Match Discussion: Game 9 - The Green (H)

[menzinho]

Entertaining, but nervy at the end there! First half was us in control, a little bit of off passing but generally pretty solid stuff.

Second half we just never got going, well not until they scored 2, stood off them and they got into the final third too easily. That said they didn’t really create much, just relied on our inability to defend a corner.

We played into Deeney’s hands, he wasn’t very mobile in the flow of the game. He wanted to stand in the 6-yard box and do his work there and we let him. 2nd goal was particularly awful the ball seemed to bounce into the net in slow-motion, really thought Stone should’ve dealt with it much better.

We’re just blessed with superior attacking play at the moment, Jones and Crowley both great again. We scored 4 really good goals, yes their keeper fumbled the 3rd straight to Bostock but the build up to get to that moment was on point. 4th goal was the best for me, quick break, great ball from Jones and you just knew it was going in the moment McGoldrick got that first touch right.

I’ll take an exciting 4-3 win over a dull 1-0 win, I’m not complaining but there was too much sloppiness from us in that game (yeah I know that's a complaint!). And a little bit of set-piece work to be done before next weekend I think…

[DangerousSausage]

I didn't watch this one as I was on my way back from holiday, but luckily the flight was delayed just enough for me to find out the result! The last time Notts were playing while I was on a plane, we'd bee relegated by the time I landed, so this was a marked improvement

I'm glad you were all entertained with lots of goals, although LW would probably have preferred the 2-0. The major wobble in the second half will give him food for thought, but I blame the expert summariser on the PON Facebook page who praised the Notts defence just before the first FGR goal went in! We got away with it, we're top of the league and we play fantastic football in front of big crowds every week. Times are good!

[liampie]

firstly, i hope the fans who experienced heart attacks are fine. this is something i am being serious about. i was talking to a steward about the flashing lights of the ambulance. he told me 3 supporters had heart attacks.  

forest green played some good football, if we had defended better at times then it would not have been so difficult or something which people would be criticising to the point where it over looks the result. it should not because we were good, two good teams playing each other and that will lead to games like this at times. we may experience a boring 1-0 win, so nobody can win.

notts showed their class in both halfs in attack, we always looked like we could get a good move going and put the ball in the back of the net. i think fgr looked less likely to score, but still played well. i am happy with the game as it was exciting to watch.

i really hope the fans are okay, thats the main thing.

[RetroPie]

I believe Forest Green Rovers weren’t adequately recognised for their potential before the match. They began energetically and forced Notts to earn their lead. Scoring goals before half-time was an ideal situation, but it quickly turned sour as Notts’ performance deteriorated. Everything seemed challenging until they scored their first goal, and even then, our counterattacks weren’t as potent as they could have been. The 2-2 draw was a wake-up call for Notts, and thankfully, the team responded positively thereafter.

However, it was disheartening to concede a penalty. I may not be an expert, but deciding to trip someone in the penalty area seems ill-advised. Connell Rawlinson should be regretting that decision, rather than engaging with fans on social media. All the hard work put in by the team was nearly undone. Yes, it was entertaining, but if we’re discussing improvements and game-changing moments, we need to acknowledge that allowing the opposition to play freely can invite danger.

[Sirrels County]

The match wasn’t vastly different from the encounter with Grimsby, albeit with the roles reversed and arguably against a superior Forest Green side. Every now and then, a game like this comes along, and it seems we fans have become quite accustomed to it. In previous seasons, such a game might have led to complaints, but not in this campaign. I believe that seeing the score levelled at 2-2 spurred Notts to up their game. Had Forest Green been slower to equalise, we might have settled for a draw, but fortunately, there was ample time for us to regain control. Had the equaliser come later in the match, they might have even emerged victorious, as we seemed quite hapless for a while.

[Fan of Big Tone]

On 24/09/2023 at 21:24, liampie said:

firstly, i hope the fans who experienced heart attacks are fine. this is something i am being serious about. i was talking to a steward about the flashing lights of the ambulance. he told me 3 supporters had heart attacks.  

 

Oh my goodness is that true? I hope they are ok.

[Chris]

@Fan of Big Tone: I was told this also after the game and by a friend that's a steward. I don't know how serious it was, but hopefully news will come out about how they are doing. A flashing ambulance was stationed by the Family Stand, specifically on the Jimmy Sirrel Stand side.  

[allardyces tash]

The match was quite entertaining, with both teams going from one end to the other. There were instances where either side could have scored more, but I felt that Notts created far superior opportunities. The Forest Green goalkeeper demonstrated his skills with some of the saves he made, but I was let down by our feeble defence and Aidan Stone’s lack of concentration. There’s only one goal where I think he could have done better, but there were numerous times when he seemed very slow to react. It doesn’t detract from the team’s performance or the fantastic victory, but it does seem like we need to manage pressure better without creating more work for ourselves.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

I hope the fans are OK.  I didn't see the ambulance leave (it was still there towards the end), so hopefully that is a good sign.

I think we would have learned a lot from that game.  Last year at 2-0 we would have just lifted the foot off the gas a little and still run out 3 or 4 winners. My feeling is that old habits kicked in and we tried to do the same on Saturday,  Like at Sutton we showed that if we are only 98% on it we lose control of the game. On the flip side the way we reacted to going 2 -2 showed to me that we had gears to go up whenever we wanted.  Even when they got their 3rd I thought we would win, because when we wanted to, we could pull them apart.  FGR also upped their game at the start of the second half which seemed to catch us off guard and we lost momentum.

I don't think we give FGR enough credit for coming back at us like they did. Their pressing at the start of the second half really stretched us and stopped us getting going. I think this pressure forced some of the defensive mistakes.  When we were on top, their defence made as many mistakes as ours, I think that was the nature of the game.   I'm not saying our defence is perfect or don't have mistakes in them, but I don't think they were solely culpable for the goals, and maybe the it wasn't individual errors as such, but a systemic issue and we need to learn to be able to be more resilient under pressure (something we didn't get a lot of experience of last season).   

I don't think there will be many opportunities to rest in game as there were last year, so I think we will see more of the squad players as the season progresses. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the game.  My next game is likely to be at Gillingham (it is just up the road from me).

[Chris]

I just watched the interview David Horseman, the Forest Green Rovers manager, gave after the game.

He mostly comes across well, but there are some bitter signs for me where he seems to be trying to defend himself more than telling it how it is.

"We're not far away, this is supposedly the best team in the league."

They did play well, but in the first half they weren't very effective. With incredible determination and a reservoir of untapped energy, they exceeded all expectations. The difference in the first half was we created the better chances and proved ourselves to be clinical on goal. Forest Green didn't have me remotely concerned that they would score in the first half, in comparison to the second half where they came out looking like they wanted to win the game.

He uses the word "arrogance" in what he wanted to see from his team, that's never a positive sign from a manager, and he realises his slip in wording when he quickly tries to change his tune. He doesn't finish and adds a deflective comment after he says that there were words said at half-time but insisted it was from him.

It's like a school boy trying to explain why he's done something naughty to a headmaster.

It's way he keeps adding throwaway comments about how he felt they played, trying to reinforce to the interviewer and listeners that he believes it. Yeah, Forest Green Rovers are the best team to play us so far at Meadow Lane. Yet to complain about missing chances and trying to talk ours down, along with our quality, it really shows a lack of awareness from him and says more about him trying to explain why he can't win a game.

I don't think they murdered us in the second half, but they showed a real force in pulling the game back. They did very well, but the deflective comment of them having 7 injuries further backs up my comments. Especially, since earlier in the interview he speaks about them needing to find players, so they can be better.

We can see the making of a very good Forest Rovers, however, they did play well. He noted, which seems like a slip, that his side hasn't played as well for 90 minutes. This was part of their issue, as they weren't great attacking in the first half or much after we scored our 4th.

I don't think anyone would say FGR were poor, but they didn't do enough to draw or win in my opinion. Had they played like they did in the second half, but for the whole game and they still had lost, I would feel lucky to have 3 points.

 

[liampie]

forest green should start improving, he does seem a bit biased and acting like he needs to make excuses.

i would not want to listen to him much, luke williams is far more entertaining for good reasons.

[Piethagoram]

 

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

The thing is Horseman is trying to protect his job.  They went through 3 managers before him since this time last year.  They were relegated and now find themselves at the foot of the table, so he must be feeling the pressure.  I think that interview was more about asking the chairman for a bit more time as it was a genuine analysis of the game.

[AmericanPie]

Their manager will undoubtedly be feeling the pressure. I find @Chris’s comments interesting, but I don’t usually pay much attention to the opposition as they can often resemble politicians, moulded by their own agendas and beliefs rather than being honest and humble. Notts played very well, even though I felt like Forest Green could go on and cause an upset. I think that second goal for them woke Notts up, thankfully we turned our performance back on. Finishing the game 4-3 is just a reminder that some teams won’t just lay down because we are leading a game.