Mansfield 2017-18, 2018-19 choking inquiry

[AdamStag]

What an odd comparison I didn't realise you were in your first season in L2 since being promoted from non-league and had Matt Rhead and Matt Green as your first-choice strikers!

If Cowley was your manager this season he'd have won the league with 95+ points, I'm sure of it.

I don’t doubt that.

They’re good managers though

 

[Son of Cod]

For all their sexy football and attacking talent, is it wrong to suggest that Mansfield didn't go up because they just weren't ruthless enough? Without checking stats for individual games, it seems like there were quite a few matches that Stags fans came on here and said they dominated but drew...or won/lost by a single goal.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Sexy football SoC? That’s so 2018! Died a long time ago at Mansfailed

 

[AdamStag]

For all their sexy football and attacking talent, is it wrong to suggest that Mansfield didn't go up because they just weren't ruthless enough? Without checking stats for individual games, it seems like there were quite a few matches that Stags fans came on here and said they dominated but drew...or won/lost by a single goal.

There were 3 main reasons IMO why we didn’t go up

1) what you mentioned, we drew too many in the season - especially in the first half where we battered sides and didn’t convert - ultimately battering sides but not scoring goals doesn’t win games

2) injuries to Bobby oljenik and Hayden white were massive - both were immense and we struggled without them and couldn’t really replace what they did within the side

3) ultimately David Flitcroft is a bottler. Whenever there’s a big game, he fails - he doesn’t deliver, he’s out-thought. When it gets to the business end to the season he’s hopeless - 5 games in a row without a win at the end of the season typifies him.

 

[shoddycollins]

 

[Luke Imp]

For all their sexy football and attacking talent, is it wrong to suggest that Mansfield didn't go up because they just weren't ruthless enough? Without checking stats for individual games, it seems like there were quite a few matches that Stags fans came on here and said they dominated but drew...or won/lost by a single goal.

This is the overall division view.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I think Flitcroft could be gone in the next 24 hours or so.

 

[Stringy]

But it wasn't a single game, they lost the two games prior to that, and didn't win either leg of the play offs. That's five games they had a chance to get promoted and failed in all five.

Yes they were very close to promotion, but when you choke in 5 games like that, something is wrong.

I think this is the point that really needs to be drilled home.

He took over on 1st March 2018. We were 5th on 60 pts, with one game in hand. A win would have put us third. We had four 1-1 draws in a row in his first four games in charge. This is where my memory gets a little sketchy and I can't find the article, but I think this is when he released his ridiculous comment that we "need to win more and lose more games" to get in the play-offs. What kind of manager tells their players they need to lose more games? It's completely ludicrous. You win and draw but you don't try to lose. In the end, we won 2 in 12 and missed out on the play-offs. Home games against Crewe, Port Vale and Crawley were the final three home games. We got two points from those fixtures.

We've had a repeat at the end of this season. We've not just had the MK game, we could have promoted in the Stevenage home game (basically a carbon copy of the Crawley game the season before, although admittedly Stevenage were better). I can't interpret this information in any other way than a pattern.

If we can keep the defence together we’ve a chance, if we keep them with the formation we play we’ll never concede many.

The problem we have is that will radford come to the conclusion that quite a few Mansfield fans have came to - that flitcroft is a total fraud of a manager.

A bottler, out-thought too often, too rigid with his formation, no plan B.

I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I hadn't enjoyed some of the football this season. However, his substitutions and tweaks to tactics are hilariously bad at times. Last night when we were losing he was rotating the strikers and midfielders into all kinds of weird and wonderful positions. It's like experimenting on Football Manager because you know the results don't matter. It's like he's trying to go something crazy to change the game so people will think he's a football genius, but it has no impact on the game. If you want to mix things up, you don't go into ridiculous positions, you stick to the same formations but mix your player runs and stuff up a bit.

It's not acceptable for a professional football team.

 

[Stringy]

They were both here before flitcroft though.

From what I know Danny rose doesn’t particularly like him

I don't think Danny Rose liked Steve Evans either based on his mutterings while warming up in a few games last season. I suspect he loves himself so much he can't handle any criticism whatsoever, as evidenced by the fact he has not improved even slightly as a player in his time here. I do like Danny Rose, but sadly I am coming round to the idea that he isn't good enough.

I think Flitcroft could be gone in the next 24 hours or so.

Let's hope so.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Danny Rose is a strange. I’ve only seen him live 2 or 3 times max and have always been impressed. A couple of seasons ago he looked so promising and I read nothing but good on here about him and especially about his future. What happened? Why has his career stalled? We all thought he was better than he is? He’s to blame cos
he doesn’t care enough? Or the change of managers?

Genuinely interested

 

[T.A]

Danny Rose is one of them players that you wouldnt notice hes playing at all but hes somehow scored a goal or two. At least thats how he was for us. His goal at Gigg was a great example of it.

 

[AdamStag]

Sacked!

 

[Conker]

I heard it was being discussed yesterday, rumours that it was so it’s not surprised me in that sense, although I’m still shocked Radford has got rid.

 

[Conker]

John Dempster has got the job so promoted within - now that is a huge shock, maybe JR is not backing the club like the last two summers.

 

[AdamStag]

Very good decision to sack flitcroft though.

He’s a fraud

 

[Conker]

Very good decision to sack flitcroft though.

He’s a fraud

I like the idea of Dempster, he’s done incredibly well with the youth and trying other managers even ones with proven promotions has not worked.

It’s going to get loads of criticism this appointment but I’m fully behind him, it’s defin risky though, but that’s football.

 

[Indian Dan]

Not good news for the rest of us. Mansfield with a decent manager will be a strong beast next season

 

[AdamStag]

Not good news for the rest of us. Mansfield with a decent manager will be a strong beast next season

Depends what the budgets like.

Last time we promoted from within he had a meagre budget

 

[AdamStag]

I like the idea of Dempster, he’s done incredibly well with the youth and trying other managers even ones with proven promotions has not worked.

It’s going to get loads of criticism this appointment but I’m fully behind him.

As I said in the other thread, everything, like everything the bury and Swindon fans said rang true
1) bizarre tactical decisions under pressure
2) cracks under pressure
3) never does well in derbies

The list could go on.

I was probably more critical than most mansfield fans, I didn’t like him to start with, him blowing the playoffs was almost an impossible feat last season.

 

[Conker]

John Radford clearly gave him everything and just couldn’t let him carry on after the failure.

Huge budget, big backroom staff, overnight stays at pretty much every away game, top training facilities etc.

 

[Wooderson]

Has there been any suggestions of a reduced budget Conker?

 

[Enzo Scifo's Right Foot]

I would shocked if it wasn’t a much reduced budget with that surprise appointment . It’s very rare , if ever , that a club appoints and promotes from within and the same level of spending occurs .

As always with any appointment can essentially go one of two ways , with this type of appointment it’s usually more extreme in terms of success or failure .

The Chairman’s statement very strongly suggests back to back chokes from Mansfield . Spanishstag won’t want to hear it but when the Chairman basically states it also , well.......


Where is Spanishstag has he resurfaced on any thread yet ? Or still in hiding haha

 

[AdamStag]

Has there been any suggestions of a reduced budget Conker?

Most are going on that assumption - though it’s not really confirmed.

Why would he let a rookie of a manager (even with a good pedigree) loose with a massive budget

 

[Conker]

Has there been any suggestions of a reduced budget Conker?

The statement suggest not but the appointment sort of does, but I imagine a budget cut is possible even if we kept Flitcroft because it increased even from Steve Evans due to unwanted players on the books.

Radford has a habit of drastically increasing and decreasing budgets, so it’s possible but honestly we will not know until we start doing some business, and like I mentioned on Stagsnet you could skim £500,000 off and I bet we would still be top 7.

Last time Radford cut the budget it went under £1m - that would be impossible unless we practically sold everyone and signed Morecambe squad.

 

[Lborostag]

Delighted DF has gone, and after seeing the goings on at Bury and the like I don't really have a huge problem if the budget is cut. We can't bottle promotion if we are never in the hunt

 

[Wooderson]

The statement suggest not but the appointment sort of does, but I imagine a budget cut is possible even if we kept Flitcroft because it increased even from Steve Evans due to unwanted players on the books.

Radford has a habit of drastically increasing and decreasing budgets, so it’s possible but honestly we will not know until we start doing some business, and like I mentioned on Stagsnet you could skim £500,000 off and I bet we would still be top 7.

Last time Radford cut the budget it went under £1m - that would be impossible unless we practically sold everyone and signed Morecambe squad.

What was this year’s budget?

 

[Stringy]

Great news. Thank you Flitcroft for some good football last season, some good players signed and clearly some good coaching of certain players.

 

[Conker]

What was this year’s budget?

Well Radford said he gave Steve Evans £2.5m so a educated guess would be pushing £3m maybe.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I hope he reduces the budget abit, Don't need to be spending like that again. Also if we sell CJ for 800k+ that can be invested into the squad.

We've alresdy got Preston, Sweeney, Macca, Bish, Tomlinson, Khan, Rose and Davies under Contract and a couple of young uns who look good in Gibbo and Graham.

Apparently options on Pearce and Benning too, so if we keep them and can get Olejnik and White to sign aswell then we aren't far off the side we started this season with. Obviously we need to replace Walkers goals, But I'd be building the side around Khan who looked really good before his injury in September.

Promote a couple of the youth teamers like Allister Smith and Jimmy Knowles aswell.

 

[Conker]

I hope he reduces the budget abit, Don't need to be spending like that again. Also if we sell CJ for 800k+ that can be invested into the squad.

We've alresdy got Preston, Sweeney, Macca, Bish, Tomlinson, Khan, Rose and Davies under Contract and a couple of young uns who look good in Gibbo and Graham.

Apparently options on Pearce and Benning too, so if we keep them and can get Olejnik and White to sign aswell then we aren't far off the side we started this season with. Obviously we need to replace Walkers goals, But I'd be building the side around Khan who looked really good before his injury in September.

Promote a couple of the youth teamers like Allister Smith and Jimmy Knowles aswell.

Good post.

If Pearce and Benning are not under contract they will be long gone, but you would think it's the end of the world on stagsnet!