Mark Stallard on Notts County: ‘Cutting Out Individual Errors is Point Number One’

i think hes 100% correct, i appreciate and love hearing mark stallards comments. i think we just need to work harder in training in defensive situations and work more as a team. every needs to think about their positioning and if someone is marking, ensure that the space is limited. if it means making sure we get players back so be it, we cant keep conceding the amount of goals that we do.

There’s an age-old saying in football that a solid defence is the foundation of a good team. However, we should also acknowledge the strength of our attacking force. Yes, there are areas for improvement in our defence, but we have a talented squad. I wish supporters would understand that every player is giving their all, and mistakes are part of the game. I believe we can manage until January, but we need to make decisions about these loan players who aren’t making it into our first team. They either need to be given a chance to prove themselves or returned to their parent clubs. The addition of a robust, commanding centre-back could be beneficial. Hopefully, our recruitment team is considering this. But let’s not forget, we’re performing well overall. If you exclude matches like those against Forest Green and Colchester United, our record looks much more positive.

“Cutting out individual errors is point number one,” This statement is spot on. It’s not a big problem, but we do need to start maintaining more shutouts if we want to keep ourselves at the top. As long as we can secure victories and minimise losses or points dropped, there’s always a chance we can remain in the lead.

I believe part of the problem lies in our starting strategy. If John Bostock isn’t playing, we need to consider how that might affect our defence and ensure that everyone is working together. Good defending is crucial to winning games, regardless of how many goals we let in. Mistakes are bound to happen, this is League Two football after all, but I think Mark Stallard’s comment hits the mark.

The key point to remember here is that everything can be resolved with a bit of effort. There’s no need for concern, but we do need to return to our winning form. Mark Stallard’s insights are quite sensible; it’s crucial to maintain structure and work in harmony.

Mark Stallard talks a lot of sense, I agree to his emphatic “no” when asked should we change the style of play, he’s exactly right because as he says this style of play has brought success, the team just need to work on the defensive side of things on the training ground and I’m positive that Luke Williams will be aware of this and working hard with his team to put it right. There’s absolutely no need to panic. 
 

Stallard's point about individual errors really struck a chord with me. Watching the game, I can't help but tense up every time the opposition mounts an attack, knowing our defence might falter. It's time for us to strengthen up in the back, without compromising on our attacking might.

Great points by Mark Stallard here. There's no two ways about it, individual errors are something we really need to conquer if we want to continue our hot streak.

Mark Stallard is correct, although I don’t see the need for concern. We might very well keep a clean sheet tomorrow against Swindon. The more we worry or panic, the larger the issue will become. I believe the focus needs to be on training, with an emphasis on awareness. We seem to leave defending to one or two players who are closer to the ball. Perhaps Luke Williams might consider instructing the players to move into defensive positions quicker and to provide support?

Colchester demonstrated a high quality of play, it's hard to deny. But hats off to the team for putting up a spirited performance. We could’ve got something from the goal ourselves but we didn’t.

It's evident that he has pinpointed exactly where we are going wrong. Our attack is intimidating, scoring with relative ease against our opponents, but the chinks in our armour become apparent when facing a counter-attack. Our defence seems to falter and lapse into mistakes when under pressure, causing us to concede. Stallard is right, this is an area we need to focus on in training. We must learn to maintain consistent pressure without compromising on our defensive stability, managing transitions effectively and limiting individual errors. Only then can we become a well-rounded team capable of maintaining our position at the top of the league.