Paull Holland Interview for Newsweek

By Dan Palmer & Peter Fearn

MANSFIELD TOWN boss Paul Holland could not hide his disappointment after the Stags’ 77 year stay in the Football League came to an end.

Chester City’s goalless draw with Stockport last night confirmed the club’s relegation to the Conference, as they now lie four points adrift of third bottom Dagenham & Redbridge with just one game remaining.

Holland’s own playing career was cut short when he damaged his cruciate ligament and the 34-year-old says that seeing his side go down is on a par with that.

“I’m very disappointed after we’d given ourselves every chance of going into the Rotherham game with something to play for,” he said.

“Over the course of the season we got what we deserved.

“Life in the Conference will be hard but we’ve got to be positive and say we are going to bounce straight back, following the example of other teams like Doncaster, Chester and Hereford.”

The club may also have to deal with a drop in attendances next year, with some supporters choosing not to watch non-league football.

“The real Mansfield Town fans will keep coming. We’ve got to stick together and I’m sure the real fans will be behind us,” said Holland.

“As a team we need to be 100 per cent better on the field and 100 per cent better off the field.

“I hope that things are sorted out on and off the pitch. We’ve got to stop feeling sorry for ourselves,” he added.

Holland also conceded that some of the playing squad would probably leave the club over the summer.

“There are big decisions to be made regarding players and staff. I’m sure some players will move on to football league clubs.

“I’ll have to decide if some deserve another chance here or if I should send them elsewhere.

“At the moment the dressing room is not a nice place to be.”
Holland took over at Mansfield from sacked manager Billy Dearden and is keen to remain in the job.

“I only took over eight games ago and it was just too big an ask to save the club from relegation.

“Hopefully I’ll be manager of Mansfield next season and win promotion back to the football league.”

Coldplay: Violet Hill, Review for Newsweek & NG

When a huge band releases a comeback single, the day of the first play is always hyped up as a massive event. The music press and radio stations count down the days like they are using some sort of advent calendar, constantly reminding us when we can hear the precious track for the first time.

Examples of this madness include D'You Know What I Mean, the first release from Be Here Now, the much anticipated but godawful third album by Oasis and Beetlebum by Blur, the rather downbeat single which followed the glory days of Parklife and The Great Escape.

The problem is, these comeback singles rarely live up to the pandemonium surrounding them. As the track fizzles out to an end, people are usually left feeling underwhelmed and unsure why they were so excited in the first place. The sense of an anti-climax is also heightened if the band in question have decided on a change of style and a major direction shift from the previously heard stuff.

This is the case with Coldplay's Violet Hill, the first single from the pretentiously-titled new album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, which is more edgier and experimental than the songs we’ve have heard from them before.

Released as a free download on the band's website on Monday, the demand for the song caused the site to grind to a halt shortly after its 12.15pm release. It is a darker tune with pounding, heavy guitars and there's even a hint of electronic music in there. It seems far less radio friendly, in the sense that if moves away from a poppy like sound towards something a bit more prog like Radiohead.

It is one of those songs that Coldplay fans will have to learn to love, just like followers of Blur would have had to do with Beetlebum. The differences are apparent, but after a few listens it could be one of those songs described as a 'grower'. Give it enough time and Violet Hill could perhaps stand alongside other Coldplay anthems. For now though, the jury is probably still out.

The free download is available for another week if you wish to judge for yourself. Otherwise it is released as a conventional paid-for download on May 6th.

Review: Dan Palmer

http://www.ng-magazine.com/Diary/Music/Coldplay:_Violet_Hill/

Plane Crash-landing, for Newsweek

A STRING of errors which led to the crash-landing of a cargo plane could have resulted in catastrophe, according to a new report.

The TNT Airways Boeing 737 performed the procedure at East Midlands Airport at 4.40am before taking off again and making an emergency landing at Birmingham.

Part of the Belgian plane’s undercarriage was missing after the incident and the right main landing gear detached from the wing during the accident on June 15th, 2006.

Up to 200 domestic flights had to be cancelled or diverted, although neither of the two crew members were injured.

The report released today by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch states: “The circumstances of this event could easily have led to a catastrophic accident.

“Actions by individuals which contributed to the accident were either inappropriate or were not in compliance with existing procedures.

“Non-compliance with procedures, whether inadvertent or deliberate, can be difficult to prevent and can only be addressed by effective training,” it added.

The drama started when air traffic control conveyed an incorrect message to the plane during its descent.

This confused the pilot who disconnected the autopilot system while attempting to reply, causing the plane to lose speed and height.

The crew did not make a decision to perform a ‘go-around’ – where a plane aborts a landing and returns to circuit height – until it was too late and the jet came down on a grassed area.

Other factors included a faulty weather report which made no indication of the mist and fog which occurred, and the training of the co-pilot was also said to be ineffective in regards to his knowledge of the go-around manoeuvre.

Both pilots may have also been affected by tiredness, and a series of ‘unusual incidents’ during the flight may have added to workload and caused a loss of situational awareness.

The plane was on route from Liege Airport in Belgium to London Stanstead, but it was diverted to East Midlands due to the bad weather.

Belgian based TNT sacked the pilots after the incident, saying it was down to human error.
The report recommends that the Belgian Aviation Authority require the airline to review their operation procedures to ensure that it is clear to all pilots when a go-around is required.