Notts County have been knocked off top spot in League Two following their 2-0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday night.
The Magpies simply were not at the races as goals from Michael Raynes and Jordan Bowery gave the Railwaymen all three points.
The result saw Luton Town leapfrog both Notts and Exeter City, who were hammered by the Hatters, at the top of the table.
Here is the reaction from the Notts manager and the Black and White Army following the disappointing loss at Gresty Road.
Kevin Nolan
“I just thought we didn’t manage situations like we have done this season.
“I warned the lads before the game that Crewe will want to play the best game of their season.
“They certainly did because I’ve watched all the videos of them this season and that’s why they got the result.
“Their fans were up for it because we are top of the league. Their players were going to run that little bit extra, tackle that little bit harder and defend as hard as they can.
“We’ve been doing that this season, but you will get hiccups and this was one of them.”
The fans
Dangerous Sausage: I missed it last night but it did seem a strange decision to play Forte and Alessandro - who both need the ball played to feet - and leave our best ball-playing midfielder on the bench for an hour. If we're going to play the big boot then we might as well play the big men who can win the arial challenges.
I'm a bit concerned that KN has started to believe the hype. We've got some decent players on board but we're not so good that we can afford to drop a player of Grant's quality, especially when his replacement is playing out of position and hasn't really arrived in professional football yet. Although I think it's an attempt at man management, dropping players like that could be interpreted as arrogance by the opposition.
Nigel Nattrass: A very poor display tonight, but I have to say it wasn’t down to any lack of effort on the field. This one is down to Kevin Nolan. Unless the players totally ignored his pre-match instructions and decided to try it their own way, he, as manager, got it totally wrong.
I can well understand the team changes....especially when your first choice strikers are 70 years old between them and incapable of playing two full games in the space of four days.......but whatever your team selection, if you want to succeed with it, you have to play to its strengths. Notts didn’t do that.
Starting with Forte and Alessandra up front,......two players who need the ball at their feet,......Nolans’ game plan seemed to be for us to pass the ball across the back four, until a Crewe player came to close it down, then hoof it up the field in the general direction of our strikers and hope for the best.
That didn’t work in the first half.....so Nolan thought he would carry on that way for another 20 minutes.
The eventual introduction of Stead, Ameobi and Grant ....replacing Walker, Forte and Hawkridge......should’ve added some impetus to our game. But it didn’t. There was no change of tactics and not very much more success up front.
Crewe soon gratefully took advantage as FOUR Notts players......Grant, Milsom, Yates and Dickinson....all stood ball-watching in the middle of Notts’ half, and a simple unchallenged pass let in Jordan Bowery to make it 2-0 and put the game beyond doubt.
To put it bluntly, Notts don’t have enough pace, and enough quality on the ball. On the evidence of the last four matches, January can’t come quick enough so that we can get Noble (a player I wouldn’t have even considered signing) into the midfield, and hopefully bring in a couple of mobile strikers.
Oh......and I’m getting sick of watching hoof-ball. Many Notts fans tonight were calling out for the players to get the ball down and pass it. The crap we are being forced to watch isn’t even effective, it won’t bring success and it certainly won’t bring the crowds in.
Kevin Nolan might’ve had some positives to pick out of this (I haven’t yet heard / read his post-match comments). But he’s clutching at straws if he did. He might say we shouldn’t get too carried away, win or lose. But we have now been very poor for four successive games, picking up just 4 points out of 12, and (only just) deserving 3. It’s worrying.
Steve Brewer: That was absolutely woeful. We didn't even look like scoring. And they were not a good side. 2 terrible examples of defending. When you dick around with the team and not play your strongest side from the start then that is what you get. At least Luton did us a favour. Forget going to Carlisle Sat, we are going to see my mate's team Altrincham at Warrington. Top two clash in the NPL. Lads we have got to play better than that!
Chris Buckley: Just one of those days I'm afraid, we'll bounce back from this - I don't think the tweaking of the line-up helped but it was worth the gamble as I can see what Nolan was trying to do.
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