Martin Paterson said he thinks we've played better football than we did against Fleetwood Town. I thought that was a bit unfair. It sounded like something said to calm fans who are unhappy with how the season has started. Ironically, those same fans might be the ones putting pressure on Paterson in his role as head coach.

I don’t think we’ve had a better home performance than the one against Fleetwood. We created chances, and while we could’ve been more inventive, it felt like a solid 90 minutes overall.

It wasn’t just a short spell of good play. We had two strong periods where Notts attacked and defended well. Fleetwood were well organised and knew how to frustrate a team like ours that prefers to play the ball on the ground.

Considering how the season began, I thought we defended much better and showed enough attacking intent to deserve more than a 1–0 scoreline.

Even though I’ve praised Fleetwood, I do think they were poor in some areas. Their finishing was lacking, maybe because of how well we defended. The chances they did get didn’t really trouble us.

I haven’t seen the away games, but I’ve been at every home match. I haven’t seen us play with such confidence that we looked certain to win. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to improve, but it shows how far we’ve come since the shaky start. In earlier games, we let teams push us around and use tricks to gain an edge. Our fitness looked off, the passing was sloppy, and the midfield felt empty. Against Fleetwood, we improved in all those areas.

I wouldn’t call it an ugly win. I’d say it was full of spirit and determination. The squad looks like it’s starting to settle, and Paterson seems to be managing the players well, making smart changes during the game.

So why does it sound like he’s trying to please the fans?

There are little things which Martin Paterson says at times that are starting to trigger me a little; I thought he was very harsh after the Tranmere Rovers win with regard to our defence. That win was a crucial away one on the road, and his inexperience as a head coach does show at times.

I have nothing against him speaking his mind however he wants, but I do think there's an element of trying too hard to win over supporters who will be the first to turn against him the moment our form dips or changes for the worst. I feel he needs to be a little more balanced and neutral; by all means, single out moments, but the win against Fleetwood has been our best 90 minutes.

Comparing it to passages of play against Newport just baffled me, because that's one game, and the only one where I felt we did play well beyond 60 minutes. We deserved more from the game, but I don't think we have had another one like that.

We have been very poor at home; I have much more enjoyed watching us play away from home because we seem less nervous about making mistakes.

Games like Barrow are where you want the head coach to say the performance isn't acceptable, take his portion of the blame, and demand better. Making an example when the performances are getting better is quite a risky move, and I hope that Paterson can keep things up because the signs are finally encouraging, but all it takes is one negative remark to hit the camp's confidence and knock things back.

There are things that I liked that he said, but more that made me nervous about his approach to answering. I don't think we should be letting him do most of the talking, because he's not Luke Williams. It's not all that interesting, and he's playing with fire when he speaks of more negatives than positives at a time you would be wanting to call for more optimism.

My closing point would be: "because I have an honesty with my players and the supporters at the moment". 🤦🏻‍♂️

He speaks more like a player than a manager. It feels like he’s still in the game himself, rather than guiding a group of individuals. I don’t find Martin Paterson very engaging to listen to. His comments are quite predictable. It’s similar to what most managers or head coaches say in football. They tend to stick to their usual way of thinking and don’t often say anything new.

I do think he sometimes says things the wrong way. But I also believe he’d come across better if he was answering questions, rather than trying to control the message with long, planned responses. It’s not that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but the way he speaks doesn’t always match the role he’s in. A bit more thought and a clearer style would help him connect better with fans.

Martin has chosen a strategy where he wants to make it clear that he will speak his mind & be honest with his feedback and feelings

Whether this strategy is the right strategy only time will tell. A Head Coach job is to motivate & get the best out of his players. I think that any criticism of the players should be in house & not make public.

It's ok to speak about the performance of the team generally but it has to be constructive starting with a positive and ending with a positive.

There were lots of positives that came out of the Fleetwood match. Roos had his best game, the back three kept solid for their first clean sheet.

Palmer is back to his near best, Jatta & Dennis are forging a partnership & another quality moment proved to be the winner.

Notts are varying their tactics through the game going long at times & building from the back in others. So I would give the performance 6/10 & there is plenty of room for improvement.

It's down to Martin to work his magic & get that improvement from the squad because there will be a big test for his team away to Gillingham next week & his preparation for that game must be A1 to get a positive result at the league leaders

I hope Martin Paterson starts talking more about how the team plays and what went well. That might help the players do even better. He should still say what needs fixing, but not in a mean way. Just be fair and clear. If he does that, he won’t need to say he’s being honest. We’ll be able to tell by how Notts play on the pitch.

It’s better when the football shows the truth, not just the words in interviews.

Yes, I agree it was our best full 90 minutes, but I don’t think the football itself was our best. What matters most is turning games like that into three points. I also think Martin Paterson is trying to take some of the pressure off himself with the way he’s speaking.

2 hours ago, Ash said:

Just be fair and clear. If he does that, he won’t need to say he’s being honest. We’ll be able to tell by how Notts play on the pitch.

Most managers repeat themselves, but I don’t understand why Martin Paterson always says things like “if I’m honest”, “being honest”, or “I’m an honest person”. At first it didn’t bother me, and I even stuck up for him, but now it’s starting to wear thin.

After a good win, hearing him focus on the negatives feels disappointing. It takes away from the moment and makes it harder to enjoy the progress we’re making.

It’s frustrating to hear him trying to please the wrong crowd. The football should be doing the talking, and it’s starting to show signs of improvement. I do believe we’re heading in the right direction, as long as the hard work continues. Let the results speak for themselves, and the rest will follow.