I don't see that as a negative statistic at all, it demonstrates to me that Langstaff is getting into positions to give him a chance of scoring. He is also getting supplied in a good position by his colleagues too.

Macca has scored 28 and missed 29 good chances, that's a 49% success rate In my book that is an outstanding scoring rate.

There are many variables regarding those missed chances, last gasp blocks, outstanding saves, hitting the woodwork, and a last ditch tackle.

Notts have an outstanding forward line plus attacking midfield players, the fact that they are creating so many chances and scoring a good percentage of those chances just backs that description up.

I wonder why the Person who did the graphic didn't go into Greater detail? After all as Robbie as Stated there are many different reasons Macca didn't take his chances All top scorers miss chances. Lee Hughes scored 59/60 goals for Notts and you can bet he missed a fair few. Even the Great Les Bradd would tell you he's missed some sitters in his time. And do you mean to tell me that a Club from higher up the Football Pyramid who's interested in Macca is going to lose all interest in him because he's Not taken 29 chances? Or is that what the person who's produced this Data is hoping for? If that's the case, they're quite right Nothing to see Here Leave Macca at the Lane.

Florist were hard done to, but that statement is a total embarrassment and completely unprofessional. Claiming that the official is corrupt is also surely libellous. If the VAR wanted to benefit Luton, surely he'd have given a penalty to engineer a draw?

Florist's owner is an accident waiting to happen. Another Portsmouth in the making. 

I don't think it's the Owner DangerousSausage, it's the Owners Son, who seems to be getting more and more influence in the Running of the Club.

@DangerousSausage

I get what you are saying and the fact that the statement was posted just a few minutes after the final whistle was crass, to put it mildly, but it has certainly ruffled a few feathers at the FA and PL 

It may not in the end change anything and Forest may finish up with a big fine and censure from the PL.

It will be interesting what the transcripts from the VAR conversations regarding the penalty incidents say.

What I've read on social media is that Forest will be allowed to hear them privately, so the World will have to wait on what comes out of those VAR conversations or yet again, the public will never know.

But we'll probably know by the Forest reaction.

Scandalous. Gateshead adhere to the rules, but couldn't provide proof until after the 1 March cut-off date. It has no relevance to next season at all.

And a special gold star goes to the National League, which announced that Solihull had a bye before, after consulting THEIR OWN RULES, realising that Alty should actually have the bye and Solihull have to play. And all this 48 hours before the playoffs begin. What a shambles! 

Proof DangerousSausage if proof was needed that the  controlling bodies of British football need to be totally reorganized and people at the top need to be removed and replaced with people who have an understanding of the Modern Game and have the Fans interests at Heart.

Spot on @Wheelbarrow repair man they have not just messed up a 46 game season for Gateshead, they've made things very awkward for Solihull too.

I blame the EFL and the NL for this. 

Surely, with every team in the NL playing for promotion to the EFL, each club must be eligible for that promotion if it occurs. That should be agreed before the season starts.

Looks like things might be settled in the courts once again which isn't good for football.

What a Shambles.

A well put together article @Wheelbarrow repair man and you put your case well.

The owners philosophy on how they want Notts to play football is well known, and they appointed Stuart Maynard because he believes in that footballing philosophy too.

Neil and big Sam were both successful with their style of play at Notts and they will always be regarded as legends who guided Notts to great success.

Unfortunately, I don't believe their style of playing fits into what the present ownership wants to see. 

Of course,  Notts have to ensure that they don't get predictable with their play, with the tippy tappy side and back movement that has generated mistakes and has proved so costly this season.

We have to remember that the same Notts defensive players that have let in 98 goals this season, were one of the best defensive units in the NL.

Unfortunately, a step up in level exposed many shortcomings, that I'm sure good recruitment of players are are either league 1 or league 2 level, can fix things for next season. 

Although it may be a good idea for some, I just don't believe that bringing in either Neil or Sam at this point to help Stuart would work and could prove counter productive.

I can Not really take Credit for a vast majority of this article Robbie has I am quoting things both Sam and Neil said in the Podcast and I've only added my own thoughts which are relevant with what I think is wrong at the Lane. Regarding what type of Football should be played at the Lane if it's Not Working next season will the Brothers or more to the point Richard Montague allow Stuart Maynard to change certain things or Stick to the present set up come what may? Even if Notts end up in a season long Relegation Battle? And as was stated by Sam and Neil, young Managers can't play any other way, but the passing side to side backwards and forwards between defenders and the Goal Keeper. Even if Notts look like being stuck with this type of Football there are many ideas from Sam and Neil that Stuart Maynard can adopt, which wont interfere with the playing style. 

Examples Man Management Luke Williams had it in Bucket Loads, as stated he improved all his players, which is something Stuart Maynard needs to attain even if he needs to take a course in it. Also be willing to mix things up, something Williams refused to do. There have been times Maynard has attempted to do this the trouble was he kept changing things around the Victories at Newport and Bradford prove this he tinkered with a winning formula and the Magpies lost their following matches. A Good Goalkeeper is needed boy do Notts need a good Goalkeeper. If Tiernan Brookes isn't that guy he still needs to be in the Squad as back up. next season, sending him out on loan again will only destroy his confidence. Man Management skills. Maynard doesn't come across as the hard type of Manager. No that's wrong  he doesn't come across as a Strong type of Manager. This is My Team and I'm in Charge, because if he doesn't Toughen Up  he isn't Going To Survive. Be your Own Man Stuart Not A Yes Man.

I don't know why people think that the appointment of a Director of Football in the Warnock/Allardyce mould would upset things at the Lane. After all learning from a Master manager would help Stuart Maynard No End. They would help him toughen up, they would help him with his Man Management Skills. Even if Notts don't appoint a Director of Football, which seems highly unlikely you can't tell me adopting some of their ideas isn't going to Help  Stuart Maynard become a better Head Coach.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I get what you are saying.

Let's just see how things develop in the summer.

Looking on the bright side, Stuart has 3 wins out of 4 and a win on Saturday would be 4 wins out of 5 which would be Notts's best run in 39 matches including the last 19 of of Luke William's tenure.

In the form table over the last 5 matches Notts are in 7th place so we are starting to see an improvement even with the current team, that clearly need strengthening.

When changes come in the summer, and with time to work together on the training ground after a summer break, I am optimistic that we see a much tighter defence next season.

With Matty Palmer back to partner Robertson in midfield, that in itself is a mouthwatering prospect, even without the new players.

Thanks for replying @Piethagoram, I was beginning to think I was talking to myself in this thread it doesn’t seem very popular, perhaps folk don’t want to chat about everyday things. 

Saturday afternoon I watched my first team on Rams Tv plant one foot back in the Championship.The opposition,Cambridge United,are still fighting relegation and put up one hell of a fight in the second half but my Rams hung on to another away victory.Nevertheless it was an extremely nerve wracking time and although sat comfortably at home I found myself continually kicking and heading the ball imaginatively every time danger threatened.By the end of the game I was absolutely exhausted.My old mate ,Gordon, was listening to the game in his house in Alfreton on Radio Derby and he said he was the same.It took me all day Sunday to recover.I must learn to relax while waching games..

2 hours ago, super_ram said:

I found myself continually kicking and heading the ball imaginatively every time danger threatened.By the end of the game I was absolutely exhausted.

I’m glad it’s not just me who does that @super_ram 

Ashby-Hammond 7

Macari 7

Cameron 6.5

Baldwin 6

Robertson 7.5

O'Brien  8

Austin   6.5

Crowley 7

Nemane 6

Jones 6

Langstaff 7

A solid performance today by the team, dominated Colchester for long periods. Should have been a larger win. The team looked better balanced with an extra midfielder.

Pleased the team got another clean sheet. 

That's now 3 wins in 4 for Maynard.

He also has 2 clean sheets in 4 too.  

Stumps on the 3rd day.

What a day for the Notts batsmen.

Notts 418 for 2, lead by 157.

Clarke not out 209

Young not out 156

Day 4. The expected rain has come.

With heavy rain falling the Umpires have decided to abandon play, so the result is a draw.

Well I've pinned my hopes on an East Midlands rumpus in League One the season after next, so they'll have to stay put!

I think they'll nail it though. If they get four points against almost-safe Cambridge and Carlisle, it won't matter what Posh or Bolton do. Three points would probably do it too. Say hello to our nearest and dearest next season!

Great win for the Rams yesterday. One more point and their back in the Championship. Don't bother with a draw Go for a Win and make sure. Come On Derby.

It’s certainly in their hands, they’ll only have themselves to blame if they don’t clinch it. I hope they manage to get over the line.

Stoke City 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

Sunderland 2-0 Millwall 

Blackpool 2-1 Barnsley (joker)

Charlton Athletic 2-0 Shrewsbury Town

Cheltenham Town 0-2 Lincoln City

Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Barrow

Grimsby Town 2-1 Swindon Town

Sutton United 1-1 Crawley Town

Stoke City 2 v 0 Plymouth Argyle

Sunderland 2 v 0 Millwall

Blackpool 2 v 1 Barnsley

Charlton Athletic 3 v 0 Shrewsbury Town

Cheltenham Town 0 v 2 Lincoln City joker

Doncaster Rovers 2 v  0 Barrow

Grimsby Town 1 v 1 Swindon Town

Sutton United 1 v 1 Crawley Town

The results:

Stoke City 3-0 Plymouth Argyle

Sunderland 0-1 Millwall

Blackpool 3-2 Barnsley

Charlton Athletic 1-1 Shrewsbury Town

Cheltenham Town1-2 Lincoln City

Doncaster Rovers 4-2 Barrow

Grimsby Town 2-0 Swindon Town

Sutton United 2-2 Crawley Town

---

Congrats to this round's winner, @william1984! Apologies for the avant-garde mobile screenshot style this week...

---

So with one round remaining, @ARLukomski is five points ahead of @gtownjohnno and nine points ahead of @william1984. Don't ask why the second table is larger, see it as a consolation for being in the bottom half! 

But the final word has not yet been spoken - the last fixtures will magically appear on Wednesday and will be played on Saturday. Thanks for playing and see you all then! 

@gtownjohnno

Mark Stallard mentioned yesterday that in all competitions Notts have scored, including yesterday 96 goals and we've conceded 98.

A 4:2 win at Forest Green next Saturday would make it 100 scored and 100 Conceded in all competitions.

Thanks Robbie... I thought I had heard that on the way home from yesterday's game... Would that be a record to be proud of though???? 

@gtownjohnno

Well I think to get 100 goals scored would be a great achievement. Not so much the 100 conceded.

We've already scored 206 league goals in 2 seasons with one match to go, so that's another great statistic too.

And just 6 points off a playoff spot with one game to go just demonstrates how the season could have turned out.

18 penalties conceded in a season will most likely be a record we would want to forget too. 

The attendances since the brothers came in have been truly amazing, I do think we have been helped in that regard by our near neighbours being in the Premiership, lots of folk can’t get tickets so come to Notts. I’ve also been pleased to notice that there are lots more youngsters/children coming to the matches and they seemed to be enjoying the games. As I walked away from Meadow Lane yesterday I overheard a lady with three young boys. “Did you enjoy that boys?” The answer from the boys in unison was “Yeah it was great”.

We do need to keep these young fans they are the future, I hope we keep Meadow Lane a welcoming place for that lady to bring her boys.

The fact that there was nothing on this match as Notts were not challenging for anything, such as the playoffs and just playing for pride, Saturday's attendance of over 11,000 was very encouraging for next season.

Another factor that could attract the floating supporter to Notts next season is the extortionate season ticket and match price to attend the Club across the River.

It was certainly a great day out for families, yesterday with a great atmosphere too. 

We are still waiting for Notts to announce their prices for next season. 

Attracting families could be a big winner for Notts next season, by keeping prices low for Children.

I guess I'll just have to Agree to Disagree with you Robbie. Maynard still could have played Macca and Cedwyn up front from the off even if Ceds had only lasted till half time.  Jodi was kept very quiet today he didn't play to his usual high standard, the Colchester defender  on his side didn't give him anything. Ashby-Hammond almost cost Notts a goal with his wondering out of his 18 yard box, the Colchester player almost chipped him but his shot hit the woodwork. If it was Jim's last game at Meadow Lane he certainly went out like A Warrior, if only he was 5 or so years younger. He needs to be kept at the Lane in some sort of capacity next season. Dan Crowley was outstanding again and Macca well he was just Macca, he came up with the Goal to break the Stalemate and was unlucky not to score more.

Despite the recent Results there still needs to be Massive Changes at Notts in the off Season. An interesting quote from the Forest Green Owner when asked about their two successive Relegations he honestly stated Our Recruitment over the last two seasons has been Abysmal. So lets hope Montague and his team get things Right. The first couple of months next season should be enough time to tell if Stuart Maynard is the Man for the Job at Notts.

There have been some wonderful goals scored by Notts this season.

Every one of those goals on this short list has it's merits.

Aaron Nemane's mazy run against Walsall takes some beating. 

Pleased that Aaron got the goal of the season for Notts, and what a goal it was.

No wonder Stuart's pleased.

Another good performance from the team, another clean sheet, one defeat in five, three wins in four, the chance to get four wins in five if Notts win at Forest Green. 

It would be a positive end to the season for the gaffer and his team.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

Yes I have read it and it looks like the FA are determined to push it through.

The make up of the representation that made the decision appears to be heavily weighted in favour of the PL.

Early days, but we could be seeing the beginning of a big split happening in the national game.

The FA are clinging on to the big six every which way they can, but I think it's inevitable that there will be sadly a European Super League in the not too distant future.

Robbie 

You're 100% right there will be a Major Split within the National Games and I think you've hit the nail on the head regarding a European Super League, the FA don't give two figs about Clubs outside the Premier League. And  Manchester City Manchester United Liverpool Arsenal Tottenham and Chelsea will join a European Super  League and the entrance to which will be based on how much a Club has in it's Bank account rather than it's Football prowess. And Fan objection will be pushed to one side.

I feel the statement could have been harsher worded to be honest. As one of the founding members of the football league, Notts alongside six of the others could have formed quite a vocal opposition to this. They should have called out the FA like the Tranmere statement did, now that was incredibly well worded and hit home with a lot of fans.

The FA are running scared of the Premier League and the Government (whoever that may be) need to appoint the much talked about independent regulator as soon as possible because the FA cannot do it.

Preston North End 1 v 2 Norwich City

Sheffield Wednesday 1 v 1 Stoke City (Joker)

Bolton Wanderers 1 v 2 Portsmouth

Oxford United 1 v 1 Peterborough United

Harrogate Town 2 v 2 Sutton United

Newport County 2 v 0 Tranmere Rovers

Bromley 2 v 1 Solihull Moors

York City 1 v 2 Woking

The results:

Preston North End 0-1 Norwich City
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Stoke City
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Portsmouth
Oxford United 5-0 Peterborough United
Harrogate Town 2-2 Sutton United
Newport County 1-2 Tranmere Rovers
Bromley 3-0 Solihull Moors
York City 2-0 Woking

---

This week's winner is... drum roll... @nottsnutter!

@nottsnutter - 11
@DangerousSausage - 10
@4everapie, @super_ram - 8
@Dan, @william1984 - 7
@cheeky~k8, @Fan of Big Tone, @Robbie - 5
@ARLukomski, @Megan_Elizax - 4
@gtownjohnno, @Harry Buckley - 3
@magpiejue - 2

---

With two rounds to go, @gtownjohnno and @william1984 need something big to overtake @ARLukomski. And I've done my play-off hopes no harm at all

ARLukomski - 210
gtownjohnno - 203
william1984 - 198
super_ram - 191
cheeky~k8 - 186
Fan of Big Tone - 186
4everapie - 185
DangerousSausage - 184
magpiejue - 179
Dan - 176
Megan_Elizax - 161
nottsnutter - 144
DonnyNotts - 136
liampie - 133
Chris - 123
Joshua - 90
upthepies - 90
Robbie - 83
allardyces tash - 70
TheSkipper - 67
Harry Buckley - 66
KingWilliams - 66
CliftonMagpie - 55
thommo - 49
OoooooTommy - 45
NottsCountyKev - 41
JIMBO - 40
jimbob - 38
Nocturnal-Magpie - 38
AmericanPie - 36
KB1862 - 22
George L - 6
Canadian - 4

---

The next round is on Saturday, so fixtures will be posted on Wednesday. In the meantime, make sure your crystal balls are well polished and take care!

Coming with a late surge

@Piethagoram I agree, the Nest is a low risk venture. There are so many money making things that could be held there, Darts, Snooker, Conferences, Weddings, as well as Matchday events. Like you wrote, sell it on, if things don't work out. I also remember going in the late sixties, when the Meadow lane terracing was falling to pieces, it was the same in the Cop too in places. Notts have come a long way since then 

@Wheelbarrow repair man You have legitimate concerns and many Notts fans will feel the same.

I think that the Owners and the board have to learn quickly from mistakes that have been made, about, mistaken loyalty, recruitment, on field player selection & tactics.  

As for the forum, we all knew that it was going to be strictly controlled when news came through that it would be recorded. With all these Audience participation events, they are still strictly controlled, even BBC question time is controlled.

It would have been better to have read out some questions from supporters, but again only a summary of fans feelings were mentioned.

As you know my concerns are about the ground itself, Toilets, Hot water, Permanent segregation in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand to allow more home supporters to sit there. 

Concourses need addressing, the covered up seats costing Notts with 3500 less people in the ground for a match that could sell out. That in itself could cost Notts up to £100K in lost revenue. 

Imagine if there were only 5 games a year where Notts could fill the ground. That's a potential £500K lost.

It was interesting to get an insight into the thought processes of the people running the club, but there were no major bombshells. The sudden appearance of party balloons on Paul Mace's screen was probably the best bit!

One of my main takeaways is that the head coach and his assistant seem to be more involved in player recruitment than I originally thought.

The bit about season ticket prices was very brief and a little awkward. Someone really needed to mention the cost of living crisis. I know it's JP's job to maximise revenue and put the club on a firm financial footing, but raising prices just because other clubs are doing it isn't a socially compatible thing to do. Go too high and we risk freezing out a section of our supporters, some of whom have only recently started going regularly. Football should be affordable. 

Following on with the embarrassment with the defence comment. I guess they thought the “style” would continue into the FL, in terms of keeping teams off the ball simply means they’ll have less time to attack and score and that it would still work. I thought we’d concede more this season but did anyone honestly think it would be this bad? I underestimated the step up in quality, we’re good enough to be at this level, but we can’t steamroll teams (in general) like we did in the NL.

I still kind of think the goals scored is at the expense of our goals conceded too. We set out to attack, the team is usually overloaded with attackers and we push everyone high up the pitch. Both the GS and GC kind of need to be looked at the same time, I think there is a correlation between the too. We’ve still got a +3 GD, the funny thing is if we’d have had a season where we’d scored 50 and conceded 47 I don’t think anyone would have any real concerns…

Maybe I’m completely wrong here but I think it’s actually easier to fix by making some personnel changes and tactical changes. Usually scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football so I’d rather, if I had to pick, have to sort the issues out with the defence.

Agree with the ticket prices, sounds like they are going up but I'm hopeful it's by a very small margin. I'm not sure a market research group consisting of just Paul, who is a successful businessman, is a fair reflection of the financial situation of all Notts fans! Yes, it was a bit awkward when he kind of unequivocally agreed with idea of raising prices...

Of course it is going to be strictly controlled as far as the attendees and questions are concerned.

I do hope that they will allow frank and searching questions, just like the questions that we have seen being discussed on this Community.

Engaging with supporters in an open & honest way can only be good for the Club and Supporter relations.Both the Club and supporters could learn much from this forum too.

Full agreement with you Robbie. So if the attendees and questions are going to be Strictly Controlled, What Is The Point Of Even Having A "Fans Forum?" With the Club holding these meetings they're trying to give the impression they're connecting with the Fans when they're actually not. And as you say the People at the Club should take a leaf out of the Pride Of Nottingham Community and have Frank and Open Discussion about Fans real concerns.

Perhaps you and Chris can get yourselves invited and take questions from PON members to ask on the Evening? Even better why not ask for questions from PON Members get them to send their questions, put them up on the Site and say this is what we going to ask Joe Palmer and he can record his answers and PON can play his recorded answers on here along with the answers also written down. That way questions that matter will be asked on our behalf  do you think our C.E.O would be up for this?

I know Stockport are good but we seriously don’t help ourselves...

I’ll get the moan about the ref out of the way first. The first penalty is so bad it’s unbelievable, it’s blasted at Crowley from about 5 yards away and he was moving his arms into his body anyway. He didn’t make himself bigger and the ball would’ve been blocked by his chest anyway! I didn’t think the Cameron one was a penalty either because it looked to me like he took the ball cleanly before the two players naturally collided.

Luckily our performance was so bad the ref didn’t actually cost us. I know we scored 2 but we created one good chance with Langstaff and then until they scored their 4th, we really struggled to create much. It was, once again, a masterclass in how not to defend. In general our players were poor on and off the ball, constantly taking 4 or 5 touches instead of 1 or 2. Their defence and general off the ball play showed us what we should be doing. Once they went 4 up they relaxed and allowed us to get back in the game but even after we’d scored 2 they were still very dangerous. Even without the penalties, 5 goals didn't flatter them.

I know it’s easy to say in hindsight but it was so naïve playing 3 defenders, and being so open against a team that had scored as many goals as us before we kicked off. I know Stockport have spent a lot to bring in good players but we’ve got to be smarter on the pitch to combat it. We let teams have too many shots against us and we’re far to easy to get at. That fourth goal kind of summed up how easy we are to get at. Brindley is out of position, so one ball gets knocked into a massive space and they’re in on goal, one pass! How can you expect to not concede! It’s driving me mad. Yes we desperately need some new defenders but surely playing just 3 defenders and then the rest of the team as attackers isn’t the way forward.

We were on a bit of a hiding to nothing with Stockport needing a win to secure the title and us losing two of our best recent performers just before kick-off. But it's annoying all the same.

To play the devil's advocate @menzinho, I think SM has realised that playing four at the back doesn't give this team any more stability defensively, but when we've played that way it has stunted us as an attacking threat. With Chicksen and Abebayo seemingly unavailable and Robertson probably not yet fully fit, the team pretty much picked itself.

Which doesn't excuse some of the defending on display, of course. Langstaff should have put us in the lead, and until Baldwin's ridiculous slip it looked like we were going to give them a game. We looked shaken by the first goal and, like all good teams, Stockport were there to take advantage. Lady Luck deserted us for a bit with the penalty and the deflection, but at that stage the visitors were getting in so many attempts that more goals were inevitable.

As they say in Germany, wipe your mouth and carry on.

@menzinho

@DangerousSausage

I think there were times this season when the team should have been instructed to just grind a result, especially against the better teams, but unfortunately that is not the playing philosophy of the club at the moment.

I also don't think that this team know how to grind a result out even if they were told to. That's why we need to recruit some players that are hard, physical, can tackle and have plenty of energy.

Well deserved it’s a pity he was injured last night against Stockport.

Well did the people of Gambia outdo the US and Canada there! Notts training camp in the summer confirmed as a reward?   

I take it all back, definitely a serious award, well done Jatta!

Well done AJ! Did he win a cake?

For an "Academic" survey on such a topic, I am very surprised that you did not include the fundamental role of the governing body UEFA, in this case. 

As a football fan, one cannot allow UEFA and FIFA to continually hide behind Swiss secrecy laws. Both organisations need to be financially transparent

Many thanks to those who have completed the survey. It is still live if anyone has a spare few minutes to share their thoughts. 

Last shout to see if anyone has a spare few minutes to help me out with this research project.