Supporter Patience and Rebuilding

[JustLikeJuve]

Do you think that if Notts were promoted this season, the club could improve enough to remain in League One? It’s a much tougher league, with teams that have far more quality.  

My concern is that most supporters may not be patient enough to see Notts rebuild and take the time needed to strengthen. With the performances we’re seeing now, I wonder if we should focus more on addressing the team’s form to better support our promotion hopes.  

I might be in the minority here, but while I hope for promotion, I also realise it would take a lot of work, and Notts might not be ready for it yet. I would prefer for the club to be well-prepared and capable of staying up. The current poor form might even reflect some doubts within the team itself.

[liampie]

i think we have a good squad regardless of where the budget puts us. there are players who would need time, and others that would easily make the step up. as a team notts would need to be stronger as a group. i feel there could be improvements made, if we could score more goals from open play and without relying on being as direct as we are right now. then that would help. most people would be patient enough i think, but it would be a challenge.

my concerns about promotion is if we start off like mansfield did and be up within the promotion area, only to drop off and the doom and gloom mongers start to be more vocal when really it would be an overachievement.

mansfield start this season is a vital sign as to how important early form is and how teams newly promoted can struggle in spells. i can see us being similar if we were to get promoted.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

I agree with @liampie that the majority of the current crop of players are generally good enough for league one.

I do believe however, that the squad needs strengthening to ensure that  those players on the bench are capable of maintaining the strength of the team if they need to come on. At the moment, I don't think that is the case.

I also believe that Notts need to ensure that the players they bring in don't have a history of injuries that could cause Notts problems during the season.

Then we have to factor in the possibly that some of our best players could be sold off. Jatta is one that could be sold & Bedeau has impressed too witch may interest other clubs.

I don't expect Notts to challenge for promotion if they do get promoted. The owners have basically said that they won't rush things, so it may be a season of consolidation.

[True Magpie]

It's an interesting discussion. I’d like to believe that Notts are capable of staying in League One, but some effort would definitely be needed. The club would have to ensure that the squad can deliver goals across the whole team, especially in midfield and attack. If the club can work their magic like they did at the start of the season, I’d back them to get it right. However, we need to be cautious about injuries and perhaps avoid bringing in players with a history of them. As for the fans, most would likely understand what’s required and recognise that the club is trying to move forward. We've been fortunate in recent years, but if we want to see Championship football again one day, we need to support the club as it progresses, rather than holding it back.

[menzinho]

I think when you get promoted, in an ideal world, you want to do it a bit like how we did it in the National League – not in the sense of it being as nerve-wracking but where the team is comfortably better than the level it’s at. If I’m being totally honest, I think we are a good League 2 side, but I wouldn’t say we are comfortably better than most of the opposition as our results against the top 10 (top 7 in particular) show.

Promotion if you are not really ready for it can actually be a bad thing. Look at Carlisle when they got promoted via the play-offs they only won 20 matches in total in League 2. Unsurprisingly in League 1 they had a terrible season and now look at them.

I agree that League 1 is a really strong league right now, assuming those in the relegation spots get relegated that leaves you with Northampton, Bristol, Exeter and maybe Mansfield as the weaker teams the rest are all decent/very good (a lot better than us!). I think if we were to get promoted, I agree we’d need to make some considerable changes to the squad, assuming we don’t want to just come straight back down and that puts a lot of pressure to get the summer recruitment spot on. If you already have a very strong squad that's ready to step up, there’s a lot less to do.

[allardyces tash]

I don't think Notts would need a major overhaul after promotion. The hardest challenge will be managing realistic expectations and dealing with the pessimists. The club can't win with some fans. If they're near the top, people will expect them to stay there. A mid-table position will lead to claims that they're not good enough for promotion, along with fears of relegation. If Notts struggle, some supporters will react dramatically.

I'd rather see the team earn promotion by being ready and deserving it. If we go up this season, it will be because of that. However, our current form makes me think we might struggle, especially as automatic promotion seems unlikely now. Play-offs are a big gamble. Still, if most of the squad is kept and improved with extra quality, we'll be in a strong position next season to push for League One.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

The lack of any news on a DoF really concerns me. Are we ready for EFL1, no. Look at Crawley.

How can we prepare for next season without a DoF?

[Simon Clark]

I think we could put together a half decent L1 team, but feel we're miles away from a L1 squad. 

Our best 11 each week could do ok, I think but our overall squad strength has been shown up in L2, even accepting this seems to have been a worse than normal season for injuries.

That also makes it even harder for academy lads to make the breakthrough, so I think we'd be kicking that one several years down the line if you do go up, although we do have some useful prospects. Having watched the U18 and B sides a few times this season, it's been good to see the progress of some of them as well.