Archived News from January 2003
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GANNON AND GRADI REACTION
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John Gannon said after the Crewe game: "We were more than worth a point today. The game hinged on a few incidents. In the first half, Disley can't react quick enough after a shot comes back off the post, but the lad has worked his socks off - he deserved a goal. Then we didn't mark tight enough at a set piece and they've taken the lead. And then obviously the sending off. None of the players on the pitch thought there was anything naughty about the challenge. We put in a spirited effort for last half an hour with 10 players and that last half hour gave great signs for the future. We were more than a match for Crewe today and were the dominant side at times, and we just didn't get any luck today. We were solid and were at it today. We caused them problems going forward. We are hugely disappointed with the result." (transcribed by Martin Shaw, from interview on Stags World)
--------- Stags praised in defeat CHAD website Stags assistant manager John Gannon praised the team for their sterling efforts which brought them no reward in this afternoon's 2-0 defeat at Crewe. It took the home side until the sixth minute of stoppage time before they finally killed off a Stags side that had Iyseden Christie controversially sent off on 65 minutes and Gannon said: "The result does not paint the real picture. "We had some wonderful chances, especially the one for Craig Disley which came very quickly to him off the post and, unfortunately he could not direct it on goal. "We didn't give Crewe a minute in the first half. We all over them and had them rattled. "I have no idea why Iyseden was sent off and we will be looking at the video. I thought the referee was very picky about people touching each other and in a man's game in this day and age I don't think his challenge warranted a sending-off. "We can take a lot out of the game and you would not have known which side had the 10 men in that last 20 minutes. "The lads now need a rest. They have done very well in the December programme, despite the last two results being disappointing. Overall it has been very promising and we have shown a large improvement." ----------- Audio interview with John Gannon from Radio Nottingham (RealPlayer needed) http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/football/2002/mansfield_crewe_away_gannon.ram ----------- Meanwhile Dario Gradi said it was the best Mansfield side that his side had played against this season. Dario told crewealex.net: "I thought we deserved to win the game in the end, although they had one really good chance in the first-half when the lad put it over the bar. It was certainly easier to score than miss it and it was a let off for us. "That was the best Mansfield side we have faced and they have improved a great deal. Keith Curle has done very well there and they are as not as naive as they were earlier in the season. It was harder for us to run past them and they have tightened up at the back. "I thought that we could deal with their one up and two wingers. I thought it wouldn't be easy for them to create too many chances playing like that. When we saw their formation we were quite happy with that, but we knew we had to try something different ourselves after losing Rob and Dean with injury. "We wanted to play the ball in behind for the two smaller lads, but we couldn't manage that too well in the first half and then we did get them in, they didn't do too much with it. Rodney had a good chance, but failed to control it and Steve should have done better with a couple of crosses. He added: "To be fair to them the service into them wasn't too good and they were getting frustrated, but it isn't easy to play football on the pitch at the moment. It is hard and there isn't a lot of grass on it at the moment. "I was pleased with the set-play. Dave Walton took it very well. I was pleased with his goal and John showed a bit of quality for the second goal to make the final minute a bit more enjoyable." ----------- Audio interview with Dario Gradi from Radio Stoke (RealPlayer needed) http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/realmedia/crewe/2003/01/gradi_010103.ram ----------- |
Latest | January 2003