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Simon Clark

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Everything posted by Simon Clark

  1. Absolutely right, Robbie. We can't defend or hold onto what we've got so let's go out there and make them worry about us. For all the recent wobbles, a defender won't look forward to playing against Jones, Macca and Didzy. Crowley and Nemane pose their own threats and can't be ignored. If we have to, let's play like basketball and just hit back at them once they've attacked. And that will help to keep some pressure off our back line as well.
  2. @ARLukomski You know my thoughts very well - I wouldn't have given any of the defenders a new contract. They were weak in NL - bear in mind how much we dominated last season, they hardly had to defend and yet we still gave away 35 goals, was it? Mainly from individual errors. It was obvious those errors would be punished more in L2. Somehow we need to find a way to get rid of the ones under contract to free up space. I was Ok with Slocombe as a back up keeper. A solid, reliable professional who would be wanting a start but accepting a place on the bench and never giving less than 100% in training to help the senior keeper. The problem was the guy we signed isn't good enough. And neither is the loan replacement. I get the point with gambling on Gosling, we needed bodies and you'd hope his experience would have shown more than it did. A gamble that failed. Colkett strikes me as a 4 month trial period. Do we sign him in the summer and will he want to come? I'd actually like to see one or two young lads get a run out as the season comes to a close but we probably need a win or two to give Maynard the freedom to do that. Sanderson and Cisse both looked exciting players. I fear Munakandafa has missed the boat as he's done himself no favours when he has played and Williams was pretty critical of his attitude in an interview earlier this season, although he could easily have out that right, of course. I wonder if the owners / recruitment team had seriously underestimated the level of L2. Let's hope they learn quickly. I will take you to task when you say they did nothing for 5 weeks just because there were no new faces. That could have been for any number of reasons. A lot of players would be holding out for better offers and a lot of clubs would be unwilling to let someone go until they had a replacement in, so discussions could have been going on left, right and centre.
  3. I have a friend who is a season ticket holder there. He's obviously unhappy with what's going on but doesn't seem concerned about the club folding, just about relegation and a lack of funds going forward. Shocking what's been going on there and I did see fundraising has reached around £20k. No doubt because their facilities are better than most of the league, they only have 3 home games left so that will hit their cashflow, I'm sure.
  4. I think we're safe without another point. Sutton need to win 7 of their last 8 to catch up and Forest Green need 5 wins from 9 to catch us but still have to play all of the current top 5, 3 of them away. Although I hope it isn;t a winner takes all final day!! Play offs have gone which may take some pressure off Maynard and he can work with the recruitment team in assessing which players are good enough to stay next season and where do we need new faces. We were pretty carefree in issuing contracts last summer so we may need to negotiate to get some players out. My one concern is that Maynard is just the unluckiest manager. Disallowed 'goals' at Mansfield and Wrexham, Macca missing chances he'd normally convert, etc.
  5. Looking at the last pre match press conference, I thought he looked pretty comfortable in his role. Anyone who has had any level of success will put themselves under more pressure than others generally would, but I felt he seemed confident. Especially when he came out and said what we all know - the system isn't the reason we're letting goals in, basic individual errors are the reasons. Then after Saturday's game, he said this team isn't equipped to deal with balls into our box. Effectively, a new manager has come in and said "our defenders within the whole club aren't good enough." I may be reading too much into this, but that suggests to me that the owners / recruitment team have admitted to him that he's been stitched up and we'll sort out the defence in the summer.
  6. A lot of the problems began when Matt Palmer was injured. We all knew he's a great player and capable of better the L2, but I'm not sure many of us realised just how vital he was. Robertson looks to be growing into the role and it should be great having both of them next season, but our defence seems to be going from bad to worse. I'd like us to keep Macari and Brooks from the back, I wouldn't lose sleep of any of the rest going. And for all the criticism aimed at Maynard on the usual channels, no-one seems to mention that Macca missed 2 sitters on Saturday and we should have been 2-0 up before they scored. With Wimbledon's recent away record, they could easily have given up at 2 down, we have a home win, we're 5 points outside the play offs and in with a chance. As it is, I think the play offs will now take a huge run, although we are capable of that. At the other end, we could lose every game and we've already got enough points. And I've just checked the article I wrote last summer. Only 2 sides in the last 14 years have finished in the top 10 in L2 after winning the NL play offs with an average final position of 12th.
  7. That's a great point. The owners didn't get much wrong in NL but it certainly helped that we could bring new faces in right until the end of March. January was a poor window for incomings although not losing anyone important was a huge bonus.
  8. Unfortunately, I agree. I'd love SM to turn this around and for the players to start showing as much fight against the opponents as some of them seemed to show against the fans on Tuesday night but a run of 4 points in 7 games takes some turning round. It was one heck of a tough run and I feel for him walking into such a start, especially when our defensive frailties have been evident for a long time. I'd love Alfred's dad to be right but I can't see how we'll only concede 2 goals in the next 3 games. I think our best chance is to go full on Keegan - we'll score more than you! A main factor in our goals against record last season was that teams were terrified to attack us, because we'd destroy them if they gave us space. With players like Macca, Didzy and Jones we can get those goals flowing again.
  9. That was some win at Brentford. Edwards seems to have avoided the hype as well, we've all been looking at Gill, Sanderson and Cisse but Edwards seems to be doing well
  10. This could be a game for some players to show the new coaching team what they're made of - or not. Despite our recent results, we could well be close to an 11,000 crowd again and, although Crewe are in excellent form, they don't seem to have the X factor of a Stockport or Wrexham, more of an effective unhit all doing their jobs well. Maynard needs a win for his own comfort. I'm certain no-one within the club will be putting pressure on him, but successful people put pressure on themselves and no amount of support in the boardroom will replace the feeling of getting a win. I've seen comments elsewhere that the next 2 are must win. I disagree, especially with tomorrow, but I'd love at least 4 points in the next 2 games. Tomorrow? Take a point, hope for 3.
  11. That's ridiculous. Why would it be a disaster for us not to make the play offs? The owners have repeated that it's all about progression. We have the 10th biggest budget in the division according to the CEO so play offs would be a stretch based on that. We've demonstrated you can find absolute gems if you're a well run club with good people - Jones, Macca, Ruben, etc, etc, all came to us as a Non League side (I know Jones was only on loan) - so if anyone leaves, I'd think there will be no shortage of players happy to replace them.
  12. Thanks Robbie, this is great info. I agree that it's a pity the main club info doesn't highlight these, it would surely get a few more people there watching. I'll keep an eye on the academy info and hopefully get to a few games before the end of the season.
  13. Quite right, his work rate is exceptional and he seems to have an incredible temperament. I think £4m+ is unrealistic for a L2 player aged 26 (or any age, really) but a £2m fee plus a decent sell on clause could be lucrative. According to a google search, the L2 transfer record is Ollie Watkins from Exeter to Brentford at around £6.5m and I'd guess most of that is a sell on when he moved to Villa. For us, £2m in the summer and then £5m in 18 months would be wonderful! Apart from that, no-one has gone for more than £2.75m.
  14. Seems like a 'try before you buy' to me. We pay his wages for 3 months so it's low risk. If we like what we see - and he likes what he sees - we can bring him in during the summer. An extra pair of midfield legs is helpful so we can rotate a little, some players have had more minutes than I think we'd have planned, given that we expected Matt Palmer to play all of every game.
  15. Is anyone else frustrated that they don't want to seem spectators? It's really difficult finding out when games are taking place, and almost impossible to do so any earlier than the morning of the game. Unless, of course, I'm missing something and one of you kind people can help me... It would be great to give them some support from time to time.
  16. I saw Hibs last August - weakened side in the League Cup and just before they sacked the manager, but he looked pretty comfortable. Moving away from home has challenges, but Edinburgh must be one of the easier places to be. When I saw the move, I wondered if we might have missed out but with hindsight, if we have Warner, Macari and Baldwin then there are 3 L2 or better standard players. I'd like another but better players might help cover the weaknesses of others.
  17. It's great to see so many youngsters coming through at the same time and it's easy to get carried away but so much can happen at that age. Luke Williams said in an interview early this season something to the effect that Munakandafa needed to learn how to refuel and what being a professional footballer means. Maybe he thought the contract meant the work was done? Cisse excites me, he seems to have no fear and puts in a decent ball that Nemane could learn from. There's a lot he needs to do yet - perfect example being how Nemane works so hard to defend - but it was great to hear that intake of breath around the ground when he got the ball as a sub against Newport (I think it was?). Giving kids a chance can only be beneficial when looking to persuade others to come to our academy as well.
  18. The key area - as it has been almost every game this season - it how the defence bounces back. Anyone who has watched us for the last 18 months will know these players simply aren't good enough to play this style week in week out. Yes, we conceded fewest goals last season but we had the most possession by a massive distance, so we conceded those goals based on the opponents having around 25 - 30% possession in each game. This season is a little higher, maybe 35 - 40% possession and our goals against record is close to the worst in the division. We've all seen that but it's almost been kept in house. Last week was so appalling - and in the FA Cup - so has been picked up by BBC, swept across social media, etc, so these players need to show character and stand tall. You can bet Walsall players will be in their ears reminding them. Our middle and attach - as a whole, not necessarily individuals - are L1 standard in my opinion. Sadly, our defence is little better than a poor NL standard. Not because they are being forced into errors, but because they make them without being under pressure. We concede a huge amount of goals when we should be in control but then a misplaced pass, a loss on concentration, whatever, gifts a goal.
  19. Absolutely! Crowley is one heck of a buy and looks to be a player who is far better than L2. It's amazing to think no-one is bemoaning Ruben's absence because they were huge boots to fill. While not being exactly the same player, he creates and scores and works for the team. We certainly lack creativity without him and the understanding he and Nemane have established unlocks defences time and time again. It's even more noticeable when Randall plays and still has some way to go to get that same connection.
  20. I think the last few weeks have shown where we are, really. We're not as good as the best teams, we're better than the worst teams. If Sky is to be believed and we do have the 10th biggest budget in the league, we might just about out perform that. With some good January recruitment, we can make a good bid for the play offs. With regards to the game tonight, I feel we are stronger than Crawley and should control the game and convert that control into goals and points. For all the criticism of our defence - and I give plenty - there is a whole lot of poor defending in this Division and our middle and final thirds are too strong for a lot.
  21. This is purely a personal view and no doubt every reader will disagree with my choice and want to replace at least half of this list! There’s no logic to some of it, and there are no old scores to settle – I’ve chosen these on days I expect (hope?) to enjoy, which is why I’ve left some out on the basis that unless we’re 4-0 up in the first 10 minutes, I probably won’t enjoy them… Sutton United – the first game back. Yes, I want to win and will be disappointed if we don’t, but it’s lovely to be back (and an easy ground to get to as long as the trains aren’t on strike), although I’m guessing it will be tough to get tickets for this one. Bradford City – the first UNESCO City of Film and a city of great history, often overlooked by more photogenic neighbours. With an average attendance of almost 19,000 and the last 2 games last season seeing over 20,000, it should be a great atmosphere (albeit they reportedly include all-season ticket holders whether they actually attend or not). AFC Wimbledon – the first of the fans’ clubs to start from scratch and work their way through to the League. A museum of football in Wimbledon reminds visitors of their past glories as a non-league side before being hijacked and relocated to Milton Keynes. A lovely club that made a fantastic (and spontaneous) gesture to a friend of mine when he completed the 92 just over a year ago. Stockport – easy on the train, good pubs, a weekend in Manchester and a proper club. Say no more. (although 23rd December might not be the date I’d have chosen for this!) Barrow – a blooming long way, so it makes sense to have a weekend in the Lake District. October might not have the best weather, but it’s a wonderful part of the world at any time and there’ll be fewer tourists around. Harrogate – a week before Christmas might be a wonderful time to visit a picturesque market town. With the Montpellier Quarter and the Crescent Gardens area, there’s plenty to enjoy for a relaxing weekend away. Tranmere – one of my favourite away days. A proper ground, decent support and great atmosphere. It’ll be tough, but the huge beer tent outside the ground making up a fan zone for followers of both sides is a great place to review the game and hopefully celebrate. Salford – although they get a lot of bad publicity because of the Manchester United millionaires backing them – and I understand that – the volunteers and workers behind the club seem to be good people who want to support their local football club. Watching the shows about them on TV, it seems as if they feel their club is being taken away from them, and they are happy watching a small club at whatever level. Forest Green – the last game of the season, hopefully one to enjoy for all the right reasons, and it won’t be a tense affair where we need a result to secure 3rd or 7th (or, dare I even think it, 22nd!) Almost half a season of away games to enjoy – will that happen? Of course not. I’ll be desperate for 3 points and on the edge of my seat hoping we can hang on, make a comeback or keep control of a game we’re winning. Unless we get a 3-goal lead and control the game, the 90 minutes I can’t control will be the part I HOPE to enjoy rather than expect to. Be sure to check out the latest discussions on Pride of Nottingham’s dashboard page and get involved! We want to hear from Notts fans what are your thoughts on the Pre-Season friendly against Nottingham Forest? Let us know.
  22. One thing worth remembering is that most contracts end on 30 June. So players taking a pay cut would most likely want to stay where they are until then, and clubs giving a payrise will most likely not want to pay the new player in June when they're on holiday. It won't work for everyone, of course, and a player in demand may well need signing sooner to avoid the risk of losing them, but a lack of activity at this stage isn't anything to worry about.
  23. There are some interesting statistics when looking at the previous teams who have won the National League playoffs since they were introduced for the 2002-03 season. Those 21 finals have seen 8 of them go to extra time (and beyond) while only one of them has been won by more than a 2 goal margin. Exeter, Grimsby, Forest Green and Tranmere all won after losing the previous year’s final while Luton followed consecutive losing finals by winning the league! Almost all losing finalists have eventually made it into the league although Gateshead, Fylde and Torquay also saw relegation to NLN or NLS. The first winners – DONCASTER ROVERS with 4 players with Notts connections – beat Dagenham on golden goal or, as it was called for this game, ‘promotion goal’ (the only time promotion has been settled that way in the UK). They immediately won the Third Division as it was called then and have had 3 spells in the Championship, albeit one season spells, and they are now in League 2. SHREWSBURY TOWN beat Aldershot on penalties in 2003-04 and finished 21st in their first season back but were 11 points clear of relegation. After 3 playoff campaigns in 7 years, they eventually got promoted in second place and reached the L1 playoffs before falling back into tier 4, bouncing back the following season. Currently, in League 1. CARLISLE UNITED beat Stevenage 1-0 and followed that up by winning the League Two title at the first attempt. After an 8-year stay where they had a playoff campaign, they fell back into League Two and have just won the playoff final to get back into League One. HEREFORD UNITED twice came from behind to beat Halifax 3-2 after extra time in the only game to be played at Leicester City’s ground. It was also the only game where neither club currently exists in the same form. They finished 16th in their first season in L2, gaining automatic promotion the following season. They rarely left the relegation zone, falling back into L2 immediately and fell back into the National League after 3 seasons and were expelled then wound up in 2014. MORECAMBE beat Exeter in the 2006-07 final – the first to be played at Wembley - to become the first side to earn a place in the Football League for the first time and managed 11th placed finishes in their first 2 seasons, following that up with a playoff spot. In the 2019-20 Covid shortened season, they were 22nd after 37 games and stayed up then bounced back to win the playoffs the following season and get to League 1. They managed 2 seasons at that level and will face Notts next season in League Two. 2007-08 was probably the year when things stepped up and for 10 years almost all finalists were typical Football league sides who had fallen on hard times as EXETER CITY beat Cambridge United. They immediately went up again as runners-up and spent 3 years in League One before dropping back into L2 where they spent 10 more seasons before gaining another runner-up spot. Currently, in League One. Cambridge were broken-hearted again next season as they became the first side to lose consecutive finals, losing to TORQUAY UNITED. The Gulls finished 17th in their first season back and reached the playoffs twice before returning to National league football in 2014 and a further relegation back to NLS in 2019. Another NL playoff campaign beating Notts in the semi-final gave them hope before relegation again last season. Currently, in the National League South. OXFORD UNITED beat York City in 2009-10 and finished their first season back in 12th place. They went up to League One in 2016 and are another side to have reached the playoffs at that level. Currently, in League One. AFC WIMBLEDON squeezed past Luton Town on penalties in 2010-11 in only their 9th season of existence, including 3 league titles and the lowest final position of 8th. It’s been hard work for them since then, following a final place of 16th in their first season with 20th, 20th and 15th before getting into League One via the playoffs in 2016. Since then, they haven’t finished higher than 15th and were relegated last season. Currently, in League Two. YORK CITY were the next team to inflict final defeat on Luton (whatever happened to them?!), returning to the league after an 8-year absence. They finished 17th in their first season back in the league, securing survival late in the season and managing a L2 playoff spot before suffering consecutive relegations after just 4 years in League Two. Currently, in the National League. The 2012-13 final was an all Welsh affair, with NEWPORT COUNTY getting the upper hand against Wrexham. They finished in a comfortable 14th place in their first season back and followed that with 2 narrow escapes, including a famous ‘Great Escape’ as they were 11 points adrift with 12 games left, securing survival with a last day win against Notts. Famous for their cup runs, they also had 2 unsuccessful playoff campaigns, losing in both finals. Currently, in League Two. CAMBRIDGE UNITED beat Gateshead in the next final, a Wembley double with an FA Trophy win as well, and finished 19th in their first season back. Shaun Derry then guided them to 9th and after 7 seasons in League Two (mainly in the bottom half) they finished runners-up in 2021 to gain promotion. Currently, in League One. 2014-15 saw BRISTOL ROVERS beat Grimsby on penalties in front of the largest final attendance of 47,029 to gain an immediate return to EFL after just one season. They followed this up with another promotion, finishing 3rd in L2 in their first season back, returning to L2 after finishing bottom of the league 5 years later. Again, they made an immediate return with a third place finish in 2021-22. Currently, in League One. GRIMSBY TOWN bounced back from that disappointment a year later, beating Forest Green Rovers to return to the EFL after a six-year absence. Three managers, including Russell Slade, took them to 14th place in L2 in their first season back. After 5 seasons, 5 managers and 4 caretakers, they were back in the National League in 2021, bouncing back at the first time of asking after a dramatic playoff campaign saw them win at Meadow Lane and Wrexham. They finished in 11th place last season as the only team to have won the National League playoffs twice. Currently, in League Two. FOREST GREEN ROVERS followed suit and recovered from disappointment a year earlier to beat Tranmere Rovers in the final. This made Nailsworth the smallest town ever to host a Football League club and ended a 19 season long run in the National League without promotion, the longest consecutive period since promotion to the EFL began. They finished 21st and one point above relegation in their first season (a season where Notts were in the playoffs) and managed two playoff campaigns in three seasons before winning the league in 2022. They only lasted one season in League One, being relegated last season. Currently, in League Two. TRANMERE ROVERS completed a hat trick of losing finalists coming back to win promotion as they beat Boreham Wood in the 2017-18 final after being in 18th position after the first 12 games. They gained back-to-back promotions as a sixth-place finish got them into the playoffs and some would say unluckily relegated from L1 in a Covid shortened as positions were decided on a point per game basis when they were on a run of three consecutive wins when the season was called to a halt. Currently, in League Two. SALFORD CITY gained the largest final win with a 3-0 victory over AFC Fylde as the two smallest clubs to contest a final albeit with significant investment especially for Salford. They finished in eleventh place during Covid shortened season and made it into playoffs last season. Currently, in League Two. HARROGATE TOWN broke Notts hearts during Covid enforced empty Wembley Stadium as third winner moved into EFL for the first time. They have finished seventeenth, nineteenth, and nineteenth during three seasons. Currently, in League Two. HARTLEPOOL UNITED beat Torquay on penalties ending a four-year spell in non league but only managed to finish seventeenth, twenty-third returning to National league next season, making the quickest return for any previous winners. Currently, in the National league. As mentioned, GRIMSBY TOWN won again twenty-twenty one twenty-two beating Solihull finishing eleventh in league two last season. Of nineteen previous play-off winners nine will face Notts next season in league two action six plying trade league one two hoping to repeat success in national league one national league south one disappeared. After fantastic start play off winners returns two sides winning division first three seasons seems hard work only two sides last fourteen years managing top ten finish cautionary note perhaps overall average final position twelfth first season back. Be sure to check out the latest discussions on the Pride of Nottingham by using the “Topic Feed”! Don’t forget to read all the latest articles on the Pride of Nottingham, drop a comment and share any content you enjoy!
  24. Don't know if this means anything or not, but the players who haven't yet re-signed can go if they show a lack of commitment as it seems as if they're holding out for offers. Palmer is the best player we have and signed an extension without knowing which division we'd be in. Same with Chicksen. I can live without those on the fence, replaceable with our recruitment expertise. I can't seriously see a team as high as Portsmouth wanting Nemane. We dominated almost every game last season yet his stats show 9 goal involvements all season? I'm not saying I want him to go, but would think Portsmouth would want a better player.

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