So we're a third of the way through the League Two campaign and the table does not lie. Notts County are second in the standings, with 30 points from 15 games and the second-best goal difference out of the 24 teams at + 9 (and Luton are way ahead of everyone else this season with +22).
Yes, if you had asked me back in July if I would have taken this position for the Magpies a third of the way through the season I would not only have said yes, but I probably would have laughed at you for suggesting something so implausible.
But as it stands, here we are nicely right near the top of the league, only one point behind a very impressive Luton outfit. And yes, credit where credit's due with regards to Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan's work, not only in stopping the rot last season but for the top-to-bottom repairs carried out on and off the pitch.
Both Nolan and Mark Crossley have hit out at negativity from fans in recent weeks, while Hardy has also found himself in the firing line a couple of times on social media. And I do know where they're coming from - it does seem like some people would moan if Notts snapped up Lionel Messi, probably saying he's too old and that young English players should get a chance instead.
But with regards to the performances, there can be no denying that, at various points over the last few weeks, standards on the pitch HAVE slipped, and that Notts have resorted to lumping the ball from the back towards the attackers and bypassing the midfield. This isn't fans being ungrateful or disrespectful, it's making a point about what, and I'll say it again, at various points over the last few weeks, has been witnessed by the fans.
Football is a public game which relies on thousands, if not millions, of eyeballs on the pitch (and the money which comes with people wanting to see the action), and fans will have opinions about what they see. Sure, there will be unreasonable ones and there will be downright hostile ones, but by and large, the majority of fans have their heads screwed on and, although they know in the grand scheme of things the club is doing fantastically well, it's a case of alarm bells beginning to ring if standards begin to slip and getting a little panicky.
In all fairness, can you blame fans for getting panicky given Notts have a history of beginning the season well, only for it to go downhill? We have been scarred by years and years of being right up there and starting to believe, only for things to go **** up.
One year ago today, Notts had beaten a superb Portsmouth side 2-1 away at Fratton Park, leaving us sixth in the table with 21 points from 14 games. And you won't need reminding what happened after that.
No, I am not being all doom and gloom. I am not saying this will happen again. I know things are much different both behind the scenes and on the pitch, and there is more chance that Leicester City will go on to win the Premier League again this season than Hardy nor Nolan allowing things to slip more than a fraction.
What I am saying is that Notts fans may be a little jumpier than others - a few years ago we were officially voted the most stressed out fanbase in the top four divisions - so the term I will use is "once bitten, twice shy" with regards to alarm bells ringing.
Football is never meant to be an easy ride. It's only easy in hindsight, when a championship has been wrapped up, and that's usually when the DVDs come out so fans can relive the key moments safe in the knowledge that everything will pan out great.
So even though we KNOW that, deep down, the club is a million miles away from the shambles of yesteryear, fans should not be blamed for being a little uneasy at times.
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