Player ratings v Cambridge

[Elite_Pie]

Not an easy game to rate, but here's my two penn'orth:

Fitzsimons 6 – not much chance with any of their goals, didn’t have a lot to do otherwise.
Tootle 6 – an average performance
Duffy 6 – nothing special but no real errors
Brisley 6 – silly booking but made up for it with a goal.
Dickinson 5.5 – not up to his recent standard
Hawkridge 5 – saw a fair bit of the ball but didn’t do a lot with it
Hewitt 6 – average, his long throws were a bit better
Yates 6.5 – competed well, helped us hold our shape
Grant 4.5 – couldn’t beat his full back, probably his worst game yet
Stead 5.5 – tried hard, but not a lot worked
Ameobi 7* - some classy touches, could have done better with the chances he had

Allesandra 7 – soon got into the game, good goal and offered us more of a threat
Jones 6 – good cross to get us back in the game
Forte 6.5 – seemed to be injured soon after coming on, but stuck at it to earn us a point

A point few would have envisaged at 0-3, especially with Ameobi and Forte struggling with injuries. We now need 3 points at Morecambe, even though our striking options could well be limited. The spirit of this squad can’t be questioned, but I still think we need some inspired transfer activity in January to become genuine top 3 contenders.

[jackal2]

I agree with the ratings above, although you could bump Forte up to 7 because he definitely provided a spark despite carrying an injury in the last 10 minutes, and he got the all important equaliser.

The team spirit is great and the Notts teams of recent seasons could never have produced such a comeback, but I think the stark lesson from today is that we cannot rely on our ageing forward line. Shola takes a battering and soldiers on, but it's asking a lot for him to carry on week in, week out and at times he looks fatigued. Meanwhile, Jon Stead is pretty much fulfilling my prophecy that this will be one season too far and he just doesn't look sharp enough to pick up on the half chances strikers are supposed to gobble up. Ameobi isn't prolific and never has been, but he's a good target man. Alongside him we need a younger striker who can create and convert more chances, otherwise we're relying very heavily on the goals we're getting from elsewhere in the team. Alessandra looks like a decent finisher at times, but hasn't always grasped his chances. It looks essential that we recruit at least one extra good quality striker in January if we're going to have the squad depth required.

[tarquinbeech]

I agree with the ratings above, although you could bump Forte up to 7 because he definitely provided a spark despite carrying an injury in the last 10 minutes, and he got the all important equaliser.

The team spirit is great and the Notts teams of recent seasons could never have produced such a comeback, but I think the stark lesson from today is that we cannot rely on our ageing forward line. Shola takes a battering and soldiers on, but it's asking a lot for him to carry on week in, week out and at times he looks fatigued. Meanwhile, Jon Stead is pretty much fulfilling my prophecy that this will be one season too far and he just doesn't look sharp enough to pick up on the half chances strikers are supposed to gobble up. Ameobi isn't prolific and never has been, but he's a good target man. Alongside him we need a younger striker who can create and convert more chances, otherwise we're relying very heavily on the goals we're getting from elsewhere in the team. Alessandra looks like a decent finisher at times, but hasn't always grasped his chances. It looks essential that we recruit at least one extra good quality striker in January if we're going to have the squad depth required.

Is precisely the right post......no way are Shola and Stead going to score 10 goals between now and May, BETWEEN THEM....you only need one target man, not two old warhorses.....let one start and sit the other on the bench.....start either Aless or Forte, it aint rocket science......every other team in this division have figured us out....our front two cannot score despite 50 odd up and unders every match

[durhampie]

Is precisely the right post......no way are Shola and Stead going to score 10 goals between now and May, BETWEEN THEM....you only need one target man, not two old warhorses.....let one start and sit the other on the bench.....start either Aless or Forte, it aint rocket science......every other team in this division have figured us out....our front two cannot score despite 50 odd up and unders every match

Hopefully now the penny will drop...I've said this since the beginning of the season..

[tarquinbeech]

Hopefully now the penny will drop...I've said this since the beginning of the season..

We have done OK up until now.....but honestly, every other team with an internet connection can spot our game plan, hoof hoof hoof.....3 points in three games tells us that we need to change things from the start.....we waited until we were 3 down before we brought on the pacey goal scorers....it has been bugging me all afternoon.....grrrrr

[navypie]

Not an easy game to rate, but here's my two penn'orth:

Fitzsimons 6 – not much chance with any of their goals, didn’t have a lot to do otherwise.
Tootle 6 – an average performance
Duffy 6 – nothing special but no real errors
Brisley 6 – silly booking but made up for it with a goal.
Dickinson 5.5 – not up to his recent standard
Hawkridge 5 – saw a fair bit of the ball but didn’t do a lot with it
Hewitt 6 – average, his long throws were a bit better
Yates 6.5 – competed well, helped us hold our shape
Grant 4.5 – couldn’t beat his full back, probably his worst game yet
Stead 5.5 – tried hard, but not a lot worked
Ameobi 7* - some classy touches, could have done better with the chances he had

Allesandra 7 – soon got into the game, good goal and offered us more of a threat
Jones 6 – good cross to get us back in the game
Forte 6.5 – seemed to be injured soon after coming on, but stuck at it to earn us a point

A point few would have envisaged at 0-3, especially with Ameobi and Forte struggling with injuries. We now need 3 points at Morecambe, even though our striking options could well be limited. The spirit of this squad can’t be questioned, but I still think we need some inspired transfer activity in January to become genuine top 3 contenders.

Just about spot on , Grant was awful and Hawkridge not much better . My MOM though was the ref for not sending Brisley off! A special mention to Fitz whose handling was superb yesterday , especially outside his area.

[slack_pie]

Not an easy game to rate, but here's my two penn'orth:

Fitzsimons 6 – not much chance with any of their goals, didn’t have a lot to do otherwise.
Tootle 6 – an average performance
Duffy 6 – nothing special but no real errors
Brisley 6 – silly booking but made up for it with a goal.
Dickinson 5.5 – not up to his recent standard
Hawkridge 5 – saw a fair bit of the ball but didn’t do a lot with it
Hewitt 6 – average, his long throws were a bit better
Yates 6.5 – competed well, helped us hold our shape
Grant 4.5 – couldn’t beat his full back, probably his worst game yet
Stead 5.5 – tried hard, but not a lot worked
Ameobi 7* - some classy touches, could have done better with the chances he had

Allesandra 7 – soon got into the game, good goal and offered us more of a threat
Jones 6 – good cross to get us back in the game
Forte 6.5 – seemed to be injured soon after coming on, but stuck at it to earn us a point

A point few would have envisaged at 0-3, especially with Ameobi and Forte struggling with injuries. We now need 3 points at Morecambe, even though our striking options could well be limited. The spirit of this squad can’t be questioned, but I still think we need some inspired transfer activity in January to become genuine top 3 contenders.

Fair ratings but I'd bump Brisley and Yates up to a 7.

As others have said, it seems like teams have got us sussed now. We're one dimensional for large parts of the game (especially in the first half of matches), and I think Grant will struggle to match his form from the first half of the season - he can only cause damage if given space, and Cambridge showed it's not too hard to give him none.

Noble might add something extra to the midfield, but I'm concerned he'll be wasted in our current setup. Our whole game plan revolves around bypassing midfield and having two high-energy players to win the ball back. Noble needs the ball at his feet in order to play his game.

Then there's our aged forward line. As others have said, we need another option up front as the Stead/Ameobi partnership won't provide enough goals to get us over the line. They both still have something to offer, especially Shola, but their strengths would be maximised alongside a younger, more energetic striker - someone who can convert those half chances in and around the box.

We also need another CB. If Brisley gets injured, we're pretty much screwed.

As it stands, I have absolutely to idea where we'll finish this season. I've been waiting for us to drop down the table for months now, and it hasn't happened yet. But with the table so tight between 3-12 position, it wouldn't take much for us to find ourselves even outside the playoffs.

[The_Don_ORiordan]

Stead and Ameobi are only a poor forward line when we hoof it. In the first half yesterday when we played it on the deck we created three clear cut chances that at least one or two should have been taken. We clearly need a better cutting edge and likely a pacy striker to feed off Ameobi when its hoofed!

Although yesterday's goals were well taken, we had opportunities to prevent all of them with early challenges. I'll watch the videos but in each case forwards coming deep seemed to pull out our centre halves and leave big holes.

January shopping list :

Pacy forward
Centre half
Stead and Grant warming up on the touch line.

[The-Mac pie]

Well fellow pies
I stayed til the very end yesterday with my good wife.
After 70 minutes we were dead and buried.
Then the comeback.
Our opposition came with a game plan.
Get under our skins,get in our faces,ruffle our feathers and see if they can nick a goal.
They got three,and then piste it completely up.
Even Derry was doing his best on the touchline.
They come with a game plan and it so nearly worked.
We have a lot to learn still,but we are defiantly going in the right direction.
There is no way that for many a season we would of come back from 3 nil down to get a point out of that game.
Massive,massive character shown come the end.
3 games have just passed,3 points,not great but we didn't lose .
Luton will get promotion this year,and so will Notts.
I just think this is our year.
We are not a finished article but the inroads the new management and chairman have made is spectacular in such a short space of time.
I feel we have our Notts county back.
please may this continue.

[Robertomac]

Just about spot on , Grant was awful and Hawkridge not much better.

I think Grant has been pretty poor for a number of games now, but has popped up with goals or assists which have deflected any criticism.

What's plain to see is that he's a waste of space on the left wing.