Martin Paterson has been choosing a settled first eleven as late. Earlier on in the season he was tinkering with different Players & Players in different positions, even placing Jodi Jones as an attacking midfielder for a while.

When new players join a club there will always be a period where they are settling in, getting to know their fellow players, Head Coach & getting used to the Notts way of playing.

It appears on balance that Martin Paterson now has a strong squad to choose his first eleven from. Martin has also said that it is a good place to be to have an headache over selections for the first team & match squad.

So after having seen the first eleven league games who would your first eleven be if you were in Martin Paterson's shoes.

At this particular moment in time my first eleven would be.

Roos, Macari, McDonald, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Palmer, Robertson, Jones, Iorpenda, Hall, Jatta.

Subs bench

Griffiths, Ness, Norburn, Luker, Dennis, Jarvis, Bennetts.

I do think that those players I've selected are a well balanced squad.

It is a hard choice to leave out Dennis because of his form during the time Jatta was absent, & I do prefer the one striker model, so I thought it would be good for Notts for Jatta & Dennis to fight it out for the number one spot.

Roos, Aljofree, McDonald, Bedeau, Jodi, Tsaroulla, Palmer, Robertson, Hall, Dennis, Jatta.

If not Dennis, I would have Grant, even though he takes too many touches to shoot. He has time to start scoring, but he does work hard.

Subs: Griffiths, Macari, Norburn, Bennetts, Jarvis.

If we are playing by the rule @menzinho mentioned, being that we lose a sub due to no homegrown player than I end with Jarvis. If we have another space, I would put Ness or Luker in.

Funny thing is @Chris , we’ve had the maximum number of subs this season, even though we haven’t had one of our academy players on the bench! I think, and I could be wrong here, we’ve registered Griffiths as part of our academy setup and therefore he's become our “home-grown player” and that's how we've had the full 7 subs.

I terms of my team, I really don’t envy Paterson here! On paper you'd want a front two of Jatta and Dennis in, but in reality think the 3-4-2-1 formation does suit us more. I really like Dennis, he couldn’t have started the season any better to be honest.

Defence isn’t easy either, I think McDonald has to stay for now, I’m not sure Platt is suited to playing at RCB so I’d have to bench him. I’ve liked Ness when I’ve seen him, he just needs to stay fit and I think he'll be really good. Macari is ultra reliable and you know you'll get a committed performance from him.

Finally, think I’m looking at Iorpenda or Luker for that last attacking midfield spot (even as a member of the Jarvis fan club, we've not seen enough of him here). I think Luker is going to get you more goals and assists but Iorpenda gives us a touch more physicality and his ability to stride forward with the ball is really good. It’s a really tough choice.

First 11: Roos, Ness, McDonald, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Palmer, Robertson, Jones, Hall, Luker, Jatta.

Subs: Griffiths, Platt, Bennetts, Norburn, Iorpenda, Jarvis, Dennis.

If we ever have a fully fit side it’s almost an impossible task choosing the side and subs, I feel bad for leaving Macari, Grant & Kouhyar out but I just can’t fit them in.

I have to say that I've enjoyed following how MP has shaped the team over the first 2 months of the season.

His choices have made a lot more sense than Maynard's or Burchnall's even. He's been pretty decisive in moving away from things that haven't worked. Each change he's made - Robbo for Norburn, Macari for Aljofree, Jones back out wide, Hall in, etc have made us better each time.

Burchnall was too cautious at times and had favourites (I better not get started on Ardley!)

For a modest man, Maynard thought it was about him and his techncial solutions for each game, hence the seemingly random chopping and changing.

I actually have more faith already in MP to identify problems and fix them swiftly and fairly.

For now, the team looks pretty settled. The latest great development appears to be that Hall has grabbed a starting shirt in one of the No.10 positions. This is really exciting, because there's a 15-20 goal a season player if ever I've seen one. And that kind of output can contribute to a promotion. I don't think 2 up front will be his staple. So the main question remaining is who will be the other regular No.10?

I don't think that can be Iorpenda. A low assist, low goal player in that advanced position will hold back progress big time. It's alright with home games against Shrews, Crawley, Oldham and the like, but all the big games like at Gills, Walsall, MK, Swindon etc when it's tight and they wrap up Jatta and Hall, you need that other player to come up with equalisers and winners and that's not going to be Iorpenda IMO. He might look good but he's not ready yet to make telling contributions in the men's games which affects actual results.

There's plenty of other viable contenders for that other spot....Luker, Dennis, Jarvis, or a surprise like Kouhyar or Traore. And failing that a January acquisition.

roos, mcdonald, platt, bedeau, tsaroulla, jodi, palmer, robertson, iorpenda, hall, jatta.

subs: griffiths, aljofree, bennetts, luker, jarvis, dennis,

there could be players like gordon pushing for the bench, but i like the though of a more attacking bench.

My team would be Roos, McDonald, Platt with Macari if he is injured, Jacob Bedeau, Cotter with Tsaroulla if he is unfit, Jarvis, Robertson, Palmer, Luker, Hall and Jatta.

The substitutes would be Griffiths, Aljofree, Norburn, Jodi, Grant and Dennis.

The bench could change if we want to be more defensive, and that is a luxury we have with this season’s squad.

Attacking options are much stronger now with more players available, and I would like to see Will Jarvis back in the side.

In modern day football it’s hard to select a first eleven, because every game is different. Different opponents have differing strengths and weaknesses. Coaches these days select a team with tactics in mind. I got the impression from MP at the fans forum that he tried two up front, but it upset the balance of the team. So in that case do you pick Jatta or Dennis. Or is it a case of it depends on the opposition?

I believe that Martin Paterson wants every squad member to prove to him that they are that person to be in the starting eleven.

During among seasons there are always going to be injuries & suspensions to players. Some players will need to be rested, so a strong squad is essential to a club that has promotion in mind.

But it is a fact of life that players who cannot get into the starting eleven are going to be disappointed, even if they are regularly on the bench & get on the field as substitutes.

It already appears that players like Grant, Griffiths, Norburn, Ness, Cotter, Bennetts, Aljofree & Luker are now mostly on the bench, which leaves others like Jarvis, Kouhyar, Traoré & Gordon, fighting to get a place on the bench.

Platt has been injured & will find it hard to return to the starting eleven when he returns.. Martin Paterson will have to Manage any player discontent & it may mean that some players will have to go on loan for game time.

But as I wrote previously, it only takes a few injuries to change the whole situation & fringe players suddenly become very important players that the Head Coach will need. So the who squad may well be needed at some point during the season. The Head Coaches job isn't always easy.