Scotty

@Wheelbarrow repair man Afternoon, no I have no connection with anything, I'm just a simple Notts fan. But I do know it's not just about the Bros. Not just about Football Radar. There are others within the Consortium, who I do not know and I won't speculate. At the time when Hardy sold Notts, it was to a Consortium. That consortium is part of an investment group which has acquired a majority share of Danish Superliga side Viborg FF. Am I correct in saying there has also been a recent Italian investment? What I do have is a belief in what they are trying to do. I'm a naively glass is half full kind of person. They have a process, they have a formula, and that is translating into progress. Its not Man City Oil State wealth buying up the best of everything or US Hollywood doing what they're doing with back to back promotions in north Wales. But its specialist knowledge. Knowledge that the likes of Wrexham or City would have to buy from the likes of Football Radar. There's something distinctively continental about the operation at Notts. Cerebral, intellectual and grounded, distinct and separate to the fur coat and no knickers of some football owners. Owners who seek spend money like Elton John and work with big names, reputations with headline grabbing signings without the basics, ending up in relegation like Birmingham City to League 1. So, to answer your question, I know nowt special but I have faith and I'm looking forward to the new season.

As stated in enlightening posts above, team such as Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth evidence that it is possible for teams like Nott to survive in the Premier league. In the case of Brighton; to qualify for and play in Europe. When first asked about their ambitions, the brothers said to win promotion back into the EFL. When most recently asked, it is to win promotion to League 1. That is how they operate. As stated in earlier posts, they will need very deep pockets to get into the Premiership. The Consortium that they represent does have very deep pockets. They continue to make strategic investments into other continental football teams. Notts represents their biggest investment and ambition. By sticking to the mantra of let’s get out of this league, will hopefully result in us targeting the Premiership. I think the fact we are having this conversation without laughing shows how far we have come since the various eras over the last couple of decades. Where a good season was defined by winning a relegation dog fight via a 1-1 draw away at Oldham on the last day of the season. Now we are disappointed when we don’t win promotion. The brothers and the consortium they represent have set their stall out. They have made their money from using data-driven analysis to predict the outcome of football matches. They are not a Petrol State. They are footballing intellectuals who have a desire to invest the wealth made from football into our club. Whilst using that very same data-driven analysis to have a style of play and a recruitment process; all whilst striving for the club to become financially self-sufficient. So, sit back and enjoy the ride. Let’s focus on getting to league one and striving to be self-sufficient. But bear in mind, should we ever be able to target getting into the Premiership, the pockets are deep.

Yes it does appear that the term Manager is increasingly changing to that of head Coach. But football is an increasingly changing world. The old school of blood & guts of Sirrel, Shankly, Clough and Allardyce has moved on. The intensive nature of running a football club is now compartmentalised. Where once the main man would supervise all areas of football management, there are now specialist people running certain areas, including that of recruitment. Where once managers built their own squads for team to play football their way. If it succeeded, fine. If it didn’t, sadly too often in our history, it required a trunk and branch renewal. Often there would be costly sackings of managers, the appointment of a new manager who would rebuild a squad for a team to play his way… and repeat… and repeat. The way Notts are structured is enlightening. Successful, cerebral-minded-business people who have made their money using data driven analysis to predict the outcome of football matches, have invested that money in buying Notts County. A team which has seen the whole spectrum of success from back to back promotions, through to almost disappearing, at the hands of gamblers, gangsters and businessmen, some with the best honest intentions in good faith. Where previous owners empowered managers to once do the old way of buying players, most recently evidenced with Alan Hardy giving Nolan a free hand to buy players without a Director of Football or established playing style. Despite the best of intentions, it all ended in tears and its back to square one and repeat as above. The brothers bring a plan. Data driven analytic football. Agreeing a style of play. Securing a Head Coach who seeks to play that style of play. Secure players who can and want to play that way. Should – as evidenced in Burchinall and Williams - our manager be teased away, the style of play continues. It is all about keeping the engine working, about replacing the part, not the entire engine. Part of this covers the recruitment. Wide-angled and embracing multi-faceted, data-driven football that has unearthed players such as Rueben, Macca, Scott, Jones and Jatta. Our future is about continuing this. The brother’s track record shows they will make sure the players will honour their contracts. Not selling key players. So to answer the questions outlined above, Notts will secure managers who not only agree with and buy into the agreed style of operating but excel in the roll of extracting the best from the best group of the players available via the recruitment team. Luke got great players playing brilliantly at NL league level. Last season was a learning curve in learning how to adapt and survive. I believe our players had abandonment issues when Luke left. I believe these players struggled with his departure and performances suffered. This will be Stuart’s first start to a Notts season. I believe he can extract the best from our players, to recover from the disappointments of last season and consolidate. If I’m wrong and he fails - then as spelt out above – it is not a disaster. Not a back to square one. It is about keeping the engine working, about replacing the part, not the entire engine.