The Terrace:

[Elite_Pie]

I'm pretty sure I heard Ardley say on the radio something along the lines that the Chesterfield offers a chance to give some of the fringe players a game, so that those left out are ready for the busy Christmas schedule. If Sam Osborne is part of the starting eleven, and rips Chesterfield apart and scores a hat trick it will leave Ardley with a bit of a dilemma.

For the next game, does he put him on the bench or leave him out of the matchday squad altogether?

[durhampie]

I'm pretty sure I heard Ardley say on the radio something along the lines that the Chesterfield offers a chance to give some of the fringe players a game, so that those left out are ready for the busy Christmas schedule. If Sam Osborne is part of the starting eleven, and rips Chesterfield apart and scores a hat trick it will leave Ardley with a bit of a dilemma.

For the next game, does he put him on the bench or leave him out of the matchday squad altogether?

He is more likely to take him off after scoring two goals denying him an hat trick and drop him for the next game..

[freemuzzy]

I'm pretty sure I heard Ardley say on the radio something along the lines that the Chesterfield offers a chance to give some of the fringe players a game, so that those left out are ready for the busy Christmas schedule. If Sam Osborne is part of the starting eleven, and rips Chesterfield apart and scores a hat trick it will leave Ardley with a bit of a dilemma.

For the next game, does he put him on the bench or leave him out of the matchday squad altogether?

He did, and I think he will make wholesale changes next weekend...but revert to the usual 10 for the league.

Weird motivational language that isn’t it, not ‘they’ve got an opportunity to stake a claim for more regular inclusion’. Simply saying he’s resting his favourites who aren’t currently getting results for the league. He said the same during the injury crisis in October (which sparked our best form of the season) - ‘the lads coming in have got to keep the points ticking over for when the other boys are available again.’ Is he thick?! What sort of a message does that send out?

[legs77]

The concerning thing was he did a straight swap with Thomas. How would that affect the game? Personally I’d have brought him on earlier for Enzio, and either put Thomas out on the right wing or even better changed to a 433.

I have a feeling Ardley will still be here at the start of next season. I think they will stick with him, give him everything he needs over this summer and then see where we are after 15-20 games of the new season. If there is no improvement by then then they can honestly say hand on heart they gave him every opportunity.

My concern is this season is still there for the taking. The owners may feel that by holding onto Ardley they are providing the stability everyone keeps talking about when it comes to managers by trying to hold onto him for a respectable period of time. However they need to understand Ardley was not an appointment they made, they inherited him. If a manager dumps a player because he wasn’t one of his signings everyone accepts that, the same should be the case in this situation.

Ive been an advocate of sticking with Ardley, he comes across as a genuinely decent bloke and I do think he has an eye for a player but he just hasn’t shown anything over the last few weeks to make me think he can deliver what is needed over the course of a season to challenge even the play off spots. Again if he stays I desperately hope he proves me and every other one of his doubters wrong, I’m just not convinced he will.

I am starting to feel he is safe for a while and to be honest it’s disgusting he is still here.

If he is still here next season then these new owners must enjoy watching rubbish losing football and whilst we are at it watching the crowds drop by at least 1k which will have a bearing on funds for next season.

It’s looking highly unlikely we will get near the play offs so the best case scenario for us is if we finish 16-18th as that is not acceptable at all not with the money he has spent.

He is annoying me as much as Fullarton did and that takes some doing.

[Disturbed]

He did, and I think he will make wholesale changes next weekend...but revert to the usual 10 for the league.

Weird motivational language that isn’t it, not ‘they’ve got an opportunity to stake a claim for more regular inclusion’. Simply saying he’s resting his favourites who aren’t currently getting results for the league. He said the same during the injury crisis in October (which sparked our best form of the season) - ‘the lads coming in have got to keep the points ticking over for when the other boys are available again.’ Is he thick?! What sort of a message does that send out?

And then he complains that there are players with attitude problems. You can see why there are problems within the squad with his team selection and substitutions every week.

[durhampie]

its what they they do during the match that matters, and all of those that get constantly selected are not doing it when it matters..

[queenslandpie]

Ive long backed Ardley but there is still plenty of time to salvage this season. I dont think Ardley can do it. He has given me more reasons to think he cant than to think he can and stability for the sake of stability is frankly instability. Its an out from me from now on. However before he goes we need someone lined up immediately.

[LaxtonLad]

Thats exactly the problem , the outcasts would get one game , not show much and then it give him the chance to go back to the chosen 10.

The chesterfield match is the perfect chance for him. Then for the league game back to same old same old

If Ardley makes changes like those asked for on here he's on a win/win situation. If we win then it won't be because his previous team selection was bad, it will be because he knew how to combat Chesterfield. If we lose it'll be as Disturbed says "Told you so".

[ncfcog]

If Ardley makes changes like those asked for on here he's on a win/win situation. If we win then it won't be because his previous team selection was bad, it will be because he knew how to combat Chesterfield. If we lose it'll be as Disturbed says "Told you so".

I don't think it's a case of him needing to make wholesale changes, he just needs to get more from the players he is putting his faith in.

[DelroyFacey22]

And again, putting across another angle, just maybe the players that are not selected simply can not be arsed to try in training as they know that there is no chance of being selected at all and even if there was a place up for grabs, then Ardley would get a loan player in to cover, so what is the point?

That's nonsense, Bird played a lot of games last season when Ardley came in and he showed nothing in that run of games that led me to believe he was a better option than Rawlinson, Turner or McCrory, we're yet to see Lacey kick a ball but his resumé would leave you to believe there's a good chance he will probably be a better, more experienced option than him too (but that's just a guess). Bird was alright but nothing special, always looked slow and prone to making a mistake though and sent the ball out of play attempting long passes at least twice a game.

If there attitude was that if they don't think they'll play they might as well not give it their all in training then they don't deserve a chance in the team but even that excuse wouldn't explain Nolan and Kewell also not picking Osborne. People would go mad at other Notts players if they didn't think they were giving it their all in training but I don't think it's that, it's just that he isn't as good as some fans seem to think, if he was he'd be playing, Ardley has said time and time again that if he thought he'd be an improvement he'd be in the team as he's trying to win games and playing your best players tends to help you do that.

Stall said on radio pre-game that for Osborne it’ll take an injury/suspension etc to get his chance and when that comes he’s got to take it. Well, to my mind he did that when he scored a brilliant winner at Boreham Wood. But Doyle came back from his self-enforced ban, walked back in and lo and behold the results have nosedived. Osborne’s not even been on the pitch since early October.

Also complete nonsense. He scored against Boreham Wood then played poorly in his next two games, he was awful at Dover, Shields did more in his 15 minutes than he'd done in the first 75 then after he was dropped the form didn't "nosedive" at all, we won 3, drew 1 and lost 1, not conceding a goal in any of the three wins

The concerning thing was he did a straight swap with Thomas. How would that affect the game? Personally I’d have brought him on earlier for Enzio, and either put Thomas out on the right wing or even better changed to a 433.

Before that "straight swap" he'd changed it to 4-5-1 with Thomas already out on the wing then put Dennis on to go 4-3-3 with Enzio, Dennis and Wootton upfront. Thomas had an awful game even with his tap in so I had no complaints with that sub at all, it was the defensive Booty for Shields (although he was injured) sub that cost us but presumably Ardley thought we'd have more chance hanging on to a 1-0 lead by doing that than a like for like winger for winger (Osborne) when he can't trust Osborne defensively.