Mansfield - Barrow AFC - Game Thread

[barrowaberdeen]

Just back, God help me. Thanks to Kie for driving us all.

I just felt very sad today, people will jump on Bayles for his 'feeling sorry for them' comment, but I see what he was on about.

The whole day for me was typified by Mike Pearson. Probably his worst performance in a poor season for him, may well not be able to play at this level any more,he was bullied, outpaced, wrongly positioned and ran ragged at every turn- the whole back four were, . At the end of the game, because he respects the support, he trudged across to clap us, you could see how upset he was, what it meant to him, same with Bayles. However, if Hessey's not injured the decsions to play that poor kid Eckerlsey was insane.

A couple of decisions didn't help- the penalty at 1-1 was an absolute disgace but we were outclassed- it wasn't that we didn't try. They looked like they could score on every attack but were vulnerable at the back. Danny L Rowe and Boyesy actually played O.K in flashes! James Owen gets pass marks as he was his gritty self.. Gray and a few others were great for them.

I think that we need 4 points minmum from the next two. We have the players we have, we are where we are- everyone needs to crack on and back them now. Nothing will change till the end of the season so to me there's no point whinging, however justified. The Barrow support pulled together when shafted by a crook in 99, it will need the same attitude from the terraces again if we are to stay up.

[Jim]

Bayliss has gone on for months about needing to sigm experienced men that are up for the fight. So why throw a kid in at centre-half today and drop one of our most experienced players??

.

Hessey wasn't on the bench, so presumably he was unfit?

[Kieran]

Hessey wasn't on the bench, so presumably he was unfit?

Doubtful.

I would say it's more to do with Hessey not particularly being flavour of the month with Bayliss for no apparent reason. Our manager is far too stubborn for his own good, I don't think Hessey is too far from being cast into the Andy Nicholas hall of shame.

[Si_Nichols]

Echo what others who were at the game have said really. We were just outclassed.

Fairly sure Mike Pearson was in tears at the end. He did have an awful game (he has struggled all season for me) and the poor lad Eckersley must have thought he was hit by a juggernaut coming into that central defence. It was like we were standing back and watching them at times and the very first goal summed it up for me when Stevenson just seemed to continue unchallenged for an age as everyone backed off him as if they were encouraging him again and again to shoot. He did and duly scored and the tone of the day was set. No player in a Barrow shirt can come out of this with anything positive - it really was that poor.

Yes the ref didn't help and was as Mickey Mouse as I have seen this season as he lost a complete grip on reality, nevermind the game itself with some of the insane decisions he was giving. He possibly added one or two to Mansfield's final tally but we were well and truly mullered.

The two groundhoppers that went to todays game summed it up as we got off the train at St Pancras and they turned to me and asked what was wrong with our defence? "Were they all ill, injured, suspended - It must be embarrassing for you" one said. He was right.

Thing is we are where we are, we have what we have and no sacking of manager, staff or board or culling of players is going to change that. We will have to see where the remaining games takes us and re-assess the situation then.

[Holkerbird]

It appears they are no longer playing that stupid music after a home goal. I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.

Oh yes they did---over and over again, well, 8 times. The same stupid tune as last season. It is pathetic. Match of the Day then had the Swansea match with the same daft tune.

[GTBLUE]

Respect to all those that went today. I could'nt. God knows what you all went through, seeing as I know all of you that went............. I hope the bus had enough fuel to get you back to Barrow.

[Reg]

I think Hessey was injured today.

Hope that was the case, if you know what I mean.

[bobbie moore]

We never seem to do well at Mansfield but today's performance must be the worst we've ever given.
Beaten by far better team with more drive forward than Barrow.(and money)
Dont know why Hessey wasnt on bench but we needed someone like him on the pitch today.
The players imo were not strong enough or quick enough to shut out Mansfield and we also took too long with any attacking move,always trying to pass the ball sideways and backwards never forward ,while they lumped it forward quickly and chased it at speed with plenty of players getting forward.We only get forward in isolation with no back up from so called midfield.
Whilst our back four may be dodgy they get no cover from midfield and our forwards get very little support from the midfield.DB says hes happy with midfield but i think that is our biggest weakness.
Another bad day at the office ,hopefully Pancake Tuesday wont end up in a sticky mess at Southport

[Mike Wilson]

Anyone know why Sean Hessey never featured today?

sOMEONE HAD TO OPERATE THE CALCULATOR

[Holkerbird]

The thing that angered me most yesterday were the lazy swearfilter players? who sat in the dugout during the whole of the half time interval and never moved their backsides off the bench to have a kick about, warm up, etc but just sat talking amongst themselves. All the Mansfield subs were on the pitch and they also were running up and down the line during the game ready in case they were called on. McEvilly did do some loosening up excercises during the second half, McConville just got straight up off the bench and on the pitch. The management weren't there during the interval to see this behaviour but it just sent out a signal that the attitude isn't right.
No fire in their bellies for a good fight. I felt like running across that pitch and giving them a smack across the skull.
Rant over.

[sanddevil-temp]

That's my second visit to Mansfield. For 1, against 15. I will unequivocally never return to the place. The eight represents a high water mark for my football watching career. I was on record before the game as expecting a shellacking and being remarkably prescient, it happened. It's not difficult to see why. Mike Pearson had an astonishingly awful game in the centre of defence. He was continually roasted and caught out by their pacey strikers. It would be unfair to criticise Eckersley too much since it was his first game and he was thrown in at the deep end, but technically he didn't look up to snuff to me, and his movement was slow. Maybe he was just a little ring rusty, so time will tell. Flynn was abysmal and his performance was as bad as Luton away. Sean in goals I believe was responsible for two of the eight, but others will probably disagree with that. Alex Harvey is an enigma to me - when he's got the ball he looks classy but when he hasn't I don't see enough endeavour and there is not enough protection for our defence. Danny Old Rowe reconfirmed (wasn't required actually) that he's an impact player for the last 15 minutes of a game - he isn't good enough to start; not that McConMan is either. Even the normally dependable Boyes looked disheartened and disinterested.

The worst person on the pitch was the referee. Mansfield's first penalty was one of the most ludicrous decisions I've seen by a man in black. Mansfield's second penalty was probably as bad judging by the reaction of the Barrow players, but since it was at the far end, I can't comment. The referee's decision making for the entire game was risible - a clear Barrow corner right in front of him was adjudged to be a goalkick, and a shocker tackle on Harvey went unpunished. There were many other instances of his incompetence. Would it have made a difference? I suspect not, but you never know in sport.

Danny L Rowe scores from the spot.
http://youtu.be/5n-8t83mD3Y

[Holkerbird]

MANSFIELD TOWN CHAIRMAN GIVES BOSS PAUL COX HIS ASTON MARTIN
From www.thisisnottingham.co.uk

Mansfield Town chairman John Radford gave his Aston Martin car to manager
Paul Cox as a gift following today's 8-1 victory against Barrow. Radford
only arrived at the One Call Stadium at half time, after travelling back
from Ireland, and informed Cox at the break that he was giving him his car.
Stags were 5-1 up at that point and went on to win 8-1 thanks to a Matt
Green hat-trick, two from Lee Stevenson and goals from Colin Daniel, Adam
Murray and Anthony Howell. After the game, Cox joked he still wasn't sure if
the car 'gift' was a wind-up as he concentrated on talking about footballing
matters and a team performance that hit top gear. He said: "As for the car,
I'm not sure if it is wind-up. Maybe I'll get into the car park and it will
be a bicycle with some stabilisers on it."

Far from it. The car was there, gleaming in the car park, complete with
personalised registration MT51 COX.

That's some reward. Shows what we are up against financially in this league.

[Steeley]

In terms of players not warming up, I'd blame bayliss again. Barely seen subs warming up at all this season, they're just thrown on straight off their arse whenever he does decide to use them. Up to the manager to manage what the players do at the end of the day.

[nottinghamblue]

I was one of the 82 hardy souls who suffered at Field Mill yesterday afternoon and my sympathies go out to the other 81 and, indeed, to Barrow fans worldwide.

The team that took the field yesterday was simply not good enough on the day. If Sean Hessey wasn't injured, then the management have made a catastrophic mistake when selecting the team, especially after last season's result in the same fixture. I feel for the young lad who made his Barrow debut - he must be wondering what on Earth he has let himself in for. But let's remember that it was only one game. Our previous two league games have seen us beat two of the leading pack, with clean sheets to boot.

I don't think we can blame the referee for yesterday's debacle. We were outplayed and outclassed. Simple. Sure, you can blame Sean for one or two of the goals maybe, but Paul Cox, in his interview on Radio Nottingham, said that it could have been more than eight, "but for their 'keeper making a world-class save". The only issue I had with the referee in the first half was that he should have AT LEAST cautioned their number 31 for a terrible challenge on Alex. The penalty, for me, was a brave decision by the ref. Flynn seemed to stay in the air for an age before heading the ball clear. He could only have done that by "climbing". Had it happened outside the box, it would have been a free kick, so inside the box it is a penalty. Had a Stags defender done that in the second half, we would have been screaming for a penalty.

We had a similar (though not quite so bad) result a few weeks ago at Luton, but bounced back to beat them in the return fixture. I hope to be at Holker Street early in April to see the same thing happen when Mansfield come to town. Keep the faith, people.

[Holkerbird]

In terms of players not warming up, I'd blame bayliss again. Barely seen subs warming up at all this season, they're just thrown on straight off their arse whenever he does decide to use them. Up to the manager to manage what the players do at the end of the day.

I disagree. Bayliss was in the changing room with the team at half time so surely he would expect the players on the bench to do what is expected of them. They are grown men and professionals so shouldn't need to be supervised every minute of the game. It is a basic procedure surely to move around!! Obviously their conversation was more inportant.