Archived News from December 2020
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CLOUGH AND CHRIS BEECH REACTION
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We must do better in final third - manager
mansfieldtown.net, Tuesday 15th December 2020 Boss Nigel Clough has called for an improvement in the final third from his players following this evening’s 1-0 defeat to Carlisle United. Although Mansfield defended valiantly for the majority of the contest, entries into the Carlisle penalty area were at a premium throughout the affair. The manager says that the Stags ‘do well’ until ‘about 18 to 20 yards out,’ and this is the area that they must focus most on improving. “It was a hard game for us, playing the form team in the league at the moment,” Nigel Clough told iFollow Stags. “It was very difficult for us to get the ball down and play tonight. “We dealt with the vast majority of what they threw at us very well. It’s just disappointing that we didn’t do more ourselves to cause them problems. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2020/december/nigel-clough-post-carlisle/ “I thought we started both halves well. I thought there was nothing in it until their goal, but it was a brilliant finish. “I thought we battled away in both areas, but when we got the ball in the penalty area, we didn’t cross into good areas. “We caused their goalkeeper very few problems tonight. We’re doing well up until about 18 to 20 yards out, and that’s where we have to improve. “Defensively, we put our heads on everything we could and got some great blocks in. We restricted them, but we have to do better in creating our chances.” There was an incredible piece of defending in the first-half, as centre-back Ryan Sweeney somehow cleared what looked a certain goal from Carlisle's Joe Riley over the crossbar. Nigel Clough says that the miraculous goal-line clearance ‘epitomised the spirit’ of the Stags defensively this evening. “I don’t know how he [Sweeney] got it over the bar. Mal Benning has been caught out of position, and you think it’s going to hit the back of the net. “All of a sudden, Ryan gets back and gets it over the crossbar. He epitomised the spirit of the players tonight. “I thought he was very good, battling away, certainly defensively.” The boss also placed an emphasis on the improvement of set plays, with the Stags not taking advantage of several corners and free-kicks this evening. “Anytime we got in and around the penalty area, we seemed to waste our chances, whether it was from open play or set plays. “We need whoever is taking the set plays, someone put it in the right area to give us a chance. It must be frustrating for Cooky [Andy Cook], the centre-halves and Jordan [Bowery]. “We don’t get the ball in the right areas and provide opportunities. That’s something they have to work on with their delivery.” There was also an update on striker Nicky Maynard, who was absent from today’s squad after suffering a dead leg in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Grimsby Town. “Yes [Maynard has a dead leg from Saturday]. It was too sore - it was a nasty one. Just after he came on, he turned somebody and they caught him. “Hopefully he’ll be okay for Saturday, if not Boxing Day.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch Nigel Clough’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later this evening. ------------------- MANAGER: Happy with the standard of the performance Chris Beech with his thoughts on the Mansfield victory carlisleunited.co.uk United’s victory on Tuesday night took their current run to four consecutive wins, with three of those victories complemented by clean sheets. Now sat in second spot, with eight of the nine league home games so far this season having also been victories, we spoke to manager Chris Beech about what had been another good, solid performance. “The run is good, isn’t it,” he said. “I’m really proud of the performance from the lads. You can’t always get quite what you want, and even though I thought we were good in the first half, we weren’t very good. “What was pleasing was we talked about how Jack [Armer] would play the role of right back differently to George [Tanner] and we’d have different things come off it. “Jack set the goal up by coming on the inside and putting a lovely cross in. Omari’s touch and finish is good enough to beat any team. I’m really pleased with that.” “There are different types of performances,” he continued. “Mansfield have major finance with strengths to back up their starting eleven. They brought on people to try and do that, and I thought one might drop to Cook in the end, but Jon Mellish did well to clean it up. “You’ve got to do these things. Hard work is the first thing you should always bring to work, then a little bit of quality. The quality of the touch and finish for the goal was of the highest standard tonight.” https://www.carlisleunited.co.uk/news/2020/december/manager-happy-with-the-standard-of-the-performance/ Yet again the shut-out was achieved by hard work which saw the team reduce the visitors to just one shot on target. “I think Paul [Farman] tipped one effort over the bar and I don’t think that was a shot, it was a cross,” he commented. “He was alert to it. He was gutted to get a booking because he didn’t hear the ref blow the whistle to take the kick, he hadn’t actually spotted the ball by that point. “It was amazing that Mansfield could take a lot of time with every dead ball in the first half, but we did it once and got booked. That really miffs me because it wasn’t warranted, but it happens. “We didn’t get a lot of decisions. I think it was after 34 minutes of the first half that we got a decision where it was a bit of a 50/50. At half time, I always listen to the players first and see what their mood is, and they were agitated with those decisions. “I told them they were in a position of strength after scoring a quality goal, so they had to try to not do anything daft to support a bad decision. It’s difficult for referees, I know it’s easy to stand here and criticise. “I know it’s difficult, but I was speaking to the fourth official and all I was asking for was fairness. Ultimately, it does matter, but it doesn’t matter because we managed to beat everybody that was out there tonight. “I was very happy with the standard of the performance because Mansfield are a good team. They’d lost the same amount of games as us before tonight so it just happened to go that way for us. “I wish we could have got another goal, but we didn’t, but we made sure they didn’t get one, which is really good.” With the players looking confident every time they step onto the pitch, he told us: “They do, and long may it continue. “We all know that without hard work and honesty it won’t carry on, so we have to remain with our traits, which start from that point. “We’ve had some challenges along the way with injuries and the like, but with the culture and environment we have in the changing room I think the players are confident of bridging gaps, and they did that again with Mansfield. “The lads are staking a claim for their own rights to become what they can become because, let’s be right, the lads who started the season took a few games to get into their stride. “For Jack Armer to get in his stride straight away, I’m so pleased for him, and this is why it takes strong decisions in the past like playing him against Hayes, because it takes away that factor tonight with having played him in the FA Cup. “If I don’t take a risk on a young player he never gets an opportunity, it was just the right thing to do.” “Overall I’m just pleased that we’re able to report on another hard and honest performance,” he concluded. “It wasn’t quite as slick as Salford or Stevenage but it still had some great moments in it. “The goal comes from Jack picking out a pass with vision, and not just crossing blind, and the finish was superb. “We defended brilliantly despite the decisions going against us that we talked about and I’m really proud of the players for that. We defended and attacked as a team and it’s just a shame we didn’t get the second goal. “Football is about winning and I like to play fast, attacking football that creates chances and goals. I want my players to enjoy themselves, it’s pretty simple really, and I think the lads are following that at the moment. “The fans are enjoying it and I thank everybody for their support of what we’re doing.” --------------------------- Carlisle United boss on high-flying Blues' determined win over Mansfield Town newsandstar.co.uk, By Jon Colman, Tuesday 15th December 2020 Chris Beech couldn’t hide his delight at the “exquisite” Omari Patrick goal that sent Carlisle United up to second in League Two. The forward got his second of the season with a well-taken first-half strike against Mansfield. It enabled the Blues to seal a 1-0 win - their fourth victory in a row, putting them just two points off top spot. “It was a beautiful finish and what a ball in from Jack Armer,” Beech said. “He actually picked him out with vision, he delivers, Omari’s first touch is exquisite and his volley is ridiculous. https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/18948089.carlisle-united-boss-high-flying-blues-determined-win-mansfield-town/ “It’s a goal good enough to win any game of football and it’s managed to help us to beat Mansfield.” It ended a 12-game wait for Patrick to add to his effort against Southend in September, and the attacker was a popular matchwinner after another dangerous display. “He’s been getting closer and I’m really pleased for him and his family, because he’s moved into the area and he has a great personality,” Beech said. “He had a lot of shots, some were good choices and some weren’t so clever, but you can’t criticise a player for having a go. I’d rather them do that than not because they’ll get one right, and he did. “I know the fans like him because he’s sociable on social media and he lives in the area, he’s just a great person and so are his family. I’m really proud of Omari’s attitude, and the quality of his goal was exquisite.” Beech was pleased with United’s display as the Cumbrians had to dig deep to make sure their positive display got the maximum reward against Nigel Clough’s side. Carlisle could have had more goals but restricted Clough’s Stags to very few clear chances. “I’m very happy with the standard of the performance because Mansfield are a good team,” Beech said. “They’d lost the same amount of games as us beforehand, so it just happened to go that way for us. “I wish we could have got another one, we didn’t, but we made sure they didn’t get one which is really good. “I’m really proud of the lads’ performance. Mansfield have major finance with strengths to back up their starting XI. They brought on people to try and do that, and I thought one might drop to Andy Cook in the end, but Jon Mellish did well to clean it up. “You’ve got to do these things. Hard work is the first thing you should always bring to work, then a little bit of quality. The quality of the touch and finish for the goal was of the highest standard.” United have won their last three league games without conceding - a feat they have not performed since 2014 in the early stages of Keith Curle’s reign. Paul Farman’s latest shut-out was his seventh in 18 league games. Beech said: “I think Paul [Farman] tipped one effort over the bar but I don’t think that was a shot, it was a cross. He was alert to it. “He was gutted to get a booking [for taking too long over a free-kick in the second half] because he didn’t hear the ref blow the whistle to take the kick, he hadn’t actually spotted the ball by that point. “It was amazing that Mansfield could take a lot of time with every dead ball in the first half, but we did it once and got booked. That really miffs me because it wasn’t warranted but it happens.” Beech felt United in general did not get much change out of ref Peter Wright but said it was important his side overcame any frustration in that respect. “We didn’t get a lot of decisions,” he said. “I think it was after 34 minutes of the first half that we got a decision where it was a bit of a 50/50. “At half time, I always listen to the players first and see what their mood is, and they were agitated with those decisions. I told them they were in a position of strength after scoring a quality goal, so they had to try to not do anything daft to support a bad decision. “It’s difficult for referees, I know it’s easy to stand here and criticise, but I was speaking to the fourth official and all I was asking for was fairness. “Ultimately, it does matter, but it doesn’t matter because we managed to beat everybody that was out there.” ----------------- |
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