Are Notts making progress this season??

[Robbie]

I looked up some interesting Statistics comparing the League 2 table of the 6th Oct 2023 with the table today

Notts were top of the table this time last year on goal difference after 10 games.

They were on 20 points. They had scored 23 goals but conceded 19 with a goal difference of +4.

This season they are on 18 points in fifth place 1 point behind the top team. They have scored 17 goals & conceded 9 with a goal difference of +8

So this season the team has conceded 10 goals less than at the same time last season.

So I think that shows that Notts have improved defensively, but  have scored 6 less goals.

Stuart is trying to get the balance right between having a good defence & having a successful attack.

At the moment I think he has the balance just about right. What he has to solve is the team opening up teams at home who are prepared to sit back & wait for opportunities up front.

Maybe he needs to play two strikers at home, with wing backs that can get behind defenders. 

Funnily enough, when playing away, Notts get more space to create better chances, because teams at home want to attack Notts more 

It will be interesting to see how things develop in the next 10 matches 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Have Notts improved? The Data says yes. But Data doesn't mean a thing when it all Boils down to it. It's All Down To Points On The Board at the season's end, or the Goals your Team has scored. Possession, Pass accuracy , Headers Won, Tackles Won how many yards or Meters your players cover during a Match, Doesn't Mean A Damn Thing. Those Stats don't Win Championships or get Clubs Promoted, Goals and more points than your opponents is what Does.

Stuart Maynard still Frustrates the Hell Out of Fans, one Match it's four at the Back, then it's Three, he continues to Play Players out of Position Prime Example Cedwyn Scott. The Guy is a Striker, his job is to Score Goals, Not Play a Deeper Role. Still plays a Lone Striker. How many Matches over the years and under different Coaches have the Magpies Won with just one Man Up Front? You can understand Why Fans get on Maynard's Back, he seems to get things right and Notts get a Good Result then everything changes and Notts lose or Draw when with a little more thought they could have collected all 3 Points. Sure the Magpies have only lost two matches since the Start of the Season, But Both losses have been at Home and against sides who are considered Promotion Material. That as more than an Hint about Last Season to it.

Yes the Injury list at the Lane is a cause for worry, but weren't players signed during the off season to cover for all eventualities? The Injury to Jodi as thrown up the scenario, what the Notts team will be like should he ever leave the Lane. Currently it seems the Magpies would struggle. The Loss of Macca as been a Massive Loss as all us Fans knew it would be, however it was hoped that Jatta and Scott would help compensate the loss, Jatta has scored Goals but as been missed in certain matches, and left all alone up front as seen him struggle, In Example the match against Port Vale. Scott's dilemma I've already touched on. So in My Opinion despite their start to the Season, things need to change at Lane and quickly, otherwise a Season of Mediocrity awaits the Magpies and Stuart Maynard will be in for Another Rough Ride.

[menzinho]

It is very early doors but there are definitely some encouraging signs.

Defensively we are a lot better and that has been helped by the recruitment and Stuart has had more time to really drill into what he wants his team to do off the ball. We couldn't go in the same vein as last season, I'd never thought I'd say this because I'm a 4-3 over a 1-0 type of guy but even for me it was just too attack minded. The balance seems better now.

We seem to be able to deal with the weaker teams, we've got enough quality for them and they are more likely to make mistakes/open up at the back. So right now the biggest issue seems to be breaking down teams that sit back and are good, especially at home. Our next home game will be Wimbledon and I'd stick them in the bracket of good and I'm fully expecting them to play like that. That will be intriguing because we do need to adapt a slightly different approach, another 1-0 loss or similar won't be good.

And a big factor on determining where we finish will be how we do against these better teams. Last season our record against the top 10 in League 2 was bad; P20 W5 D4 L11. It'll need to improve this season but we're not off to the best start there... We've only beaten 1 team in the top 10 this season, it's hard to say where everyone will end up but Gillingham, Port Vale and Fleetwood who we lost/drew to are likely to finish top 10. We did beat Grimsby but I think they're more likely to be out the top 10 come the end of the season.

I guess if we finish this season higher than 14th and with more the 61 points, we've progressed. I'm confident we'll do that but I'm hopeful we can exceed it and stay in and around the play-offs.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

Notts are just one point behind the leaders on 18 points.

Last season at the same stage under Williams we were top on goal difference with 20 points but leaking goals like a sieve.

We continued to leak goals and dropped down the league like falling off a cliff because our defence wasn't up to it 

This season we have a very good defence & we are still scoring goals, the 2nd highest in the league to date.

I don't see any reason why Notts cannot be there or there abouts come Xmas. 

[Chris]

Notts have made a good start to the season, even though it's early, everyone should be able to see the progress that is being made. The squad is capable of winning ugly, scraping through results or simply blowing teams out of the water. It all goes down to form, and this stage in the season that is the hard task to establish. Some teams are quick to find consistency. We did have that at the beginning, but I think the loss to Gillingham allowed some tension to creep into the camp.

It must have been as equally frustrating for the players, as it was for us and the morale has been hit further with losing the likes of Curtis Edwards and Jodi Jones.

One thing that is difficult, is maintaining the same squad each week, in and out at this level. This does help, but when you play as frequently as we do, you do have to rotate the squad, and we keep seeing players picking up knocks. I do think, if we can avoid injuries or at least rally those who step in, to lift their game we will continue to do well at this end of the table.

I do think come January, it would be wise to seek for a true replacement for Macaulay Langstaff.

David McGoldrick can't be played week in and week out, we have to use him wisely at this age, and this is something I mentioned a lot during the start of the season. Jatta is a great talent at this level, he has goals, but sometimes you need someone who can hustle, or just involve himself more into games. I really do think this would help, as every striker will find some games more difficult than others, even though we have Cedwyn Scott and Jevani Brown. I can't see them being played all that often up front.

The progress we are making is good, we can continue to compete within the top three or Notts might start to lose ground by failing to make the most of those difficult games. I think we'll be within the playoffs quite easily, but we can't take anything for granted, and we can't underestimate our own good start.

[Robbie]

I think that Notts have improved regarding players up front being able to defend when required.

I think that Stuart demands that trait from his forwards. We have seen Didzy making a last ditch clearance off the line & Jatta heading away corners.

As far as Nemane was concerned, he was great going forward but not so defending. I maybe understand why he was released.

I believe Notts are becoming a better all round side this season compared to the Williams era.

[Fan of Big Tone]

As I said in another topic I think the biggest difference this season is that Notts are not so predictable as they were last season, we can go long when necessary or we hoof the ball into row z when there is imminent danger instead of trying to play out from the back all the time. Corners can go long or short, we sometimes use long throws, all these things make us unpredictable and hard to play against. In spite of the two home losses recently I believe we have improved and I have every confidence that we'll be up near the top at the end of the season. Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me on the bum.

[Fozzy]

Have we progressed? Absolutely. Have we progressed enough? I’m not so sure. I still see us as being a two or 3 players short, and they’re all towards the top end of the pitch. We miss that ability that Ruben had, to play great little through balls around the box.
We can and should be playing another forward at home and we need to test the goalkeeper’s more, took often we try to walk the ball in. We need to take more risks in order to break down the opposition, it’s currently a little too safe.