Kristian Dennis?

[apieandpint]

A second pre-season for Dennis with us and a second time being injured during it. It won't be long before we see him leave on loan to gain match fitness, then being sold.

[slack_pie]

A second pre-season for Dennis with us and a second time being injured during it. It won't be long before we see him leave on loan to gain match fitness, then being sold.

This. He'll have a niggling injury, play a handful of games from the bench, and eventually leave the club. He'll then stay injury free and bang in 20 goals for whomever signs him.

[jackal2]

If Notts can keep him, I think he can be a major player for us. He proved his quality at a poor Chesterfield side and didn't get much chance last season.

Form is temporary, quality is permanent.

I agree. I think he needs a genuine target man to play alongside, because he's an old-fashioned goal poacher. Hemmings isn't a genuine target man, but to be fair they didn't get many opportunities to play together last season anyway and they were part of a team that had been badly constructed and under-prepared in general.

Notts County do have a habit of signing players with hitherto good records and not doing their due diligence about the style of play that will bring the best out of them. As Zlatan Ibrahimovic once said about his spell at Barcelona, there's no point buying a Rolls Royce and trying to run it like a Ferrari. Yes I know Zlatan loves himself, but he had a point. Why bring in a high-earning marquee player and then not play to their strengths?

Kristian Dennis is not Zlatan, obviously! But he does have a stellar goal record, especially at this level, so we need to play to his strengths and make him feel wanted. If we do, he could yet be the new Lee Hughes in terms of the goals we need to fire us back into the league.

[countygump]

I agree. I think he needs a genuine target man to play alongside, because he's an old-fashioned goal poacher. Hemmings isn't a genuine target man, but to be fair they didn't get many opportunities to play together last season anyway and they were part of a team that had been badly constructed and under-prepared in general.

Notts County do have a habit of signing players with hitherto good records and not doing their due diligence about the style of play that will bring the best out of them. As Zlatan Ibrahimovic once said about his spell at Barcelona, there's no point buying a Rolls Royce and trying to run it like a Ferrari. Yes I know Zlatan loves himself, but he had a point. Why bring in a high-earning marquee player and then not play to their strengths?

Kristian Dennis is not Zlatan, obviously! But he does have a stellar goal record, especially at this level, so we need to play to his strengths and make him feel wanted. If we do, he could yet be the new Lee Hughes in terms of the goals we need to fire us back into the league.

What we need first and have been crying out for, for some time, IS a genuine target man. We still have nowhere near the physicality needed to achieve any sort of success in the lower leagues.

[jackal2]

What we need first and have been crying out for, for some time, IS a genuine target man. We still have nowhere near the physicality needed to achieve any sort of success in the lower leagues.

Indeed. The best one we had in recent times was Jimmy Spencer, until he got his injury. Brilliant first-touch and he would stand his ground against anyone, unlike Jon Stead who just crumpled under challenges and played for cheap fouls. Centre-halves knew they had been in a match when they came up against Spencer.

[kill_the_drum]

Surely if we’re saying we want financial stability and a good business model, we can’t hope to keep the likes of Dennis/Hemmings etc.
I know right now the absolute priority is to have a club to support in almost any capacity, but I guarantee if we are lucky enough to be taken over that will be instantly forgotten and the ‘lack of ambition’ brigade will be out if we’re not spending like the last three owners did!

[jackal2]

Surely if we’re saying we want financial stability and a good business model, we can’t hope to keep the likes of Dennis/Hemmings etc.
I know right now the absolute priority is to have a club to support in almost any capacity, but I guarantee if we are lucky enough to be taken over that will be instantly forgotten and the ‘lack of ambition’ brigade will be out if we’re not spending like the last three owners did!

Very true, to be fair. If we need to get rid of Kristian Dennis for financial reasons then it simply must be done. This club has lived on credit for too long, which will always come back to bite you eventually, even before you factor in bad decision-making when spending that credit.

The bottom line is the bottom line. If anyone hasn't figured that out after the travails of our club over the past 20 years or so, then they either need a course in financial management or to go and support Manchester City in the land of milk and honey, where the owners really are a bottomless pit (until they lose interest in their hobby).

[queenslandpie]

His best season was for Macc and I believe in the Vanadrama. Most of his goals for Chesterfailed were penalties. His stats at Grimsby were dreadful. Be better off putting Hardy upfront. Would do wonders for the pitch with all the rotting veg folks would chuck at him.

[Masson4]

Indeed. The best one we had in recent times was Jimmy Spencer, until he got his injury. Brilliant first-touch and he would stand his ground against anyone, unlike Jon Stead who just crumpled under challenges and played for cheap fouls. Centre-halves knew they had been in a match when they came up against Spencer.

Agree about Jimmy Spencer, really rated him at Notts. Staggering at times how, with his back to goal, he would hold the ball up surrounded and under intense presure and still manage to lay it off to a teammate. A rare skill at that.

[Lullapie]

What we need first and have been crying out for, for some time, IS a genuine target man. We still have nowhere near the physicality needed to achieve any sort of success in the lower leagues.

I've heard Stead isn't happy at Harrogate.