‘Greedy’ Graham Coughlan wants Mansfield Town to win every game – beginning with Tranmere Rovers

Although he admits his squad face a tough test at the One Call Stadium on Saturday against a team who were relegated from League One on points per game last term, the Town boss is looking to get the best out of his new-look squad.

"You want to hit then ground running," he explained.

"I'm trying to get that character and mentality across. They know I'm a bad loser, I don't like losing. They know I seek perfection."

But while victory would make Coughlan that much happier come Saturday night, he is shrewd enough to know seasons aren't defined by one game.

"Getting off to a good start, I'm not 100 per cent sure it's the be-all and end-all," he continued.

"Let me tell you, I want to get off to a good start, the fans do, the players do, we all do.

"But will we win the league in September? No, we won't. Will we make a statement in September? No, we won't.

"It's crawl, walk and then run. We are picking ourselves up from the canvas."

Indeed, Coughlan's first task is to ensure the Stags improve upon last season's 21st-place finish.

He said: "There was a lot of rebuilding to be done. Hopefully, that hard work, not only from myself but the owners John and Carloyn (Radford), David Sharpe (CEO), the ground staff and everybody across the stadium and training ground; we've all put a lot of hard work in to give the players the best platform and eliminate any excuses.

"I am greedy and I want to win every game. I want clean sheets, I want momentum and I'm pretty similar to the players - I want it yesterday.

"The fast start is not the be-all and end-all. We have ups and downs and it will be a rollercoaster across the season.

"The one thing I would say, I'd rather finish strong than start strong."

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