Notts Joe: Louis Laing is missing piece of Notts County jigsaw puzzle

I must admit that, when I heard the rumour that Notts County were keen to sign Louis Laing on loan, I sort of dismissed it.

Why? Quite simply, I couldn’t see a return on the cards, despite the fact he appears to be out of favour at Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell.

However, he is the exact type of signing which instantly reassures fans and after a disappointing start to our 2016/17 League Two campaign, it’s a boost we needed. His performance against Hartlepool was nothing short of glorious.

There’s no hiding, the Notts defence does have weaknesses and it’s becoming even more clear. The ‘silly mistakes’ made by various players reveal more of about how woeful the defending has been for the past three or more seasons. Yet we continue to see the focus on the ‘attack’, which we appear to have more than enough capable at League Two.

Yet, it’s the defence where I had hoped to see further strengthening and if Haydn Hollis’s wish of going out on loan happens, John Sheridan must insure we have another quality centre-back ready to come into the first team.

There’s no denying however just how much of an impact Laing can have for Notts over the course of his loan spell. His qualities are pretty known among our fan base, and his fearless style of defending and leading by example is something we have greatly missed.

John Sheridan and the club have done very well just to get a defender of his quality to come back, let alone drop down to League Two, as I do feel he is good enough for League One.

I now wish that Notts could sign Alan Sheehan as he would be a great addition alongside Laing at the back, as well as a defensive midfielder to shore up the back line.

If Laing can indeed form part of the missing jigsaw puzzle, perhaps we can go from strength to strength. Yet it’s early days and I do not feel anyone should overly worry, and provided Notts continue to strive for better, the results should keep on coming.

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