Chris

Notts County head to the New Lawn on Saturday to face Forest Green Rovers as they hope to remain in the top three of League Two. The Magpies leapfrogged Wycombe Wanderers to move into the automatic promotion slots with a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night. FGR will prove a stern test, however, as they have won their last five games on home turf to move seven points clear of the relegation zone. What are Forest Green's strengths, who are their key players, what kind of tactics will they use, and how should Notts counter them? Pride of Nottingham's Chris takes a look in this Scouting Report. Head to head Notts County and Forest Green Rovers have met just twice in competitive action and the Green Devils have not beaten the Magpies yet. The first game came in the third round of the FA Cup on 19 January 2010, and it ended in a 2-1 win for the Magpies at Meadow Lane. This season is the first that both teams share the same league, and the reverse fixture on 7 October - also at the Lane - ended 1-1 with Rob Milsom scoring an injury-time leveller. Saturday's game marks the first time that the Magpies head to FGR's home, the New Lawn Stadium. Run-down of their last six features Wednesday 31st January – Exeter City 2 Forest Green Rovers 0 Saturday 3rd February – Forest Green Rovers 2 Coventry City 1 Tuesday 13th February – Forest Green Rovers 3 Stevenage 1 Saturday 17th February – Morecambe 1 Forest Green Rovers 1 Saturday 24th February – Forest Green Rovers 2 Crawley Town 0 Tuesday 6th March – Newport County 3 Forest Green Rovers 3 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers: Christian Doidge 21, Reuben Reid 3, Reece Brown 3 and Lee Collins 2. Persistent Foulers: Dale Bennett 7 yellow cards and 1 red card, Charlie Cooper 6 yellow cards and 1 red card, Lee Collins 5 yellow cards The Key Players Christian Doidge is a powerhouse who has a natural threat on goal, his crisp and calm finishing is lethal within League Two and the striker is extremely confident with moving forward with the ball showing no fear to shoot from distance. Reece Brown is also very influential in midfield, offering pace and skill when taking on the opposition players. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Forest Green’s form has largely improved since we last met at Meadow Lane and so have their performances. On the ball they look to get forward by moving the ball around well, whilst coming back at times when no more ground can be gained via attacking directly. They also lump the ball quite a fair bit, especially when under pressure but are very content on the ball on the ground. In defence, the Green Devils can be quite sloppy and despite retaining organisation at the back – they fail to remain alert to danger. Opposition teams usually maximise their chances by the chaos caused by the FGR defence's panicking. Games do remain quite open even when they seem strong in possession, as they invite too much pressure on themselves by disconnected play. Their main threat is by their ability to work the ball well in tight areas, as they have several players capable of delivering useful balls, which teams tend to find difficult to attack – it’s clear that Forest Green practice within their training how to deliver balls against their counterparts. For Notts our midfield will need to be patient and careful when building, they’ll have to work hard and present creative chances for any opportunities to fall our way. Ensuring that the FGR defence are constantly troubled will create chances for the Magpies and set pieces seems something which we might be able to make use of. Overall Kevin Nolan shouldn’t get players to commit too deep, yet there must be a finer balance within the centre of the park – as the team that controls the game via the middle will get on top of the game. Share your thoughts about this Scouting Report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County were held to a goalless draw in Saturday's League Two match away at Newport County. The Magpies were forced to settle for a goalless draw at Rodney Parade in a game of few clear cut chances. Notts were more dangerous than their opponents, with Lewis Alessandra and Jon Stead both going close, but neither side could find a breakthrough in South Wales. How did the game pan out from a tactical perspective? Pride of Nottingham's Chris takes a look with this weekend's Tactical Talk. Was the result fair? Both teams struggled to get a grip of the game, however if chances had been taken, Notts could have won and a goal may have changed the entire game forcing both sides to attack. Yet the game wasn’t that entertaining and the 0-0 seems fair. How did Notts play? By all accounts it sounded scrappy and not a direct result of the pitch – more a lack of application. Notts simply didn’t create chances very well enough and the performance does leave some questions about how we can improve away from home. The midfield lost the battle, never really connected play and overall it was a quiet performance by Notts. How did Newport play? Very similar to Notts bar the more physical approach to the game. They looked woeful on goal and scrappy at the back, their midfield did well, moving the ball into dangerous areas, but they never seemed sure how best to distribute the ball. Overall, they didn’t apply themselves well either. Did our tactics work out? It’s hard to tell, if we aimed to cancel out Newport and never attack them in a way which would ask questions of their defence, I guess so. However, I think there were yet again questions over the starting line-up. How did the referee perform? The performance of the match officials wasn’t an issue yesterday, a good call to disallow Newport’s goal – overall pretty decent for League Two. Who do we play next? Next up Cambridge United – the departure of Shaun Derry seems to have hit them at a time whereby they’re making a transitional switch and it’s hard to see what U’s team will turn up. How should we play them? I want to see two strikers start both home and away games, I think the only time one is warranted is away from home when the opposition team we face is much stronger than us across the park. Cambridge United aren’t this team in my opinion and if we focus on playing football we should be able to do well. It’s all down to performance and ensuring that the starting line-up can get the job done from the off, so we need to see some flair and creativity from the midfield. With two strikers it would make life naturally much harder for Cambridge United, yet we need to make movement – players must drift into areas whereby we can move forward and the type of chances we create must ask questions. Naturally our midfield needs to be stronger, this is the type of game whereby a player such Liam Noble would be useful – however, I don't think he has proven why we chased or became obsessed over him this season. Yet he could be the type of player that could drive the squad forward, it would be nice if he could lead the midfield but I think Elliot Hewitt is more likely to run himself into the ground. Just smart play, where we work as a team. I think in recent performances we rely too much on forcing play and lack the team work which has given us good results. We are very capable of playing football, so remove the pressure from ourselves and just become expressive on the pitch – try to enjoy your football lads, maybe we will then? Newport County fan reaction (from weareexiles.net) Stan A Einstein: I'll be honest I thought we'd be better today but lose 1-0. We are now 20 points clear of relegation with 13 games remaining. Realistically we are not going to make the play-offs. Perhaps time for Flynn to experiment, tell his team to go for it, especially at home? Exile 1976: Team worked hard today, I thought we were unlucky with the disallowed goal. Labadie was excellent, Day & back 5 very good. I thought Marlon had a decent cameo too. A point stops the rot. On to the next game. Confuddled: I thought [Marlon Jackson] was fairly decent. Won most things in the air. However, that team was completely void of any creativity. I think we work our front two harder than any team in this league. Defensively the team was solid. But our game plan was to thump the ball down the channels as soon as possible. Get the front two running all day. Hopefully we will get a throw in and long throw but that is pretty much our entire offensive threat. Now considering our recent form and who we were playing I can accept that. Stop the rut. Be solid and use this game as a springboard to get some form back. Bush: Thought the defence played well after a shaky start which was maninly down to O'Brien playing like someone with a lack of match practice. Second half O'Brien was really good. My MOM. We have to keep that back 3 together as much as possible although I noticed a slight change today and O'Brien played on the white and white in the middle which was other way around the times I saw them together this season. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Prior to this past Tuesday’s game against Carlisle United at Meadow Lane, Kevin Nolan spoke about how there was ‘no mini crisis' happening at Meadow Lane. At a glance, it does seem that the two home game defeats against Crawley Town and Exeter City could be labelled down to a mistake in switching from a successful formation, whereby the tactics truly did work well with our system. However, the post-match interview did leave some questions when Nolan himself ranted about ‘the players don’t listen’, ‘we would have been okay if they had’ and that he believed some of them had started believing ‘their own hype’. The majority of fans I know merely don’t want to see Notts lose their focus, which for me has been the case – I feel the poor performances in recent weeks stem from a lack of confidence. Meanwhile, the heavy defeat in the FA Cup is something which would have naturally impacted on the players' confidence, yet provided we cover the basics and work hard – Notts should be fine. This season has seen some amazing results and for a while it seemed unlike Notts – yet again in the recent weeks things have been very disappointing. The nonsense after losing two games really disappointed me, as for the first time this highlighted how we had lost or focus on what really mattered. Focusing on ‘some’ silly comments and projecting them as if the majority of fans wanted Kevin Nolan out just seemed quite surreal for what seemed like a small error on the manager's part – again most people just feel like the league table position is something we need to fight for. It’s vital we regain some consistency within League Two, whilst ensuring focus and improved performances. This is the stage of the campaign whereby clubs that lose their momentum really do struggle and I do believe that we are capable of continuing the form. Coming into the 2017-18 season I would have happily accepted mid-table and, truth be told, I still would – provided that everyone within the Notts County camp fought for it. I wouldn’t really say we have been unlucky, some may say that we should have beaten Swansea City in the first tie and this would be fair – yet the two defeats from the formation switch in my eyes really did impact the harmony of the squad. Especially at a point when new faces were coming into the squad and then we reverted away from something we had been incredibly successful with. I also personally hope that this recent thing is nothing more than just a loss of focus from the pressure which is mounting on the club – the level of expectations might have increased but honestly most fans I know are sensible and will back the club wholeheartedly. It’s time to see Notts return to improving, focusing on what they did right in the earlier part of the season and hopefully we can cut down on the changes being made to the starting line-up. Fingers crossed this virus issue goes away, yet for me this cannot be used as an excuse. I am hopeful that a win against Newport County might bring a fresh amount of belief within the club and, that we might be able to focus on our away form which hasn’t been the best this season. It’s important we have a real crack at securing promotion this term and, I only believe it’s possible with the right focus. So let’s forget the past few weeks, let’s avoid blaming the match officials and lets just drive Notts across the finish line. COYP! Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County travel to Newport County on Saturday on the back of a victory against Carlisle United which provided much relief to the club's contingent and fans, keeping the Magpies in the playoff places. The Exiles are much improved this term compared to previous seasons but go into this game having lost their last three in League Two. Pride of Nottingham takes a closer look at Newport's form, key players and tactics in this weekend's Scouting Report. Head to head Notts have met Newport 49 times in competitive action: 26 games have been won by the Magpies, 14 by the Exiles, and there have been 9 draws. Newport won this fixture 2-1 at the tail end of last season, which saw the Exiles survive in the Football League by the skin of their teeth and prompted a pitch invasion at Rodney Parade. They haven't beaten Notts in consecutive home matches in the Football League since March 1971. The Magpies have only failed to score once in their last 14 meetings with the Exiles in all competitions, netting 30 goals in those matches. Run-down of their last six features Saturday 13th January – Grimsby Town 1 Newport County 2 Friday 19th January – Newport County 2 Crawley Town 1 Tuesday 23rd January – Newport County 1 Morecambe 1 Tuesday 30th January – Lincoln City 3 Newport County 1 Saturday 3rd February – Colchester United 2 Newport County 0 Tuesday 13th February – Mansfield Town 5 Newport County 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goalscorers: Padraig Amond 11, Shawn McCoulsky 11, Frank Nouble 8 and Joss Labadie 6. Persistent Foulers: Joss Labadie 10 yellow cards and 1 red card, Frank Nouble 9 yellow cards, Ben White 7 yellow cards and Matthew Dolan 6 yellow cards. The Key Players Former Notts midfielder Joss Labadie has been influential in Newport County’s midfield, providing assists and attacking support, and also goals to his own tally. On his day he can be a force to be reckoned with and he’s one of those players in League Two who can be considered a game changer. In attack, they have three very attacking minded players in Frank Nouble, Padraig Amond and Shawn McCoulsky – the latter being a player who causes many headaches for his counterparts' defence. Ben White is also a tricky player who likes to get forward and frequently challenges his rivals with a mix basic skill and hard work. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses The Exiles are one of those teams you can’t just predict how they will play, but looking at their form and goals conceded you would have to fancy our chances on the day, provided Kevin Nolan’s men put in a true performance of their ability. At the back they’re very dodgy, a mix of poor zonal marking and a lack of applications means they are often punished by school boy errors at the back. On the ball, they are comfortable in possession and can make good use of it. However, they do tend to be wasteful and a lack of confidence is a major knock towards how they play or even express themselves on a pitch. If their opposition scores early or dominates the game, they generally struggle – yet hard work can often see them claw themselves back into games. It does look like their poor form is mostly down to the sheer amount of goals conceded, so it would appear likely that Notts could cause further problems by ensuring they break carefully and take any chances that present themselves on goal. As I say, defensively Newport do not look like a very good team and if we can bypass their physical side we should do well. The key would be to keep the ball moving promptly, whilst making good movement in and around their back four. Any chances from free-kicks must be used wisely and, I can see an effort easily going in if a chance presents itself – the Exiles keeper seems prone to missing saves from the top right corner. Notts must be strong in possession and, ensure that they play with strength in numbers but must avoid losing concentration at the back. Provided our defence and keeper do their jobs, it should be fairly straight forward but much of this will come down to how Kevin Nolan’s men play. There should be too many changes, and certainly 4-4-2 would give Notts some comfort, yet I would avoid isolating the front by using one striker – as they will play into the hands of Newport’s style of play which is common for League Two. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.