..or the chickens coming home to roost.

The defence last season was so well protected by the likes of Hewitt, Yates and Hawkridge and since the departure of Yates, he was the key player that has not been replaced.

Player identification is the key for success. Look at Accrington last season, 23rd in L2 in terms of revenues yet the budget was allocated so precisely and a balanced team won promotion

By offering O'Connor allegedly 3 contract offers, we then panicked and signed Vaughan...the wrong type of midfielder when we already had Husin. Neither can tackle and win the second ball, yet players like Harry Pell were available at the right price and Colchester rightly identified him as a Bishop / O'Connor / Yates like midfielder

Similarly, Omar Sowunmi contract had expired and his towering performance Friday night, showed that there were better players than offering Duffy a new contract.

Calls for Hewitt to return to midfield I hear people voice out loud,. However, he must have one of the worst pass completion rates in L2. If we are serious about promotion, are there better midfielders available ( see Pell above!)

Brentford built their success on their own "moneyball" model. Even scouring Europe for "value for money" players that could give you a competitive advantage. Southampton also devoted a lot of resources behind the scenes watching lower European league videos, looking for "gems" at a low price.

Fitzsimons, has come under a lot of criticism but he was blameless against Yeovil, and it can be argued his saves, could have prevented a 0-8 loss

Well the loan window needs to be used to get that key central midfield bully.

It's early days too, but the strikers don't look like "natural goal scorers". You look at some strikers and can recognise a goal scoring instinct and coolness in front of goal. I just don't see that with Dennis and Hemmings at the moment.

 

It's not so much misspent, it's more we've signed players that we needed last season but didn't sign players that we are I need of. Vaughan, Hemmings and Dennis are all great signings that will come good. Crawford and Patching as youngsters will come good and Need more game time. We need a winger that is willing to defend and attack however Enzio and Thomas fits the bill as attack minded. Hawkridge gives up that balance of attack and defence winger. New GK and New defender in loan market needed, Oxlade is injured but he might be good however I can't understand why we signed a man whos gonna be injured only time will tell. 

I didn’t hear anyone complain when we were bringing in the new signings !

It was all how we were going to smash the league and how soon we were going to win promotion! 

 

The club thought the defence was okay based on last season but fans have been saying its virtually the same one with a few new faces that almost relegated Notts. Richard Duffy isn't the answer as the captain, he needs to be more positive and vocal if he is to remain as it.

Personally I don't think it's misspent, but I do feel they should have signed a new CB.

We do need another CB but with his experience could Vaughan be a decent captain? I mean experienced and if he was given that responsibility would he step up? Could tootle be a decent captain? Have to look at these perspectives, once we sort the defence out maybe then Fitzsimmons will improve as your only as good in goal as your defence. 

I was told at a game by a few fans that Alan Hardy had spoken on the radio and he said that we have spent over the budget?

I don't know if anyone can validate these claims, yet if true it would suggest that the budget has been indeed misspent considering how we lack proper rotation at the back. Also, we seem to have signed a lot of players who are or have been carrying knocks. I have no doubt Kane Hemmings and Kristian Dennis will pay off, however coming into the season I did speak about how Notts should have two good players for the LB/RB positions which we seem to have and I also mentioned how we could do with another Shaun Brisley type defender.

Well less so before his form dipped but a more robust CB that could deal with pacey threats would have been beneficial.

If the club can get in another CB and keeper, things should be okay.

I mentioned pre season that Steven Taylor formerly of Newcastle had been released by Peterborough.  I felt then he would of been ideal for notts. At 32 certainly had the experience and class which would command  respect as captain.  Worth chasing Kevin ? Possibly knows him from his time at Newcastle 

I don’t think it has been I think the players need time to gel .. but time I’m league 2 we don’t have right now

Loan market still open and free agents can still come in, we've seen it before in many teams where players fill in at different positions whether or not this happens I don't know. But releasing few players who were regulars should be have been replaced. 

Either way fans were going to moan this season. If we did not sign two strikers fans would have moaned Stead would be starting still. It's important to manage expectations in terms of transfers now after having done most of our business early doors. However, Duffy and Brisely and just not up to the task of a promotion challenge IMO. Pell and Sowumni would have been idea, also the likes of Carl Winchester who went to FGR he seems to be doing well with them. 

It's not misspent, we just lack the hindsight of knowing how much weaker we have made the defence.

the club should have signed an experienced keeper and centre back, someone with pace and can tower over people. the keeper just needed to be someone who can be vocal. i would welcome roy carroll back now, he would not allow the defence to be so poor.

I think the budget has been spent wisely, it's the defence that has caused all this problem by failing to adapt to the new style of play. They almost want to lump it forward rather than passing. It's good we have two capable strikers, I don't get why people can't see that Hemmings and Dennis started very well.

In a few games time they could be lethal with a good level of understanding.

17 minutes ago, CliftonMagpie said:

I think the budget has been spent wisely, it's the defence that has caused all this problem by failing to adapt to the new style of play. They almost want to lump it forward rather than passing. It's good we have two capable strikers, I don't get why people can't see that Hemmings and Dennis started very well.

In a few games time they could be lethal with a good level of understanding.

Completely agree with this @CliftonMagpie I can’t really add anything more, Have you been reading my mind? 

11 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

Fitzsimons, has come under a lot of criticism but he was blameless against Yeovil, and it can be argued his saves, could have prevented a 0-8 loss

He's not faultless or blameless, the only things he saved was directed straight at him and he failed to catch any of those first time but I am prepared to cut him some slack.

6 hours ago, samwatto2008 said:

Either way fans were going to moan this season. If we did not sign two strikers fans would have moaned Stead would be starting still. It's important to manage expectations in terms of transfers now after having done most of our business early doors. However, Duffy and Brisely and just not up to the task of a promotion challenge IMO. Pell and Sowumni would have been idea, also the likes of Carl Winchester who went to FGR he seems to be doing well with them. 

Before the season started, we all knew we needed a new striker or 2 we got that. We can't predict the future so at the time it was a great transfer window. It's only now that we realise that we haven't done well in the window. Defenders was needed. But as I said we couldn't predict what was to happen. 

Wasn't our defence one of the best last season?

How do you predict that it would be so weak during this campaign, either Notts have been hit hard by the loss of key coaching staff or the difference is the keeper. I would imagine both haven't helped matters.

@AmericanPie when we look now we could say we should of bought more defenders but like you say we had a great defence last season we didn't know what was going to happen. 

21 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Completely agree with this @CliftonMagpie I can’t really add anything more, Have you been reading my mind? 

Ha, well I think that people are missing the signs that are obvious due to the doom and gloom.

Notts just has to take more responsibility when defending.