Match Discussion: Game 37 - The Wombles (H)

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

I would have certainly taken a 0-0 draw, but once again Notts failed with their game management. What's to do? Well it's quite easy to lay all the blame at Stuart Maynard's door. But let's not forget the Recruitment team must also take a huge chunk of the Blame, has they knew the Notts defence had been abysmal since the season's start and they did nothing to change that position in the January Transfer Window. And let's not forget the Magpies were being found out while Luke Williams was still, at the Lane. Things may have been better if Williams had stayed, but I believe Not by Much. The most glaring difference ( to me anyway) is that Luke Williams man management skills are far above Stuart Maynard's. Williams could coax top performances out of mediocre players, players who really are NOT League 2 standard. Unfortunately  both Maynard and we Fans are now finding that out, and there are an awful lot of them. The only thing Notts can do is battle on to the end of the season and have a Massive Shake Up during the up coming off season. Certain players must be let Go while others need to be released from their contracts. In my opinion there are maybe 10 worth holding onto, but three of them maybe gone in the Summer.

I see Neil Warnock as left Aberdeen, now I'm Not saying he should replace Maynard as manager at the Lane, but could he be found a role, Director of Football or some such? His Vast Experience could help Maynard to extend his footballing knowledge and stop Notts playing this Tippy Tappy Football where they have 73% possession but only 1 shot on goal.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I couldn’t understand why he didn’t bring Jatta on in a game that was crying out for a different approach, I think Jatta could have caused a few problems for the Wimbledon defenders and maybe create a few chances.

I was pleased that the fans stuck behind the team and I didn’t see any real toxicity at the match, a few moans and some boos at the end of the match but on the whole supportive.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man I get what you say but bringing in Warnock would be a backward step.

The damage was done under Luke's watch when he never solved the defensive problems & everyone could see it, then he skidaddled and left the next appointee a massive job to fix things.

Stuart has been left with this squad and Notts just have to get through the next 11 games, the best they can.

I for one believe in Stuart and he should be given time to build a team to challenge next season.

[menzinho]

It’s like we can only do one or the other at the moment, either set-up to try and stop the opposition (which we did overall, set-pieces were our downfall but in open play Wimbledon didn’t create anything) but at the expense of our own attacking game. Or we go out to score goals and concede at the same rate…

I will say we created the only really good chance in the game and Macca should’ve scored it. Feels like Stuart Maynard hasn’t had anything really go his way since his appointment.

But I can't get over how Wimbledon just sat back and played like a team that were more than happy to leave with a 0-0. They were there to attack but we didn’t really have them that worried, everything was to feet and a touch too slow. We needed to really quicken the pace in the last third try some more balls in behind, 1 touch passes to get us through their defence or even just getting more people in the box at times. Langstaff looked a bit of a lone figure amongst their CB’s.

A draw would’ve probably been a fair result but sadly that feels like the story of Stuart Maynard’s time so far. We’ve not really been out performed by any team, in some of the tougher games we’ve done ok and been unfortunate to lose by a goal but equally we’ve lost to some pretty poor teams who didn’t put us under much pressure and didn’t create many good chances either.

I get we’re probably not good enough to go up but we’re not the 15th best (or worst for the pessimists) team in the league and it’s disappointing to see us there right now. Morecambe, Crawley, Bradford and Newport are all now above us in the table and we’ve beaten all of them (some at a canter, some even twice!) Right now I’m just clinging to the fact I’ll get to see Robertson paired with Palmer next season but that amazing thought is going to wear off soon!

We’ve now not won at home in 5 games (1 draw 4 losses) and today was our 4th loss in a row. I don’t want to compare it to previous regimes but I’d be really surprised had that happened under LW…

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Fair point Robbie. But if Warnock came back to the Lane, I don't think it would be a backwards step (in my opinion)  as I stated the guys Experience would be a vast  benefit to a Manager of Maynard's standing. Not only that it may cause a stir in the Media, which could also help Notts.

The other thing is will Maynard be given time ? Already on other platforms he's being compared by other fans to Jammie Fullerton and Harry Kewell, and we don't need to be reminded of their reigns at the Lane.

Another point is will the Brothers keep SM or will they bow to pressure of certain Fans? Who only want to see a winning Notts team, they may be only Fair Weather Fans, but if there's enough of them and  they vote with their feet and crowds at the Lane drop from 11,000 to only 6-7,000 or lower then the financial situation could change the dynamic at Notts.

Everything at the moment is up in the air at N.C.F.C and we fans can only sit and wait, to see how things turn out. I have every faith in the Brothers to deliver the right answers to the Magpies problems.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Fan of Big Tone. According to Maynard in his after match interview the reason why he didn't put Jatta on was the fact (according to the Gaffer) Notts weren't putting in enough crosses into the box?? I think that proves how inexperienced Maynard is at this level, I think any other manager would have thrown the Big Guy on just to see if he could shake things up against the Dons defence. By saying that Notts weren't putting in enough crosses into the opposition's box, does this mean SM thinks Jatta can only score with his head? I admit that does sound Crazy from me, but there you go.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man we have to accept that the Reedtz brothers feel that Stuart is the man to take Notts forward and we have to respect that.

I agree with you that we have to have every faith in the Brothers to deliver the right answers to the Magpies problems.

And I'm absolutely convinced they will.

As far as the match was concerned, Stuart got the tactics right and if defensive errors hadn't let him down again, most would have been satisfied with a 0:0

[Fozzy]

I’m starting to think that the Notts job is too big for Maynard. I thought he was the ideal candidate when Williams left but now I’m starting to doubt that he can turn it around. His decision making during games is poor and I think he’s starting to look a little defeated.

We’ve gone from being a team that scores goals for fun but also lets goals in, to a side still conceding but now can’t score. The players have lost the zip to their passing and movement and have become way too easy to defend against.

I would say that if we lose the next two games, his position will become untenable as we cannot carry on with this run. At this rate, we will lose all 11 games remaining and you cannot lift a side for the following season that has lost 15 in a row.

If you’ve lost the players and the fans, the owners will have no choice but to pull the plug.

Massive clear out of players, staff and recruitment team required this summer.

 

[Dripsey3]

There was a saying about Irish Rugby in the 80s. When Plan A didn't work, they tried Plan A. Yesterday was a good example of that. Jatta is a Plan B. He gives Wimbledon something different to deal with. Instead we persist with what wasn't giving them too many headaches. We have the best striker in League 2. Surely the aim should be to feed him as often as possible? Maybe SM has a plan, but I don't see it. Maybe things will turn around, I hope they do or my blood pressure will keep on rising!

[DangerousSausage]

I missed yesterday's game so I can't go into specifics too much. However, I suspect it was much the same game that I've seen several times already this season.

I think many people are doubting whether we've appointed the right man. I think in many ways Stuard Maynard has been an unlucky general. We've always been competitive, we haven't been humiliated and we may well have picked up more points if it weren't for individual mistakes (which he can't do anything about). In addition, he's correctly identified our weaknesses and has been more proactive in addressing them than LW was. I've never had the feeling he's watched a different game to me. However, at some point results don't lie. As the losses stack up the owners need to ask themselves whether SM can lift the team we've got and make the right calls during games to get results. I think we're all having doubts. I just want to see us win again.

[Robbie]

1 hour ago, DangerousSausage said:

I missed yesterday's game so I can't go into specifics too much. However, I suspect it was much the same game that I've seen several times already this season.

I think many people are doubting whether we've appointed the right man. I think in many ways Stuard Maynard has been an unlucky general. We've always been competitive, we haven't been humiliated and we may well have picked up more points if it weren't for individual mistakes (which he can't do anything about). In addition, he's correctly identified our weaknesses and has been more proactive in addressing them than LW was. I've never had the feeling he's watched a different game to me. However, at some point results don't lie. As the losses stack up the owners need to ask themselves whether SM can lift the team we've got and make the right calls during games to get results. I think we're all having doubts. I just want to see us win again.

I support Stuart. I want him to be given time to turn things around.

We have 3 away games on the bounce now. If we lose all 3, questions may start to be asked.

The last 11 games are now all about ensuring we comfortably survive in League 2, then the rebuild will happen and the club can acquire players that will COMPETE at this level.

[Joshua]

The Jatta situation, I believe everyone thought he should come on. However, until Wimbledon scored, we appeared more likely to score. We had several close calls where the ball was either overplayed or just didn't fall right. Jodi made an effort, but I thought he was wasteful at times. In other situations, his passes were almost pinpoint, but nobody managed to connect. Nemane posed a greater threat in this scenario, providing us with the closest chances to score. I felt Austin played superbly. Defensively, we performed much better until the goals. Notts seemed to dominate Wimbledon until then. We're quite unlucky not to have secured the win ourselves. Currently, Notts seems to face a mysterious force preventing us from earning points at home. The fans were brilliant, and I'm pleased with that aspect from yesterday. In all fairness, taking Jim O'Brien off (though possibly due to fatigue) seemed like a mistake. The absence of Aden Baldwin also had an impact since he has been performing well lately.

[Robbie]

13 minutes ago, Joshua said:

The Jatta situation, I believe everyone thought he should come on. However, until Wimbledon scored, we appeared more likely to score. We had several close calls where the ball was either overplayed or just didn't fall right. Jodi made an effort, but I thought he was wasteful at times. In other situations, his passes were almost pinpoint, but nobody managed to connect. Nemane posed a greater threat in this scenario, providing us with the closest chances to score. I felt Austin played superbly. Defensively, we performed much better until the goals. Notts seemed to dominate Wimbledon until then. We're quite unlucky not to have secured the win ourselves. Currently, Notts seems to face a mysterious force preventing us from earning points at home. The fans were brilliant, and I'm pleased with that aspect from yesterday. In all fairness, taking Jim O'Brien off (though possibly due to fatigue) seemed like a mistake. The absence of Aden Baldwin also had an impact since he has been performing well lately.

Totally agree. @Joshua.

Even on the highlights posted by Notts, they featured two brilliant Notts moves that deserved a goal on both occasions. 2:0 to Notts could easily have been the result on Saturday.

[upthepies]

The match wasn’t as bad as it seemed; Wimbledon just managed to snatch the win. It was odd that their fans thought the ref favoured us, given the number of fouls they committed. They could’ve had more players sent off, but they stayed strong. Our good moments didn’t turn into goals, and after they scored, it looked like they might get another.

[TheSkipper]

Some fans criticised our play, saying we weren’t bold enough and our defence was weak. I don’t agree. Wimbledon let us play, which meant we had to be more inventive. With their defence crowded, it was hard to find space unless we shot from afar. Dan Crowley should’ve taken some shots himself, rather than passing to Macaulay Langstaff who couldn’t reach the ball.

We made some poor choices, but that happens. Defensively, I think Notts did alright, and Sam Slocombe was good except for his distribution. Jim O’Brien was impressive, and we missed him when he went off. I reckon we did better without John Bostock and David McGoldrick, though we needed more support for Langstaff. Alessandra Jatta could’ve added something extra upfront.

[Robbie]

It hasn't been mentioned but I think it could be a factor too in Notts's recent misfortunes.

I think Notts may be missing the influence of our former managing director Jason Turner.

He exuded such positivity around the club.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Robbie You Just Smashed It.  You are so right about Jason Turner the influence the positivity and his footballing knowledge  had an immense impact at the Lane, His Tragic Death last season hit the club staff players and fans like a bomb going off. His photo was carried by the players at Wembley and I'm sure the memories of Jason's time as C.E.O at Notts helped inspire the Lads to their victory over Chesterfield. And as you have stated Jason's death may have also been a factor in Notts misfortunes, because his personality and footballing know how, would have certainly helped Stuart Maynard's transition into the Magpies New Head Coach. You may want to put your comment on Social Media, it may give certain Notts Fans pause for thought.

[NottsCountyKev]

It’s just like Notts to control the game, keep the pressure on, but then let in a goal. People are making too much of Stuart Maynard’s words about crosses. He might have just slipped up. Jatta might not be the best at handling crosses unless he can bring them down, as he prefers the ball at his feet. Some say he’s not good in the air, but I’d still have given him a chance. I won’t use a stressed head coach’s words to prove a point; it’s not that important. Some of our supporters on social media wouldn’t cope with being in management for even a day.

[CliftonMagpie]

At the 90-minute point, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be our day. Regrettably, we lost our focus and fell to a rather weak Wimbledon team. I didn’t hear any jeering directed at the players, only at the officials. Those around me were vocal in their criticism and made their feelings clear. On a different day, we might have scored two or three goals. A goal for Notts could have completely changed the game. I don’t believe it would have ended in a draw if we had taken the lead. However, we need to improve our defence at the moment. This situation is leaving Stuart Maynard with very little support, but it’s crucial that the club remains united.