6 minutes ago, Joshua said:

 

Do you expect the backup options to be quality?

Have you seen Sam enough to say if he's a dud or not? He's made two starts so far. ????????‍♂️

Enzio I agree with, he's just too much for Notts to pamper to get the best out of him. Knowles is 18 though, I don't know what people expect.

Yes, yes I do.

The very least is that they challenge and push the starting players. Last season, Dennis and Thomas pushed each other pretty much all season, which brought the best out in both of them. Can you see Knowles pushing Thomas? Or Sam pushing Wootton? I can't.

Would you start either Knowles or Sam on  Tuesday? Wootton and Thomas could be terrible 3 games in a row and I would still start them in the game after.

You're correct we haven't seen a lot of Sam, but everything I have seen has been bad. I expect that we sign players that can contribute, regardless of age, otherwise it's a complete failure in transfer policy. 

 

its not taken long before someone claims the recruitment has failed, its better. one or two poor signings in football is quite good. not every signing imo needs to be class. just capable of putting in a solid performance.

4 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

Dover, Maidenhead and Aldershot we've already been beaten by three sides that are widely expected to struggle.

Isn't this typical of Notts?

It's the top teams that Notts usually beats, look at Barrow away last season.

2 minutes ago, liampie said:

its not taken long before someone claims the recruitment has failed, its better. one or two poor signings in football is quite good. not every signing imo needs to be class. just capable of putting in a solid performance.

I don't think it has failed. It certainly looks a mixed bag at this stage. 

Reeves and Rodrigues are class signings.

Enough research wasn't done regarding Sloth's attitude. It shouldn't have been too hard to dig, Motherwell's fans gave us fair warning as soon as he was announced. 

Sam was a punt that doesn't look likely to pay off. That is common for foreign  players being recruited to play in the 5th tier of English football. Knowles looks to be an 18 year old who will run around but isn't going to push for the starting 11. This equates to us having no backup strikers that are going to push our starting players or have any major influence on our season. 

Do you think we are an improvement on last season? 



 

5 minutes ago, BromPie said:

Isn't this typical of Notts?

It's the top teams that Notts usually beats, look at Barrow away last season.

Yep and it's why we didn't go up!

24 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

Yes, yes I do.

Do you not think Notts needs a robust squad of different qualities?

25 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

The very least is that they challenge and push the starting players. Last season, Dennis and Thomas pushed each other pretty much all season, which brought the best out in both of them.

Fair point, do you not think Neal Ardley deserves credit for this too? He re-introduced Kristian Dennis back into the squad after it looked like he would be dispelled from the club after his loan to Grimsby.

26 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

Would you start either Knowles or Sam on  Tuesday? Wootton and Thomas could be terrible 3 games in a row and I would still start them in the game after.

Kyle Wootton and Wes Thomas are our best strikers currently, at the start of the season some fans said Thomas was passed it.

He's a good player that keeps showing he's deserving of a start.

I would prefer to start with the strongest squad possible but at times you must play someone else, I am not sure how Elisha Sam would improve if he doesn't get match fit. There's a difference between being fit and match sharp.

There's been no failure in the transfer policy, some players are pure gambles.

I can say what the answer is for anyone else, as far as I am concerned it's worth the healthy debate over.

I am not at the stage whereby I feel it's in the club best interest to sack Neal Ardley, he has shown that he's capable but as always there is room for improvement. I see his tenure so far as work in progress, but I understand why the honeymoon period has past for some because football is a cut throat business.

There are improvements I think every fan would make given the chance.

Just like a referees position on the pitch, being a manager isn't easy but 6 games in and 2 games in hand I am inclined to give the squad my full support.

This means Ardley too.

1 minute ago, Joshua said:

Do you not think Notts needs a robust squad of different qualities?

Yes. I would put emphasis on qualities, though. 

 

2 minutes ago, Joshua said:

Fair point, do you not think Neal Ardley deserves credit for this too? He re-introduced Kristian Dennis back into the squad after it looked like he would be dispelled from the club after his loan to Grimsby.

I don't know is the short answer. I don't know the ins and outs as to why Dennis was loaned out anyway. Dennis, like the whole squad, was dire that season, but to put that into perspective: we signed Virgil Gomis to replace Dennis. Virgil Gomis makes Elisha Sam look like Messi. 

Perhaps there was nobody coming in for Dennis, or Notts didn't want to release him from his contract? Who knows. However, credit where it's due, Thomas and Dennis both had good seasons last season under Ardley.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Joshua said:

I am not sure how Elisha Sam would improve if he doesn't get match fit. There's a difference between being fit and match sharp.

And here is the point. Either we give him the match time he needs, trusting he will improve and putting up with bad performances in the first few games....

OR

We don't and he doesn't improve because he's not match fit. We don't have a reserve team, so where is he gonna get game time?


 

16 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

And here is the point. Either we give him the match time he needs, trusting he will improve and putting up with bad performances in the first few games.

You're taking it for granted that he won't come good, bud.

If we start relying on him, he might be average or even poor but the occasional game he could surprise. Knowles doesn't impress me but I think he has a chance of being a part player, I'd prefer Sam over him though.

34 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

Yes. I would put emphasis on qualities, though. 

So would I, but realistically with a budget the better players will take it so players able to put in a good performance does come across as a good idea.

I think this is where gambling on younger players released by Premier League/Championship clubs come into it.

Regan Booty looked like a player that could be average or class, but he always put in a good performance I feel.

36 minutes ago, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

Virgil Gomis makes Elisha Sam look like Messi. 

That's a bit of an exaggeration, Gomis never looked like someone who could assist Notts and arrived with a lot of hype. 

49 minutes ago, thommo said:

I can say what the answer is for anyone else, as far as I am concerned it's worth the healthy debate over.

I can't say I want Neal Ardley gone either, I think he has done a good job so far and it has the potential to go either way.

One note I would like to add, the football has been a lot better under him.

We look like a team and are able to play it on the ground.

I do feel Notts would benefit from a bit of hoof ball from time to time but I see the importance with insisting that it comes back down to the floor.

6 minutes ago, Joshua said:

So would I, but realistically with a budget the better players will take it so players able to put in a good performance does come across as a good idea.

I think this is where gambling on younger players released by Premier League/Championship clubs come into it.

I think the signing of Roberts was a breath of fresh air. We've been trying to make those types of signings for years. Remember Canham? Who did we sign him from, Bath was it? Roberts was well identified and looked to be well scouted. From the get go, it looked like Ardley was excited about him, even before he'd kicked a ball for us.

Wootton has done really well for us so far and fits the way Ardley wants to play.

Recruitment is always a gamble, but the clubs that are best at recruitment reduce the percentages in their favour. 
 

13 minutes ago, Joshua said:

 

Regan Booty looked like a player that could be average or class, but he always put in a good performance I feel.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, Gomis never looked like someone who could assist Notts and arrived with a lot of hype. 

I really liked Booty. Think it's a shame that injury has hampered his progress. 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Joshua said:

 

That's a bit of an exaggeration, Gomis never looked like someone who could assist Notts and arrived with a lot of hype. 

It was tongue in cheek, but I admit it was an exaggeration.

Gomis made Sam looked like Cristiano Ronaldo.
 

1 hour ago, Joshua said:

Do you expect the backup options to be quality?

When you have a larger squad and a reserve team, you can afford to take hopeful punts on unknown quantities. When you have a smaller squad, the idea is that your players are of higher quality and can help you immediately. Last season (when most of the squad was assembled within a week or so), we had Dennis and Wilson as back-up strikers, both of whom were proven goalscorers in this division or the one above. This season we've got an untried teenager and a player who has never played in England before and is badly lacking in match practice. That's a high-risk strategy. So in short, yes.

Interesting discussion folks, keep it going

I understand all that, but its clear that Notts has spent a fair portion of whatever wage budget remains.

If you can afford to build a small squad that is fine, I don't think we do. In this case, it would make sense to add some players who can bring in those basic qualities which a good constant performer has but one which might not become any better.

6 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

his season we've got an untried teenager and a player who has never played in England before and is badly lacking in match practice. That's a high-risk strategy. So in short, yes

And this is exactly my point above.

Elisha Sam could be a powerhouse, it depends what is expected of him but he needs to be given the odd start.

13 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

When you have a larger squad and a reserve team, you can afford to take hopeful punts on unknown quantities. When you have a smaller squad, the idea is that your players are of higher quality and can help you immediately. Last season (when most of the squad was assembled within a week or so), we had Dennis and Wilson as back-up strikers, both of whom were proven goalscorers in this division or the one above. This season we've got an untried teenager and a player who has never played in England before and is badly lacking in match practice. That's a high-risk strategy. So in short, yes.

Interesting discussion folks, keep it going

Exactly this.

This is why myself and many others were so underwhelmed when Knowles was signed. It's not like it wasn't known that Sam would take time, Ardley mentioned it in every interview regarding Sam since he first signed. 

If you already have that knowledge, you don't compliment that with an 18 year-old space-filler from a team at the arse end of the league you're trying to get into. 

Call me a mad-man, but come January I think Ardley might have to acknowledge that we don't have enough firepower up front, and certainly not enough goals in the team. 

Our new owners strike me as patient and careful thinkers, previous owners might have sacked him by now and that strikes me as a breath of fresh air. Results and performances don't always provide the full picture.

Around Christmas for me will be the biggest decider but none of us know if the club would be happy sitting in the National League for another season.

I partly feel the signings has given some fans a bigger expectation.

As did the new owners coming in and wiping all the debts that had been built by the Trews and Hardy.

Regarding Neal Ardley, I will admit that he baffles me some of the time but most other clubs fans would say the same thing about their manager. I do trust that he can deliver, I don't think he's clueless which to me would suggest he doesn't deserve sacking. He knows what players are his best, yet the fixture congestion and other issues take this far out his own hand.

My conclusion is to leave him and the players to get on with things, see how it pans out naturally. A  new manager would bring more unknowns, this is the biggest thing that most younger fans forget.