Stags’ boss David Flitcroft has spoken of a ‘fantastic’ meeting held on Thursday, in which Mansfield’s transfer strategy for this month was discussed.
Present at the meeting, along with the manager, was chairman John Radford, chief executive Carolyn Radford, head of football operations Greg Abbott and assistant manager Ben Futcher.
The Stags’ manager says it was ‘brilliant’ to review the season so far, and implement a plan for the closing months of the season.
“It [meeting with the chairman, chief executive, Greg Abbott and assistant manager Ben Futcher] was fantastic,” he said. “It was a meeting where we were making sure that the strategy and the business plan were on track.
“We were discussing how we were going to reassemble and rebalance, and make sure that in the next four months we’re all fully aware of the football plan.
“Recruitment has to be clear and precise. That’s what we’re trying to do. It’s something that’s important to me as a manager to know why we are doing what we’re doing.
“It was brilliant to review where we are at this stage of the season, and the strategy for the business end of the season.”
"We were discussing how we were going to reassemble and rebalance, and make sure that in the next four months we’re all fully aware of the football plan."
The Mansfield chief also elaborated on the current situations of forwards CJ Hamilton and Tyler Walker, the latter of which has a recall option in his loan deal from Nottingham Forest.
The boss says there have been no bids for Hamilton, and that Walker’s representatives are ‘comfortable’ with where the striker is currently plying his trade.
“There’s been no official bid [for CJ Hamilton] at the minute,” he added. “There have been enquiries for the services of CJ, but we’re not going to talk about which clubs.
“He is a player that is courted and there’s no doubt about that. It’s no good trying to hide the fact that clubs want him.
“I just hope it doesn’t affect CJ and the way he has been playing and thinking, as he has really been focused on the team and his individual performances.
“CJ is a player I love working with and spending time with. He is a player that will keep getting better. He has the tools, and that’s my job, to tap into that potential.
“We’ve not had anything to tell us otherwise [on Walker staying at Mansfield]. Greg [Abbott, head of football operations] has been on with that, and they [Nottingham Forest] are really comfortable with where he’s at.
“It’s the transfer window and things can change, it’s just how it is. We have to prepare for all eventualities and possibilities, and that is something that we will be doing.”
Tonight’s loss against Carlisle was the Stags’ first away defeat in Sky Bet League Two this season, and despite a ‘valiant’ second half showing from his charges, the manager conceded that they were beaten by the ‘better team on the day.’
“We expected them to come at us and they sat quite deep. When you’re a possession-based team like we are, you have to be in position.
“We were away from home but worried about the counter-attack situation. That’s how they’ve done us for the first goal.
“This is a big pitch, and with ten men, and I thought the lads showed a valiant effort second half. We gave them a few problems when we put the ball in the box.
“We just had to be more patient and clinical with the ball. We’ll look at that and make sure we get it right for the next game.
“The key for me was the third goal. If those last ten minutes are at 2-1, it becomes edgy. But when they got the third one, it gave them a bit of breathing space.
“Carlisle were the better team on the day so respect to them. They were excellent today.”
The manager also discussed Neal Bishop’s red card, after the midfielder was sent off at the half-time interval, whilst adding that the Stags will bounce back quickly from tonight’s defeat.
“Bish [Neal Bishop] is as honest a player I’ve worked with. He is totally committed to his profession.
“You could see something boiling over before the half-time interval. He was aggrieved, and rightly so, after a horrendous tackle on him.
“We went into the tunnel, and the two players that were involved [Bishop and Danny Grainger] went face-to-face as nobody got in between them.
“The fourth official was nowhere near it, and those two players have been allowed to walk off the pitch together.
“Grainger has put his face into Bish’s, and Bish has put his face into his, and he [referee] has deemed it a second yellow.”
“We will face what has not gone right today, and take the positives. We’ll make sure we get rid of those mistakes and errors.
“Teams know how we play and they raise their game. We have to go to that level and beyond it. It’s the business end of the season.
“We have to be better in what we do and first half we weren’t. We’ll flush it out and move on very quickly.
“We have to move on and be ready for the next task. The preparation for that will be as good as anything.”
iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the manager’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.
