Ohh Tommy Johnson

Macca and Jones both need to move on for their own good. We need to make sure we can get enough money to adequately replace them (attack wise I think with Crowley, Austin and McGoldrick with Scott and Jatta.. and Morias?? we are fine). Randall needs to come on next season, and going forward we should be OK and we can use the money on defenders, defensive midfielders and a wingback or two for squad depth... and a goalkeeper, depending on where Brooks is in terms of development.

The trouble is, that it was brought in as a response to the constant whining from managers highlighting the one refereeing decision which went against them as the the reason for them losing 5 - 0. I have no sympathy, it's a case of be careful what you wish for.. mind you I would hate it if it was brought in down the divisions.

I realised I had run out of names (although I have forgotten Scott and TAR). I would have both of them on the bench. I left Didzy off because he doesn't seem fully fit, same with Bostock). The Slocombe and Stone was just to highlight that I think our squad is struggling and picking up a lot of fatigue injuries or recovering from long term issues. In reality I would absolutely put youngsters on the bench and if we are winning handsomely I wouldn't be afraid to give one, maybe 2 a few minutes. I wouldn't throw a youngster in to a lost cause though as I could imagine the atmosphere would be very toxic. My bench (assuming that we don't have Jones (family issues) and Chicksen (achilles) available would be: Slocombe, TAR, Scott, JoB, Sanderson, Gill, Bostock

This will be an interesting one. For the last couple of seasons we have always struggled against teams that set up to defend and catch us on the break. Our attack always seems to become predictable and pedestrian and we pass around the back until we make a mistake. Sorting out a better attacking approach would certainly help the defence in this case!

I think it is far better to go into the close season looking at the positives, whilst being mindful of the negatives. Momentum for 24 / 25 can start at the end of 23/24, so 5 good results and looking at the glass half full component of the season are important. The glass half empty component can be focussed on at the start of the close season going into pre-season. There are loads of positives both on and off the field. The investment in the Fans Zone, new bar, the pitch, Padel (?) courts suggest that the owners are here for the long term. The Owners are steady and not reactive, but will take action when they think it is appropriate. I think this will pay dividends in the long term. Our attack is devastating when we get it going - and it appears to have depth such that losing Jones and Macca still leaves us very strong position We have learned a lot about league football vs non-league which will give us a more stable base to develop from than going up and then struggling next year (better to be a top L2 side moving forwards, than a struggling L1 side moving backwards). Our development plan as a club sees to be the same as our on field tactics; slow, steady and methodical. Having Matty Palmer back will be like a new signing! Our defence has also been so bad, that it has clearly highlighted what needs to be done to improve!! We have a pretty good track record on recruiting attackers, now we know what's needed for defence it should be possible to replicate that. I also get the feeling SM has a bigger input into what he wants. So, lots of good... but let's not forget to work on the gaps.

I assumed that both Macca and Jones will not be here next year. If they are happy days, but I would hope that they are able to showcase their skills at a higher level as they deserve it.

I think Slocombe has a lot of experience and is a good communicator (in terms of he gives a good interview). I would keep him and look to him being No 3 / coaching. Ashby-Hammond is on loan so goes back. Stone I would keep as Number 2 (if we can afford him or move him on). Then I would look at Brooks becoming No 2. I wouldn't be adverse to him going out on loan to get 1st team sharpness and Stone No 2 on a matchday basis i.e. if our No1 gets injured then he comes back and slots in for the next game but Stone sits on the bench. Then I would get a new No1 who starts every game when they are fit. Then I would look to get 2 commanding Centre backs who can organise, but more than that, hold those around accountable for their performances, who will grab the team, give them a right telling off and get them going if things aren't working. Someone to drive the team going forward. I know this is about defence, but I think with Jim and Bostock getting older I would get in another CM to complement Robertson and Palmer. I would love to see what Randall can do, especially as I think he may need to step into Jones' shoes. We probably need another winger / wingback type to complement Nemane with Chicksen and TAR as back up. Then up front I think we will be good with Crowley, Austin, Scott and Jatta, with Didzy providing experience and impact off the bench.

My mistake.. but the point stands. On the rest you have hit the nail firmly on the head. We are not vocal at all.

It's partly the system we play which exposes the defence and puts pressure on the individuals which is why we see our defence making mistakes. In addition, our midfield and forwards are often not so mobile so giving fewer outlets to move the ball upfield rapidly, so we invite pressure as we pass around the back until the pressure tells and we make a mistake. I would say our second on Monday was straight from our playbook where they passed around the back until their goalkeeping passed straight out to Chicksen. The last goal they left Jones without a marker too, The thing is we tend not to analyse or defensive lapses that led to our goals unless they are calamitous, I suspect that MKD fans won't have noticed or cared about the mistake from Macari that led to their 3rd (Baldwin stepped up to put their player offside, but Macari didn't playing him onside), or the amount of time their attacker had in the box to score for their 2nd. We have got into the habit of bashing our defence for every goal, whereas most of the time the mistakes are marginal, and we don't give the opposition enough credit for oppositions forcing the errors. I think we do have defenders that can defend, but maybe not so well in the system we play. They may not be world class defenders, but I am sure in a more traditional defence where they need to make fewer decisions they would be fine. Unfortunately the way we are set up as a club, if we went for a more traditional defensive style (tackle and get rid) our attack would struggle and we may not see such an improvement as we would expect.

@Wheelbarrow repair man When your job is on the line you play safe, so I am sure he will stick to experience wherever he can. That isn't unusual. Maybe that would be one advantage of making a statement tat Maynard is staying to next season, it gives him a free hit and an opportunity to experiment without pressure. I doubt they would do that though as it would hit crowds between now and the end of the season. That said, if we see youngsters coming in then it may be an indication that he ahs been given the assurances he needs.

@Robbie That last sentence is the key. Players seem to be drilled in one way of playing, and I think more and more coaches are too... it's those that can be brave enough and pragmatic enough to adapt to what is needed that will be successful. Jatta looks to me to be quite a lot like Kevin Bartlett, so a long ball over the top from time to time would be a good tactic to keep a defence honest, and if he could just finish 10% of the chances Bartlett had he would be up there with Macca for goals scored!! This is where I see a consultant being useful, someone to say 'look at these videos of the old Notts...give Jatta chances like that from time to time and you will be laughing'. But there is nobody to do that. That is also why I think most managers would benefit from a consultant from time to time... to shake the thinking up a bit.

I get the feeling that he will go for the 11 fittest players and go from there. There seems to be an illness in the camp, and with all the off field issues with Jones and Morias (not that I think he would figure normally anyway) and partially fit Bostock, Didzy and possibly Chicksen, Austin and Macari we could end up with something like this: Ashby-Hammond Cameron Baldwin Rawlinson Nemane Robertson JoB Randall Jatta Macca Bench: Slocombe Stone Colkett Anybody else that can stand (running and 2 legs optional)!!

@Wheelbarrow repair man Decent pace - that's what needs to happen, or as @Robbie says mix it up, or both. Notts can't park the bus, so they ned to keep going when they take the lead, but I suspect that that is more down to confidence than anything; when you are on a run like we are you try and protect what you have rather than risk losing it by continuing to attack. I think a mentor of some description, either under the guise of a DoF or on a consultancy basis would be very useful for Maynard (I think it is something that most managers would benefit from and should welcome) and I think some serious Sports Psychology work for the players wouldn't go amiss either. What they lack is the ability to Think Clearly Under Pressure. Technically they are all fine, but the mistakes come from poor decision making when we are passing it around the back. I think that the players were so thoroughly drilled by Williams that making changes is causing things to misfire too, so players aren't where others think they should be etc. On a coaching front, Maynard has made loads of mistakes (who wouldn't), but I don't think he has made as many as some think, nor as catastrophic... but then I don't think he is blameless either. The main issues I would highlight are not playing to the conditions (Swindon in particular), and not simplifying things whilst he sorts out the tweaks etc. The latter, I can see that he may have thought he was just making minor changes that would not impact things too much, but when they clearly did, he should have simplified things and just told the defence to take no risks and if necessary put the ball into row Z. I wonder if these modern coaches are a bit clone like, they go through the programmes, they learn what Pep does and how to replicate it. Possession is the modern style and all teams are gravitating that way, so if we were to get rid of Maynard, we will get another young manager playing the same way. I wonder if, during their training, they ever learn what Dave Bassett did, or Warnock or Alladyce? I wonder if they are ever encouraged to think outside the box at all? In the future I think 2 things will distinguish the best managers, those who can evolve a style, or introduce surprise elements, and those that are charismatic. The rest I think will be like clones all playing a variation of the same approach and the best of the rest will be those who spot and adapt to new trends the fastest. My feeling is that Maynard will be either a clone or an adapter...but it's very early days for him yet and how quickly he learns from his mistakes will probably determine which.

I think it was more than the usual sleepless nights - by all accounts there were complications and he hadn't slept much if at all as a result. 'Normal' sleepless nights may seem like a godsend right now! I wonder if our small squad and injuries is increasingly playing a part. Chicksen was playing with a sore achilleas that he has been carrying all season, Didzy clearly isn't fit, now Bostock, Ausitn went off injured again and numerous other players have been struck down with niggles or illness. That smacks of fatigue and if Maynard is having to select a patched up team each game, then it isn't surprising that performance is up and down.

@Robbie @Wheelbarrow repair man One thing that I really like about the owners is that they are not prone to emotional decisions like our previous incumbents. I don't think they will be swayed by fan sentiment much if at at all, or react to a bad run of results, but on their perception of what is going on behind the scenes and whether they believe there is a chance of things being turned around. One thing I think does weigh against Maynard, is that he seems unlucky and as Napoleon is supposed to have said 'give me a luck general than a good one'.

@robbie I agree a mentor would be invaluable for Maynard.

The trouble is, Maynard came in already with 'negative equity' with the fans. As a part time coach and BT Employee he was deemed not good enough for us (does anyone know what he did - the assumption is that he was an engineer on the tools, but FAIK he could have been the CEO). LW had a whole pre-season to experiment and make changes and it still took several games until things began to start to gel. This season we started well, but with the same issues that were resolved last year still evident. Once the L2 teams saw our weaknesses they have ruthlessly exploited them. We also have a small squad and several players seem to be either knackered or injured but are still having to play because of injuries elsewhere. So, Maynard has had a lot to deal with, all in the limelight of a sliding league position and player confidence. Thus Maynard's already negative equity has dropped even further. I think there is a good coach in there and I can see he will make someone a good head coach, but my feeling is that even if we one the league next season as soon as we had a tough run in L1 the old criticisms of being a BT Engineer will come out again. I would love him to turn this around, but I feel that he is now in a position where he will never be a success at Notts (even if he is - if you get my meaning). My gut feeling is that the Brothers see some positives and will stick with him, but I think it's only a matter of time before the fans turn on him totally.

That sounds like there will be something, sometime in the future, but what that may be is still up for grabs! I don't think we will be seeing Wasps as part of that, sadly.

@Robbie I think he is pretty sure what his best / preferred starting line up is, but what he hasn't figured out is what to do if one or more of those isn't available. I think his preferred starting 11 is: Slocombe Cameron Macari Baldwin Nemane Jones Robertson Bostock Crowley Jatta Langstaff The only caveat I would have is Austin. He seems to like him, but that may be Austin's flexibility. What I think his issue is what to do if one of the key players is out. With our injuries you have the issue of putting square pegs in round holes, and I think he is struggling to work out which are the closest fits. Putting Jones in for Nemane is an obvious one, and when you look at who was available you can see why he would back Jones to do a better job of right wing back than say Macari or TAR. Hopefully, now he can see that it doesn't work, but with our small squad it is becomes difficult very quickly. Hopefully everyone is fit and firing and we can see a settled side this weekend.... obviously if he carries on tinkering when there are no injuries or illnesses I take all that back!!

To be fair to Maynard a lot of the recent changes have been brought on by illness, injury and suspension (Chicksen, Baldwin, Robertson, Nemane, Slocombe to name a few). Prior to that I think he was trying to find out about the players. I don't think he is as big a tinkerman as he appears.

I thought it was like that. It seems that the whole idea is to get more money to the big Premiership clubs, and the more I think about it, to get the 'old names' back in the fold. I think only Wasps are looking at the URC. I gather there is some support for London Irish and Worcester to be parachuted into the Championship (or Premiership 2), but there is resistance to Wasps joining which is why they are looking at the URC. It's all rather reminiscent of when the RFU was first set up and the Wasps rep was told the wrong venue so they couldn't join the 'club' for several years.

Do you know where Nottingham stand on Premiership 2? Is that something they would be looking to join? I used to follow Wasps and there is talk about joining a Premiership 2, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. Another option is to join the URC which I think many Wasps fans would prefer as it wouldn't feel like being parachuted in because we were a big name. It would also stick one to the RFU which I think is also appealing to many as they stand aside when Saracens cheat (18 internationals in the match day squad whilst staying under the salary cap????) but stood aside when 3 clubs, so far, folded and then hindered attempts to rescue them from administration.

I think it's the system or the manner in which we ask them to play. I think even our defenders would be more effective if the stuck it in Row z whenever playing out from the back is definitely not on, and only played out when there was no / low risk. It doesn't play to our philosophy, but I think a significant part of our problem is a lack of confidence. I think our defence has lacked confidence for far longer than the rest of the team, possibly as far back as last season. I would choose a goalkeeper and then tell the back 5 (if you include the wing backs when they are defending) to take no risks. Get some belief that they can do it and then recruit players that can play the way we want to. Our midfield needs to support too - Crowley and Jatta / McGoldrick / Austin need to make themselves available more and Bostock / Robertson/ O'Brian / Colkett / Austin need to concentrate on providing a screen to the defence. It's not the sort of thing we are going to get sorted over night though,

That was a few months ago. Since then things have improv........

He faces all sorts of problems - the constant chopping and changing of the goalkeeper (not just SM) breeds a lack of confidence in the defence. Our defence is ropey (Baldwin vs Warner???) and our midfield is threadbare. I would go with the team for Bradford and cross my fingers. At least it's away; Meadow Lane will be toxic on Monday regardless of the result so they need to make the most of Friday.