Match Discussion: Game 30 - The Us (A)

[PON_News]

Game 30 - The Us (A)

Team: Cambridge United

Date: 20/02/18

Where: Abbey Stadium

What line-up should Kevin Nolan 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.

[TheSkipper]

Odd team Cambridge United, I don't know what to expect.

I would like to think that Notts have to get a good result but I think both teams at this stage are unpredictable. We need the points badly...

[frank lepie]

Two wins since Derry left them so it won't be easy but I agree difficult to predict. 

[TheSkipper]

Have they appointed a new manager permanently though?

[magpiejue]

I'm just going to say hope Kev puts out the strongest team he can with 2 up front. And i hope for 3 points for Notts. 

[Chris]

I kinda think a draw is likely, something like 2-2 but I just hope to hear a positive feedback on the performance.

We have to be working harder as a group, it's the only way.

[upthepies]

17 minutes in, 5 shots for Cambridge compared to 0 from Notts.

What is with the formation change? 

[Northants Pie]

I think we should just settle for the mid table finish that we are hurtling towards.

Dissapointing given our start to the season but we were found out around the end of November and have only managed to get worse since.

This squad nearly got relegated for a reason, we need another relatively large scale squad change in the summer to ensure we get a more dynamic defense and a more dynamic front line

[Northants Pie]

Wouldn't mind seeing Ikpeazu in the black & white stripes next season 

[Chris]

It's disappointing because you can see that they don't have the fight anymore, fans are telling the passion is gone and I'm seeing a lot of comments which fall inside with this feeling. I don't care where we finish, provided we fight.

Nile Ranger would ruin us and all our progress, but we need someone up top.

It's hard, but we lost one nil to a team that by the stats played much better. Oh well.

[Northants Pie]

We'll be outside the playoff positions come the start of March, it was good while it lasted but we were never going to stay up there unless we strengthened sufficiently and we haven't, not blaming anyone just the cold hard facts.

Hopefully Nolan will learn that you have to be ruthless to get anywhere and if you look back to the end of last season he had the perfect chance to clear the decks but felt an affection towards players who had kept us up.

 

[frank lepie]

On 20/02/2018 at 22:44, Northants Pie said:

We'll be outside the playoff positions come the start of March, it was good while it lasted but we were never going to stay up there unless we strengthened sufficiently and we haven't, not blaming anyone just the cold hard facts.

Hopefully Nolan will learn that you have to be ruthless to get anywhere and if you look back to the end of last season he had the perfect chance to clear the decks but felt an affection towards players who had kept us up.

 

Yes, we'll do well if we are still in the playoffs at the end of the season. We did need to strengthen more in the January window but we've been unfortunate with the loss of the Derby lad who would have brought an new attacking dimension.

Having said that we had some things go in our favour in the autumn where we scrambled a result or two, so I don't think this team was going to maintain second position. Nolan has done a great job getting us to this point, and he's done it by getting the best out of lads who were previously performing poorly so we don't want to lose that factor but we clearly will need to strengthen more in the summer so we can really go for an automatic next season. Stead, Ameobi and Smith have been great players but expecting them to provide what's needed up front, week by week, was a big ask which they are struggling to deliver consistently. Forte will score the odd goal but he doesn't contribute nearly enough in his all round game to deserve a starting place. So I suggest we need to lose at least one of the senior lads and Forte in the summer and bring three strikers in. Ikpeazu would be a start.

 

[Northants Pie]

21 hours ago, frank lepie said:

Yes, we'll do well if we are still in the playoffs at the end of the season. We did need to strengthen more in the January window but we've been unfortunate with the loss of the Derby lad who would have brought an new attacking dimension.

Having said that we had some things go in our favour in the autumn where we scrambled a result or two, so I don't think this team was going to maintain second position. Nolan has done a great job getting us to this point, and he's done it by getting the best out of lads who were previously performing poorly so we don't want to lose that factor but we clearly will need to strengthen more in the summer so we can really go for an automatic next season. Stead, Ameobi and Smith have been great players but expecting them to provide what's needed up front, week by week, was a big ask which they are struggling to deliver consistently. Forte will score the odd goal but he doesn't contribute nearly enough in his all round game to deserve a starting place. So I suggest we need to lose at least one of the senior lads and Forte in the summer and bring three strikers in. Ikpeazu would be a start.

 

Ikpeazu is out of contract in the summer, I think we could do far worse than sign him, all we then need is a smaller more skillful / quick goalscorer and we'll be a match for anyone up top.

Personally I'd like to see Jorge play alongside a lad like Ikpeazu, he can drift about dragging defenders into positions they don't want to go and his ability and touch would be better used up top imo.