The Next Five Games, Season Defining?

[Robbie]

The next five games for Notts, home and away are going to be very tough & season defining in my opinion.

Mansfield:  away

Gillingham: home

Newport:    away

Wrexham:   away

Crewe:        home

I would be very happy if we could take 10 points from these games. 3 wins and a draw with one loss. 

Am I being too optimistic or could we do it with Stuart now at the helm?

[RetroPie]

These matches could determine where we might or should end up at the season’s close, though they’re less indicative of what to expect from Stuart Maynard. Newport and Crewe should be simpler games, but being away from home raises questions. Mansfield, Gillingham, and Wrexham are all challenging. If we can secure 4 to 5 points from these games, I’d be very pleased. If we can avoid defeat against Mansfield and perhaps spring a surprise, who knows what could happen?

[liampie]

form can always change but with the managerial change it is crucial we pick up points now in stead of later, our form is not that bad but away from home its been needing attention for the most part of the season. if we can get some more points on the table.

two home games i would say between 3-4.

away from home quite possibly the same. i would say 4-5 but we have not picked much up on the road, at least not wins.

[TheSkipper]

Now is the time for us to start performing consistently, which is challenging with a new manager. They might be a bit inconsistent at first as they get used to the new squad. The next five fixtures could go many ways, but if we aim for a certain number of points and achieve that, I would be happy.

Ten points would keep us in a good position. That’s just three wins and a draw or two wins and three draws. Ideally, Notts will beat some of the teams because the games against Mansfield and Wrexham will be where supporters judge Maynard as our manager.

[NCRichie]

I still believe Notts are capable of securing a playoff spot. This run of fixtures will determine if there’s any chance of automatic promotion. I hope those fans who are worried can accept that we just haven’t been consistent enough for that. However, there’s no reason why our form couldn’t improve. The next five games are crucial.

[Robbie]

@NCRichie I think we can afford to lose 5 or six games and still make the playoffs. In these last 18 games we have 9 at home and 9 away. 10 wins and a few draws would be enough to squeeze into the playoffs, then anything can happen.

[CliftonMagpie]

I still think we can make it to the playoffs. It’s a challenging time for Stuart Maynard to understand the squad, but it will be a valuable learning experience for him. These games are crucial for our future direction. I’m relieved that we’re just a few points away from safety. I had hoped we could compete more closely for automatic promotion, but I feel injuries have hindered us. If we can defeat either Wrexham or Mansfield, it could boost our confidence. From there, we might improve our form enough to increase our points lead over the teams below us. Ideally, I hope this is achievable. I believe it is, but we need to stay focused.

[Chris]

Hear me out here, please.

I feel like Barrow was a lost opportunity to kick-start Stuart Maynard's managerial time at Notts. I wished the players had at times thought to attack through the centre of the park and attempt to involve Macaulay Langstaff more. I don't think we tried to make the most of the fouls and cards that Barrow collected; this could have made them press less or fearful of getting a card. It's a good point, but in terms of play-offs it does feel like 3 points dropped.

No, Notts won't win every game and that is just football, but I do think a draw makes it somewhat more of a pressure to get a win next.

Mansfield's going to be a test which we will need to be more creative. We can't have a high percentage of the ball and not know what to do with it, so if we can get a result against them, it would be a fantastic outcome.

However, a defeat will add more pressure.

Gillingham, Newport and Crewe on paper are games we should be doing well in.

Wrexham is made more difficult due to our rivalry and currently, I don't think our form or confidence would result in us picking anything up there.

Going on the worst case scenario, 6 points might be all we pick up, 7 if we manage to see out one of the tougher games.

There's no reason why we could get between 9-10, but it's a very tough tim, and it won't be easy. Stuart Maynard has the potential to get more of an insight into the squad and therefore improve things, but as he says it's not going to be instant. It's more about the team playing to their potential and working out the opposition.

[KB1862]

4 hours ago, Chris said:

I wished the players had at times thought to attack through the centre of the park and attempt to involve Macaulay Langstaff more.

I said exactly the same thing during the Barrow game. Didzy went through the middle a few times and opportunities were starting to open up for us particularly in the second half. We looked more threatening when going through the middle. Even when working through the middle then moving it wide things began opening up for us.

Mansfield and Wrexham are both gonna be tough games. If we can get a win on Saturday against Mansfield, I think confidence will high going into the other games. 

Gillingham, Newport and Crewe are the games where we have the best chance of getting maximum points.

I'm not sure if these games are going to be season defining as such and I think we will still make the play offs but they will certainly help the cause for getting into the play offs.