Martin Paterson has chosen a few different midfielders for the first eleven this season, however it appears that he has settled for Palmer & Roberson as his first team picks in the centre of midfield, & has decided on an alternative of Iorpenda, Hall, or Grant in the attacking midfield positions.

That leaves Norburn & Iorpenda as an alternative in the centre of midfield & Dennis, Iorpenda, Hall, Grant or even Jones & Jarvis who could all fill the AM positions.

So far this season I think that barring any injuries, Palmer & Robertson have made the central midfield positions their own & they are my preferred picks.

I think it is a little more difficult in the AM area. At the start of the season Jones was picked to play as an attacking midfielder but it was obvious that his best place was on the wings.

Iorpenda started in CM but lately MP has been playing him further forward with Grant or Hall, then we have Dennis who has been unable to get so many starts since Jatta's return. & we have Jarvis who can play as an AM or Winger waiting in the wings...

My preferred duo in the AM position at this time would be Grant & Iorpenda with Hall & Dennis very close. I think the AM positions are still up for grabs & we may even see some additional player recruited for that position in the Jan window.

It is certainly going to be very fascinating in the weeks ahead to see how Martin Paterson works it all out. What are your Thoughts?

Yes @Robbie a promotion-winning AM duo might not be on the books at the moment.

Hall had made one of the positions his own, but the drop off over the last 3 or 4 games has been alarming and could've opened things up again.

Grant's star has been rising and Iorpenda's falling. Both are capable footballers but I've been saying all along that their output won't be what we need to sustain a promotion challenge over 46 games.

MP can try Jones again, Jarvis, Dennis back there, Kouhyar, (I think Traore has shot it). It was a shame Luker got injured, he might have been part of the solution. Hopefully, MP and Montague will settle on AM has a big priority area for Jan. Two might be being greedy, but 1 first choice and let the likes of Hall and Grant compete for the other shirt might be good enough to grab one of the 4 slots.

For me Palmer and Robertson hold the defensive/central midfield spots, but the two attacking ones are up for grabs. Could be an interesting January transfer window!

I think after last night Iorpenda has moved himself back into a strong position in the pecking order but it's still Palmer and Robertson in the central midfield positions for me.

I think we’ve got a good number of possibilities for the attacking midfield spots. Hall is the standout at the moment for me and whilst Grant may lack in finishing he makes up for it with great pressing so you get a nice balance with him and Hall.

I agree about Luker and how unfortunate him getting injured was. I thought he was someone who would’ve grown into that attacking midfielder spot and by the end of the season could have been someone we were desperate to sign.

I still think Jarvis could work in one the attacking midfielder roles because he’s very good technically, it’s just Martin really likes to see that desire to run non-stop and press and that probably doesn’t come naturally to him.

I'm much happier when Iorpenda takes one of the holding mid roles.

Last night, Iorpenda's physicality and energy, for Palmer's on the ball playmaking seemed like a decent trade. He's an excellent option to have there, him and Robbo were an formidable combination physically, no fun for Cheltenham at all.

It's not fair though to expect someone without a senior goal yet to do the business in the final third as an AM

As others have said, I like Palmer and Robertson on thr defensive midfield positions.

Is Palmer currently injured? Why has he been absent?

I also think that Maz should be given more of an opportunity in an attacking midfield role. He always shows promise when he comes on, in whatever role. He always seems full of energy.

@Pies79 I understand that Martin in his post match presser revealed that the three players absent were recovering & could have been considered for selection to play, but Martin didn't want to risk them, so hopefully they will be fit for selection against Harrogate.

On 09/11/2025 at 17:58, theAnticlough said:

Grant's star has been rising

It's a pity that he hasn't got "it" in front of goal

Grant was part of the team that played so well against Cheltenham. Jatta, Hall & Dennis have scored the majority of the goals, this season, but I believe Grant is playing his part in the improvement we have seen over the last 10 matches.

5 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

It's a pity that he hasn't got "it" in front of goal

Probably not, but he's hanging on in there and giving it his best shot.

I'd say he's improved on last season's performances

@theAnticlough My logic is that we can ill afford to have someone in that position that cannot find the net on a regular basis

Just for the record Grant has scored 2 goals & made 1 assist so far. He's the fourth joint highest goal scorer for Notts behind Jatta, Dennis & Hall. He has been a part of a squad that is clearly improving & getting positive results.

@Piethagoram that's what I've been saying consistently on here since I joined

but he's earned the right to stake his claim thru Nov/Dec...January will probably be a pivot point for our attacking midfielders.

For now, he's trying his best and giving us much more than last season and is ahead of other contenders for those shirts for the time being I think

I hear what you are saying @theAnticlough but the reality is, if we want automatic promotion, we cant carry a player in that position that doesn't deliver goals.

I've said that countless times myself @Piethagoram ! You must have missed the umpteen times I've made exactly that point

For now though, I'm happy to support him as we look to gather enough points to put us in a good spot come January.

Obviously Hall is ahead of all AMs, but in the absence of Luker, Grant is worth one of the AM shirts, bearing in mind that Iorpenda hasn't notched a single senior goal yet, and looks better playing deeper.