Notts downturn in form

[Piethagoram]

 

[Robbie]

In my opinion, the downturn in form has gone on so long because of the reluctance to change the "total football style"  that worked very well in the National League, but does not work so well in league 2, which is of a higher standard.

You cannot expect to keep scoring more than you concede week after week and keep winning matches.

The fact that we've drawn so very few matches, but have won as many matches as we are losing just backs up the win or lose mentality.

A wise Manager in the past said that if you finish up with a clean sheet every time, you are always going to win most of your matches.

That's why there has to be a new plan, a new style, a new shape to our play, with the emphasis on defending. 

That's the only way a team is going to be successful in this league and leagues up the footballing pyramid.

You only have to look at Mansfield, who have a good defense, & the points they've accumulated, to see my point here.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

You are so right Robbie, the lack of a plan B is also major worry, we the Fans can see this why can't the Coaching staff? That may be a little Harsh, so why didn't the recruitment staff see it? How many times have Fans through different platform stated Notts need defenders, this Tippy Tappy football as I call it, is so not working in League 2 . Just because one type of Football works in one League it doesn't mean it will work in a higher one. Notts must be able to adapt to the new leagues playing system or they will Struggle and continue to Struggle which will result in a lack of confidence through out the Entire Notts Squad, which will lead to further poor results and Fed Up Fans will find other things to do on a Saturday afternoon.

[Robbie]

Agree with much of what you say @Wheelbarrow repair man

We've had a fantastic 18 months and many new fans have joined the Notts fanbase.

We need a good defensive performance tonight. If it's not pretty football so be it. 

Notts NEED to show they can adapt to a new system of play & defend in numbers tonight.

 

 

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

 To true Robbie. If the Magpies have to Win Ugly then Win Ugly. It doesn't matter how the goals are scored  a break away a penalty or if the ball comes off Macca's backside 3 points is what counts.

[Piethagoram]

Generally we are still having a 70%/30% possession stats, even in EFL2. It is not the "style" we should be primarily worried about, it's about the 30% of time we are out of possession. The bottom line, we have GK and defenders who cannot defend. The recruitment model has majorly failed in respect of GK and defenders

In the NL, we were the 2nd worst team for defensive resilience

Strong rumours of addressing the problem last summer, on a move for a Stevenage centre half and then in the autumn for Irish defender Conor Keeley. Still, January transfer window was disappointing as another defender was a must

 

 

[DangerousSausage]

Very interesting article (click here to access it directly). While a lot of the fire has been directed at the back three and Stone for individual errors, we seem to have lost the balance we had last season. When we lost the ball in advanced positions last season, the opposition immediately had Austin and Rodders snapping at their heels to win it back. McGoldrick and Crowley offer less in this respect. We also have two wing backs who aren't really suitable for that role as they offer little defensively. It's too easy to play through us.

To be fair, the new manager has realised that our defensive behaviour as a team leaves something to be desired, but he now has to work with the squad to find answers. He needs to find the team that works best as a unit - and it might not include the best individual players.

Attempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater and turn this team with these players into a long-ball team would be a disaster. We need to play to our strengths and that means playing with the ball on the ground. That isn't an aesthetic thing, it's what we're best at.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

I'm afraid I can't fully agree with you Dangerous Sausage, Notts need to adapt better to League 2 football it really doesn't matter what the team is good at it's what suits the playing phycology of this League. After the diabolical result at Sutton on opening day Notts kicked into gear and at one time were top of the League, however the way Notts play has been sussed out by other clubs and all they need to do is sit back and wait for a mistake from the midfield or defence, which comes far to often and the mistake is punished usually with a goal for the opposition. All 11 players come back to defend and what happens ? They get in each others way, and the team is punished. The times this season I've seen Macca run from a defensive position, and should the keeper send a long ball over the top  he'd be clear on goal with only a defender and keeper to beat but what happens? The keeper holds on to the ball allowing the opposition to get back in  numbers then the Keeper and Defender play like the Chuckle Brothers To Me To You, To Me To You. Plus how many times have we seen  a Notts defender fail to close down an attacking player? Or how many times instead of having a clear shot at goal does a Notts player pass the ball and the attack is broken up. I'm Sorry but Notts need to be good at other plays on the pitch Not Just What Stood Them In Good Stead in the National League, Notts aren't in that League Anymore.

[Robbie]

Nice post @Wheelbarrow repair man totally agree.

In a nutshell Notts have never adapted their style that worked  so well in the NL but doesn't work very well in League 2.

[DangerousSausage]

We never adapted to the National League either @Wheelbarrow repair man, and the teams there sussed us out too. It didn't matter because we were too good at what we did. The thrust of the article is that we aren't just shipping goals because of the step up - we are not defending or pressing as effectively and are easier to play against this season because if it.

I agree with the second part of your post, we seem to have lost our decision making skills - when do we hold the ball, when do we go long? Part of that comes with confidence. I see the new keeper is playing tonight, maybe he can spot when a break is on.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

A fair point on the National League Dangerous Sausage. I think when Notts were in that League they also had the Fire Power to get themselves out of Trouble, if the need arose and I will say a vast majority of teams in the National League were Semi- Professional at best.

[Fozzy]

2 hours ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

and I will say a vast majority of teams in the National League were Semi- Professional at best.

Just to say that only 3 sides were Semi-Professional in the National league last season.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Well I stand corrected Fozzy, I thought it was certainly a lot more. Thanks for your up date.

[Chris]

I watched Derby vs Exeter with @super_ram, the Rams played in such a way where they weren't afraid to lose the ball. Having seen Gillingham, Walsall and parts of Bradford (all home games) I realise that our dependence on possession has played a big part in our down form.

When you don't need to win the ball back so much, it becomes second nature and something you think about less.

We are drilled as a squad to pass into space, with that habit of going all the way back to the keeper and in turn that becomes predictable but also piles the pressure on us. Derby, looked to play pretty football but in the right areas their players would make passes which made them need to dig deep in order to maintain the ball. It kept them going forward, yes at times they needed to win the ball back or even had some lucky bounces which resulted in Exeter quickly losing the ball.

The point is it was anything but predictable and made the Derby players need to work, they had to stay alert.

Defensively, there were a few times they reminded me of us but because they are not afraid to lose the ball or put such a strict emphasis on it. It allowed for a much more entertaining game, plus it made Exeter play with width, which meant there was a lot of space at times.

The first goal, it was truly remarkable to watch the Rams' player take on players with no support and make progress with such sheer determination. Max Bird did ever so well, when he made space, he looked to pass but decided to have a go at goal. The Exeter keeper should have done better, however, it was still a very good goal.

Nathanial Mendez Laing scored a very good second goal because of the way they created space.

Among injuries, the managerial departure of Luke Williams and the setback at the away game against Crewe - they were all major incidents. which stunned us. If we focus more on wanting to win the ball back the moment the balls out of our possession and Notts loses this desire to hold onto large amounts of it - by deciding when to take a risk, when to run at the opposition, when to have a shot from distance.

It makes some of our negatives much more important to balance out.

It's much like how our desire to almost walk the ball into the net, makes us less creative and fewer ambitions to shoot from outside the box. Some of our best goals this season have come from distance, and yet we very rarely see anyone take a pop at goal.