Archived News from April 2015
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MURRAY, HESLOP, PHIL BROWN REACTION
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Murray looks ahead to Shrews test
mansfieldtown.net Gaffer wants spirited display as high-flying Shrews come to One Call Stadium. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/murray-looks-ahead-to-shrews-test-2375727.aspx#QQVHHGEFWCAsK47S.99 Manager Adam Murray wants his players to produce a spirited display full of desire and commitment, as our team hope to record precious points in the fight for survival when they entertain Shrewsbury Town on Monday (1.00pm). Two goals in quick succession midway through the first half consigned us to a 2-0 defeat at Southend United yesterday, which means we are six points above the Sky Bet League Two drop zone with six matches of the season remaining. “I said four months ago that this would go down to the wire and nothing has changed,” said our manager. “When you’re down there [near the bottom of the table] confidence suffers. What we’ve got to do now is not feel sorry for ourselves, because we have to go again.” Murray continued: “I think stability and consistency come hand-in-hand. I’ve said in my programme notes for Monday’s home game, we are in our situation because of the amount of disruption and change that’s gone through the club this season. “We’ve obviously had a change of manager, we’ve had staff leave, we’ve had ridiculous amounts of players, too many loan players and about four physios, so there has been a ridiculous amount of change at the football club. “You put that into consideration with the style of play and the routines we’ve tried to change with the lads and it’s adding to the challenge that we’re in. But we can’t afford, at the minute, to sit back and go ‘This is not fair’. We’ve got to stand up and we’ve got to fight. “The realistic of the situation is the facts of the matter that we’ve got to deal with. Nobody is going to say ‘You’ve had to deal with that this season, here are three points’ - it doesn’t work like that. “As long as we put performances in, show commitment and determination, I feel a million times more positive than I did this time last week [after the defeat to York City].” Reflecting on yesterday’s defeat at Roots Hall, our boss added: “I don’t think anyone who was at the game can complain that we didn’t perform well. “The ingredients I asked for before the game, the boys gave. We gave everything that we could. If we’re being honest, we came up against a side that were a little bit better than us in certain areas. “We matched them for large parts of the game and probably should have taken advantage of chances that we had. We didn’t and we got punished for little errors, like we have been for the majority of this season.” ------------------ Stags boss Murray much happier in defeat at Southend chad.co.uk Despite a 2-0 defeat at Southend United this afternoon, Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray was much happier with his side’s showing after last weekend’s home hammering by York City. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/stags-boss-murray-much-happier-in-defeat-at-southend-1-7193039 He got the reaction he demanded from his players with a much gutsier display and good spells of possession. However, two goals in seven minutes after sloppy mistakes from Stags were punished by a ruthless promotion-chasing Shrimpers side. It left Mansfield six points off the drop zone with six games to go with very tough games against promotion-chasers Shrewsbury at home (Monday, 1pm) and Plymouth (away, next Saturday). “Today is a tough one to take,” said Murray. “I asked for certain things before the game. And the supporters that travelled down will agree the performance was there. “If I am being honest it was one of our better performances for a while. We have got to be men. We have got to stand up and fight and get our tin helmets on “But w saw today why they are where they are in the play-offs and why we are where we are. We had chances in the game but didn’t take then. “We dictated and played some great stuff, then we gave away two sloppy goals. “But we wanted to come here and get a bit of pride back and we did that. “Coming into this game we always knew it would be tremendously hard as Southend are a great team. They have had very few personnel changes over the last few years and are like a machine in certain ways. “What won the game was that they were ruthless in both boxes and we were not. “Today the fans will go away very disappointed, as will the players, to lose the game, but if we perform like that we will be okay. “We have come to a top of the table team and dictated for large parts. Take away the sloppy errors and we come away with something. “Overall, we played some good stuff and our work ethic was top drawer. We showed commitment and pride. “But it’s tough when you don’t get the rub of the green.” Murray tried to ease the growing pressure as the relegation battle hots up by saying the biggest games will be the last four with anything gained from the Shrewbury and Plymouth games a bonus. He said: “We must now prepare and recover as quickly as we can as we have two big games coming up against top opposition. “We have to be realistic. Those teams are not in our ball park. “Then we have four ‘World Cup finals’ after that. That I think will be the telling time. We have a very tough few weeks and four of the biggest games in this football club’s history for a long time ahead. “We have got to be men. We have got to stand up and fight and get our tin helmets on. “It is frustrating, but we are doing everything we can as a football club to pull this over the line.” ----------------- Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray told BBC Radio Nottingham: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32081522 "We gave everything we could, but we came up against a side that were better than us in certain areas. "We matched them for large parts, but we got punished for little errors like we have done for the majority of the season. "We're makeshift at the minute, and when you're at the bottom, confidence suffers. We can't afford to feel sorry for ourselves. We're going to have to dig deep, but it's in our own hands." ---------------- Heslop hoping Stags can take improved form into Shrewsbury clash chad.co.uk, by John Lomas Mansfield Town midfielder Simon Heslop is hoping Stags’ improved showing at Southend in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat can be taken into the tough home clash with Shrewsbury Town on Monday (1pm). http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/heslop-hoping-stags-can-take-improved-form-into-shrewsbury-clash-1-7193057 It will be the second of three testing games against top seven sides in League Two. However, in defeat, the performance at Roots Hall was much improved on the previous weekend’s tame home surrender against York and Heslop said: “Obviously it’s disappointing to lose a game, but overall the performance wasn’t too bad. “We played well for large spells of the game. It was just about being better in both boxes and that killed us a bit today. “Looking back I hope that is something we can take into Monday and the coming games after that. “Southend are a very good team in this league with a lot bigger budget than Mansfield, not that that should matter, and they have a lot of good players. “Today we have proved against a top team that we can match them in general play and there is not reason why we can’t go on and do that again against Shrewsbury - and be better in the box. “We do have two more very tough games this week. But we do seem to be better against the better teams so maybe that’s a good thing?” ----------------- Phil Brown: A good day at the office, with win and clean sheet southendunited.co.uk Boss delighted to see his side return to winning ways. Southend United manager Phil Brown was delighted to see his side return to winning ways, following a convincing 2-0 win over Mansfield Town. Read more at http://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/article/phil-brown-southend-united-mansfield-town-match-reaction-2374853.aspx#XqdERIrgCv6z5zv7.99 Both goals - scored by Barry Corr and Will Atkinson - set Blues on their way to the win, and Brown felt his side probably could have added to their tally against the Stags. “I'm delighted with the win,” Brown began. “The energy levels and the discipline was excellent. We should have had a goal or two more in the first half. “It was a comfortable 2-0. They threw things at us in the latter stages, but Dan Bentley didn't really have to make a save of any note. “Will [Atkinson] has to add goals to his game. That was probably one of the reasons Bradford let him go. He's looking to add that to his game and it was a really good day at the office for him. “It's tight at the top of the table, there's pressure on the players and the teams. If we emulate what we did last year, we'll get into the 80s. We have nine wins at home this season.” Blues recorded yet another clean sheet at home, with Dan Bentley's consecutive shut out at number nine now - one away from equaling Mervyn Cawston's record. But it was the centre back partnersip of Adam Barrett and Cian Bolger, which really impressed the Blues chief. “As a defender, the clean sheet was very pleasing. Adam Barrett and Cian Bolger were part of a clean sheet and they've put their hats in the ring now. Mansfield played a 4-5-1 formation initially before going two up front, in the form of Matt Rhead. We have that clean sheet mentality and Adam Barrett has that. Cian came off the bench and had a point to prove for the 70-odd minutes and he did well. “To get our 13th clean sheet at home this season, it shows what a fortress Roots Hall is.” Bolger came on as an early substitute for Adam Thompson, who went off with a shoulder injury, with Brown not expecting the former Watford man back for the trip to Hartlepool United on Monday. “Tommo [Thompson] has played since early January with a strapped up shoulder. It's popped out before and he has a history with it. As a number five, he's going to get these problems in his career. He's a battler. “Hartlepool will be disappointed at throwing a two-goal lead away. I've played at Victoria Park many times. Having 5,000 there will mean it will be an intimidating atmosphere. We go into the game with renewed confidence.” ------------------ Lenny Pidgeley @pidge40 Just remembered the shout from a Southend fan today, Oi Pidgeley you look the part but your f**king shit (emoticon-face with tears of joy) ----------------- |
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