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Archived News from July 2005

SELECTION PROBLEMS FOR PALMER
25th July 2005 20:55


Consistency the Key Says Stags' Boss

mansfieldtown.net

The Huddersfield game was a good work out for the boys says Carlton Palmer. The Stags boss has been impressed by his new look Mansfield Town team and is confident that with a couple more games under their belts that the players will be ready for the 2005/06 season in League two.

"We played very, very well and I thought we the better side over ninety minutes so now we are looking for some consistency and getting the lads as many minutes on the pitch as possible. Of course we would like to win football matches but I think performances equal results and in our league if we perform as well as we have in the last two games consistently we will win football matches, of tat I have no doubt". He told the official website this afternoon

Despite conceding two goals on Friday evening against League one outfit Huddersfield he was pleased at the overall performance of his team saying

"we played well, getting back in the game. We just need to get a bit more 'steel' about us and start closing teams down a bit more. The two goals conceded were weak one in the seventieth minute when Jason Talbot was down injured leaving us with ten men and a late one as the players were tiring slightly but we were playing an attacking formation with three centre forwards so we have to accept that from time to time we may conceded one or two goals but as we saw during the game we created loads of chances of our own we no, just have to start converting the chances.

"I can't fault any off our players who made a good side form a higher division look average."

Telling of his choice of pre-season games The stags' management duo gave a lot of thought choosing only games that they believed the players could learn from:

"We could have played games that we would have easily won six or seven nil but what is the point in that. Aston Villa won a game 13-0 the other day. As a manager you would sit down and think to yourself what I have learnt from that game?

"Absolutely Nothing! I have learnt from the Derby game and the game the other night and we are learning how good our squad is. How they play, how they keep their shape and so as I said all we need to do now is get a bit of steel about us. This will come with experience and you cannot gain that experience by beating a team easily 7-0." He added.

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Selection problems for Palmer

mansfieldtown.net

Carlton Palmer has found himself with the enviable position of trying to select his starting line up for the first game of the Campaign at Stockport but admits it is a headache that he is glad to be having:

"I want to be sat down on Saturday night after the Rotherham game praying that everybody has come through the pre-season alright and injury free - I want the same problem that I have now, which is that apart from one or two positions I don't know who will be starting against Stockport" said Palmer.

"There are going to be some disappointed people come three o'clock at Stockport but we have worked hard to get ourselves in this position so the players have to understand that I will pick the team as fairly as I can and some of them will be a close call.

"in the end the team that starts will be what we think is the best eleven to beat Stockport NOT my best eleven because I haven't got a best eleven they are all doing brilliantly" he added

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Hjelde debut set back

mansfieldtown.net

The Norwegian centre half may be making his debut for the Stags Stag as early as Wednesday 27th July when the Stags play host to Paul Sturrock's Sheffield Wednesday. Originally pencilled in on the team sheet for the away reserve game at Teversal Hjelde is champing at the bit to get started in the Amber shirt.

"Jon was to play a part in the game at Teversal the other day but the pitch wasn't in very good condition so we held him back. He is a bit behind on his fitness and we didn't want to risk injury. So he may play some part in the game on Wednesday (Sheffield Wednesday 7.45pm) or Saturday (Rotherham United 3.00pm)

"We will assess his fitness later on the week but I think that he will play some part in one of the games - we are starting, now to button things down in place for the Stockport game" said Palmer

Meanwhile Stephen Dawson who missed out on Friday's game with Huddersfield Town with a slight thigh strain is expected to be back in the starting eleven on Wednesday after training well this morning.


 

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