Under the Reedtz brothers Notts have been known for their clearly defined footballing principles that have served them so well over several seasons. They have only failed to achieve at least a playoff place once since their demotion to the National League.

So what are those footballing principals that has served Notts so well? It's is by playing entertaining & attractive possession based progressive football with a focus on forward movement & creating goal scoring opportunities primarily from open play.

To assist in achieving these goals the club include a strong focus on video analysis & data to understand & improve performance, The Club also encourages discussion.between the players & club officials to achieve these core aims.

This season we have seen a subtle shift in how Notts are playing with the direct route being applied more than we have seen in previous seasons resulting in a reduction of the share of possession that Notts have always enjoyed. This may be due to the type of players that Notts have recruited recently, the influence of the Head Coach, or coming from the Owners themselves.

There has been a need for Notts to toughen up, become more physical, & show more resilience when playing the physical sides in League 2, but I don't think this should affect the way Notts play. I wouldn't want Notts to completely abandon their core footballing principles that have proved to be successful over the last six seasons. Thoughts?

@Robbie . It would seem that the Notts Coaching Staff (or is it the Technical Board) are trying to change the Footballing Principles at the Lane, in one fell swoop, instead of introducing or easing the Players into a New System, they have to do it Now, Straight Away No Hanging About. As you have said players, who have been at Notts awhile are still trying to adapt from playing the Williams /Maynard System, while New Players are playing Patterson's way. I think a more Experienced Coach would have handled the Transformation much better and would have got the Squad playing has a Unit much quicker. While Patterson is trying to instill his system, Notts will Struggle and begin to drop points and if the Magpies begin to slip down into Midtable Mediocrity , the Fans are going to give voice to their feelings and pressure is going to begin to build.

Now Suddenly some Fans are calling for Patterson to remain until the January Transfer Window and Notts will make a couple of signing and Hey Presto, everything is going to be Great. How? Is Patterson going to produce a Magic Wand, wave it and the Magpies will change into World Beaters? Personally I don't think Patterson will last until January, if Notts Struggle I think the Brothers will cut their losses and search for a More Experienced Coach and the longer he's out of work (football wise) Luke Williams will be the Choice of many Notts Fans.

@Wheelbarrow repair man As I have said on many occasions there was only need for up to 5 players or at a stretch 6 during the summer transfer window.

The main problem Notts had was the the lack of a creative player. Paterson has tried Jodi in there but he's better & more creative on the wing. For the reason only known to Paterson, Jarvis cannot get a look in, & I would have kept Austin & given Didzy what he wanted.

For me, Luker, Norburn & Hall haven't improved the squad compared to Hinchy, Austin, or Whittaker. Traore is no better than Scott. Cotter is no better than Tsaroula on the right.

I say improved the squad in regard to ensuring the the Notts football principles are maintained & to ensure the squad remains coherent & not disjointed.

Fair Points @Robbie none of the New Recruits have made much of an Impact, I had heard that Will Jarvis has broken his arm, but as normal the Club haven't said anything about any injuries, so if it's true or not the Fans are none the wiser. It seems to me that Patterson is also Favouring loanees over the the players that Notts have actually signed. Poor judgement that is only going to cause unrest in the Changing room and cause resentment among the Squad. Another point showing Patterson's lack of Experience.

I’m with you @Robbie, we need toughen up, but at the same time keep our footballing principles. I don’t accept we have to revert to ‘kick and rush’ football to get promoted from league 2. Teams who play that way often come back down very quickly. We need to embed our playing style in to club and recruit accordingly. It will pay in the long run.

@Robbie @Wheelbarrow repair man @McPie gentlemen of the same ilk and hitting the proverbial nail on the head. Notts are renowned for their possession based, entertaining football and long may it last. There sure needs to be more emphasis on a tougher approach without losing sight of our principles, with eyes open during the January window to at least give all a pick me up. What's done is done for now and my thoughts are that keeping robust at the back, diligent in the middle of the pitch with more aggressive movement up front, coupled with positive work ethics will see us through to the new year. Let us look at learning lessons from our little misdemeanours and getting back on track looking forward only. COYP.

I liked how Pato put the debate on philosophy to bed in his presser yesterday - he is NOT trying to change the philosophy.

This is consistent with everything he's said since arriving at the club - he wants more positivity and purpose, more toughness and in-game saviness but the basic style and philosophy remains the same. I like how he said we'd had the ball more than any L2 side so far and seemed proud of the fact. I hope we won't hear podcasters and the like saying we've become, or are transitioning to, something completely different, becoming a typical L2 team or another Gillingham. Wishful thinking for some I suppose, but wrong.

One thing I have noticed this season on occasion is a lack of composure on the ball. Particularly when the ball is hit long from an opposing defender. There has been a tendency by some players to simply hoof it first time away and surrendering possession. Yes there is a time when we have to “row z” it, but we have players capable of bringing the ball under control and passing.

I would say it's ability as much as composure @McPie. Aljofree can improve with age and experience but for now he isn't a polished user of the ball. Bedeau can rediscover his best from hopefully. No complaints with McDonald at all, he's at least as good/comfortable on the ball as Platt, probably more so. From what we've seen of Ness, he's a pretty tidy footballer with a bit of adventure in him for playing forwards. Ness, RodMac and an improved Bedeau could start giving us a better base for our game hopefully.

On 17/09/2025 at 13:44, McPie said:

I’m with you @Robbie, we need toughen up, but at the same time keep our footballing principles. I don’t accept we have to revert to ‘kick and rush’ football to get promoted from league 2. Teams who play that way often come back down very quickly. We need to embed our playing style in to club and recruit accordingly. It will pay in the long run.

this is how i see it, and i think @McPie sums it up well.

the players coming in need to offer us something different if we need it, but more importantly they have to fit in with the style and identity of the club. some players wont make it, but the majority should and i dont think there is much needed to be changed. i think its more a case of slowly implementing the things we learn, as a way to iron out what does not work.

The Reedtz brothers have done far more than any owner before them. The squad is more consistent, and now it’s just about working hard to get the results we need for promotion.

The club keeps looking at the data and learning from it, and I trust that process. I don’t want Notts to change how we play or how we recruit just for the sake of it. Things have been better in this era, and we should only make changes that help us improve.