YoopEyes

McDonald - without a shadow of doubt once Platt went off. He didn’t put a foot wrong all game, commanding, assured and physically strong enough to keep their strikers quiet. Not directly at fault for any of the goals. I like Iorpenda, a lot, and he was his usual busy self but I simply don’t get how he could be MOTM yesterday. He started brightly and showed a few glimpses of quality on the ball in the second half, great ball across the box - but that was it. Not a telling pass, nothing creative or imaginative just a genuine, hard working display. I thought he, together with Tsaroulla and Bedeau were the pick of the rest but McD (& Platt) was head and shoulders above them for composure, quality and effectiveness.

I’d say that going down to 10, Cook out thinking Patto, Platt going off and putting Jatta & Hall on were the main contributory factors today. Tactically, we got caught out by the cheating, skulduggery and deviousness of Cook and his bunch of uninspiring but annoyingly effective yobs.

Hall & Jatta had no impact or influence on the game at all. Agree that Grant should have come on rather than Hall. Massive blow to lose Platt, he had a couple of wobbles but was generally sound again. McDonald was outstanding, I don’t think he put a foot wrong all day. Chesterfield reflect Cook, dour, unimaginative, underhand and nasty. They won, we didn’t. That tells you something. Continuing to rely on Jones is still baffling me, I expect him to do more than bang in a couple of decent crosses - he just doesn’t look sharp, confident or robust enough for my money. Bennetts, whose final ball has let him down thus far, looks far more dangerous - and he offered more in 35 mins than Jones did in 77. Top 3 place is starting to look some way off - Cambs banging in 5 today & MKD winning leaves us off the pace a wee bit. Onwards and upwards.

There was very little positive about the return of Jatta! He touched the ball twice at best and looked very rusty. Palmer was ok on the ball, but tired and was non existent in the 2nd half. They are both some way off match fitness. We did well in the 1st half but the extra man told in the end and we sat back a bit too much & too early in the 2nd half. The main frustration was that the 3 goals were all pretty soft and didn’t result from waves of pressure. At least 2 were completely avoidable & the 3rd looked ropey too, I’ll need to see that again. Credit to MacDonald, he was outstanding. Thought Bennetts was the most impressive & effective of the subs.

Maynard couldn’t organise & motivate here, he was extremely 1 dimensional too. Tactically naive. Until he’s proved himself at league level, I wouldn’t get too excited about him tbh. Nice bloke but still learning his trade. I’d take Paterson over him every day of the week.

The key is that Paterson can organise and motivate a team - I don’t think Maynard could do that, certainly not convincingly anyway. He didn’t seem to get the best out of players, either individually or collectively. Paterson seems to be sharper, quicker to change strategy and tactics too. Generally, he utilises players in more natural roles than Maynard did. Thus, we are far more effective as a team unit and we have cover for every position now, which helps enormously, of course.

That’s a tremendous win - great result, not a bad day after all. Gordon gets 98th min equaliser for Crawley v Swindon & Cambs held to a draw.

Still young and improving. The basics are in place - so, I see potential in him. He has talent and vision/awareness. I’d like to see him get some game time on loan and he could be a handy squad player next season, even if we go up. If he does well elsewhere & we get a decent offer, then we have the option to cash in. Thus, good move all round in my view.

I go for Platt - solid, as usual, and wins his challenges. Very effective defensively, uses the ball well too. Macari & Bedeau did well,to be fair. Iorpenda was lively and combative but faded, I thought, and wasn’t as busy in 2nd half. Tsaroulla was good for the most part. We take Grant off and never look as good out of possession. Robertson was weak today, as were Kouhyar & Jones, who rarely takes a man on let alone beats one. He had a neat little run and got a couple of crosses in but that aint enough for me tbh.

Grant for me. Some exquisite touches, non-stop running and closing down. Energetic, comfortable on the ball and provided the necessary spark that was missing until he came on. No passengers again, terrific team display and some notable cameos from Tsaroulla, Iorpenda & Ndlovu. Pity about the Jones tantrum but that couldn’t mar a very solid display.

Yes, Platt for me too. Not many other candidates but noble effort from Grant & Macari again. Belshaw’s saves were notable and Bedeau put a decent shift in, as usual. Disappointed by Jones, he got credit for his contribution at Bromley but he looked tentative and ineffective last night. Iorpenda faded after a lovely start, as did Tsaroulla. Overall, too timid, too slow to get the ball forward and not enough support for Dennis. Unbeaten run had to end somewhere - pity it was due to a limp display.

Decent point, got to be happy with that given the circumstances. Well done Notts.

We’ll need at least 1 of Robbo and Norburn, preferably both. It’s all action, high energy stuff with Bromley. They are always dangerous with the ball and can utilise “long ball”, through the middle/target man and width too. Woodman varies the attacking style very well. Competing with them in the engine room is vital. I believe we have the defensive quality to contain them, we are organised and combative at the back but it depends upon us containing them in midfield and not being overwhelmed. We can certainly win against a “bogey” side but taking chances might be the critical factor, we need to be sharper in that department if we want to return with the spoils.

Yes, great day. Even better, and funnier, to note that the Scum have sacked Dyche today. I remember leaping in to orbit in the Pavis, then later, hearing the immortal words from Colin Slater, “….. of all people, Charlie Palmer. Meadow Lane is alive….”. Have a great SCP day.

I’d like to believe we could get higher, but promotion this season and some consolidation in L1 is the most probable option. Competing in the top 3rd of L1 would actually be ok, anything better would be a real bonus. There are too many ifs, buts & maybes to be taken into account. Fresh investment, new owners, a couple of “major/significant” signings or 1 mega season etc could all affect the outcome.

Agreed. I thought Tsaroulla was excellent, Iorpenda was busy and caused them some problems. Norburn, Robbo & Macari all in with a shout to. Platt was superb at the back, almost faultless - so I go for him too tbh.

Jarvis is no loss, talented lad but application and consistency were sadly lacking. He’ll be better off back where he’s had most success. If Jones can maintain a decent fitness level we have more than enough capable wide players, particularly with the arrival of Enoru. Never understood all the fuss about Jarvis tbh, one mazy run and a spectacular goal - that was it, full stop. Thus, sensible decision to let him go, he was never going to displace Tsaroulla, Jones, Bennetts, Enoru or the likes of Grant or Iorpenda.

Agreed. I’d say you’ve picked up the 2 most significant areas tbh. We need to be more clinical in front of goal - we seemed to take more shots in the last 2 home games but we’ve spurned good chances. That is certainly an area where we could improve. The concept of playing/competing for 90 minutes - we could be more effective in that respect. Even though this is L2 and we are not Arsenal or Man City, we can try to control games for longer periods, particularly in the final 20 mins or so. It all amounts to putting the game to bed, as it were. We are winning, which is fine, but we could be winning more convincingly. Not a bad problem to have and given the traumas of previous seasons, it is a massive improvement for my money.

Another game that might have got away from us in the past - but we battled it out and kept a clean sheet, aided by some heroics from Belshaw. They were big and lovely but the energy from Iorpenda, Kouhyar and Hall was more than a batch from them. Robertson was non stop, showing skill, awareness and determination and together with Norburn secured central midfield for the most part. Another win, solid and resolute all round performance. Onwards and upwards. Footnote: The squad looks strong, we bring on players who can make a difference now. Pity the 2 new lads didn’t get in, both were ready when we, clearly, changed approach and sent on Bennetts instead.

Although it doesn’t seem to have formally confirmed on the Club website, it seems that Gerry Carver sadly passed away some time over the past 2 days. Whilst only a few of us will remember him playing, he was a great figure in the 59’s and early 60’s. I saw him in the Centenary game, that’s my first recollection of him. An iconic figure to many and a keen member of the Former Players Association. Very sorry to hear this news, I think he’d just turned 90 as well. RIP Gerry, you will always be a Pie.

Based only on radio commentary and a couple of texts from the game - Grant for me.

Very impressive win. Sounded like a real battle but we have the squad and the attitude to win these games now. Pleased to see Grant & Macari get a full shift on too. We always look stronger with those 2 on the pitch. Great stuff Notts.

Yes, I eventually went for Jatta too.

Agreed - some solid performances again. Hall stepped up tonight, Jones was excellent going forward, best game for a long while. We looked balanced, creative and we moved the ball swiftly and accurately for the most part. I said at the match, Macari goes under the radar a lot - he was superb tonight, as were Platt and Bedeau. Drinan never had a sniff. Overall, hard to choose but I’d go for Macari, Platt or Jatta tbh but honourable mentions for Jones, Hall. Bedeau, Norburn and Belshaw for the spectacular save! I’ll opt for 1 of the above in due course.

Another impressive display and an important 3 points. No passengers again tonight, Jones & Hall much better than recent performances and Jatta was excellent again. We deserved that, industry, mobility and some terrific efforts on goal. We have momentum, need to get as many points as possible from the next little 3 game run.