Sympathy on hold until after the game says Mansfield Town assistant boss Lee Glover as he remembers his own wages nightmare as a Macclesfield Town player

Lee Glover knows only too well the agony that Macclesfield Town are currently going through with unpaid wages, having suffered the same when he was a player at the Moss Rose.
Lee GloverLee Glover
Lee Glover

But Mansfield Town’s assistant manager said all thoughts of sympathy and empathy would be left until after the game as Stags try to make it three wins in eight days.

Last weekend the senior pros at Macclesfield went on strike and they had to play youngsters, but with plans in place to get some money to the staff this week, the side that lost 3-1 at Shrewsbury on Wednesday had senior players returning.

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“Something has been put into place for their wages as they played a different side last night to their cup game with more of the senior pros back,” said Glover.

“But it’s a terrible situation for the club and the players and we are just thankful for the owners we’ve got here that we don’t have to go through that rigmarole.”

Glover sympathised with the plight of Macc boss Daryl McMahon, saying: “I have massive empathy with him as he’s trying to pick a side, but some of his senior pros wouldn’t play because they were not insured.

“I used to work at that club and there are people in the background not getting paid who are very loyal. It’s a very difficult situation for everyone, so empathy and massive respect for what they are trying to do.

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“We’re looking forward to the game and, this being a ruthless business, we just want to go there and win. Then we will shake their hand afterwards and say all the best for what’s coming down the track. But we have to be ruthless and look after ourselves.”

Glover added: “Their manager has done a fantastic job and picked up some good wins. Even when the lads were not being paid he used a siege mentality, which can make it a very hard game.

“But time runs out on that when your mortgage is building up and your bills are not being paid.

“Now they’re being paid they might have all their senior pros back. But we can’t affect what is going on there, only ourselves. We have won a couple of games on the bounce so can we go three now?

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“No matter who we play let’s try to make it three and do the best for us.

“To be brutally honest I couldn’t care less what side they play, with all due respect to them. They will be like a wounded animal. So we just need to be professional, get ourselves right and not worry about other people.

“Everyone will know their roles and we are going there to get a win, not sympathetic and feeling sorry for their predicament. That comes after at 5pm when, hopefully, we’ve won.”

Glover has first hand knowledge of how things can be at Macclesfield, saying: “I know what it’s like.

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“I have been in the predicament of not getting paid, actually at Macclesfield, and we ended up beating Forest Green on penalties which got us a game with West Ham in the next round.

“It was put to us after the game, if we hadn’t got through the club was in serious financial difficulties. Obviously getting through and getting a live game against West Ham put us on an even keel again.”