Match Discussion: Game 10 - The U's (A)

[liampie]

1 hour ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

It sounded like a great match for a neutral but Luke Williams will be fuming that we’ve conceded 5 goals. Unbelievable that we’ve scored 4 goals away and lost.

i think his composed interview after the game shows that this time round he's going to give the players a hug, and focus more on the fact we need to work harder in defence. i am confident we can improve in training but it is obvious we need a commander at the back. someone very much like mike edwards.

[NottsLoyal]

I agree, we need to consider where we've come from and where we currently stand. We managed to score and put up a good fight, despite the problems we faced defensively, which were difficult to watch at times. John Bostock is an extremely important player in our team, who remains composed and isn't easily dispossessed. We definitely missed his presence, and although I believe he should have been in the starting lineup, on any other day, the outcome would have been different. Colchester United played exceptionally well, and they deserve credit for that.

[Chris]

Well, I missed the first three goals as I had been to my dad's. I put the radio on my phone once I did get back, then noticed the score and messages from some of the group team members about scoreline.

In football, when your side wins games, and you are playing well, sometimes you forget that it is totally unpredictable at times.

Yet you are given an almost false sense of security and I would never have imagined that this would have been a nine goal thriller, with defensive mistakes which could be befitting in a comedy sketch about football. Unfortunately, this highlights how much better we need to be defensively. On the plus point, I don't think it's a case of the 'bubble bursting', I just feel as if we played a very good team who wanted to win just a little more than we did.

Had we defended better, the outcome may have been much different, but I don't think we should dwell too much.

I think we have been doing fantastically well and games like this just make you reflect a little more, we have a squad that can do well, and we need to see it in all areas of the pitch. We can't always rely on winning games by one more than the opposition, yet at the same time I don't think we need to overly worry.

Full respect and credit must go to a very good Colchester United team, their fans won't be as bothered about the four goals they conceded even with their false league position. They will most likely just want to see more consistency with their own performances, which is what I am hoping we can go back to doing. If we defend stronger, we are capable of beating any team in this league.

That's not me being biased or overconfident, but it is me saying that we need the right approach and not make such awkward mistakes that prove costly.

Jodi Jones sounded quiet in the first half, perhaps guilty of not covering his defensive duties but what a goal he scored. It was absolutely fantastic, whilst I mentioned him, I don't think we need to call out the players individually. I just want to note that it's a team effort and my point was more to mention his contribution towards fixing a slight area he perhaps could have done better.

Certainly, there are defenders in our squad that switched off and proved that to be more costly. Isn't that football, though?

[CliftonMagpie]

While it’s never a simple affair, Colchester United demonstrated their worthiness. Our goals were impressive, and if you only saw those, you’d undoubtedly declare, ‘that’s why they’re at the top of League Two’. However, the same cannot be said if you were to see their goals. Don’t misunderstand me, they played well, but had we not made the mistakes we did, we could have won. The errors were our own doing, and some of their goals weren’t particularly good. I’m not expressing this out of bitterness; defensively, we didn’t deserve anything from the game.

[menzinho]

When you look at that starting 11, we’ve basically got 3 defenders and 1 defensive midfielder. Both Jones and Nemane are effectively wingers that have been converted into wingbacks. Crowley and Austin are attacking midfielders and McGoldrick and Macca are both forwards. That leaves 4 players, Palmer, Cameron, Baldwin and Brindley who are naturally defensively minded. I know people criticise the defence, and yes they could’ve defended individual moments better, but to see comments about needing “new defenders” is unfair in my opinion. We started with an incredibly attack minded team, which gave them little protection.

I agree with @NottsLoyal about the importance of Bostock, in my opinion right now the midfield is heavily reliant on Palmer and Bostock playing together, they give the defence more cover. Not having Bajrami is a huge miss, he’s our only other defensive midfielder. Tipton is potentially an option here and I think we’ll have to use him as there’s no way we can go a whole season and expect Palmer and Bostock to play every second.

We’re still top of the league and think todays game and results in general show there isn’t much difference in quality between all the teams, a whole host of teams will think they can get promoted this season.

[TheSkipper]

It should be understood that the defensive errors are not solely from the defenders, but the entire team. I don’t believe Aaron Nemane contributed as much to the defence, which is likely why he was substituted. I had the impression that Adam Chicksen and John Bostock could have made a difference, but it is what it is. Notts won’t win every match, nor does this imply we’ll lose subsequent ones. The midfield needs to step up, but it’s the defensive players who tend to panic when they should remain composed. It was an incredibly frustrating match to watch. I’m still disappointed because I look at our goals and think, if we had just performed slightly better, the outcome could have been entirely different.

[theMagpies]

It wasn't our day, but a sense of reality can go along way towards making you stronger. Look at Sutton, hopefully this will repeat what happened after.

[upthepies]

The match was a disaster, we permitted far too much room in the centre of the field. Notts required a more compact formation at times, whilst avoiding unnecessary passes. I initially sympathised with Aidan Stone, but now I attribute his shortcomings to him. He’s directly responsible for at least 3 of the goals, regardless of how many he saves, it’s simply disheartening.

[DangerousSausage]

15 hours ago, menzinho said:

When you look at that starting 11, we’ve basically got 3 defenders and 1 defensive midfielder. Both Jones and Nemane are effectively wingers that have been converted into wingbacks. Crowley and Austin are attacking midfielders and McGoldrick and Macca are both forwards. That leaves 4 players, Palmer, Cameron, Baldwin and Brindley who are naturally defensively minded. I know people criticise the defence, and yes they could’ve defended individual moments better, but to see comments about needing “new defenders” is unfair in my opinion. We started with an incredibly attack minded team, which gave them little protection.

This is very true. Also, our recruitment has consistently focussed on bringing in defenders who are comfortable on the ball and can contribute to build-up play ever since the takeover, and overall it's served us well. Our defenders play a lot of football and play high up the pitch. We concede goals as a result, but it's also one of the reasons why we're so creative and difficult to play against.

That said, the gifts are frustrating and left us chasing the game yesterday. In particular, Baldwin's decision making seems poor this season and he could maybe benefit from a spell on the bench. Unfortunately we clearly didn't land our defensive targets in the last transfer window and LW doesn't seem to trust the loanees, so that leaves us looking a bit thin.

We're still top of the table, but we haven't played any of the more fancied teams yet so some realism is required. All the same, you can only beat what's in front of you and 20 points in 10 games is a great start to life back in L2.

On another note, did anyone else notice the kit clash? I like us having blue away kits, but it's always a problem when visiting teams that play in blue and white stripes. We used to have a third kit for cases like this. The similar colour of the shorts and socks made things worse.

[super_ram]

It's crucial in any game not to help your opposition,especially in the first quarter of a game,so to gift your opponents 10 minutes in is absolutely criminal.I'm all for building from the back but when the other team press your defence so hard a hoof as far up the field as possible is usually a better option.So a lesson learned for Stone and also the defender who put  Stone back under pressure.There were other instances that Notts could have managed better but so could Colchester. Considering the phenomenal progress Notts  have made I think a little set back must be accepted.Take it on the chin and leave the rest to Luke Williams and all the staff.Oh and enjoy  being top of the league.

[Piethagoram]

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23826049.notts-county-boss-luke-williams-colchester-united/

To me, if we had started with Palmer and Bostock , the game would have been different

[cheeky~k8]

Unfortunate result but good amount of goals scored and Notts did well.

We are still top of the league and we arnt going to win every game. It would of been a nervous game there for the fans.

[heraldmagpie]

Swindon Town might be the first real challenge for a disheartened Notts side. We need to see a stronger performance, especially in defence. It could become frustrating if this continues, with the possibility of complaints during the match.

[yelobeli]

On the plus side, this was my first time at Colchester's "new" (ish) ground. And there were a lot of positives.  Really cheap tickets if you bought in advance, with ample cheap secure parking right off the A12 and an 8 minute walk. Decent fan zone, helpful stewards, free programmes, and a good view from seats right by the pitch.
Unfortunately, a few of our fans can be right dicks, especially at away games. We know who they are, and we see them having a go every week (is it too direct to say the same old "Weekend Offenders"?). Yes, the keeper was time-wasting. The ref dealt with it.  You don't shove players.  And if you do, then you deserve to be thrown out (and he was lucky to be the only one).  If you have a season ticket then the club needs to tell you that's the fastest way to lose it.
As for the idiot who threw the ball back on the pitch when Jodi was trying to take a quick corner; what were you thinking?  You deserved the earful he gave you (though it was typically classy of Jodi to apologise afterwards).
Our fans have built up a good reputation over the last couple of years. Don't let a few idiots spoil things.

Edited October 2, 2023 by yelobeli

[yelobeli]

On 30/09/2023 at 21:30, CliftonMagpie said:

While it’s never a simple affair, Colchester United demonstrated their worthiness. Our goals were impressive, and if you only saw those, you’d undoubtedly declare, ‘that’s why they’re at the top of League Two’. However, the same cannot be said if you were to see their goals. Don’t misunderstand me, they played well, but had we not made the mistakes we did, we could have won. The errors were our own doing, and some of their goals weren’t particularly good. I’m not expressing this out of bitterness; defensively, we didn’t deserve anything from the game.

A couple of their goals were top drawer and very little that Stone could have done about them. Just frustrating that the third goal was never a free kick or a booking and was taken from the wrong place. And the ball he gave away for the first one... blimey; that was a shocker.

Jodi's goal...  sublime.  "Always believe in...".

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by yelobeli

[Piethagoram]

 

[RetroPie]

The performance wasn't bad, but the defending and Aidan Stone's passing were the problems. I think Luke Williams should tell the players not to always try to play the ball out from the back. I can see when it is useful and effective, but when a team presses and tries to win the ball, it can lead to problems. Look at the playoff final against Chesterfield. They came out trying to score early and it caused us problems. I don't know why we can't identify these problems before they become a problem, like we saw against Colchester United.

[JohnTheBost]

@menzinho That's a valid point, I had forgotten about Baj. He seemed to be improving in his position, and while I have great admiration for Jim O'Brien, he doesn't possess the same playing style as them. I'm not implying that Jim isn't deserving of a starting position, but there is a suitable time and place for it. In my opinion, Colchester wasn't that team.