Saturday 13th January 2024

[jacobncfc]

Still think Notts have some of the best players in the league, they're the best on the ball by a distance, they should be higher in the table IMO.

I agree - you shouldn't be the top scorers in the country, have the top individual goalscorer in the country, and the top individual assister in the country and be struggling to hold on to a play-off place. Although it is at least blindingly obvious what the new manager needs to sort out, I guess.

The way we play leaves us open and I can accept conceding goals from that, but two of Grimsby's on Saturday (including the late equaliser) are just from set pieces into the box where we lose the first ball and somehow leave a man in about ten yards of space on the edge to smash in the loose ball. That's not being ultra attacking, it's just rank bad defending.

 

[Conker]

I agree - you shouldn't be the top scorers in the country, have the top individual goalscorer in the country, and the top individual assister in the country and be struggling to hold on to a play-off place. Although it is at least blindingly obvious what the new manager needs to sort out, I guess.

The way we play leaves us open and I can accept conceding goals from that, but two of Grimsby's on Saturday (including the late equaliser) are just from set pieces into the box where we lose the first ball and somehow leave a man in about ten yards of space on the edge to smash in the loose ball. That's not being ultra attacking, it's just rank bad defending.

Mansfield have generally been very good this season but other than a lack of clinical edge, our biggest flaw is a real lack of quality with set-pieces and it’s pretty telling we managed to score from two corners against you, think we’ve only scored from about four all season!

 

[Optipez]

Mansfield have generally been very good this season but other than a lack of clinical edge, our biggest flaw is a real lack of quality with set-pieces and it’s pretty telling we managed to score from two corners against you, think we’ve only scored from about four all season!

There's no belief amongst the fans and probably the team that we're going to keep clean sheets. Worse still, we regularly concede early so have no choice but to go for it and try to out score teams making us even more open.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I agree - you shouldn't be the top scorers in the country, have the top individual goalscorer in the country, and the top individual assister in the country and be struggling to hold on to a play-off place. Although it is at least blindingly obvious what the new manager needs to sort out, I guess.

The way we play leaves us open and I can accept conceding goals from that, but two of Grimsby's on Saturday (including the late equaliser) are just from set pieces into the box where we lose the first ball and somehow leave a man in about ten yards of space on the edge to smash in the loose ball. That's not being ultra attacking, it's just rank bad defending.

If your recruitment team and budget concentrates on the attacking talent at the club and neglects the defensive talent/department then I don't think it should be a surprise that we are top scorers, assisters etc and still trying to hang onto a playoff spot. It's followed it's expected natural course.

The defending was indeed rank, especially for the 2nd and 5th.

 

[jacobncfc]

If your recruitment team and budget concentrates on the attacking talent at the club and neglects the defensive talent/department then I don't think it should be a surprise that we are top scorers, assisters etc and still trying to hang onto a playoff spot. It's followed it's expected natural course.

The defending was indeed rank, especially for the 2nd and 5th.

I just think it's a bit of a cop out to go 'the centre backs are rubbish, replace them!!' and the new manager needs to have them taking more responsibility for it as a team. I've had plenty of criticisms of the back three and Stone this season, but on Saturday I'm not sure what they were supposed to do - the goals have pretty much all come from mistakes from people higher up the pitch. Bostock conceding his weekly penalty, Jones going walkabout twice, Crowley getting bullied off the ball 30 yards from his own goal with us wide open...

 

[Son of Cod]

but two of Grimsby's on Saturday (including the late equaliser) are just from set pieces into the box where we lose the first ball and somehow leave a man in about ten yards of space on the edge to smash in the loose ball.

3 of the last 4 times we've played you we've scored winning/equalising goals from set pieces in injury time though. Is this just a freak sequence of occurrences that only happens against us or is there a bit of a long term inherent problem?

 

[Gladders]

A lot of ‘show ignored content’ on this thread I hope he’s not having a meltdown the poor lamb.

Just the usual, trying to defend a draw against a team at the bottom of the table, by questioning why we are not mad about it instead of looking at his own side!

Oh and football is a TV show not a sport so conceding at least two goals a game is amazing and every team should pretend they are on the school playground and play with 10 strikers and a rush keeper, like its some revolutionary new idea and not a stupid idea.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

I just think it's a bit of a cop out to go 'the centre backs are rubbish, replace them!!' and the new manager needs to have them taking more responsibility for it as a team. I've had plenty of criticisms of the back three and Stone this season, but on Saturday I'm not sure what they were supposed to do - the goals have pretty much all come from mistakes from people higher up the pitch. Bostock conceding his weekly penalty, Jones going walkabout twice, Crowley getting bullied off the ball 30 yards from his own goal with us wide open...

Of course it is a bit of a cop out. The system and approach used by Williams puts far too much responsibility on the back 3, and too little on the midfielders and wing backs ahead. Us fans know that, or should.

But what is our rubbish centre back doing prior to conceding the corner for the 2nd goal. There are countless and far too many examples this season when the individual defending by one our centre backs which has nothing to do with the system has been horrific. See same rubbish centre back at Sutton away on the first game of the season. Every single one of them has made mistakes just like those midfielders going walk about , bullied off the ball , or giving away penalties.

The entertaining game and defeat at Wimbledon probably summed it all up best. Same rubbish centre back made another rickett there too. And he's not alone.... It's a pandemic lol.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Just the usual, trying to defend a draw against a team at the bottom of the table, by questioning why we are not mad about it instead of looking at his own side!

Oh and football is a TV show not a sport so conceding at least two goals a game is amazing and every team should pretend they are on the school playground and play with 10 strikers and a rush keeper, like its some revolutionary new idea and not a stupid idea.

And there is they problem of ignoring someone's posts but still strangely posting about them. You take a bit of a guess and then look stupid. Melt down?? Yeah big time nailed it fishy

Oh and Gladders not bottom of the table, near the bottom. Let's be at least be a little accurate. If our idea is so stupid and has happened to have beleaguered Notts top 6 pretty much all season. I'd love to know what idea lowly Grimsby have adopted to be in the bottom half all season and currently 19th?

 

[Gladders]

And there is they problem of ignoring someone's posts but still strangely posting about them.

We are not lauding our system we know our problems hence why the manager was sacked!

 

[Conker]

What a sad little life Karen

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

And there is they problem of ignoring someone's posts but still strangely posting about them.

We are not lauding our system we know our problems hence why the manager was sacked!

Exactly.

Be critical all you like but maybe get your own house in order first.

 

[ForzaCounty]

Remember Mike Jackson getting sent off for Rovers for hurling a throw-in against an opponent.
How is Bristow settling in at Stockport?

Took about twenty minutes to get up to speed on Saturday, then put in an 8/10 performance.

 

[Gladders]

Exactly.

Be critical all you like but maybe get your own house in order first.

I give in, sorry everyone I tried but you were right, there is no helping this one.

 

[PaulHaddock]

Going to sound like sour grapes but both games against us Notts have had one tactic of getting crosses in behind the back line (which I also said at the start of the season). Clearly they’re good at it and against defensively inept teams like us it pays off. Without the aid of having the respective best players in the league for their positions of Jones, Langstaff and McGoldrick, I think their team incredibly average for this league.

We’ve finally figured out how to score goals but a new RB and many training sessions on defending is required as conceding 11 in 2 games is unacceptable. Danny Rose and Abo Eisa on 10 and 8 league goals respectively is actually impressive considering where we are right now.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Paul I think that sums us up really well. We have 5 players who you can put up against the top 5 players of any club in this league and would probably come out on top. But after that there isn't much else, very average and exploitable.

We have a Plan A which is simple, obvious and clearly can be very very effective. However Plan A sometimes comes unstuck, especially against the top sides in the league, and has inherent weaknesses attached which can easily be exploited.

We are flat track bullies.

Lose one of the 5, and one of the most promising and talented head coaches at this level and all of sudden, the short term picture is very different. Yet the medium and long term pictures still look very rosy.

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

Going to sound like sour grapes but both games against us Notts have had one tactic of getting crosses in behind the back line (which I also said at the start of the season). Clearly they’re good at it and against defensively inept teams like us it pays off. Without the aid of having the respective best players in the league for their positions of Jones, Langstaff and McGoldrick, I think their team incredibly average for this league.

We’ve finally figured out how to score goals but a new RB and many training sessions on defending is required as conceding 11 in 2 games is unacceptable. Danny Rose and Abo Eisa on 10 and 8 league goals respectively is actually impressive considering where we are right now.

People were (rightly, imo) questioning our keeper when we conceded 5 at home to MK Dons and Swindon in August, and then another 5 in September away at Stockport. That is inexcusable to be conceding 15 goals in 3 games, however we have got rid of 2 defenders who were part of that period, brought in another one from our squad depth, and a midfielder who can play in defence, and we have tightened up a hell of a lot. In fact, i'm sure we haven't conceded more than 3 goals since that Stockport disaster in any given game (Only Crewe, Burton in the tinpot trophy and Walsall have scored 3).

But those games we really tightened the defence up. After watching the highlights of Grimsby and Notts, it has to be said that both teams cant defend anything remotely basic. Grimsby must be pleased to see goals going in though, surely?

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

We can collectively defend as a team as shown against the per the Wrexham and Stockport games which honestly were night and day compared our defensive showings at Colchester and Grimsby for example. The issue is we can't consistently do it. We have too many individual mistakes in us plus our system/approach asks too much of the 3 defenders.

The problems have been there a long time, but they can be very well masked when you dominate possession like we did for example against Donny and Morecambe in 3-0 and 5-0 wins respectively.

Overall it's fun, won't be successful this season, but definitely not dull.

 

[Republic of Womble]

It was in reply to a needlessly bitter post about Evans.

I have no obsession with him just think he’s an accident waiting to happen at times.Three errors from him in the highlights I watch against Wrexham.

Too late to awaken that in me. Shame he didn’t do it at County.

I didn't take the post to be bitter, more I think it was felt Evans was under-appreciated at Stockport. But you have a better squad than us, so I guess it's all relative... I hope he does well back with you, but if he is surplus to requirements, I'd be more than happy if he ends up with us again.

I actually agree with you about Lewis, I do think he jumps in occasionally when he's got no hope of getting the ball and finds himself wrong side/out of position, but I'm hoping with more games/experience he breaks that habit. Even so, he's still head and shoulders above most of the CB's we've had in the last few seasons.... I think this might be one of those few transfers that's a "win" for all parties.... Stockport get a decent fee, we get a decent player who can hopefully improve further still in an area we've been notoriously weak, and Lewis gets first team football...

 

[Son of Cod]

People were (rightly, imo) questioning our keeper when we conceded 5 at home to MK Dons and Swindon in August, and then another 5 in September away at Stockport. That is inexcusable to be conceding 15 goals in 3 games, however we have got rid of 2 defenders who were part of that period, brought in another one from our squad depth, and a midfielder who can play in defence, and we have tightened up a hell of a lot. In fact, i'm sure we haven't conceded more than 3 goals since that Stockport disaster in any given game (Only Crewe, Burton in the tinpot trophy and Walsall have scored 3).

But those games we really tightened the defence up. After watching the highlights of Grimsby and Notts, it has to be said that both teams cant defend anything remotely basic. Grimsby must be pleased to see goals going in though, surely?

Yeah definitely, nothing worse than being down in the bottom five and not being able to hit a barn door. It's partly why I don't really have any concerns about going down. Even the likes of Pyke and Wilson who have been bit parts so far mainly due to availability have chipped in when they've played. Vernam looked decent for someone making his first start since Aug/Sept too, if he can get back to his best and we get Saturday's Eisa more often than not then we're in good shape up front.

 

[Bianconeri 1862]

Said to Jacob at half time, we're going to have to score five to win this, my bad, rank bad collective defending for the late equaliser.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

Wheeling Luke Waterfall out for the last minute winner.

He’s close to the point of needing wheels and rumoured to be getting a tow to York City, not sure of the provenance of that rumour though.

5-5 draw's are entertaining when you're a neutral and of course it has it's perks when you're team is involved but I think I would be too frustrated with the defending from my team if it was happening most weeks. The annoyance would seriously undermine the entertainment. What's all this bullshit these days from fans about wanting entertainment like it's a cinema? I'm entertained when we win, I love a 1-0.

Looking at the timings of the goals, I'd be pissed off if I was a Notts fans yesterday to score so late and then concede again at the death. Absolutely nothing enjoyable about that.

Still think Notts have some of the best players in the league, they're the best on the ball by a distance, they should be higher in the table IMO.

I especially love a 1-0 away from home with a late winner after a gritty performance and being under cosh for 90 mins…I think we’d get bored with basketball like goal fests every game wouldn’t we?

 

[Limerick Mariner]

It's all about opinions of course and I'm aware there is a wide spectrum of views about Hurst and his style from Town fans, this forum alone showed that.

The fact Hurst and his assistant were sacked and the season written off by fans as early as late October says it all about the sudden unexpected decline.

I'm not surprised they are quite excited about what the future holds under Artell with a potentially exciting couple of seasons ahead. That's partly down to Hurstball. Effective, dogged and pragmatic when winning , turgid, dull and not offering much entertainment to the paying spectators when not.

Hurst gave us something special in each of his last two full seasons. He messed up a lot in the summer - unnecessary change of keeper, letting Orsi leave with only Rose on our books as a central striker, not signing an experienced head to lead at the back, knowing Luke Waterfall’s career at this level is in twilight; but I wonder if his legacy for this season might be a big fee for Kamil Conteh who was superb on Saturday. Still can’t quite work out how we managed to snaffle him on a 3 contract.