16th January 1999

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Q: Who did you support as a lad ?
A: Sheffield United. I always really went to watch them, not on a regular basis but fairly frequently. But then, obviously, taking part in football it was difficult to go and watch a team, so you'd follow a team really, rather than support them. I always followed the 'local' sides ie Mansfield, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United.

Q: Any players who are heroes ?
A: Tony Currie, when he played for Sheffied United. He was an absolute entertainer, whether he'd survive today I'm not sure but he was far and away one of the best players I've ever seen.

Q: Any Managers you admire ?
A: I think that whatever you do you have to set your sights high. I have admiration for most managers but I think that if you look at Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal - yeah, they've got lots of money but look at what they have achieved.

Q: Will we ever again see you turn out in Mansfield Town colours ?
A: Unless it was an absolute necessity through injuries and illness, erm, I doubt it very much. If it was a testimonial match or something like that with no importance then I would love to play.

Q: Did you see your career 'panning out' quite this way (ie player to manager) ?
A: No, definitely not. Definitely not. I think that every player wants to play, like Tony (Ford) has, as long as they can. It's just the way it's worked out, really.

Q: Would you as a manager, pick you as a player, in the current side ?
A: I would pick myself for certain games and then I would leave myself out for others. I think if there's a bit of experience needed or the game is going to be quite physical then I think I could still cope with that. Er, if it's a game where, you know, we are playing a passing game - and we're doing it well at times - there would be no need for me to play.

Q: Where are your management beliefs founded ?
A: I'm not really copying anybody. I've always had the idea, or been brought up with the belief that - apart from one manager who I'm not naming - that football should be played as an entertainment for the supporters. I fully appreciate that every supporter wants to win every game but I also think that, deep down, they want to be entertained. I think that when are paid to do a job to entertain then that is what you should do, and that's the reason that we try and pass the ball.

Q: Do you have a management 'style' ?
A: I always try and be constructive in what I say, sometimes the way in which you say it can be different. I have been known to lose my temper at times. The only thing that really annoys me - and everybody makes mistakes - is not trying. I can't stand that, I will never stomach that and that does upset me. But, fortunately it's not very often at this place.

Q: What are you best/worst experiences so far as a manager ?
A: Definitely the worst - Southport this season without a doubt. I've never felt so low after a match in all my life. As a high point, I think it was the run of 11 games at the end of last season which gave me a lot of satisfaction because it proved that the players would not just see the season out and pick up their wages. That gave me a lot of self-belief and a lot of hope for this season.

Q: Any ambitions ?
A: Obviously to do as well this season as we can. I want promotion for this football club as much as anybody but I would love to see us playing in a new stadium. That's nothing to do with me, but it would be great for the fans who've been very loyal and have got behind us - while i've been manager anyway - to watch us play in a nice stadium, a division above. That is my immediate ambition.

Q: How tight are the financial constraints on a club of this size ?
A: They are very, very tight. They are for most clubs, but obviously everybody wants to know about this one - there is no spare cash, even though it's sometimes in the press that we've had money for this and the other. The money that filters down to myself has been minimal. If I had got cash to spend believe me I would spend it, but I think we just have to realise the squad that we've got will remain the same until the end of the season.

Q: Do you think Div. 2/3 clubs can retain their full-time status ?
A: I think they can if money that is flying about in football filters down. If the FA, Premier League and the Football League got together and had a strategy to filter money down in the right way, not just to go on wages, then I'm sure that we could survive. Both divisions. If it doesn't, then nobody at this time can really answer the question.

Q: Did you expect this season to go as well as it has ?
A: Every supporter and every manager always believes that their side can do well. I think that what I just said to you (last seasons run), the trip to Ireland, the addition of a couple of players - everything seemed to feel OK pre-season. Not great. I think that we had expectations of having a good season but if you'd have said we'd have been sat joint third a couple of games after Christmas I'm not honestly sure if the supporters - or us lot - felt we'd be that high.

Q: Do you think that the key is a settled and injury-free squad ?
A: I think the key is definitely to do with injuries when you have a small squad - to key players and consistent players - and I don't mean that disrespectfully to anybody in the squad. It makes a massive difference if you've got 19 training rather than 11 because all of a sudden those 11 places are guaranteed.

Q: Any teams you feared before the season began ? Fear now ?
A: No, don't fear anybody. That's not part of my policy. Before the season started I thought Plymouth would be a very, very strong outfit. I still feel that. I still feel that they can come with a late run. I thought Cardiff would be there or thereabouts given the size of their squad. As regards fearing anybody, no.

Q: Have matters 'external' to the team affected things in any way ?
A: Obviously a lot is behind closed doors, what is said and done. But I think they are a strong bunch of players - they are obviously upset at what went on toward the end of last season, but I think that they realise that this is not the only club that had financial difficulties and they also realise that as a group of people we'd try and sort it out as best we could. They are a good set and they just got on with their job. I think it proves what a decent set of lads they are, really.

Q: How much of a role do Tony (Ford) and Stuart (Watkiss) play in your thinking or decisions ?
A: Stuart is really solely in charge of the kids, he sits upstairs on home games and anything that he feels is not quite right he comes down and tells me. I value his opinion very much. Tony and myself discuss team selection to a certain extent but at the end of the day the decision does come down to me, but I value his opinion also.

Q: Is Lee Peacock now reaching his potential, given his relative expense ?
A: I don't think so, not yet. He's grown up as a person but I don't think his ability was ever in question when he joined. I don't think he was particularily playing well. As a person, I think he was very immature when he came and I don't the distance between his home at that time and coming to Mansfield helped. He's now very settled in the area, he's bought a place, his girlfriend comes to see him down here and that has definitely helped him. I also think he's grown up as a person in the last 8 or 9 months, and that has shown on the pitch.

Q: Any first names on the teamsheet ?
A: Not apart from Ian Bowling ! I think that there is always people like Schofield and Ford when he's fit who are needed because of their experience. It's no good fielding a team of youngsters. I wouldn't say that they are the first on the teamsheet but if they are fit and playing OK there is always the chance that there names will go down because they both can lead on the pitch and can sort things out if need be. But nobody has a divine right to a place and they never will do.

Q: How do you rate the contribution of Mark Peters ? Has he been Stags' most outstanding player ?
A: I don't think Mark will believe that. He's a quiet lad, but his contribution this season has been first class. We've managed to make him grow up a little bit, apart from the incident at Halifax (sent off - MW) when he was very impetuous. He's managed to calm his temper a little bit and challenge in the right areas at the right time.

Q: Are you going to give Schofield a new contract ?
A: It's too soon to say. I think it would be wrong to start looking toward the end of the season when everything is so intense at the moment as regards results. A few weeks on, if we've won every game, then it may be the time to sit down and assess who we need to keep.

Q: Are there a lot of players soon out of contract ?
A: There are a lot of players, yes.

Q: Your relationship with Itseden Christie ? Very close or very strained ?
A: I've already said that Iyseden is a very quiet lad, but his personality has definitely developed since he joined us. There was always a tendency for him not to be able to string two good games together, but this season he's put four or five together. There is no conflict whatsoever between Iyseden and me. I wouldn't describe our relationship as close, but there is no animosity. He's a bit of a free spirit, and will always do what he wants on the pitch. It's entertaining for some people, but as a manager it can also be annoying.

Q: Has the crowd helped this season ? Is it pleasing to the players ?
A: A big difference. Not in away support, because the away support have always been tremendous. I was concerned when the stand was closed behind the goal but this has helped because the West Stand is nearly always full, the attendances are up, probably by around 800 every hame game, and vocally it has been much better - there is more atmosphere - and believe me that does make a difference to the results.

Q: Was the general acceptance of Lormor in the Brentford game appreciated ?
A: Absolutely. Tony is a very quiet lad, he's never moaned when he had a bit of stick. I fully appreciate that he had to fill a big pair of shoes when he came ie Stevie Whitehall, but he's getting the goals now, his set-up play is good. Himself, Iyseden and Jock (Peacock) are a handful for anybody, but the ovation he got when he came off was fantastic and he appreciated it very much.

Q: Is the Youth Policy about to bear fruit once more ?
A: I think it is going to be slightly more difficult, at this moment in time I don't quite feel that perhaps any of the kids are ready to come into high-pressure games at the top of the division. If we were safe from relegation and not challenging for play-offs/promotion then it would be a great time to throw them in.

Q: Anticipating the Rotherham game ?
A: There is always anticipation when Sky are here, it's tremendous that it will be shown Nationwide. It's another home game to look forward to.

Q: How do you do homework on upcoming opponents and what is your scouting set-up ?
A: We have a chief scout who is not salaried, Russell Richardson, who I've known a long, long time and has done some absolutely first-class assessments for us this season. Tony, Stuart and I do still get out to games as often as we can.

Q: What alerted you to Craig Allardyce ?
A: I was kept in touch by Bob Shaw, who's working at County, not by his dad, which is what people might think. There was a possibility that Lincoln might take him. I just felt that we perhaps needed another big lad ie a game under the cosh like Cardiff where we conceded bad headed goals then Craig would be the ideal lad to throw in. He's not quite sharp enough yet as he hasn't done enough training, but I'm sure we'll need him before the end of the season.

Q: What league position would you be satisfied with at the end of the season ?
A: I don't that you should get carried away, but the players, the staff and the supporters of this club are desperate for promotion, but I think that we want promotion and will try our best to get it. If it be through the play-offs, great. If it's straight up, great. But we are setting our sights on the top 7, that is what we are aiming for. Automatic is the one that we want, but I feel that if we can keep winning our home games, and defend well and pick up points away, we are going to there or thereabouts I'd say.

Q: Given promotion, would we survive in Division 2 ?
A: I think it would be difficult, but being honest about it you have to cross that bridge when you come to it. When I first got the job, the first thing said to me was that I'd have a hard job keeping them out of the Conference. Well we managed to do that. We haven't had two great seasons, but we haven't had two bad seasons. We had a great finish to the end of last season. I think you just have to concentrate on the season that you are in. If we can get up, great. We have to re-assess, hopefully can bring new staff in, but at the end of the day we want to do well this season.