: "it is a 2.5 year contract." ----------------- carolyn_radford Welcome to Mansfield Town, Graham Coughlan! #newmanager @mansfieldtownfc @efl johnterry.26 Good Luck @carolyn_radford @mansfieldtownfc carolyn_radford Thanks John! Carolyn Q&A on instagram Q: Would you consider someone with no top level manager experience? A: Our last manager was an internal appointment, an ex player who worked his way up. Right now we need experience. And a good win ratio! ------------------------------- John Radford @JRadfordMTFC We’ve got our man! Graham has done an outstanding job at Bristol Rovers and we’re delighted to welcome him our club. #Stags’ fans: give Graham your full support. #COYS!!! #WelcomeGraham #NewEra -------------- EARLIER STORIES, see: https://stagsnet.net/news/newsdetails.php?newsid=9743 -------------- |
Latest | December 2019