Who's Staying Behind Saturday

[jackal2]

The thing that galls me most is that I still believe this team/squad has considerably more in terms of quality and experience than the one that kept us up with Julian Baudet's late penalty in 2006, but that 2006 team had more fight and guts throughout the season and in the final game.

The 2006 team, built on shoestring budget, knew their limitations from the outset and scrapped for every point throughout the season, eventually scraping their way over the line with the 2-2 draw against Bury. This season's relatively well-resourced team has simply given up in several games, making little effort to protect our goal difference in defeat. If ever you wanted proof that experience is the most overrated commodity in sport, we've seen it this season.

Of course, even at this late stage, they still have the opportunity to get six points and hopefully drag us away from disaster. These players can still avoid the legacy of being the ones who threw away the proud 130-year league status of the World's Oldest Football League club. They can still do enough to ensure that this season ends as nothing more than a 2006-style low point in Notts County's ongoing football league history.

But does this group of players have the desire and bottle to do it?

[Glad2BeAPie]

The thing that galls me most is that I still believe this team/squad has considerably more in terms of quality and experience than the one that kept us up with Julian Baudet's late penalty in 2006, but that 2006 team had more fight and guts throughout the season and in the final game.

The 2006 team, built on shoestring budget, knew their limitations from the outset and scrapped for every point throughout the season, eventually scraping their way over the line with the 2-2 draw against Bury. This season's relatively well-resourced team has simply given up in several games, making little effort to protect our goal difference in defeat. If ever you wanted proof that experience is the most overrated commodity in sport, we've seen it this season.

Of course, even at this late stage, they still have the opportunity to get six points and hopefully drag us away from disaster. These players can still avoid the legacy of being the ones who threw away the proud 130-year league status of the World's Oldest Football League club. They can still do enough to ensure that this season ends as nothing more than a 2006-style low point in Notts County's ongoing football league history.

But does this group of players have the desire and bottle to do it?

In a word or two, no they ****ing haven't

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The thing that galls me most is that I still believe this team/squad has considerably more in terms of quality and experience than the one that kept us up with Julian Baudet's late penalty in 2006, but that 2006 team had more fight and guts throughout the season and in the final game.

The 2006 team, built on shoestring budget, knew their limitations from the outset and scrapped for every point throughout the season, eventually scraping their way over the line with the 2-2 draw against Bury. This season's relatively well-resourced team has simply given up in several games, making little effort to protect our goal difference in defeat. If ever you wanted proof that experience is the most overrated commodity in sport, we've seen it this season.

Of course, even at this late stage, they still have the opportunity to get six points and hopefully drag us away from disaster. These players can still avoid the legacy of being the ones who threw away the proud 130-year league status of the World's Oldest Football League club. They can still do enough to ensure that this season ends as nothing more than a 2006-style low point in Notts County's ongoing football league history.

But does this group of players have the desire and bottle to do it?

This is why I still believe we can stay up because the ability is in there. I just cannot understand why it has come to the final two games where we need to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Well I can actually because we self destruct so much.

Let’s just have a look at the team of 2006 that drew 2-2 with Bury;

Pilkington, Doyle (not the current one), Edwards, Ullathorne, Baudet, Pipe, Needham, Martin, Palmer, Dadi, Scoffham

Subs:- McMahon, Chillingworth, Frost, Marshall, O’Callaghan.

That day Dan Martin scores in the 86th minute and Julian Baudets penalty in the 89th minute.

The current team is far superior in terms of experience and ability than the team that ground out a draw with Bury. But it shows that at this level endeavour, fight, desire and mental strength can take you along way.

Earlier in the season the players did not have the mental strength or fight to get back into games when we went a goal or two down. Instead they collapsed which as you say has made our goal difference far worse than it needs to be.

I’d like to be confident that if we were losing or drawing to Grimsby by the 75th minute on Saturday we would go hell for leather to fight for the win. But part of me thinks we will only do that if Macclesfield or Yeovil are winning. It shouldn’t be like it. We need to go at them from the start and get an early goal and put in a Stevenage, Carlisle performance.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I can't believe that anyone will clap the players off if we lose and are looking at relegation in the face,if they do then they should be ashamed of themselves,I won't even clap them off if Notts win im that fed up with this season

Believe me there will be happy clappers even if we go out of the league. They won’t be able to help themselves. That is why I maintain that you could put 11 traffic cones out there in black and white shirts and some people would clap them.

We have no divine right to our league status even though we are the oldest club in the league. However I don’t want our club playing in non-league and having that stain on its proud history. I do not want us to be playing lowly footballing backwaters where the opposition bring next to no fans to Meadow Lane. I don’t want us cast into an abyss which means you have to have an exceptional season where you need to win at least half your games and only lose a handful to stand any chance of a return.

Surely that prospect is enough to make people angry upset and hurt should it happen?

[PedroTheFisherman66]

I will be showing my appreciation at Swindon. One way or another.

Please remind me Dunce ....
How do you show your appreciation to a team that has just taken you into the conference league ???
is it cheer and clap ...
clap ?
cheer ?
wolf whistle ?
or all of the above ?

or is hurling abuse at the squad allowed ?
answers on a post card please .................x

[Pietastic]

When I look at O Brien, Doyle, Schofield, Tootle, Stead, Milsom ,Rose, Mackail-Smith I genuinly think they give a damn. I completely agree Mad Magpie that we DO NOT want to be entering the lowly backwaters of the footballing world. We can offer great support and we might still lose but I would rather we do that than create a toxic vibe which will edge us closer and faster to footballing obscurity. Unlike other poor seasons I think the vibe at Meadow Lane is great considering the woe we are in - I really really hope that it makes a difference in a last minute claw out of our dire predicament.

[cocopops61]

If the Swindon game becomes a three way decider then if I was Notts I would lay on some free transport down there to get as many to the game as possible

[Mark_Ross]

The thing that galls me most is that I still believe this team/squad has considerably more in terms of quality and experience than the one that kept us up with Julian Baudet's late penalty in 2006, but that 2006 team had more fight and guts throughout the season and in the final game.

The 2006 team, built on shoestring budget, knew their limitations from the outset and scrapped for every point throughout the season, eventually scraping their way over the line with the 2-2 draw against Bury. This season's relatively well-resourced team has simply given up in several games, making little effort to protect our goal difference in defeat. If ever you wanted proof that experience is the most overrated commodity in sport, we've seen it this season.

Of course, even at this late stage, they still have the opportunity to get six points and hopefully drag us away from disaster. These players can still avoid the legacy of being the ones who threw away the proud 130-year league status of the World's Oldest Football League club. They can still do enough to ensure that this season ends as nothing more than a 2006-style low point in Notts County's ongoing football league history.

But does this group of players have the desire and bottle to do it?

That "Trust Era" team was average to poor in terms of ability, but none of us ever doubted that they were playing 100% as good as possible - in fact they played their collective hearts out, and kept us up. Compared to this season, it seems like a golden age. Who on earth would ever have thought it?

[slack_pie]

When I look at O Brien, Doyle, Schofield, Tootle, Stead, Milsom ,Rose, Mackail-Smith I genuinly think they give a damn. I completely agree Mad Magpie that we DO NOT want to be entering the lowly backwaters of the footballing world. We can offer great support and we might still lose but I would rather we do that than create a toxic vibe which will edge us closer and faster to footballing obscurity. Unlike other poor seasons I think the vibe at Meadow Lane is great considering the woe we are in - I really really hope that it makes a difference in a last minute claw out of our dire predicament.

I suppose I agree. Something just seems off though. I hate to sound fatalistic, but it just seems like we're down no matter what we try. Did you see Doyle's reaction to Barclay's red card on Monday? Head in hands, gutted. It mattered to him. But there was also a sense of bafflement, like 'what now?'. I suppose the players feel it as much as the fans, like the stars are aligning in the wrong way. Maybe it's just our time. I mean we've escaped by the skin of our teeth enough times already, and the levels of incompetence on show this season from our owner really shouldn't go unpunished by the football gods.

[Pietastic]

Yeah Slack Pie - I hear you - it is like there is something in the stars. Just like there was when we suddenly had that mini good streak - outclassing Mansfield and FGR's. I'm clinging onto a re-alignment and a miracle for the next two games. Things do change. I actually like and rate some of our players better than previous teams. I have seen some way less interested and dull teams over the years. So why is this one doing so badly!! I think the players do feel it as much as the fans. In reality I suspect they would do anything to turn it round. They have everything to gain and everything to lose. And the weight of knowing that all those in the club that they see day in day out will be potentially out of work if they don't deliver. Not to mention their own self respect. I guess once you get down the bottom you maybe start trying too hard and actually lose your edge and of course confidence and pressure can all undermine you being at your best. It's the same for all of us no matter whether we get paid well or not....