Oh Dear!

[samwatto2008]

Right ... we played very very well today and it is so frustrating because one man let the team down today and that is our No.1 Keeper. Fitz isn't fit enough to wear number 48 never mind number 1. He lacks confidence and it shows in his performances. His kicking is lazy and never reaches a player. His delivery is awful and his overall performances are woeful. He's slow to react and just looks like he does not care. MOTM for me was Hawkridge but he was not given enough time so I will give it to Vaughan. Vaughan, Hawkridge, Kellett and Stead all played very well. Hemmings is still lacking that cutting edge but is a real work horse. Dennis went missing and I thought bizarrely the defence did OK today. However stats don't lie and there is obvious problems with the defence. Fitz has got to do better. We are in serious trouble with him in between the sticks.

Let me know your post match thoughts below. 

[Fan of Big Tone]

I don’t think we played well at all apart from a 10 minute patch when we scored, there were some good individual performances but team wise it was a shambles. I definitely agree about Fitzsimmons he was awful again. The whole team are very low on confidence.

[Nottsfan76]

Sorry I have to disagree, we are disorganised, clueless and spineless. We dont seem to have a game plan or any idea what position each player should be playing. Alessandra played well I thought and stead temporarily changed the game when he came on. Jones is possibly the worst defender I’ve seen in a while, he is left back, but stood as a centre half for most of the match, getting caught out twice in the build up to their first goal. I also think his two footed lunge was a result of him having no idea what he was doing and the fans getting on his back. 

Never mind Harry kewell, I think Harry Potter would struggle to get us out of this predicament. 

[KB1862]

The players just don't seem interested anymore. When a manager has been sacked the players should step up and prove a point the only thing they are proving at the minute are they are to blame for the sacking of Nolan. 

[macpie]

OMG!!!!!!  Vaughan man of the match, how that guy has the nerve to pick his wages up is unbelievable 7 passes an 2 miss timed tackles and none of the passes went forward, and that redback has the nerve to make him captain.

[Wilfordpie]

David Vaughan was calm in possession and gave Notts an outlet to distribute the balls some players are too scared to try.

The times Rob Milsom or Dan Jones was out wide and crying for the ball, only for other players to play themselves into danger or this tipping tappy passing that only leads to it going backwards. I don't understand the criticism of him today at all.

Ross Fitzsimons looks lost in goal, he's not quick enough to make the right decision and his judgement is just very poor.

Notts played well after scoring and I felt the third goal for Forest Green came from the control Notts had, yet I am surprised Jon Stead scored at all. Notts didn't look good on goal.

[Piethagoram]

@Nottsfan76 and

@fan of big tone

at least 2 people I can agree with... We were shockingly disorganised and if thats the best Crossley can do, he should go too.

Harry has a hell of a job on his hands, this squad aint good enough

[upthepies]

There has to be some stability, Alan Hardy can't just get rid of everyone unless he plans to allow Harry Kewell to bring in his own staff.

Notts was largely poor but there was a brief spell that demonstrated that there was some forward thinking involved, it's frustrating to see players go on solo runs and make no effort to create space. Ross Fitzsimons is not ready to be the number one, you could have the world's best defence and he would still look shaky.

[ARLukomski]

It's not just Fitzsimons that's the problem. There is a cataclysmic problem running through the team

- No battle in central midfield

- Elliott Hewitt. That guy is so bad that most Isthmian League teams would reject him

- Dan Jones. He can't defend. Simple as

- No target man striker since we keep playing long ball to Hemmings (who isn't a target man)

- Noor Husin has turned into Liam Noble 

- The basics at the back. The first goal especially. Where is everybody?

- Fitness as well. Since the start of pre-season, 10 players have had some sort of injury. That is totally unacceptable 

[super_pie]

We played ok Fitzsimons let us down we did well when stead came on and then he scored a goal.

[menzinho]

Today was frustrating to watch. A lot of good points have already been made and yeah how have we become so disorganised? This obsession with becoming a slick-passing side has taken its toll on the start of the season. It feels like there’s an onus on going out to entertain (not that we have been) and this whole rigid, defensive outlook has completely gone out the window.

The transition into this new system has been bad, really bad. The players look like they don’t know what to do with the ball when they have it; nobody wants the ball and the movement and awareness is shocking. Couple that with how we’re so bad without the ball as well at the moment and it really feels like we are back at square one.

There’s a lot that needs working on and I hope Harry Kewell can sort it so I can post something more positive!

[liampie]

i am really worried now, i dont see much fight and i hate to say it but even the goal did not change how i felt.

notts have a battle on their hands and i wonder if the talk of promotion went to certain players heads.

[Truefootballfan]

I can’t understand why anyone expected much to change. Other than the introduction of Milsom (who did well in my opinion) we have the same players playing to the same “system” (I use the word loosely).

of course we are all hurting, no one expected this disastrous start. But it is just the start, we have a new manager who’s coaching skills are reported to be excellent so we have cause to be optimistic. I think everyone knows that we need a goalkeeper (and fast) and with the addition of a couple of central defenders and a gritty midfielder we will all be on the up again very soon. I’m not suggesting we will be promotion contenders because we will have lost too much ground by the time Harry sorts things out. Also, other than Stead we had no one showing any leadership. We desperately need a skipper.

Yes, it’s hard to watch just now, especially after such pre season optimism but we have been through more bad times than good and things will come good again. 

Some may say I’m the eternal optimist, but from Christmas on last season I was being slated because I was apparently too negative. I’m neither, I’m a realist and Things will get better.

[Piethagoram]

10 hours ago, ARLukomski said:

It's not just Fitzsimons that's the problem. There is a cataclysmic problem running through the team

- No battle in central midfield

- Elliott Hewitt. That guy is so bad that most Isthmian League teams would reject him

- Dan Jones. He can't defend. Simple as

- No target man striker since we keep playing long ball to Hemmings (who isn't a target man)

- Noor Husin has turned into Liam Noble 

- The basics at the back. The first goal especially. Where is everybody?

- Fitness as well. Since the start of pre-season, 10 players have had some sort of injury. That is totally unacceptable 

wise words

[Chris]

I think Notts needs to learn about positional play, they started well but ran themselves into danger or simply lost the ball due to it. Nobody makes runs, nobody thinks about where space could be bar David Vaughan.

I'm getting a little tired of the stick given to Vaughan, a guy near me yesterday was shouting he could f off back to Forest and I can't help but feel some give him stick due to where he came. If Notts was in a better position with other players on the same wave length as him, some might be less critical but he played well yesterday.

I think my Man of the Match would be Jon Stead.

[TheSkipper]

21 hours ago, menzinho said:

Today was frustrating to watch. A lot of good points have already been made and yeah how have we become so disorganised? This obsession with becoming a slick-passing side has taken its toll on the start of the season. It feels like there’s an onus on going out to entertain (not that we have been) and this whole rigid, defensive outlook has completely gone out the window.

The transition into this new system has been bad, really bad. The players look like they don’t know what to do with the ball when they have it; nobody wants the ball and the movement and awareness is shocking. Couple that with how we’re so bad without the ball as well at the moment and it really feels like we are back at square one.

There’s a lot that needs working on and I hope Harry Kewell can sort it so I can post something more positive!

None of the players look like they are confident of those around them, it's like each player passes the ball quickly to avoid a bomb from going off and it ultimately ends up in Fitzsimons net.

[KB1862]

From what I seen in the highlights not one defender could do a basic defensive job not one player was willing to close anyone down and Dan Jones what was he doing clear red card for anyone to see. Fitz in one of the goals should have stronger hands and should have done better with 

[AmericanPie]

I don't see the saves that Fitzsimons makes that are not shown in the highlights but he does not look like a keeper who is performing at his best or with confidence, I would imagine a stronger minded keeper could make the world of a difference at the back.

The keeper should organise his defence and give instructions, not just to close down threats but to also act as a person to who can alert others of danger.