Mansfield Town’s start to the current season has been a huge anti-climax for supporters, who had hoped to be kicking off in League One.
They missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season, then fell to Newport in the play-offs despite being well ahead of the exiles for the entire season.
That prompted a change of manager, but John Dempster’s reign has not got off to a great start. The Stags are 14th in the table, ten points shy of the top three and recently beaten 3-2 at home by Colchester United.
Carolyn Radford, the club’s CEO and wife of owner John Radford, has told fans that riches come to those who are a little more patient, in a column with the Mansfield Chad.
She’s responding to calls for Dempster to go, as well as certain social media message aimed at her after recent defeat.
“As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not the type of chief executive to replace any of my employees every five minutes. I believe in retaining and nurturing talent,” she said.
“The most successful football managers, for instance, are those who have been given the time to succeed. The statistics also back this up, but they’re not often reported upon because giving somebody time to do their job doesn’t make a very good news story.
“The truth is that we all want success immediately, especially in this culture of ‘buy today, receive tomorrow’, but sometimes riches come to those who are a little more patient.”
She does acknowledge the need for improvement though, which will be music to Mansfield fan’s ears.
“Do we need to improve, consistently, on the pitch? Absolutely. Will it need to happen soon to avoid us losing sight of the chasing pack? Definitely. Can we still acquire success this season? Certainly.”
The Stags take a break from league action this weekend as they host Chorley in the FA Cup.
Our View
Radford has taken a lot of stick in recent months, not least for the video unveiling Nicky Maynard as a summer signing.
However, she clearly has a plan for the club and has served her role very well since the 2012/13 season. She’s seemingly fair with managers and her and husband John clearly love the club.
Hiring and firing is a dangerous business and with the Stags not threatened with relegation, perhaps her calming words will resonate with supporters who see the bigger picture.
