Notts County: Goal Scoring Machine.

[Robbie]

Notts have now played their 27th game of the Season, since their return to League 2.

They finished last season on 117 goals from 46 Games in the National League plus the 5 goals they scored in open play in the two playoff games.

So in 73 league games since the beginning of last season, not counting the playoffs, Notts have scored 177 goals, a remarkable number, which relates to an average of 2.42 goals scored per game, & with our current style of play & our current attacking force, there seems no end to it.

If this current rate of scoring is maintained, Notts will surpass 100 goals again this season, which would be a fantastic achievement.

The number of goals that we are conceding is very much a concern, & the Management will want to address it very quickly.

What we do know is that Notts are a big threat to any opposing defense in this league and every team will be wary of us, home or away.

If we can sort out our defensive frailties in our last 19 games, I am still very optimistic that we can make the playoffs, & if we do, no team would want to face us, with the damage our attacking force can wreak on them.

 

[Robbie]

Maca now just six goals away from making it 100 goals in his last three seasons.

32 at Gateshead, 42 last season for Notts, & the first player in the EFL to reach 20 this season.

His value is now in the £millions. Notts have made a great investment, on and off the field. And there's much more to come from our Goalscoring talisman.

[Robbie]

Macaulay and Jodi, two of the top six most productive players in the top 4 levels of English Football. Two players from the same side. Truely outstanding.

 

 

[Chris]

High scoring teams can commonly be disappointing at the other end, but solid teams make sure that they are comfortable at the back. A good manager can take over a team that is leaking goals, transform them or at least allow them to show their actual potential. Steve Cotterill in 2009 for us is a prime example, I think defensively we were quite good but could have been better. We were able to score, but sometimes we weren't as focused overall as we could have been.

We have a fantastic squad now and are blessed with attacking options, but even our defenders are more attacking minded.

The stats are very good to see because it shows the work the players are putting in, but our next manager needs to tighten things up and keep the ship more balanced so that we can score without fearing of conceding or conceding then needing to pull level.

[DangerousSausage]

I wish he wouldn't share that @Robbie, somebody might find out!

We're on course to score 100 and let in 88. Insane. As @Chris says, even our defenders are attack-minded. That's not a fluke, it's a strategy, but we need to strike the right balance and it probably won't be as simple as signing one or two players.

That said, it's about entertainment and the last few years have been an absolute privilege in that respect.

[liampie]

it is mad to think how easily we concede and that number should not be anywhere near to the amount we score, which shows there is something wrong. nobody can mask it and say well its unfortunate to concede that many, it clearly needs to be addressed so that we can continue to improve and if we dont well i believe we will be fine but we do need to strive for better.

conceding large amounts of goals wont help us retain players, they will get poached because its the one obstacle that is holding us back.

[menzinho]

We do stack the team with attack minded players (and top quality ones too) so we should have one of the best attacks in the league! I'd argue to we go slightly OTT in terms of attacking though... In our recent starting 11’s we’ve played; Langstaff, McGoldrick, Crowley, Jones, Nemane and Austin. You could even argue Bostock is better going forward too, I love him but Bostock’s strength isn’t really defending, he’s a “playmaker” how many pens has he given away this season 3? 4? (We’ve given away far to many pens this season actually, that’s another topic in itself!)

So 6/7 of the team are attackers… I think the team had more balance last season, we’re definitely missing Palmer and for the majority of last season we played Chicksen as the LWB. Now both JJ and Nemane are the regulars and they love to attack. Sometimes it's very easy for teams to expose the channels, it usually causes a CB or CM to be dragged out of position and that then exposes us even more!

If we want to continue to play with a similar number of attackers in the team and not drop either JJ or Nemane, I think switching to something like a 4-1-4-1 is a good option. I know formations are lot more fluid these days, and players have different roles in and out of possession but I’d base it around the 4-1-4-1.

Brindley – Baldwin – Cameron – Chicksen
                            Bostock
Nemane – Crowley – McGoldrick – Jones
                          Langstaff

Just my thoughts, I’m sure the current 3-4-2-1/3-2-4-1 is adaptable to give us more defensive cover but you’d probably have to change the personal and style more as it is a very attacking formation.

[Robbie]

@menzinho Now that we have Stuart Maynard as Head Coach, I think he will go for a much more balanced side with a little more emphasis on supporting our defense which is becoming a key area for us now.

To reach the playoffs, which I believe we still can do, we must reduce the goals conceded column even if it makes us slightly less potent in attack 

[KB1862]

They do say you can't win a football game without scoring a goal and to win you have to outscore the opposition. A few managers, especially during the 80's and 90's lived by this but there's also the opposite saying that if you can stop your opponents scoring, you can't lose. So there has to be a fine balance. Notts are capable of scoring goals as it has been shown this season and last but more needs to be done to sure up the defence. We can't keep going into games expecting to outscore the opposition in 6, 7 or 8 goal thrillers. 

[Robbie]