9 points from a possible 42 under Stuart Maynard. Can he survive?

[Joshua]

I don’t envision the Reedtz wanting to dismiss Stuart Maynard. The club could resolve many of the issues by the beginning of the next season. This leaves us wondering if Maynard can handle league football. He displays comprehension, but his game management and decisions aren’t always brave enough or correct to alter the outcome of the match. I don’t wish to criticise Maynard, as I believe he will learn given the chance, but he needs to start showing progress.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

I would hope Joshua that even now the Brothers and whoever else has a say in how the Club is run have already made Major Decisions regarding next season, and those decisions will be put into Force as soon as the end of the season arrives. Sticking with Stuart Maynard may proved to be a huge stumbling  block because with foresight it's clear to most that he's Not Ready for the Step up he maybe a good coach at NL level, but here at Notts No. He needs time to adjust to being a Full Time Head Coach and unfortunately time is one thing he hasn't got at the Lane. Because not only did the Williams era bring success. it also brought a Massive Problem when Williams moved on and  the appointment of a Head Coach with League 2 know how, is required for next season.

Maybe appointing Jim O'Brien to till the end of the season would have been a better choice because he had the Full Respect of the Players and Fans alike and he knew Williams game plan. Williams was also full of praise for JOB during interviews and  also had Great Respect for the guy, stating several times how helpful Jim was with the Players both established Team members and the Youth players.

 

 

 

 

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man In retrospect, I think you may be right about keeping JOB as Caretaker Head Coach till the end of the season, or maybe have brought in a high profile Manager over a short term contract, with Jim has coach, to get Notts into the playoffs.

I can understand that the Reedtz brothers would want to have stability with a long term appointment to replace Williams, but as you say, Jim, has the respect of the players. He also knows them, knows the style of play the Reedtz brothers want, knows the fans, and knows the Club inside out.

Maybe with Jim in charge, the players performance may not have deteriorated as it has done over the last 12 matches.

Even if Notts had 2 or 3 wins more under Jim, they would still have been in the play for a playoff place.

 

 

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

Personally I don't think Jim being in charge would have made an iota of difference, except we would have scored more... but let more in.  His only game was the Grimsby one where we drew 5-5 and couldn't hold on to our lead for more than 2 minutes, so the defensive issues were still there.  SM has sorted out the defence in as much as we are not pressed or counter attacked as successfully, but what he hasn't been able to do is sort out our vulnerability to balls coming into the box, which may be a personnel issue.  The downside is, as many forecast, making us tighter has made us less potent up front and so whereas we could normally outscore opposition (although that wasn't as successful since November / December), now going 1 behind or being pegged back is a big issue.  Throw in a dose of loss of confidence and you end up where we are now.  I would love SM to succeed but he has had an uphill battle since before he joined with some fans wanting him out based on his first news conference.  I don't think he has been given a fair crack at the whip, and I don't think he will recover from his start, even if he goes on to win the league next season, unbeaten... as soon as we would lose our first game in L1 all the old complaints would surface again.  Unless we get a name in, say a Warnock or an Evans, and return to a direct, robust style of play, I think any new manager  will face fans opposition.  We seem to be a fanbase who enjoys long ball, direct and physical game plans.  Unfortunately crowd figures show the 'non-die hard' fans like attractive, exciting football, so I fear we will always have this tension between what the core fanbase want and what those that run the club want.  That doesn't normally end up well... anyway, that drifted off topic!

 

[Robbie]

@Ohh Tommy Johnson you bring up some good points.

We may have leaked more goals under Jim, however the team do respect Jim and confidence has dived since Maynard came in, added by rumours of dissatisfaction by some of the players with Maynard's methods.

We will never know if we might have had more wins or draws under Jim, but I don't believe that we would have been in any worse position than we are now being out of the playoff picture.

I do enjoy watching Notts's style of play since the Reedtz brothers came in. This style has proved very successful for Notts over the last few years, but the opposition has learned to counter that style very successfully over recent months.

When Notts went long against Bradford, it proved successful on two occasions. Keep playing the attractive football by all means, however it doesn't hurt to mix it up on occasions and go long to keep the opposition guessing.

As far as the fanbase is concerned, there is always going to be the loyal, the hardcore, the fair weather and the plain fickle. Notts will be hoping to keep all those season ticket holders that they gained at the beginning of the season.

It will probably depend on which players they keep and those they bring in to challenge next season.

 

 

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

@Robbie Mixing it up is the key... and knowing when to.  As we have tightened up at the back we seem more ponderous in build up, like we can't spot when 'it's on'... mind you I thought we were the same when we played Wrexham at home under LW.  We just passed side to side in front of their defence, when there were openings as clear as day to those of us sat behind the goal.  I don't think we have great decision makers and don't think clearly under pressure - hence all the individual errors.  I don't think that is something you can coach though, you need leaders on the pitch who can do the thinking for others, which we lack. 

I've heard of arguments, fights between players and coach and all sorts. These things always come out when things are going wrong and fans want a manager out.  I am not convinced as we would have seen more evidence on the field.  I haven't heard that they are dissatisfied by his methods, but this is more credible since he doesn't have his 'b' license (I think) so it may be more basic than they are used to.,.. but again, all we have is hearsay.  

Thinking about things, the lack of the appropriate coaching license is the strangest thing about the appointment.  I don't understand why a DoF wasn't brought in, or he wasn't brought in under a different Head Coach to gain experience.  I don't have a problem with him coming from Wealdstone, or that he worked for BT, but a lack of coaching qualifications is a little odd.

[Robbie]

@Ohh Tommy Johnson Didn't think there was an issue over a coaching licence. He has to have UEFA A to become a Head Coach at a professional football club. There is UEFA C licence, then step up to UEFA B that gives licence to coach amateur clubs & assistant coach at professional clubs, but surely he has to have the UEFA A licence to be Head Coach at a professional club.

Also, I was just looking at his win record at Wealdsone and it was only 30.6% over 147 games which doesn't fill me with confidence.

[KB1862]

I'm not normally one that fully buys into stats as they can be very subjective but there was a stat that's been popping up more recently on social media that Maynard now has a worse percentage than that of Fullarton after the same amount of games. 

It's a tricky one because under Luke Williams there was already a decline happening. Maybe Williams could have turned things round but the run could have also continued so there is a slight benefit of the doubt in the way of Maynard but the more the games go on the less I have optimism over him leading this team. 

I don't believe we should be looking to get rid of him before the end of the season unless something drastically goes wrong and it's clear to see that he is well out of his depth to take this club back on the rise. There's no longer the high scoring games which we've seen much of this season so that's a positive I guess but the attacking side has also slightly suffered as a result. 

Some of the things that are killing us in games are still the same old stuff that was happening under Williams with shoddy defending. Maybe when Maynard gets his own brand of football and players in the team come the summer it might be a whole different story. 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

We've gone over this question and others similar to it time after time and we all have our opinions and what we consider what is Wrong at the Lane and how it should be put Right. But the Final Decisions will be made by Chris & Alex and possibly other Board Members. Will Stuart Maynard Stay or Will he Go? Will Macca Jodi and Dan Crowley be Sold? Will Players not up to League 2 standard be Released from their Contracts? Will a Director of Football be appointed next season? I would hope that all of these questions and Decisions are already being sorted behind the Scenes.  Do you know what would be a Good Thing?  If someone at the Club came on to this site and read  Real Fans views and what  their worries are regarding the Club. Because as I read comments on PON by my fellow Magpie fans it's clear they only want what's Best for Notts County Football Club and if their words were to get back to the Owners it would give them pause for thought.

[Ohh Tommy Johnson]

@Wheelbarrow repair man Trew and Hardy tried that.  They both got sucked into discussions and arguments which ended up badly.  I don't know how they could come on here unless it was incognito (in which case who knows, they may already do that).

@Robbie He has a UEFA B license then. You get a grace period of a couple of years to get the A license, but must demonstrate that you are working towards it.  Of course that's another draw on his time in addition to all the other things that are going on.  It can't help.

On the stats at Wealdstone, I think you need to take context into account.  It would be like us playing in L1 with our current team,  I guess.  He had Wealdstone punching above their weight, so 30% probably isn't that bad. 

Edited March 28 by Ohh Tommy Johnson

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Ohh Tommy Johnson that's basically what I meant someone to come on here as a member or incognito and then Report Back. My Bad.

Edited March 28 by Wheelbarrow repair man

[menzinho]

Yeah win percentage isn’t always a great way of viewing things, it’s all relative. He managed to get a part-time team in a pretty much full-time league, having just recently been promoted, to mid-table. All things considered he actually did very well at Wealdstone, but maybe the step up has just come to early for him.

The Reedtz Bros have stated they are here for the long-term and they definitely have the clubs best interests at heart. We've always had a competitive squad and they’ve spent a of lot money improving and building new infrastructures at the stadium. Our better players won’t be sold just because someone bids for them, I’m sure we turned down offers for the likes of Wootton and Rodrigues because they thought them staying was more beneficial. I’m 99% certain we will only sell a player if their valuation is met.

Our owners are human too, they’ll make mistakes and fans have to accept sometimes that’s going to happen. It’s about how you deal with the set-backs and I don’t think they’ll be panicking too much because the summer transfer window is a big opportunity to strengthen us and address the defensive issues. If we sign some good defenders and even add 1 or 2 new attacking players we can only improve! The question will then just be is SM the right man to take us forward?

[liampie]

@KB1862 difference with fullarton mate is maynard has helped us not to concede and the performances have been still quite decent, its unfortunate that there is not a lot he can do. fullarton was out of his depth and just went about making it all about him. he seemed to have no relationship with the players, with an attitude that he was better than what he was.

the reedtz wont sack him any time soon, where not in a point where it makes sense for them to do it. not with how few games are left to go.

i think they will give him a chance to start the next season, its not like he has a lot of influence or say on who the club is looking to bring in. he can only work with them and try to get the best out of them. managers, just like young players sometimes need time. this season will be vital experience for maynard, if he can work with the club to make sure we are more solid at the back and built that way from the goal, defence upwards than he will have a better chance of doing better. the club would make a mistake if they did not try to bring in more suitable players for this level.

[super_ram]

It's the defenders keep making the mistakes,no matter how much they are swapped around.

[Robbie]

@super_ram That's the problem that doesn't seem to go away.

Maynard in his pre Swindon press conference reiterated that the team was working hard on the training ground to counter the mistakes, but I don't think that can be done on the training ground.

The mistakes have continued to cost us matches and I think the only way Notts are going to deal with it is to recruit new players that won't get flustered and can cope much better in pressure situations.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

This table is very revealing when taking into account the results since the beginning of 2024.

Notts are firmly planted on the bottom of league 2. It just represents how big the slump in form has been.

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Robbie

Lets hope somebody or someone has brought this to the Attention of the Brothers and the Head of Recruitment and they finally come to realise that things at the Lane need to change and change Quickly or that table may be a Prediction of the way things will be at  the end of 2024/2025 season for Notts County..

[Robbie]

I've always been quick to defend Stuart Maynard but the diabolical mistakes in defense by Notts today were brought about by the tactics on a bobbling pitch. 

The selections today didn't make sense with Ashley-Hamnond and Jatta not being selected from the start.

At his post match press conference Maynard is still talking about improvement needed and being let down by silly defensive mistakes when we seem to be getting progressively worse. He just seems to be in an alternative reality at the moment.

That's now nine defeats in thirteen matches under Maynard with just two away wins. We don't know where the next win is going to come from.

We are in full blown relegation form, and stuck at the bottom of the league with results from the start of the year. It is not good enough and the Notts fans deserve better.

Maynard really needs a positive result on Monday.

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Can you Honestly see Notts getting a Result Monday Robbie? I can't the Atmosphere is going to be TOXIC really the only thing Maynard can Do Now is to Fall On His Sword (as the saying goes) and WALK. Because Notts Fans will make their Feelings Known, but Not Only is Maynard going to get Stick certain players will also feel the Fans Wrath. And as if stated on other Platforms the Coach has Lost the Dressing Room and players don't want to play for him that really is The End. For these last few games, put Jim O'Brien back in the Dug Out (if he wants to of course) the players respect Jim and under his leadership they might Put In Some Kind Of Performance and if Notts go down at Least  hopefully they'll go down Fighting.

[menzinho]

I don’t want to get to end of the season thinking the sensible thing the club should’ve done when Swansea approached us was to lock LW in his office, smash his phone and let him out after Swansea had appointed someone else!

But it's looking that way, 6 games left now and Swindon was one of our easier games there…

[Robbie]

You bring up a good point @menzinho Notts could have held Luke to his contract or at least insisted he see the season out first. Even though we did have defensive problems under Luke, the team was still playing with a lot more confidence than they are now and Luke was a great leader, who could inspire and motivate players above their level.

Notts could still have been a good bet for making the top 7 too, and at that time, no club would have liked to face us in the playoffs.

Of course the bird has flown and Notts need to decide whether to stick with Stuart as Head Coach or make changes,, I prefer the latter now.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Well it's begun after the Shoddy Performance today there are  a lot of Magpie Fans Threatening Not to Renew Their Season Tickets for Next Season, if Maynard is still at the Helm down the Lane for the Start of Next Season. It may be a Trickle at First but It could Turn into a Flood. I sincerely hope the Brothers and anyone else who had a Hand in Hiring Stuart Maynard realise their Mistake, and have the Honour to admit it and put their Mistake Right.  

[Robbie]

8 minutes ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

Well it's begun after the Shoddy Performance today there are  a lot of Magpie Fans Threatening Not to Renew Their Season Tickets for Next Season, if Maynard is still at the Helm down the Lane for the Start of Next Season. It may be a Trickle at First but It could Turn into a Flood. I sincerely hope the Brothers and anyone else who had a Hand in Hiring Stuart Maynard realise their Mistake, and have the Honour to admit it and put their Mistake Right.  

We are getting absolutely clobbered on X and Facebook.

Footage of the Swindon goals being shared. 

Not a good day for us. 

But things will get better they always do. 

The right recruitment for next season will make things right.

[Fozzy]

I think I stated a little while ago that if he isn’t removed the club will lose fans and it will cost them with lack of season ticket revenue. Unless he is removed, I can see next season starting with at least 3000 fewer Notts fans in the stands.
He has to go after Monday’s game, there is no longer any point in prolonging his (and our) suffering. He won’t walk as he’ll want a pay off, but he definitely has to go before next weekend.

It has become that bad, that me and my lad have decided that we’re going to spend Monday with my wife and have an enjoyable family day out rather than suffer the purgatory of watching this Notts side.

 

[Robbie]

That's why @Fozzy the Notts players need to give their absolute all for the club for the last remaining 6 games of the season. They need to gain back some pride and ensure the club finishes on a high, so that the fans will be encouraged to renew those season tickets.