Match Discussion: Game 30 - The Bluebirds (H)

[ARLukomski 𝕏 ARLukomski Instagram declanweliczko_arlki]

Thought it was a case of stuck trying to find a happy balance between playing Williamsball and Maynardball. There was a focus on being steadier at the back, but that meant we were less brave going forward.

It took a bit of time to get going. We conceded quite a few chances in the first half but were better at preventing them in the second half. I thought Baldwin was excellent and made some superb blocks and tackles. Also controlled the build up play from the back.

It will be more open against different opposition as, as shown in the reverse fixture, Barrow are well drilled and are good defensively. It was one of our more quiet games under Williams as well. 

With time, we'll find that fine balance between defensive protection and attacking fluidity. I don't think we're ready to go up. I thought that last month. We need bigger squad depth and more options off the bench, hence why Austin was the only sub. The biggest difference between L2 and NL is squad depth.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

Surely has to be red, for dangerous play

[Morten Johansen]

2 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

Surely has to be red, for dangerous play

Dangerous play + no interest in the ball whatsoever = red card.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

 

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

 

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

 

[Fan of Big Tone 𝕏 @mainstandpie]

Walking down the embankment to the match I was discussing the prospects of a win with my grandson we both agreed a draw would be an ok result against an very good Barrow side and as long as we didn’t lose we’d be happy. Grandson George predicted a 1-1 draw my prediction was a little off, I said 2-1, if Jodie’s Jones hadn’t got scythed down I could have been right.

Overall 1-1 was fair, Stone made some excellent saves and Macca put one over which normally he’d score. Jones was my man of the match he was excellent, I thought Notts looked more solid at the back and Baldwin had a great game.

On to Mansfield next week, they are having a bit of a wobble so who knows we could avenge the home game. COYP.

[KB1862 𝕏 @KB1862 Instagram Bainbridge316]

Thought we had a better second half than we did first half. All the possession with no real options going forward. 

Second half, there was a little more forward thinking and chances got created. 

The referee had an absolute stinker.

Langstaff should have had a penalty when he was being grappled to the ground in the second half when it was pinball in the box.

50/50 challenges seemed to go more in favour for Barrow than us. 

As for the Jones incident mentioned in this thread, it was without doubt worthy of a red card. Breaking away and there was only one way that they were stopping him and they did it by swiping his legs from behind. People can claim "tactical foul" but this was more in the territory of endangering an opponent rather than stopping a dangerous attack by playing for a tactical foul.

Jones without doubt man of the match. Didzy looked good breaking away with the ball trying to make things happen. Baldwin had a solid game. Stone had a good game, especially when making that one on one save during the first half. 

[DangerousSausage]

That foul on Jones was a red card all day long, it was cynical and could have caused an injury.

I don't think a draw is a bad result, many online commenters seem to think that Barrow were just there to be swatted away, but they've only lost five games all season and are near the top for a reason. There was a bit of slow and ponderous passing from us on the extended highlights, but you can't really judge based on that.

[Fan of Big Tone 𝕏 @mainstandpie]

24 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

There was a bit of slow and ponderous passing from us on the extended highlights, but you can't really judge based on that.

Yes there was a lot of slow and ponderous passing especially in the first half, Bostock doesn’t seem to be capable of making a forward pass it’s either sideways or more often than not backwards which is frustrating at times.

As @KB1862 says the second half was better with more forward thinking.

[menzinho]

Yeah, agree with a lot that's been said. Stuart Maynard has come into to a stretch of tough games, and Barrow showed (albeit being over physical at times) why they should finish, at worst, in the play-offs come the end of the season. A point against a good team in this division is a decent result.

We didn't start that well, in fact I think we were lucky we didn't go 1-0 down earlier than we did but. Wasn't so much down to the changes though, more individual errors again. I could see the changes in that Bostock and Robertson screened the defence at lot more, in tough games I think this is what we need. We controlled the game second half and Barrow just sat back almost happy with the point. I think the fact we didn't push like mad either showed we were too. I felt like we were relying heavily on Jones to create something for us, we needed to be able to be a threat on both flanks and through the middle a little bit more - not easy though, Barrow were very organised and didn't give us much space to exploit. 

I agree that we struggle with being able to change the games with subs too, we just seem to run out of steam a bit. We play so many attacking players (and good ones) I can see why coaches are reluctant to take them off. Only 2 of our 7 subs were attack minded yesterday and one of them in Randall has barely featured. Barrow were able to bring on Acquah, Worrall and Whitfield, I take that!

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

I suppose @Fan of Big Tone @DangerousSausage & @KB1862 another conundrum for Stuart would be looking into the balance of the current side. Can I even mention it, Langstaff, Didzy in the same side? We have Langstaff up front with Didzy supporting. I know we've gone up a level, however Langstaff supported by Rodriguez ( now replaced by Cowley) and Bostock seemed more fluent to me.

Is there room for a two striker force like Didzy & Langstaff playing together, or should we enforce the midfield & rest one of them, especially away fro home?

 

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Barrow is a good team, but nothing special.

I felt more disappointed by how much we relied on the flanks to open up play, for me, it was the centre which presented a great means of opening them up. We have great talents out wide with Jodi Jones and Aaron Nemane and on a different day, some of their crosses would have paid off. When I watched how Barrow were defending, I was crying out for us to exploit the game more through the middle. Scott Robertson played a pass to Macaulay Langstaff that had a little too much power and was extremely direct.

It looked like we could open them up if we had played through the middle and our reliance on the wing just became predictable.

Some of Jodi's crosses were very inviting, but Barrow knew to commit players into defensive areas. The majority wasn't even 50/50, more times than not it benefitted Barrow to clear the ball.

Again, all it takes is for one of our players to connect, but to me, it didn't seem likely to happen at all.

Macaulay Langstaff did very well at times even to manage to bring the ball down or get an attempt on it. There were some crosses which were very wasteful, but you have to accept this. We never played a style that would benefit Langstaff all that much. I know a lot of fans expressed disappointment in our performance, but Barrow stuck to their game plan to make it difficult. We either adapt to that or we hope that our quality will show.

I also think we are lucky at times that Barrow didn't capitalise on mistakes, I thought Aidan Stone was very good. He looked calm and quick to react to threats, pulling off at least three key saves to deny them.

Notts didn't have that much about our chances, we didn't ask enough or trouble the Barrow keeper.

In possession, we were quite poor at times, easily losing the ball and misplacing passes. Some, like Robertson, grew into the game. Others like David McGoldrick and John Bostock didn't. Bostock wasn't in a position to be taken off due to his defensive cover, but McGoldrick should have gone off for Sam Austin instead of Robertson.

In the centre we were very average, which presented the issue that we would be sloppy in our play. Had we brought the midfield more into the game and played through the middle, it may have benefitted them more. I thought Dan Crowley was class, sometimes I wished he would drop a little deeper and then go forward. He's very influential on the ball, but when he goes back, usually it's to pass and then reassume his position.

I don't think we move all that much; Barrow impressed me for their desire to always try to make space. This urgency is lost with Notts; it's not a case of wasting energy but allowing it to open up play and to free someone else who will be able to use the space presented better. I hope Stuart Maynard sees this, as we are just way too relaxed.

Performance wise, I don't think we were all that bad. Notts is simply in need of fresh ideas and more creativity in these types of games.

Aden Baldwin showcased an extraordinary performance in defence, excelling in blocking and delivering crucial challenges. Crowley was exceptional with retaining the ball and holding it, so that it could release someone else. Langstaff played his usual way, trying to chase and make things happen - he just needs better play to work with. Stone was good, Kyle Cameron looked better defensively.

To end, I felt disappointed in Barrow. They were very dirty and reckless at times; several of their players talked smack (tried saying silly things to provoke our players). Kian Spence should have seen red for his aggressive play, from grabbing Robertson around the throat and pushing him back. 

Luca Stephenson I am surprised to learn comes from Liverpool, he was one of the worst for speaking nonsense in an attempt to get into our players heads. A player who was very arrogant and kept trying to interfere with Stone during corner kicks should have seen a yellow card. You could argue, again with his attempts to delay and disrupt set pieces. You can't deny his foul on Jodi Jones didn't deserve to see red alone.

[Joshua]

Notts didn’t really step up their game. We should have capitalised on the fouls they made, even though the referee didn’t seem keen on giving proper penalties. Barrow didn’t pose much of a challenge, but Notts’ playstyle required high quality to alter the result. In my opinion, Jodi Jones was the only player who seemed capable of making a difference.

[liampie]

barrow did look more brighter on the ball than we did, how we managed to stay in the game with some of the chances they created i dont know. nobody should be bashing stone though, he was great.

it took quite a while before notts started to pick up, but once we did they looked a lot better. it was weird seeing someone much smaller than john bostock giving him such an hard time. i think bostock had one of his worst games, with his passing and falling to the ground. defensively he did well but we missed his energy and involvement in playing further up.

i agree with @Chris, barrow were average but at the same time we lacked creativity. it had a draw all over it.

[allardyces tash]

The match began promisingly, but Barrow seemed to have the upper hand. Their missed open goal was a shocker - I reckon my moustache could’ve scored that! Thankfully, Stone did his utmost and the defence stepped up to protect him. It felt like a typical Luke Williams game, but Stuart Maynard deserves credit for his changes that shifted the game’s balance. This put Notts on the offensive, but we needed a touch of magic to score. I think we missed Matt Palmer’s efforts to mix things up by working with Dan Crowley to play through a central position. I’m not yet sold on Scott Robertson - it’s early days, but he lost the ball in areas where we couldn’t afford it. This also happened to John Bostock, leading to their opening goal. At times, Notts’ play left us wondering what on earth we were trying to do. It was a decent effort, not the best performance, but far from the worst. The players had the opportunity to kick off Maynard’s reign on a high note but fell well short of our expected standard of play.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

I've only just seen the highlights and something is very wrong positionally to Barrow's goal.Brindley is in attack, in a far higher position up the pitch than Dan Crowley! It meant that Baldwin was dragged wide, Cameron was still not close enough to the guy he should have been marking...and it was Robertson who was having to track back but couldnt get in front of the goal scorer.  Was Stone's positioning too close to the near post?

[Fozzy]

Brindley has to go I’m afraid, the guy never  seems to have any urgency to get back into position or to make any kind of block. Not a bad ball player, but his positional sense is terrible.

This isn’t obviously based on yesterday’s game, but it looks like he’s up to his old tricks from the highlights I’ve seen and he has been guilty of this all season. 

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

I agree that Didzy should have been the one to be replaced. I would rest him against Mansfield and put in an extra midfield player for that game in Sam Austin and have Didzy on the bench if required later in the game. Jaden to replace Brindley.

[AmericanPie]

Barrow sometimes played some lovely football, moving the ball in channels and executing smart overlays. They had no fear to start with, but that soon changed once Notts started to get a feel for the game. That's when their game plan turned to negative tactics such as shirt pulling, aggressive tackles, attempts to influence the referee, and much more. I thought the referee did poorly to control the game, but he did seem easily put off from taking appropriate action. The foul on Jodi Jones, which is the hot topic for me, was only rightly punishable by a red card. The referee didn't follow up due to how quickly he was swarmed by Barrow players. The pushing and shoving after their players committed two fouls was nothing more than a distraction.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

 

[yelobeli]

On 27/01/2024 at 22:03, ARLukomski said:

. I don't think we're ready to go up. I thought that last month. We need bigger squad depth and more options off the bench, hence why Austin was the only sub. The biggest difference between L2 and NL is squad depth.

This 100%. We are not ready to go up and if we do, then our stay in League 1 will be painful and short.  We haven't looked like a promotion team since Mattie P got injured.

I will be very happy with the season if we finish in or around the playoffs. Then we push on next season without having to worry about Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield.  OK; we won't have Macca and Jodi, and I wonder if this is Didzy's last season, but we'll still be well set

16 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

Was Stone's positioning too close to the near post?

Stones positioning seemed off all day. There were a lot of balls that he didn't come for and I thought it was lucky that he got away with it most of the time.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

@yelobeli I think we still have a good opportunity to reach the playoffs, the next four games will define our season. We will have a pretty good idea whether we will or not. Apart from Stockport, all the teams at the top, especially Mansfield, are going through a sticky patch.We have to keep an eye on the chasing pack behind us too, but there will never be a better opportunity to get a result at Mansfield, they have lots of injuries and will miss two key players due to the red cards they received on Saturday.

I wouldn't rule Notts out just yet. If we get to the playoffs anything can happen. If we did go up, our owners will recruit well, so I'm confident if we did get promoted we would compete in that league.

I do take your point though.

Reaching 50 points will see us safe this year. If we didn't go up, the league may be a little easier next season, so whether we go up or not, it can still be positive for us.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

20 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

I've only just seen the highlights and something is very wrong positionally to Barrow's goal.Brindley is in attack, in a far higher position up the pitch than Dan Crowley! It meant that Baldwin was dragged wide, Cameron was still not close enough to the guy he should have been marking...and it was Robertson who was having to track back but couldnt get in front of the goal scorer.  Was Stone's positioning too close to the near post?

We were right behind the goal.  There were a couple of deflections (I thought) and they fell nicely for Barrow, but had there not been those deflections I don't think they would have scored.  We didn't transition quickly enough, though, once Bostock had lost the ball which made things difficult. I thought Stone had a good game.

[True Magpie]

Barrow appeared strong when they were able to create opportunities or control the game. I don’t blame them for their hard work as each player contributed significantly, showcasing their potential. Regrettably, we also saw the less appealing side of their game when they began to lose control. Their players became very aggressive and argumentative, often crowding around the referee. This behaviour doesn’t reflect well on a Football League club. However, when they focused on playing football, they were impressive. I thought Notts should have pushed harder for a second goal.