Notts are still in with a mathematical chance of getting automatic promotion, but it would take some very extraordinary results in the next few weeks to make that happen.

Notts are still in poll position to make the end of season playoffs, but they are not quite there yet. A win away at Colchester next Saturday for Notts should be enough to claim a place in the top seven.

Any team that Notts may meet in the playoffs would be very hard to beat, but as we know, anything can happen in a playoff match. I for one would welcome another Wembley visit.

So the question is, Could Notts put the failure of getting automatic promotion behind them & reset to have a successful playoff campaign?

I would fully expect us to be in the playoffs, but I'm struggling to see how we can win them. We have gone back to being easy to play against, predictable in the way we play. We just seem to have lost our way. Of course anything can happen so we have to hope, but if we fail, then I think during the summer we need a re-think of our whole footballing strategy and philosophy. How ironic that our defeat yesterday handed promotion to Bromley without even kicking a ball. There has to be something wrong when Bromley can get promotion with their limited resources and we with bigger crowds and better resources fail.

27 minutes ago, McPie said:

There has to be something wrong when Bromley can get promotion with their limited resources and we with bigger crowds and better resources fail.

Bromley FC, under manager Andy Woodman, employs a direct, physical & highly organised style of play often utilising a 3-5-2 or 5+4+2 formation

Bromley focus on defensive solidity through a mid-block, quick attacking transitions, set-piece dominance, and effective use of target men, making them difficult to break down and highly efficient in the EFL. 

Wimbledon & Port Vale utilised a similar system and they were successful last season.

Playing our own style we have never effectively replaced Ruben & to a lesser extent Crowley, so Notts don't get the consistent penetration which they used to enjoy with those two guys in the side.

I don't know.

The problem with the play-offs is that you have an opponent!

Usually one that really, really wants to win and to beat them you usually have to want it more. It's as much about will as it is about skill.

It's not about being 'nice' or 'nasty' but you've got to be really competitive and it doesn't look like we are (again).

I’m not sure how much form counts in the play-offs. Take last season, Chesterfield were the in-form team whereas Walsall since January had been struggling, yet they won 4-1 overall and were than a tad unlucky to lose in the final.

We have been a bit better this season against the stronger teams in the division overall and on our good days we can compete with the best teams in the division. For me we should almost go into them with a nothing to lose attitude, no sitting back playing for 1-0s. Go man for man, press hard, front-foot brave attacking football. If we lose we lose but at least do it having tried to be positive.

Jatta back will be a massive boost and if we can get Tsaroulla, Tangen and Robbo back too I’d be even more optimistic. If it is to be play-offs I’d be more hopeful than last season so that’s something (assuming we avoid Salford!)

One of the main things will be the mentality of the players, if we don’t reach automatics (as I write this we still have a chance) they will be hugely disappointed, will this affect their mentality? Time will tell.

Another big factor, as @menzinho has pointed out, is whether our injured players will be available for the play off games, there are so many variables, let’s hope it all comes together and we achieve our dream. Irrespective I’m sure we’ll all be at the lane next season full of hope.

Now we have qualified for the playoffs. (We won't know our final position until after the final match of the regular season), we can reset, & with some of our best players returning like Tsaroulla, Robertson, & Jatta, we will have players that might just make a difference in those playoff games. But we still have a chance, be it a small chance, of still making automatic promotion come true.

I worry that the injuries and recent form, along with missing out on automatic promotion after doing so well to get there again, might be a setback the players struggle to move past. I do not think the season has been bad at all. We have had some great spells, and in other years those dips might have caused far more damage.

I feel the club finds the playoffs difficult, and the pressure can become too much.

i hope we can regroup and have a real good go at the playoffs, i was disappointed by the lack of fight against afc wimbledon but it might be a blessing. i just hope we prove we are good enough to go up, i would prefer saturday to go our way but i think its unlikely. if we can really start strong in the playoffs, maybe we can repeat our promotion a few years ago but more convincingly.

I’m sure we’ll have a right good go - but our fate still remains in the hands of others. That’s the big factor, we can only take care of our own affairs, whilst following the proceedings elsewhere - and hope all goes in our favour.

Now that Notts are getting some of their leading players back from injury, if it is to be the playoffs, I think Notts will have at least an equal chance of anyone else in the playoffs to progress.

The playoffs are always going to be a lottery and the best team over the season doesn't necessarily win. Notts just have to be confident of their own ability & play to their absolute best, then they have a good chance of succeeding.

4 hours ago, Robbie said:

The playoffs are always going to be a lottery

That’s very true and we all know how hard it is to win the lottery, is anyone posting from their mansion in the Cayman Isles after winning the lottery? No I thought not. 🤣

I was really hoping we go up automatically, I hate the playoffs, they are so stressful. However I’ll be there to cheer them on I just hope that defibrillator is handy.

Martin Paterson strikes me as the type of person that will focus on preperation, and accessing the metal state of the squad as he does it, but I would alo assume that he will fire the lads up. The last 46 games mean nothing in the playoffs, and form tends to go right out the window. This means there should be a natural reset, but it should be across all of the teams who have made them.

The key thing will be to avoid nerves, insist on a level of focus, ensure the team plays as a unit and try to handle the occasion the best to their ability.

Some players will treat it as any other game, some might feel like its a cup match and others might allow frustration to set in because they want to gain promotion. Personally, I would express the team's desire to enjoy the game and work hard together. Focus on the training and means of exploiting the opposition. Avoid allowing setbacks or pressure to have any handle on the situation; the only means to succeed is to try and put your all into them.