Brighter days at the Mill

Is it just me or does life seem so much brighter right now?

Three games unbeaten and out of the relegation places, assurances that the takeover will go through soon and new people brimming with superb ideas and gallons of enthusiasm coming on board – surely all reasons to be cheerful?

I do not expect for one minute that Saturday’s game with Macclesfield will be a sell out.

And I know the ‘Moaning Minnies’, who won’t go back while Keith Haslam is landlord,  Billy Deaden is manager or the toilet needs cleaning etc, will never be pleased.

But it is encouraging to hear folk saying they will now come back to the Mill.

And, while it is only the start of November, take a look at the league table and see how crucial this game could be.

It has been a Mansfield Town trait of many years to set themselves up only to stumble.

Well defeat against a Macc side scoring goals and doing well away from home could dump us back at the bottom again with that tough trip to Hereford to come.

But a win would keep everyone on a high heading for Edgar Street.

I was impressed with Shrewsbury’s new set up last weekend, though less impressed with my AA Routefinder directions.

It took me onto the M6 Midlands Expressway toll road for the first time.

I was eating up the miles without hitting a toll booth until, almost at my junction, I came off for a pee at a service station.

Leaving the services I was confronted with split directions stating Expressway North West and Expressway South. No other clues.

At the last minute I chose Expressway South as I thought that must be the general direction to Shrewsbury. Wrong!

On rounding the corner I realised I was heading for a previous junction and, to rub salt on the wounds, I had to chuck £3 into a toll booth basket to get through to turn round and pay £3 again to get to my proper junction at the next toll.

It was the most expensive pee I’ve ever had!

I failed geography at school but I never realised Shrewsbury was north west from there.

But it was a journey well worth making for me and the 400 fans behind the goal.

The lads deserve so much praise for not going under at Shrewsbury after losing Matt Hamshaw, Nathan Arnold and John Mullins. No feeling sorry for themselves. They just knuckled down and defended superbly.

Get down there Saturday, get behind them and let’s continue reeling in the sides above us.

Save your Stags – time to return to the Mill

Okay I have sat here and read and listened to the various views from Stags supporters over the imminent club takeover over the past week.

Some of it is heartwarming and sensible and some of it is the biggest load of claptrap I have ever seen.

I set out my stall on our Chad back page last week and told the stayaway fans and businesses that, all respect to your protests, it was now time to come back as you have always said you would.

Or was it just hot air and an excuse not to support ‘your team’?

That seemed to provoke a mixed response. But why?

If you have stuck with the Stags throughout the whole sorry mess, fair play. True fans generally stick with their side through thick and thin.

But the issues with Keith Haslam and money down there would have tried the patience of a saint and equally fair play to those who elected to make a stand.

But all we have heard for two or three years from many of those people is that they would be back the minute the club changed hands.

Now all of a sudden we are getting new excuses from the ‘I won’t pay good money to watch a rubbish side until they start winning’ brigade through to the ‘James Derry and Keith Haslam are plotting together and I refuse to trust the new owners’ conspiracy brigade.

HELLO! YOUR CLUB IS FOUR POINTS ADRIFT OF SAFETY AT THE FOOT OF THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE!

There is not time for the ‘I won’t pay’ brigade to wait around until they jump on the bandwagon if things start going right.

And, as for the conspiracy brigade, they are the ones who still believe the NASA moon landings were filmed in an earthbound studio and Princess Diana’s Mercedes was forced to crash by aliens in the Paris tunnel.

The only person Stags should worry about not backing them right now is Kate Middleton and her gun-toting royal chums!

It is time for everyone in this town to rally round James Derry’s brave attempt to save the Stags.
Any doubts or misgivings the conspiracy theory brigade have about him must be shelved until he actually does something for you to worry about. Innocent until proven guilty surely?

Yes he has said certain things and not been able to deliver. But bear in mind who held their reins of power at that time.

The tables have now been turned and he will be judged on future promises, not ones he tried to instigate in the past.

What the club needs now is the spirit of 76.

That year Mansfield found themselves five points adrift at the foot of the old Division Three under Dave Smith as late as mid-February but turned it round so that they went unbeaten for the final 19 games and ended the season in 10th place.

It wouldn’t take anything as dramatic as that to ease the current ‘crisis’.

Last weekend Stags headed for in-form Barnet five points adrift but came away with a battling point.

Three points against Notts County before a packed Field Mill this Saturday should reduce that deficit and the return of Jon D’Laryea is just around the corner.

I find it hard to believe there were still over 1,000 tickets left for the reduced capacity Field Mill at the start of this week.

Don’t forget it is all ticket so you need to get them in advance.

The takeover paperwork may still be waiting for the final signatures. But let’s start the party and the new era at the Mill now this Saturday against Notts.

Dirty Dons, dreadful Darren and sparkling Stags!

After sitting and suffering the dire, depressing spectacle that was Mansfield versus Dagenham last Saturday, how good was Tuesday night?

Just when we were all losing faith in going to Field Mill, Billy’s boys gave us a timely reminder of just why we go to football.

The Dons game was an absolutely brilliant night, spoiled only by the two late goals for the visitors and the excruciatingly bad refereeing display by a certain Darren Drysdale.

Stags did not deserve to lose it. And they didn’t deserve to be on the wrong end of so many decisions from Mr Drysdale.

Billy Dearden has been around in the game as long as the Pyramids, so for him to say it was the worst refereeing display he has ever seen is telling.

Players look back on a game and hold their hands up and admit they had a stinker.

Surely Mr Drysdale is not sitting there today thinking he did a good job last night?

Dons were a big, powerful, physical outfit and Mr Drysdale simply allowed them to beat the Stags up.

Some of the challenges were blatant fouls but play was waved on. Once they realised they could get away with most things, the Dons simply continued as would most sides in that position.

One challenge on Micky Boulding from behind where he was literally mugged was unbelievably not deemed a foul.

With two arms round him and a tackle from the back, the defender was still allowed to come away with the ball.

It was just a wonder the Dons man wasn’t wearing a hoody and boasting an ASBO.

The penalty decision was even worse. Boulding was clearly fouled in the box, the ball ran to Matty Hamshaw whose shot was blocked and play was waved on as Boulding stumbled under the foul but did not go down.

Mr Drysdale said he didn’t give the penalty as Boulding did not go down.

What does that say to us then? If a player is elbowed in the face or kicked late in the box, what is the difference? Surely both are penalties?

So is that saying you could punch a player in the face in the box but you would need to actually fall to the ground to be awarded the kick?

Mr Drysdale later had the crowd screaming in disbelief when he failed to send off Danny Swailes after a late dust-up between the sides.

Initially Swailes, who had been putting it about all night, clattered Boulding.

It was a bookable tackle from behind and sparked the proverbial ‘mass handbags’ between the sides as emotions overspilled.

But in the midst of that Swailes clearly pushed, two-handed, an opponent onto his backside. Surely that is a second yellow offence? Or can you now do what you like while you wait for the referee to get the yellow card out of his pocket?

Admittedly Swailes was provoked by the angry inrushing players and Dons boss Paul Ince felt the Stags were trying to get his man sent off.

But, if that was the case, the Dons man was guilty of being unprofessional and rising to the bait. What happened to Cristiano Ronaldo at Portsmouth earlier this season when he was goaded?

Stags say they will complain about Mr Drysdale’s display. But that will not change the result which has now left them rock bottom three points from safety.

What they must now do is build on that. Once again the Stags fans saw just what this side is capable of which makes the lacklustre displays of recent weeks ever harder to swallow.

The rough stuff actually helped to get the crowd going which helped get the players going.

But the patched-up Stags side did play with much more passion and spirit and players like Dan Martin, Lee Bell and Sean McAllister all had their best games for the club.

Now we know what they can do, let’s see them reproduce that at Rotherham this Saturday.

If the players are available, let’s go for the same 4-3-3 and go for it. To hell with caution away from home!

The Millers have not had the brightest of starts themselves and to have that Stags line-up go at them at that tempo from last night would give them an uncomfortable afternoon on Saturday.

If James Derry is right, we are only a couple of weeks away from the end of the Keith Haslam era. We do not want to be adrift by the time it happens.

These are critical weeks in the club’s history.

Supporters who are saying let’s get rid of Keith Haslam by going down and we will come back stronger are talking garbage.

If this club goes down in the state it is right now, what makes you think it would come back up?

It is not easy anymore. Ask York. Ask Oxford. Ask Kidderminster.

I have every respect for the opinions of those who have stayed away from home games to make a point and do not want to put money into Mr Haslam’s pocket.

But for all those who truly care about Mansfield Town Football Club, the most important thing right now is ensuring they stay in League football, whatever it takes.

Over to you Mr Derry.