What's currently happening with Notts?

[B&Wstripes]

What are your thoughts on what is currently happening with Notts right now? Why are the players leaking and giving goals away???

[liampie]

i think if we put thought into whats happening, the simplest answer i can come up with is that we are not handling set backs very well.

i do think its a mixture of things, possibly how we set up and how at certain stages of games the levels of focus are not at their best. losing slocombe, rawlinson and cameron have big loses in the area we are struggling the most. i dont think its a coincidence but i would say more care needs to be put into seeing out games.

[DonnyNotts]

Either they don't know what the manager is asking of them or, more likely , they lack the ability and mentality to carry out what he wants.

[Chris]

When a team's confidence is high, they can become unbeatable, and it's the same with losing but at the other end - things become harder.

There's a mix of obvious issues, one of which I said with the mistake against Torquay, which is defensively we don't control the game well. This has always been down to the formation/tactics, but also the players in the crucial areas simply not being at the stage where they can do the roles at an acceptable level. I mean, all the blame Sam Slocombe got - it seemed unfair to me. It came across like people looking for someone to blame, I think it's incorrect.

I think one key issue is being hands-on with pressing, marking, and actually dealing with threats.

If there's a lot of pressure, it's like we can't absorb play or prevent things from happening. Focus becomes too much, players stop doing the basics. I am not sure if it can be pointed to just a tactical issue, Pressure can make people react unnatural, and I think when we lose this becomes part of the equation.

The players aren't crap, they're just ineffectively coping or dealing with games as they probably should do.

Whilst I believe that the loss of Sam Slocombe, Connell Rawlinson, and Kyle Cameron has been a huge impact on things.

I do feel it's not related to just pressure, confidence, injuries etc.

I also, still believe that some players aren't quite up to par with their fitness - although I do acknowledge that this should have less impact. With form, and what I said beforehand coming into play.

Another point I feel that is worth making, I don't think Michael Doyle will make much of a difference, but again I could be wrong.

The next win should naturally ease things, I'd like to see the club play actual centre backs once able to do so - this again should help with the formation/tactics. Yet, nothing will change until Notts stops being so predictable, or soft on the ball.

I'm not looking for excuses either, I say what I think and feel.

[TheSkipper]

One thought I have, is Notts trying to do too much to soon?

I would agree, there's a mix of issues and that is most likely what is proving to be difficult to resolve.

[thommo]

I honestly feel it will all sort itself out, the more fans panic and the more Ian Burchnall believes something is majorly wrong. The more likely he is to over do things in order to resolve the issue. Yes, it is poor to lose in the way Notts has in the last two games.

That sort of self destruction shouldn't happen.

Yet some fans are acting like we are in serious trouble, this shouldn't be used to force opinions to continue the managerial merry-go-round either.

[Wilfordpie]

The loss of focus and dealing with the opposition can be resolved in training if the players and coaching staff work hard enough.

Notts's next win can be the prevention. 

[RetroPie]

A win should ease things, if Michael Doyle does start that could inject a bit more fight. It might also make other players realise that their place in the starting lineup is guaranteed.

[Joshua]

I think the team aren't fighting enough or retaining focus in key stages, I do think certain players are being played to much and others form isn't consistent enough.

[BromPie]

Now, Notts have gotten a win over Yeovil. I hope that it will create a different situation, where we build on the momentum.

[heraldmagpie]

It does look like a confidence issue impacted by the loss of 2 centre backs and the number 1 keeper. It's a shame that Notts made it harder for Patterson to settle in.

[menzinho]

Those 3 losses pretty much eradicated all thought of our unbeaten start. That win against Yeovil has quietened everything down again. That said those 3 games revealed some weaknesses, call them what you want but lack of focus, lack of desire, lack of calmness, even a lack of clinic finishing. You learn from your mistakes and all I can hope is that we have!

The injuries definitely haven’t help but I like that IB doesn’t want to use that as an excuse as it’s a squad game after all. For those coming in it’s a chance to prove themselves and show why they deserve a spot in the first 11.

Some people are still questioning the squad as a whole, even I'm not 100% convinced. Are our forward options as strong as they can be? Do we need more of an nasty edge in midfield. It's way too early to properly judge the new signings, a lot of them are young and I just think a bit of patience is required. So I'm not overly concerned right now... 

We're going to have ups and downs over the course of a season. Let’s just hope the next few games see us back on the up again!

[CliftonMagpie]

If a 3 game defeated run is the worst this season has to offer, then it will have shown we learned from the situation. Notts needs to start picking more points up, especially away from home. Meadow Lane could become a fortress for us if we play hard enough.