Are we any better than last season?

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

Let's pretend that we can judge based on pre-season games and a FA trophy loss to Harrogate Town....

Round 1: Rose v. Reeves

- Reeves started very well, but against Harrogate and York today, he was average/poor. Having said that, he could just have the edge on Rose for me at the minute, just...

Verdict: Reeves

Round 2: Crawford v Sloth

- We've hardly seen anything of Sloth. What we did see he was largely OK.

Verdict: Unknown.

 

Round 3: Sam/Knowles v  Dennis

- Sam looks a very worrying signing. Absolute garbage today and hasn't been inspiring any other game either. Looks like a basketballer trying to play football. Knowles is raw. Can't see these 2 replacing Dennis' goals. The combination of signing an unknown foreign player and an untested 18 y/o from the bottom end of L2 is looking like a terrible decision. 

Verdict: Dennis. By a country mile.

 

Round 4: Pilling v Fitz

- Fitz was a great shot stopper but couldn't catch a cross or control his area to save his life. I'm seeing some similar traits from Pilling.

Verdict: Unknown

 

Round 5: Booty v Rodrigues

- Booty showed a lot of promise. I heard he was still training / trailing with us, not sure what happened to that. The injuries he suffered really put the brakes on his Notts career though.

Rodrigues has shown plenty of glimpses that he can really play. At times when the tempo is increased, he looks a bit shocked and uncomfortable, but that's something he will adapt to. Has all the basic ingredients to be a success here.

Verdict: Rodrigues

 

 

[CliftonMagpie]

It's way to early to know either way, Notts have reinforced the squad with quite a few players and some of those will have to get to grips with the national league. Pre-season is all about fitness and seeing what issues a squad has, I am not one of those fans who are quick to write off the season for this reason.

Winning games will be a big decider come the start of the season.

That should lift the confidence, but some players have a laid back approach to friendlies. I don't think anyone can judge a players ability based on these alone, I think Notts are stronger and I hope time will reveal this.

[NottsGeezerCal 𝕏 @NottsGeezerCal Instagram @NottsGeezerCal]

I completely agree, this post is spot on I don't need to add anything haha! 

[DangerousSausage]

It's too early to tell - the picture will be clearer after half a dozen games or so.

I'm confident Reeves will be an upgrade on Rose after he's had the chance to bed in properly. My areas of concern are out wide, where we've got zero strength in depth and no competition for Enzio, and up front. Dennis and Wilson (however little we saw of him in a Notts shirt) were both proven goalscorers at this level and the one above and could be relied on to chip in with the goals. We've replaced them with two totally unknown quantities. Hopefully one or both of them will prove to be a hit like Wootton was, but they are high-risk transfers.

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

I think all of the signings are better than what we had, Tom Crawford has a lot of promise but he's gone now.

A couple of early wins will hopefully settle peoples nerves, but it wasn't that long ago people thought we had depth, quality and a team that will walk the league. Rome wasn't built in a day, nobody will lead this division as clear champions early on - we have to settle and fight

@Super_Danny_Allsopp thanks for posting this.

[Fozzy]

Also bear in mind that JOB, Turner, Thomas and especially Doyle are all putting another year on old/oldish legs, that could be a cause for concern when we get to the second half of the season.

I can see a real lack of goals being an issue for us this season if Wootton doesn't score regularly.

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

@Fozzy I don't think Wes has slowed down much at all, he's one of our fastest players I believe.

Ben Turner shouldn't be a regular, I can see his injury proneness making him a rotational player that mostly comes on from off the bench. Michael Doyle is a concern, I wished we would have found a replacement for him personally. Jim O'Brien isn't much of a concern, he's still got that never die attitude.

[Countyman]

I think some fans might be eating their own comments once Sam finds his feet, Wootton didn't start a blaze when he arrived. I remember reading people who claimed signing Ameobi would've been better. Look how that turned out.

[DangerousSausage]

1 hour ago, Countyman said:

I think some fans might be eating their own comments once Sam finds his feet, Wootton didn't start a blaze when he arrived. I remember reading people who claimed signing Ameobi would've been better. Look how that turned out.

Everyone should be given a chance. Based on the little I've seen of Sam, he reminds me of some strikers I've seen in the German lower divisions who are used to playing with their backs to goal and bringing others into the game. That can work very well in a 4-2-3-1 with three attacking midfielders, but not so much in a 4-4-2 with two defensive midfielders behind him (which is what we'll probably end up with).

If I'm being honest I'd have preferred someone with a proven record of scoring goals at this level, as then we could be relatively sure we'd be replacing Dennis' goals. But this is all speculation anyway at this moment in time. 

[liampie]

i dont think we can judge or compare the players signed just yet, pre season is not long enough to make a formal decision. yes, we can speculate but at the end of the day all of the signings seem good. the strength seems to be there, we just need more in terms of performances.

i think we will get that in the league.