I'd look at it this way.... MP seems very settled on the 3-4-2-1 formation...

We don't have defenders who score.

Palmer and Robbo are not scorers

Our wing-backs will get a few, but are not regular scorers

The 2 in that 3-4-2-1, absolutely have to score. That's 92 appearances between the 2 positions. If we're to have any chance of promotion at all we have to get at least 25 goals from those positions. Maybe more. Hall is on his way, but we really can't have a non-scoring 4 or 5 goal contributor in that other position IMO

It is interesting that as @theAnticlough says we don’t have defenders that score and in particular central defenders. Is it due to poor corner taking, dominant opposition defending in the box or is it that just about every other team in league two has a goalkeeper that comes for crosses. I wonder…..

I don't think it's a massive deal @McPie but it sure is a bonus for a promotion aspiring teams, if we remember the Munto & Warnock teams for example.

Bedeau and Macari just seem to lose their heads when they get near goal. Platt can score, not sure about RodMac. Aljofree got off to a good start but issues at the other head caught up. I think we can predict some low level chipping in from the back, Macari and Bedeau will probably get over their panic and notch a couple each. But if they do, we can't have that being a half or a third of the No10 totals.

We have already seen the attacking midfield players chipping in with assists & goals.

Iorpenda: 3 assists

Luker: 3 assists, 1 goal

Hall: 1 assist, 3 goals

Jones: 1 assist, 1 goal

Grant: 1 goal

Matt Palmer has chipped in with 2 assists,

Robertson: 1 goal

Tsaroulla has 1 assist & 2 goals

So players all around the team are chipping in with assists & goals. I think Iorpenda, Luker & Hall will become the lynchpin of the AM area.

If they can chip in over the next 75% of the season they should all have an impressive tally of assists & goals

11 minutes ago, Robbie said:

We have already seen the attacking midfield players chipping in with assists & goals.

Iorpenda: 3 assists, 1 goal

Luker: 3 assists, 1 goal

Hall: 1 assist, 3 goals

Hall has 4 goals.

In the 11 games Iorpenda's played, which one did he score in @Robbie ?

@theAnticlough I've only included league goals and assists.

And your right, Iorpenda hasn't scored any league goals yet, my mistake, misreading my info. Thanks for pointing it out.

Iorpenda hasn't got any league goals, any other goals this season....or any senior goal...ever....for anybody

Yes, he's a prospect - but what makes people think he can be a major contributor to a L2 promotion aspiring club?

[The answer is how certain fans are very taken with 'big' players...oooh he's tall, he's physical, 'ooh, isn't he big' (having a bit of fun here) and not what he's capable of doing with the ball].

I think Gagliardi had 2 shots at landing 1 player with Iorpenda and Luker, maybe Montague would've taken neither knowing the demands and the target better - concentrating more on calibre of players like Abbott (a Montague recruit) and Hall.

We need to remember that a quarter of the season is gone and we're mid-table for a reason having lost 4 games already. We are on track to finish outside the play-offs and way short of autos. Work still needs to be done to find a winning formula and that means forcing equalisers at places like Gillingham, getting winners against Walsall, Salford, Crewe, MK etc. IMO, the projected output of our current No10s won't get us there if, one of those shirts is Iorpenda's.

I guess with loanees, loaning clubs have to understand that professional teams taking the players are not forced to play them if it's impacting on results.

I think that Notts have been fortunate to get the services of Iorpenda, Luker & Hall on loan. They are very good young prospects & I'm sure they are going to have very good football careers.

There is no doubt that team performance is improving & I'm sure those three players are going to have a big part to play during the rest of the season.

Martin Paterson seems to have confidence in their abilities.

I'm excited about Hall. Luker has been very promising and productive in the limited pitch time he's had. Pity he got injured just as he was getting going.

This is specifically about Iorpenda for me. How can we possibly pin our hopes on a young prospect who has never scored a senior goal? And only made a handful of appearances, half at Hyde United in the NPL.

He's done OK, put in some good performances. I even voted him my MoM as recently as 4 or 5 games ago. So there's definitely something there. But there's been a drop off since then and it's the fact he's occupying a key attacking position but looks miles away from ever being to score. I know it will cost us.

I'd like to see Dennis, Jarvis and Luker tried there over the next few games, partnering Hall. I think Montague and the club needs to see all the options there, before knowing what needs to be done in January.

The formation does help push certain players into more advanced areas, which can be useful. But it's the individual qualities of each player that really make the attack work. Everyone plays a part, and when the midfield isn't quite clicking, the forwards often find it harder to make an impact.

Rather than pointing fingers at players for not scoring, it might be better to look at how we can help them get into good positions. If they aren't getting chances, it's not just down to them. Wing backs can be key here, either by cutting inside or linking up quickly with others to create space.

Corners are one area where Notts could improve. The same goes for free kicks. We do have players who can score from set pieces, but how often do we try something different, like floating the ball in with a bit of finesse? It feels like there's room to be more creative.

I wouldn't be too concerned about Conor Grant. He brings a lot to the team. Matt Palmer might not be someone you'd expect to score, but he's a solid midfielder who works hard and keeps things ticking over.

Conor Grant gets poor vibes for his lack of scoring but he does get into good positions to have a chance of scoring. That tells me that he does have a good football brain.

Palmer, Robertson & Iorpenda don't score many but their presence & link up play leads to the front players getting chances the score. So as you say @True Magpie it's not all about pointing fingers about certain players not scoring, it's about players getting into good positions & players creating chances for others.

If Notts keep creating chances the goals will come

The fact that Matt Palmer doesn't score many goals is not a concern for me. His role as the anchor between defence and attack is more vital to the team that any goals he might score. When he passes the ball he doesn't just stand and admire it, he moves to a position to receive it back to keep the move flowing and moving the opposition around. Then play a pass through the lines when the opportunity arises.

The way he's played this season @McPie, it shouldn't be a concern for anyone. It'd be a boost for him to score his first for us in L2, but we don't need it to succeed.

His massive improvement over last season must be a combination of feeling stronger physically and psychologically after the injury and Pato getting buy-in all round on playing forward faster and more positively. End result? He's playing like the Matty Palmer of old.

We are built to provide the forwards, and not so much other players, but there's no reason why players like Conor Grant can't improve their finishing. I think Matt Palmer is the more complete player at this stage, but there are positional and some techniques he could try in order to maximise any chances that come his way. He had a superb effort against Crewe saved; I had to double-check that it was Palmer who struck the shot.

The difference between Palmer and Grant is the selflessness with which the skipper goes about applying his trade. He wants to win as part of the team, and I suspect assists and goals are just bonuses.

Palmer is also a player that sees his worth; he's an established player and knows just how much Notts misses his absence.

Grant has been discarded and hasn't found his place in teams; his confidence and age mean that he would need to settle in order to find form that would see him consecutively score goals. If he were scoring regularly, he would be in the team and showing that his form was good. While he works hard and is a very skillful player, the number of times he shines enough to be voted Man of the Match in games is very rare.