A TALK WITH RUDY

Now that the news is out I have had a chance to talk to the incoming manager Rudy Funk and this is what he has had to say:

“Having spent 3 and a half years at Scarborough Athletic through some great times things came to an end last week and I parted with the club on amicable terms.

As so often happens in football the next opportunity has come very quickly I am delighted to have been appointed as Manager at AFC Mansfield.  What attracted me to the club is that it is owned and run by a professional group of people who have huge ambitions for the club.

I would like to thank previous Managers Micky Taylor and Dean Short for setting up an excellent group of players and I will be contacting them all individually to see who is up for the challenge of taking this club forward.

From my first day the brief is to get the club to The Evo-Stik League and having done it twice before I know that it is a realistic goal.  For this season the target is still promotion and we will keep pushing until the final game of the season to achieve that.  It won’t be easy but it won’t be for the want of trying.

Going back to Dean Short for a minute, it is not an ideal way to come into a job but sometimes these things happen and I am sure Dean will be back in football very soon.  He has set the club up well and while I expect some players will look elsewhere I hope the majority will continue with their good work so far.  I don’t anticipate any immediate changes as there are some fantastically talented players at the club.”

Rudy’s first game in charge will be The Notts Senior Cup 2^nd Round tie against Selston FC on Wednesday night at The Forest Town Arena, kick off 7.45pm.  I am sure there will be a lot of interest in this game.

By Peter Craggs