Notts vs. Crewe

[jacobncfc]

Fun game that, could've been about 5-5. Most unlike us.

All about the debutants from a Notts perspective. Thomas won a penalty and held the ball up really well all game, Daniels scored an absolute belter with his third touch in a Notts shirt and Hayhurst put in the best individual performance of a Notts player probably all season. Been a good week.

 

[JoeJoeJoeJoe]

We lose late on and then Daniels bags the winner for county. I spent a good minute just shouting random bollocks at how typical it was.

 

[jacobncfc]

We lose late on and then Daniels bags the winner for county. I spent a good minute just shouting random bollocks at how typical it was.

Definitely worth you staying up to see the goal tonight - glorious assist from Adams down the left and a brilliant volley from Daniels.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I would like to thank our dear leader Dull Davis for once again performing the great sin of sitting back after we've scored. He'll never learn!

That said Ajose missed a hatful of chances and Dalla Valle had a decent chance towards the end. Very similar to the Scunthorpe game but you know, not too disheartened compared to some of our other defeats this season.

 

[RavenBish]

This forum seems a bit slow, is it the same for everyone else? Not slow as in frustrating, just noticeably slow.

Anyway the game, thought we were well worth the win. Ajose messed up two glorious chances early on as we started very shakily and then the game was fairly even up until the last 25 minutes where we just romped our way through, probably the most impressive 25 minutes at home since Crawley. Thompson missed 3 headers, Thomas missed the easiest chance I think i've ever seen in professional football and Hayhurst should have hit the target at the very least with a back post free header and then, in a game where the score could've been about 4-3 if not for strikers missing easy chances, Billy Daniels converts the most difficult of the game to win it.

Game marred by Noble's red card and a referee intent on dishing out cards like he was on commission in a game where it would've been perfectly acceptable if no-one got booked. Thank fuck he didn't bottle the penalty decision, because as clear as it was, that's often not enough at this level.

Special mentions go to Mullins and Noble but the star men for me were Adams (his best game in a Notts shirt since Preston) and of course Hayhurst who was simply superb and justified that I wasn't crazy in my hatred of McLaughlin...a left winger can actually be effective.

 

[jacobncfc]

I would like to thank our dear leader Dull Davis for once again performing the great sin of sitting back after we've scored. He'll never learn!

That said Ajose missed a hatful of chances and Dalla Valle had a decent chance towards the end. Very similar to the Scunthorpe game but you know, not too disheartened compared to some of our other defeats this season.

Ajose and Ikpeazu were great, caused us all sorts of problems. A different team to the one we played at Gresty Road going forwards. Defensively you were just as hopeless though - no idea who your right back was, but he had an absolute nightmare albeit faced with both Adams and Hayhurst and little support from his winger.

 

[RavenBish]

They were, neither had their shooting boots on but I thought they were good in their own way. Ajose's movement was clever and Ikpeazu is just the next Crewe uncannily skilful colossus after Pogba and Aneke. He wasn't as dominant as the Crewe lot were going on about though, physically Mullins (who is hardly a big bloke) dealt with him fairly comfortably.

I thought Ness was very good too, otherwise they were fairly non-descript. Defensively they allowed far too many free headers and Thompson (who is hardly 'quick') was able to get behind them a bit.

 

[JJ1532]

Pissed off to lose that game. County thoroughly deserved it as we were shocking once we equalised.

Adam Dugdale is never a League One footballer, why on earth he came on for Guthrie at HT I'll never know. He has to be done for the season now, can't keep bringing on sub standard players and being surprised when they cock up. What has Stewart done to not get a single minute of football since he impressed against PNE SD?

Baillie was our RWB and he did have a tough afternoon, although he was given little support because of system means they get isolated by a winger and fullback who know what they are doing. Davis should have switched Jones and Grant over and gotten the more experienced latter player to support Baillie defensively. Dugdale also gave the young lad no help at all, there was often massive gaps between the pair of them.

Ikpeazu and Ajose are pissing me off. Yeah yeah, everyone talks about their goals, but their all round impact is seriously suspect. Ajose blew 2 great chances last week and blew 2 even better ones this time. That first touch for his first attempt, then that horrible snatched effort for the 2nd. Awful.

As for Ikpeazu, he is one of the greediest players I've ever seen. Unless SD gets him to buy into the team game ethos, his team mates will stop passing to him. Ness tuned out after he scored, it was like he was happy with his contribution and zoned out for the rest of the game. Turned into Steve Gerrard trying raking 50 yard through balls all the time. What on earth half our team were doing for the penalty incident 1 minute before HT I'll never know. We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot and are now back in the drop zone.

Only positive I'll take is that we created some decent chances and if we score one of those Ajose chances early on, we probably wouldn't have lost. We don't concede that stupid penalty and we probably wouldn't have lost. We deserved to lose today for our shambolic second half display. Lets just hope that with us losing and the Vale winning, that spurs us on even more for next week, massive game that is.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Ajose and Ikpeazu were great, caused us all sorts of problems. A different team to the one we played at Gresty Road going forwards. Defensively you were just as hopeless though - no idea who your right back was, but he had an absolute nightmare albeit faced with both Adams and Hayhurst and little support from his winger.

The formation we play means we only play wing backs and so the strikers and midfielders despite starting centrally are expected to support as Uche was doing with Greg Leigh on the left side today. James Baillie is only young but I rate him and he's been consistent so probably just had an off day in all honesty. The front two and Ness sounded very good today. Just a shame we failed to take our chances and didn't go for it when we'd equalised. Davis really does need to show more ambition in games though but at least we're looking a lot better than 2 months ago.

 

[jacobncfc]

Can tell I got no sleep last night, didn't even notice that Crewe were playing five at the back.

To be fair to Davis, you were the better team for a solid spell after you equalised, albeit without creating any real chances. We just got a head of steam going with about 20 mins left and started battering you, the goal was basically inevitable by the time it came, we'd missed about four easy chances in ten minutes.

 

[RavenBish]

They played 5 at the back?! I didn't notice that either. I thought Davis was playing left-back and actually had a decent game with Leigh in front. I don't know if that's me just not really paying attention or if their shape was terrible then.

 

[Freakyteeth]

Good work Notts.

 

[RavenBish]

Daniels' goal

https://vine.co/v/Oj6WFrTnzlK

 

[JoeJoeJoeJoe]

I wish we had a player like Daniels...

 

[TimeyWimey]

FFS. Struggling to really pin the blame for this one as we just seemed to self destruct all over the place.

Firstly I hope that was just a bad game in front of goal for Ajose and he's not a striker who requires less than a second to think about it or he'll completely fluff it.

Notts never looked like even threatening goal in the first half, cross after cross I thought we were dealing with perfectly fine. So we give them a penalty.

Then second half. Starts off perfectly, Ness at his best. Then suddenly down hill. Firstly, absolutely nonsense to bring Dudgale on to play there. He'd have been just about ok in the centre of the three but on the right, covering a full back, always going to be horrendous.

To then take Ajose and Uche off was as good as surrendering and putting the game in County's hands. Uche was flagging but still holding the ball, getting it forward and winning free kicks. Sticking Cooper and LDV up there gave Notts such an easy last 10 mins when we should have been peppering the goal, the ball was never going anywhere near the goal when we were hoofing it up to those two.

It was pretty obvious in the second half we needed that little bit more creativity in midfield, an alternative to Ness' over-the-top ball. It was screaming Cooper > Jones imo. Cooper > Uche. Bonkers. Absolutely fucking bonkers.

 

[TimeyWimey]

And the Baillie/Jones combination on the right just isn't good. Too inexperienced. Toots will fix that hopefully.