Game 44 - The U's (H)

Team: Cambridge United

Date: 23/04/16

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Mark Cooper opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Well the defence needs sorting, as does the midfield - we need them to mark properly.

Will Cooper play the youths? I think he will throw a few into the mix. At this stage it doesn't really matter who plays, provided they give 100% and they do their duties on the field. I would like to see Gibson partner someone upfront, however I am unsure if it should between Stead or McLeod. I know fans are fearful Cambridge will get another impressive result as they did last night but Morecambe aren't exactly setting the world alight.

Wasn't it Morecambe who bragged about being Real Madrid of the lower tier of English football after beating us?

*Sigh....

This time I would like to see a young team put out with a few players who have been fringe , don't care if we get beat , they need experience and the tried and tested have been found wanting , time for change ,   I do fear a mauling tho I must admit . 

58 minutes ago, Who r ya?? You Pies!! said:

This time I would like to see a young team put out with a few players who have been fringe , don't care if we get beat , they need experience and the tried and tested have been found wanting , time for change ,   I do fear a mauling tho I must admit . 

I'd agree with that.  This season is over, so the only thing we can do is look to next, and giving the younger players a taste of the big time is the best way to do it.  I can only see a defeat, but a defeat with an inexperienced team showing a bit of pride for the shirt they wear will be easier to take than watching the usual bunch of wasters simply going through the motions.

Time for the kids!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hard to argue with the time for the kids calls by the supporters. I expect Cambridge will win but I'd settle for a gutsy performance. 

I think to throw all the kids in would do more harm than good, but there's no way we can play the same line-up, I'd give Sarpong, Wildin and Gibson a start and then play fringe players like Genaro, and Murray

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk

Realistically you do this in stages, 3 or 4!at a time. This is a good time to try this though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

think we need to bring some perspective into the mix, cooper has not had time to change much and he is dealing with a forced hand. i expect to see progress and what we have seen since mansfield and now barnet. just not the pathetic score lines.

we cant throw on all the youngsters as joe has said.

but slotting some in could help. not all the players are letting us down, just those in key positions. defence and attack, then the midfield who dont cover or protect the goal.

predicting notts is hard, it depends how we play but i will keep putting 1-0 in hope.

I can see us on the end of  a hammering here. 

Let's see how the players react to what MC and Martin Allen had to say. You'd expect that they can't wait to go out and prove everyone wrong. At least I would if I were them!

11 minutes ago, Dripsey3 said:

Let's see how the players react to what MC and Martin Allen had to say. You'd expect that they can't wait to go out and prove everyone wrong. At least I would if I were them!

The trouble is, you would have expected exactly that sort of reaction at Barnet after the gutless performance at Mansfield.  Instead we got yet another tame surrender.  These players don't know how to battle.

I think the issue has been the collective mental strength of them all, and the fact that some of the players I'm afraid are just not good enough for Notts.

Too many average players appear to have been signed previously and its been reflected all season in the league position.

Ability isnt just about talent, its about being able to adapt and be mentally tough in games , whether you are in front or behind and Notts this season have always looked unable to do either of those things very well.

Will the reserves play on saturday? doubt it ...maybe some slight changes but MC has done everything he can publicly to try and give them a rocket and it hasnt made one blind bit of difference. If MC stays then his new players need to be mentally tough first and foremost because the culture in this squad needs to change sharpish because they need to hit the ground running on day 1 of next season.

He's given some indication during his interviews that we probably won't see a team consisting of youths/reserves.

Most likely, we will see some regulars but with the key areas in which we need to improve on having those additions. The right side of defence is an area where we can afford to give a youngster a chance, centre of defence is a different thing but provided we perform better - there won't be any complaints who plays. MC's list should be quite clear, even by now who is up for fighting and who isn't. Regardless, it will be interesting to see the line-up!

I agree with a few others, just fielding a youth/reserve team is a recipe for disaster. Ideally you gradually introduce young players into a functioning team indtead of completely relying on them. I would expect that a number of players who have been knocking on the door of the first team are given their chance, however.

Am I the only one who can't wait for this season to end?

I agree with a few others, just fielding a youth/reserve team is a recipe for disaster. Ideally you gradually introduce young players into a functioning team indtead of completely relying on them. I would expect that a number of players who have been knocking on the door of the first team are given their chance, however.

Am I the only one who can't wait for this season to end?

No you aren't

@DangerousSausage Don't tell me you've only just suddenly joined us? I hate to say it, but there's only three games left. You might as well see it out now.

Didnt Morecambe put their kids out on tuesday night. I heard so anyway. Team need a bit of tlc after whats been said and then to get out on the pitch and Show Em What They're Made Of.

10 hours ago, Elite_pie said:

The trouble is, you would have expected exactly that sort of reaction at Barnet after the gutless performance at Mansfield.  Instead we got yet another tame surrender.  These players don't know how to battle.

So we have so serial bottlers, did we not know this already before Cooper came?

Barnet being so close after Mansfield, I would expect to see much more of a reaction. Mark needs to get the fire inside and remind them that shitty performances will not be accepted. The only way for this to happen is by making examples of those who cost us the goals.

Think the players over the season have had a combination of things to help them , a chance to play through a bad patch as individuals and a team , protection from criticism , and being told as it is basically , none of which seems to have made any lasting impression, so for me play as many as you can of the younger and fringe players as is realistically possible , and just have a good go , if we get beat but true effort and desire is shown at this late stage at least that's something COYP 

Cooper mentioned Jimmy Spencer in his interview with notts TV, he said how he will want to show us what we are missing and Cooper said we could do with him right now, maybe a sign that he would have never got rid of him if he was here instead of JF

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk

I was surprised by how many fans wasn't bothered or felt he wasn't good enough, as prior to Ricardo he was a solid fan favourite and then boom he's gone. Jimmy's a good player, we never played to his strengths but when do we do this for a striker? The last one I recall who suited our play is Hughes, who knew exactly what those around him would do but Jimmy, Izale and others haven't had this.

Today will be close in my opinion, we just need to take our time when chances present themselves and defend heroically.

I'm not confident of the win, however much I hope it to be the case but a draw - that is something I do think is possible. I also do not blame Cooper, he's not got a player in the dressing room which he brought here and as I said when he came, it would be handy to have one or two. COYP!

I hope each Notts player when they put on the black and white stripes psyches themselves up and believes come on Notts, we can win this!

COYP!

#supernotts

Team News: Loach, Amevor, Adams, Smith, Hollis ©, Noble, Hewitt, Campbell, Burke, Atkinson, Aborah

How on earth does every manager we have keep playing Smith, he's so immobile I'd rather play Idle Mclazy...

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk

Team , well it's different.  Smith up top , 5 not starting from Barnet game ,  guess as much as I wanted the kids in maybe would have been unfair on them , COYP