@Wheelbarrow repair man

I agree with most of what you say.

Of course it's great to see Notts play an attractive passing game, but I believe we have to mix our style of play depending on conditions and the opposition.

Against Swindon we were playing it around at the back on a bobbling pitch and making big mistakes.

Going long on occasions keeps the opposition guessing and also is a counter to the opposition's high press which most of our opponents have used against us this season.

And going long has proven to be a successful tactic especially with Jatta in the side.

We need strong, tall, & physical players at the back in this league too 

I would favour an appointment of an experienced DOF to work with Maynard and recruiters to ensure we get the players we need to compete in this league.

 

It's all well and good playing attractive Football Robbie but it doesn't work in the Lower Leagues it's has you say, Notts need to mix things up instead of sticking  to this Boring possessional stuff. I swear I dozed off for ten minutes at the Lane the other week and when I woke up Notts still had the ball in their own half. But seriously if the Magpies are going to play this kind of Football at least play it at a Decent pace. Another thing Notts need to learn is how to Park the Bus how many times have Notts had a one goal lead  or playing for a Draw and allowed the opposition to score late in the game?  I keep an eye on the Swansea Results and  when Luke Williams first arrived there, the Swans were in 15th place and they still are in 15th place, so his type of Football isn't doing what the Owners hired him for that is an advancement away from the Championship Relegation Zone. So it looks like he'll have to learn to Mix things up as well as the Notts Coaching staff need to do.

@Wheelbarrow repair man Decent pace - that's what needs to happen, or as @Robbie says mix it up, or both.  Notts can't park the bus, so they ned to keep going when they take the lead, but I suspect that that is more down to confidence than anything; when you are on a run like we are you try and protect what you have rather than risk losing it by continuing to attack.  

I think a mentor of some description, either under the guise of a DoF or on a consultancy basis would be very useful for Maynard (I think it is something that most managers would benefit from and should welcome) and I think some serious Sports Psychology work for the players wouldn't go amiss either.  What they lack is the ability to Think Clearly Under Pressure. Technically they are all fine, but the mistakes come from poor decision making when we are passing it around the back.  I think that the players were so thoroughly drilled by Williams that making changes is causing things to misfire too, so players aren't where others think they should be etc. 

On a coaching front, Maynard has made loads of mistakes (who wouldn't), but I don't think he has made as many as some think, nor as catastrophic... but then I don't think he is blameless either.  The main issues I would highlight are not playing to the conditions (Swindon in particular), and not simplifying things whilst he sorts out the tweaks etc.  The latter, I can see that he may have thought he was just making minor changes that would not impact things too much, but when they clearly did, he should have simplified things and just told the defence to take no risks and if necessary put the ball into row Z.  

I wonder if these modern coaches are a bit clone like, they go through the programmes, they learn what Pep does and how to replicate it.  Possession is the modern style and all teams are gravitating that way, so if we were to get rid of Maynard, we will get another young manager playing the same way.  I wonder if, during their training, they ever learn what Dave Bassett did, or Warnock or Alladyce? I wonder if they are ever encouraged to think outside the box at all?  In the future I think 2 things will distinguish the best managers, those who can evolve a style, or introduce surprise elements, and those that are charismatic.  The rest I think will be like clones all playing a variation of the same approach and the best of the rest will be those who spot and adapt to new trends the fastest.  My feeling is that Maynard will be either a clone or an adapter...but it's very early days for him yet and how quickly he learns from his mistakes will probably determine which.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

@Ohh Tommy Johnson

I agree. We have morphed over recent years to what I call the Continental style of playing, passing & building from the back all the time. The old British style of punting the ball upfield and going direct as gone out of favour.

And I agree that Luke is not getting the results at Swansea that people expected.

You hit on a good point @Ohh Tommy Johnson about clone like coaches all preaching the same style of play. Managers like Warnock, and the traditional style of playing are going out of fashion, and you could be right that if they changed Maynard they could just get another clone.

I think what fans are missing is the charisma of Luke, Stuart's personality is not that type and I think fans are judging him in a big part because he lacks the presence of being a charismatic leader.

But Maynard wanted to play the same way as Luke did, Luke couldn't adapt, can Stuart adapt, he's trying but it is proving difficult.

4 minutes ago, Robbie said:

@Wheelbarrow repair man

@Ohh Tommy Johnson

I agree. We have morphed over recent years to what I call the Continental style of playing, passing & building from the back all the time. The old British style of punting the ball upfield and going direct as gone out of favour.

And I agree that Luke is not getting the results at Swansea that people expected.

You hit on a good point @Ohh Tommy Johnson about clone like coaches all preaching the same style of play. Managers like Warnock, and the traditional style of playing are going out of fashion, and you could be right that if they changed Maynard they could just get another clone.

I think what fans are missing is the charisma of Luke, Stuart's personality is not that type and I think fans are judging him in a big part because he lacks the presence of being a charismatic leader.

But Maynard wanted to play the same way as Luke did, Luke couldn't adapt, can Stuart adapt, he's trying but it is proving difficult.

@Robbie That last sentence is the key.  Players seem to be drilled in one way of playing, and I think more and more coaches are too... it's those that can be brave enough and pragmatic enough to adapt to what is needed that will be successful.  

 

Jatta looks to me to be quite a lot like Kevin Bartlett, so a long ball over the top from time to time would be a good tactic to keep a defence honest, and if he could just finish 10% of the chances Bartlett had he would be up there with Macca for goals scored!! This is where I see a consultant being useful, someone to say 'look at these videos of the old Notts...give Jatta chances like that from time to time and you will be laughing'. But there is nobody to do that.  That is also why I think most managers would benefit from a consultant from time to time... to shake the thinking up a bit.

Ooh Tommy Johnson and Robbie

I see what you mean Clone Coaches Clone Players Clone Game Plan. Could we see this at Notts next season?

Maynard AJ You must score Goals.

AJ Yes I must score Goals

Maynard Defenders You must stop the ball getting into our Box

Defenders Yes We must stop balls getting into our Box.

 Individual skills and Individual Talent Must Be Crushed At All Costs. We Must Only Play The Continental Way.

Yes Individual Skills and Individual Talent Must Be Crushed At All Costs. We Must Only Play The Continental Way.

Would you want to watch that kind of Football ? I know I wouldn't.

 

Edited April 3, 20242 yr by Wheelbarrow repair man

@Wheelbarrow repair man

@Ohh Tommy Johnson

While we are on about styles of play, there's another style too. 

Conceding possession, let the opposition do the passing around in their own half, pack our defence and midfield, let our forwards do the pressing and hit the opposition on the break.

Isn't that the very tactic most of our opponents in league 2 have been doing to us. Even Stockport, Wrexham and Mansfield did it to us. 

Why oh why can't we do it to our opponents for once, we have the players up front to exploit that tactic to the full? When we have gone direct, when we've broken away from defending, we have scored goals that way.

It doesn't take a coach with grade one qualifications to work out that fannying around at the back, making repeated mistakes, and conceding easy goals has to stop.

Indeed Robbie Indeed the trouble is it doesn't seem to be a Style that the current Coaching Staff at the Lane can grasp. There are things you must be fed up of repeating in your comments, I know there are in Mine. For instance the type of Football Notts played under Luke Williams worked in the National League, it also worked in League 2 until the opposition found out how to beat Notts style of play and when the Team who was Rock Bottom of the League can Put a Total of NINE GOALS past  You over two games then the realization of You Must Be Doing Something Wrong should work it's way into Your Brain and Something Needs To Be Changed. Maynard is the Head Coach so he should be intelligent enough to know when Plan A isn't working then move to plan B or Plan C or D to find out a Winning  Formula,. He's been at the Club long enough to know by Now his preferred Team Selection and How to handle different opposing teams styles , pitch conditions and how to produce a Winning Team? How ever it appears Not so that is another reason for him to GO.

19 hours ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

Piethagoram

Why do some Fans seem to think the appointment of  Neil Warnock as a Director of Football means he'll take over the running and picking  of the Team? That's the Head Coaches job. The Director of Football job is to Provide recommendations on Crucial matters. Such as Players Recruitment Academy Strategy and Coaching Appointments. Plus Physicality of Players as you put it, is something that's needed in League 2 NOT this tippy tappy Chuckle Brothers type of football From Me To You, From Me To You, OOOPs the opposition's got the Ball and Scored. Maybe just maybe if someone like Warnock had been Director of Football he'd had spotted the weakness in certain players, and recommend Not to Hire Stuart Maynard and Notts wouldn't have found themselves in their current Predicament. One thing for sure if the Notts Coaching team carry on their present path playing the type of Football they're playing, the Magpies will end up back in the National League. 

@Wheelbarrow repair man Most of Warnock's success was based on the recruitment by his right hand man, ex Notts player, Mick Jones RIP. Warnock's own ability was in man management, not player recruitment. When Mick Jones briefly returned to Notts, it was he who spotted and brought to the club Grealish and McGregor.

Piethagoram  wouldn't you say Man Management is one of the things that is Lacking at Notts at the moment? Neil Warnock wouldn't be solely in charge of Recruitment as Director of Football he would have other duties and I would think Maynard would Benefit from a mentor like Warnock.

@Wheelbarrow repair man as we have discussed before, there are different types of man management, I believe Maynard is a decent Man Manager otherwise he wouldn't have spent so long at Wealdsone as Head Coach.

Lots of evaluation is done when recruiting a manager whether it be Football or industry. I'm sure this would have been same at Notts.

It wasn't just the case of a quick interview and he gets the job, there may have been up to three interviews completed, with various tests done to determine how a candidate may cope with situations, what sort of person they are, what sort of management style they have, can they cope with stress, and can they communicate well with staff and the press.

The Reedtz brothers would have known what type of Manager they wanted & it is clear that the Reedtz brothers like Stuart's style so I think we just need to trust their judgement. 

I was going to say something Robbie but I think it would just be going over Old Ground.

its really good to have you back, @Piethagoram. this is exactly the reason why we missed you and why you are such an important member of the community. thanks for the detailed response.

I'm starting to think if Notts were able to play with a level of calmness, much of our defensive mistakes would be greatly reduced. It's difficult to put aside that mental pressure you have, from expectations and disappointment over previous mistakes. I am sure all the players from one time or another dwell on a mistake which has proven costly and whilst they're professionals - they are still humans.

This is why I don't think fans getting onto the backs of players is fair, especially when it is clear that the player isn't performing underpart due to not caring but because of everything that comes with attempting to be successful.

Some players can cope with pressure, others don't. At our level, I think it is perfectly normal that it will have more bearing on their form and ability. Otherwise, I am sure more of our current squad would be competing higher up the Football League. In the short term, it's easy to come up with solutions or notice things which are causing problems, but it's only in hindsight that things can become a lot clearer. Reflecting on how woeful we have been at times, for me is the way that our passing back tends to put the pressure on yourself even when we are retaining the ball well.

The reliance we have on passing the ball back, needs to sometimes come at the cost of attempting to be creative going forward.

I have seen a noticeable increase in defending, from players who it might not come so naturally too. Such as Jodi Jones, who did very well at times against Walsall and some of the times he cut them out, it stopped them from breaking at us.

We have players who can pick the ball back up and win it, another player who has been fairly criticised is John Bostock. Again, I thought he did his role superbly against Walsall and since returning to the team, he does seem to have that spark back. Perhaps he was just jaded from playing so much, that his performances weren't to the level we have become to know, but it is good to see him doing well.

When one or two players perform beneath their ability, it will create problems and that's why next season I hope we can balance the squad out better. Build a team where we have depth in case of injuries and ability that is ready to be called upon when needed. Given the time, this is ideally where some of our own youngsters would fall into the category as a way to get them first team experience and further minutes under their belt.

The percentage stat of how we enjoy so much possession is a good thing, but we must learn to use this to our advantage. Teams get frustrated when they can't get the ball, whilst we need to avoid injuries, we do need to be a little braver that some challenges may result in the officials giving cards. This is just common sense that teams avoid losing players due to suspension, but we never really take advantage of it. Be calm at the back; this will allow the creative players within our team to do their jobs without worries of what they lose the ball. In turn, it would create a more winning mentality, whilst I think one or two players in the defensive department would make a difference. We don't have a bad squad and hopefully, now the players are showing signs to adapting to Stuart Maynard we will continue to see these improvements on the field.