On recruitment, there is always the assumption that if a player goes for £x the £x will be invested in new players.  The truth is that the money available would be £(x-y) where y could include agents fees, legal fees, tax etc etc.  Then there is the amount of money that is put back into the club to cover other costs and projects.  It wouldn't surprise me if less than 50% is reinvested in new players... but the club would be financially more secure for a season or two.  

I can't imagine that the Head Coach isn't part of the recruitment team.  It would be good to know how it works, but I can't imagine that the Head Coach is just told 'here's a player, crack on'.  Even if the Head Coach was totally responsible for recruitment, I can't imagine that he would have the time to watch a lot of players himself and then make contact and negotiate the contracts.  Surely he would rely on scouts and the clubs lawyers etc for the nuts and bolts.  The model we have could be very similar, other than the Head Coach is only one of the ways we identify potential targets.  It has to be a two way street between the Head Coach and Head of Recruitment, otherwise I can't see that it would work.

The thing is Ohh Tommy Johnson as stated the Recruitment team signed Macca before LW was appointed Head Coach and I'm not sure if he had any say in the signing of Cedwyn Scott. Plus during one of his interviews Williams seemed  surprised to be asked about what say he as in choosing a player being signed by Notts, all he said was he did have a say but without much conviction. He gave the impression that his job was just to coach the players. Plus Stuart Maynard wouldn't have much to do with any signings Notts brought in the January Transfer Window. That was totally down to the Recruitment team and we all know what kind of a job they made of that. Another thing in Football nowadays the term Manager seems to have been dropped and Head Coach put in it's place, does that also mean that the duties of a Head Coach have also been reduced?

Also think on this  the signing of  Alassana Jatta what say would have SM have in that signing? The Player would have been being looked at a while before SM had been hired and what happened? The Recruitment team showed Maynard a video of Jatta in action and said we're signing him for Notts what's Maynard going to say? No I don't know what he plays like or if he'll fit in with my game plan. Of course Not, the New Coach would say yeah Ok and get on with coaching the players. It seems to me that the Recruitment Team have a bigger say in the signing of players than the Head Coach.

Finally there's an interview with Derek Pavis (somewhere on the Net) and he tells a story about Jimmy Sirrel coming into his office saying he wanted to buy a certain player for Notts (I've forgotten the players name) Derek was convinced that he'd never come to Notts but told Jimmy he could make an approach and Notts ended up getting the player. Which shows the Manager had confidence in his Scouting team and they worked together. That doesn't appear to be happening at Lane. Yes I know the Recruitment team signed Macca, but what would have happened if Macca had been a Dud?

@Wheelbarrow repair man Reading your post got me thinking about the power of the Player's agent nowadays. Once upon a time a Manager would be interested in a player, the player would be invited to the club for a meeting, then a contract would be signed.

Now it's the middle man, the agent, that does all the negotiating for a player. That probably explains why clubs have recruitment teams now, however, that doesn't mean that the Manager shouldn't be in charge of the recruitment team and have the final say regarding player recruitment, which I believe the Manager should have.

And I still believe that a Club should have a Manager rather than a Head Coach. Clubs should have a Coach, but in the past the Coach answered to the Manager.

That system worked well enough in the past, why not now?

 

 

Notts is demonstrating brave support by not succumbing to the pressure from fans who want Stuart Maynard out. His appointment hasn’t been straightforward. On paper, it seemed perfect, but football doesn’t always unfold like a fairytale. I believe the club’s media team needs to tone down the hype at times. Personally, I feel this has fostered some negative feelings towards Maynard, mainly due to his background and his previous role as a technician at BT. It’s easy to point the finger and declare he’s not up to the task. I think the club will give him the chance to prepare and kick off the next season. The key point will be to address our shortcomings, which can’t be further improved with training or tactics. Having genuine depth and quality in all areas would indicate change. Not much is needed, just more refinement and better quality. The squad being short doesn’t help.

( "I think the club will give him the chance to prepare and kick off the next season. The key point will be to address our shortcomings, which can’t be further improved with training or tactics. Having genuine depth and quality in all areas would indicate change. Not much is needed, just more refinement and better quality. The squad being short doesn’t help".)

I agree with what you have said here @True Magpie which is exactly what I think the club will do in the close season, to strengthen the squad and recruit quality players in those areas. Doing this will improve the team, so the team will be able to play in a way the owners want the team to play. 

 

True Magpie your remarks regarding the Media are Spot On. After the Magpies fought down to the wire with Wrexham for the National League Title last season, everything was Greatly Hyped Up by the Media as if it was a forgone conclusion that Notts and Wrexham would automatically be promoted to League 1 next season and of course this was lapped up by the Fair Weather Fans Notts had picked up along the way, and when Notts went top of League 2 well their belief went through the Roof. However we older fans knew that Yes it would be Great if the Magpies were Promoted to League 1 but we were also realistic in our expectations Lets build a solid foundation in this League then push on for a go at Promotion next season, because I think a lot of us Regular Fans knew if Notts did get up to League1 this Squad is nowhere near good enough and money would have to be spent, to ensure the Squad was good enough to compete in the League above. Now the Club finds it's self having to spend money to compete at a decent level in League 2.

Regarding Stuart Maynard he was on a loser as soon as he walked through the door at Meadow Lane. How was he going to compete with Luke Williams Record over the 18 months he had before his move to Swansea? If he didn't hit the ground running then the Fans (mainly the  Fair weather crowd) would be on his back. In his first few matches he faced teams at the top and around the top of the League and Notts just couldn't compete, some of the fans  started to realize that certain Players weren't good enough even playing under Williams because even Williams team failed to beat any top team they came up against. And once the Rot set in well Players started losing belief in their ability and the (so called ) Fans started expressing their toxic remarks on the Manager and certain Players on Social Media and has the team have started failing to win matches against teams they should beating then the Venom against Stuart Maynard as Risen, and slowly this Atmosphere  as engulfed more of the Notts Fandom. Maynard  has done himself No Favours with the constant tinkering of the side strange decisions he's made and poor interviews. I honestly think the poor Guy is out of his depth  and should the Owners persist in keeping him at the Lane for next season I can see an awful lot of Fans walking away, and  lets face facts at any other club 8 points out of a possible 36 he'd be gone, Even this close to the End of the Season.

Lots of good points raised in your latest post @Wheelbarrow repair man 

Many other clubs may have wanted to change the Head Coach with just 8 points from a possible 36, but I believe Notts will stick with Stuart till at least the end of the season and then make a decision after these last 7 games have been played.

Why? Because Notts are in no danger of being pulled into a relegation fight.

A decision could be made to appoint a Director of Football to assist Stuart at season's end, because I don't think these owners like chopping and changing too much.

I agree with you Robbie, Maynard will still be here till the End of the Season then a decision will be made. I just hope it's Sooner rather than Later because  the Brothers don't want to start dithering because if  they do decide to appoint a New Man in the Dug Out, the New Coach will need a full Pre season to sort out any New Players and get his Squad playing the way he wants and hopefully he'll be allowed too do so without any interference 

A Director of Football but who? I'm all in Favour of Neil Warnock (as I've Stated Many Times) But would the Brothers hire him? Fact is Warnock is an Old Fashion type of Footballing Expert and his attitude may not be to the liking of  the "Modern" Game, despite the Fact He Would Be The Perfect Role Model for Stuart Maynard.

Edited March 26, 20242 yr by Wheelbarrow repair man
added dialogue

@Wheelbarrow repair man.

I had an idea what the job description for a Director of Football was, but just wanted to be sure.

"Player Recruitment and transfers: One of the primary tasks of a Director of Football is to identify and recruit players who can enhance the team's performance. They work closely with scouts and the club's management to spot potential targets, negotiate transfers, and secure player contracts." (Source Google)

An appointment such as this would be ideal for Notts in their current situation to assist the Head Coach 

John Coleman, for instance, former Accrington Stanley boss could be a fit for a Director of Football position.

Just looked at the list of League 2 Managers/Head Coaches and the vast majority of them have only been installed a matter of months including Maynard. The rest range from a year to over 3 years in the job 

So if Notts wanted to replace Maynard they might find it difficult to recruit a Head Coach from League 2, unless they are out of work.

So recruitment of an employed boss at this level could prove difficult &  looking to recruit from the lower leagues again wouldn't be popular with the fans.

 

@Robbie Recruiting from the NL will be a hugely unpopular move with the fans.  It seems that they are hoping for a 'name', and I can't see that happening.  I have been saying for a while that Maynard should have been given an experienced head as the DoF to help the transition from Part time to Full Time and to allow him to build a rapport with the team. Looking at your definition it would seem that Montague does a lot of that, so I can see how a DoF could be brought in without too much loss of face for anybody at he club.  They could just clarify Montagues role, the Head Coach role and then introduce a DoF. 

I still think there is a good coach / Head Coach in SM, but I am just not sure if it is at Notts where he ahs really been given no quarter since he has arrived. He seems to be able to spot the issues, but I am not sure that he has the tools to correct them or the support from the fanbase to make mistakes here.  I hope we see a big uptick in results to the end of the season, not because I think it will save his job, I believe that ship has sailed, but so that he can get a coaching job elsewhere and show what he can do.  He gave up a lot to join us, so I hope it works out for him in the long term.

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.

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.

 

 

 

 

@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.

 

 

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!

 

@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.