Joe Jones: High-flying Notts County and the importance of managing expectations

I have to say, Jorge Grant is not the only person linked to Notts County who thinks the team's campaign so far has exceeded his expectations. I've been pinching myself about just how well the Pies have done. And many other fans will also be somewhat incredulous about the season so far.

Over the years we have been mentally engineered to prepare for, experience and cope with disappointment. So to be witnessing a club that, at present, is stable and performing well from top to bottom feels like uncharted territory.

With Notts currently second in the table, boasting an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions and, crucially, having won the last four league games and not conceded a single goal in those, is great to see.

But with such an impressive run of form so early in the season, there has to be another thing taken into account: expectation management. The mind begins wondering "what if..." and the P word appears.

But at the same time, you keep telling yourself "it's too early, don't think about it, take it one game at a time" or maybe even "nope, not gonna happen". Cognitive dissonance at its finest.

Kevin Nolan is trying his best to stay grounded and taking it one game at a time. Alan Hardy, meanwhile, has shown how easy it is for that optimism to filter out with a recent tweet in which, talking about Manchester United and Manchester City, he added: "Definite 1st and 2nd. Toss a coin on which one finishes the higher. Sounds a bit like Notts County & Exeter City." Hinting that Notts might still be there would be incredible, but then comes the mental slapping-yourself-on-the-wrist thought of "not yet, it's too early!"

The finest example of expectation management I can think of in recent history is from Claudio Ranieri when he was at Leicester City, who kept his side grounded and plugging away one game at a time for the entire season - and helped a team who were tipped for relegation to the Premier League title.

County's mission to earn promotion is not quite on the same stratospheric calibre as a smallish team overcoming some of the richest clubs in the world to win the PL title, but Notts will nonetheless have to maintain their nerve, and from what Nolan has shown so far in terms of what he demands from his players and also in managing the side's expectations, he definitely seems like the best man for the job, which bodes well moving forward.

The remaining three fixtures in September will definitely be a mini-test in itself - two local derbies, against Lincoln City and more importantly Mansfield Town, plus the top-of-the-table-so-far clash against Exeter City. Three difficult fixtures from both a physical and a mental perspective, and with the possibility of Notts ending September with a 100% record, Nolan will need to pull out all the stops to keep his players focused before, during and after the games, which will no doubt be blood-and-thunder affairs.

As for myself, the way I keep managing my expectations is by telling myself to just enjoy the good atmosphere while it lasts, just seeing each game out one by one, and remember that being in a serene, stable place as the club is now, compared to last year, is something that should be enjoyed for what it is no matter what happens at the top of the table. Anything else, well, it's just a bonus.

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