The Notts Defensive Back Line.

[Robbie]

Good news for Notts, Rod McDonald & Lucas Ness are coming back to match fitness & in Rod McDonald's case, he is available for selection.

Up till now, Stuart Maynard has had a settled back line for the first ten games, Lewis Macari, Jacob Bedeau, & Matty Platt have done superbly, with Rob Cundy filling in off the bench 

Stuart McDonald has impressed Stuart when playing for Notts in two EFL trophy games & Lucas Ness impressed playing his first 45 minutes of the season in the 2nd of those games.

There has been talk of McDonald replacing Macari in the first 11. Question. Do PON members think Stuart should make a change to the back three for the upcoming games or stick with the three defenders who have performed well of late?

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

I'll Say This @Robbie

IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man Even though the defence have improved no end since last season, Notts are still conceding goals. 

If Stuart is seeking continuous improvement, it should follow that he will surely try to improve the defence even more.

It could mean replacing Macari with McDonald seeing that McDonald is regarded as an excellent centre back.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Robbie

Then Again Maynard could Play Four At The Back, something a lot of Notts Fans have been wondering why that was Abandoned? Because McDonald hasn't played that much and his Fitness may come into Question, and he may make Mistakes that lead to the Opposition Scoring, something which will be picked up quickly by any Disgruntled Fans.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I think you'll most likely see McDonald coming on as a substitute, then start in the FA Cup, & EFL trophy match to build up his fitness before he makes a start in a league match.

[liampie]

i dont see where rod mcdonald and lucas ness will get there time, good options to have but i cant see lewis macari being nudged. can mcdonald play out wide? i remember talk of him having a lot of pace.

[Robbie]

I think the consensus on social media is that McDonald will come into the back three at some point. Probably begin on the bench against Wimbledon.

Abbott was tried out at right wing back and did well against Chesterfield, so there's another option for Stuart 

[CliftonMagpie]

We are defensively stronger than in previous seasons, but it does seem to be at the expense of having another option up top. I thought the balance going into the season looked good, but then we lost players and relied on loan signings to fill the gaps. George Abbott has been a masterstroke of a signing, but Jevani Brown is yet to show why we needed him. It might seem harsh on Brown, but we don't seem to want to play him much, just as a player to come on from the bench. I'm sure he's had time to get his match sharpness back. I do think we are defensively better, which is good. I think we can build from the back and play some good football. I hope in January, we can get another winger for cover and a proper replacement for Macaulay Langstaff to balance out the squad. Defensively, we don't need anything but cover. With Adam Chicksen looking to be on his way out, he would need replacing, regardless of whether Abbott could cover on the right.

[Robbie]

Another Stella performance by our back line against Wimbledon. That's 4 clean sheets for the league season to date.

Notts have conceded just 11 goals in their first 12 matches, the fourth best in the league.

After 12 games last season Notts had conceded 21 goals, just one goal shy of being twice as many conceded.

So the evidence is clear that the Notts defence has improved this season under Stuart Maynard. Long may it continue.

[DangerousSausage]

To put that into context, we kept eight clean sheets in the whole of last season.

There's no need to change things unnecessarily now that Nessie has been discovered and McDonald has returned from his farm. However, it does give us a bit more strength in depth and competition in an area in which we were a bit thin. They won't go straight into the team, but they've got an incentive to force their way into the first 11.

[allardyces tash]

We need to keep building as we are, but there’s little point in being strong in defence if we are lacking in other areas.

The squad we have now is the strongest we’ve had in some time, and the addition of Alex Bass is excellent. It’s a positive step, but I believe some areas could still do with further strengthening when the time is right.