⚽ Match Thread vs. Mansfield Town FC 14.10.23 [EFL L2]

[queenslandpie]

Excuse me for sounding full of it, but it was all because of how we forced our game plan on you. To be able to sustain the press and have the character to implement it so effectively after going behind early, was highly impressive by Stags. I'm not sure it mattered what mentality or level of quality or desire Notts brought today. Mansfield, on our game, are just better. Sorry.

Agree it was good stuff from Mansfailed. As King Luke said in his post match interview we need more exposure to playing teams like that and in the incoming weeks they will come for us. Can't see Stags outside of top 3 given games they have already played. Maybe after all the money spent and years and years of constant failure you will finally get out of the division. Must have been difficult for you

[Stagnificent]

Agree it was good stuff from Mansfailed. As King Luke said in his post match interview we need more exposure to playing teams like that and in the incoming weeks they will come for us. Can't see Stags outside of top 3 given games they have already played. Maybe after all the money spent and years and years of constant failure you will finally get out of the division. Must have been difficult for you

I wouldn't say failure. Relative to the conference years and Haslam, we've been stable, but very unlucky not to step up several times. We've had competitive budgets some years and mid table budgets others. This year I doubt we're anywhere near Stockport, Wrexham, Gills, Salford or even yourselves on budget. 'difficult' is relative. Losing at pub teams in the conference was difficult, but you know that all to well too. It's just great to be healthy and watching league football in front of big crowds.

[queenslandpie]

I wouldn't say failure. Relative to the conference years and Haslam, we've been stable, but very unlucky not to step up several times. We've had competitive budgets some years and mid table budgets others. This year I doubt we're anywhere near Stockport, Wrexham, Gills, Salford or even yourselves on budget. 'difficult' is relative. Losing at pub teams in the conference was difficult, but you know that all to well too. It's just great to be healthy and watching league football in front of big crowds.

I dont know why you think we have a good budget. I don't think that is the case at all. We didn't sign a lot of big names pre season in fact just 2 in Mcgoldrick and Crowley all the others who came in won't be on big $. Biggest mistake you made was sacking Flitcroft in my opinion after you lost in playoffs. Set you back years that.

[hissingdwarf]

The biggest issue for me is the fact that we’ve seen it coming. How many times will posters have to keep typing “ we all know about our defensive issues” or “our defensive frailties “?
Not a knee jerk reaction, but the lack of a plan B is a worry. Week in, week out, our defence always looks frail. So change it! Move to a flatter back 4 if needed. Do something to alleviate the pressure we regularly put ourselves under.

We’ve learnt to accept the passing back routine, but for christs sake, “our defence has mistakes in ‘em” is another regular.

Honestly think Cameron wouldn’t have made any difference at all today. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he would have made it worse. Rawlinson was probably the only man who came out of the game with a shred of dignity. He looked strong, he looked incisive with his passes and, most importantly, he moved the ball forwards when he had grass in front of him.
Brindley and Baldwin were so willing to keep the little triangles going and invite pressure they couldn’t deal with. Thought Baldwin made some great tackles today, but he embarrasses himself moaning about lack of options and forgets he’s got the bloody ball at his feet!

Everyone acknowledges LW did a fantastic job last season and has galvanised the club, but on a few occasions this season, I’m putting the blame at his door. Training should be designed to iron out errors. Formations should be able to change when needed. Substitutions should change the game.
If none of the above is happening, then we’re likely to keep conceding by large margins.

Yes, when we’re on it, we cut through teams like a knife, but we also spend large parts of games going backwards.

Sometimes the old stuff works. Ask Mansfield about their corner routines…compared to our short corner every time and it invariably going back to the half way or even deeper,

The small squad routine and siege mentality hasn’t helped. We need a better balance of recruitment and a big heading on the sheet of paper…
Must be tall, physically imposing and competitive…

[Stagnificent]

I dont know why you think we have a good budget. I don't think that is the case at all. We didn't sign a lot of big names pre season in fact just 2 in Mcgoldrick and Crowley all the others who came in won't be on big $. Biggest mistake you made was sacking Flitcroft in my opinion after you lost in playoffs. Set you back years that.

Yes, sacking Flicker was a bad move. Had 2 dud managers after him, before Nige came in.

I assumed that with McGoldrick's reportedly high salary and your gates, etc, you'd have a good budget. Probably still bigger than ours. We've not splashed the cash this season, other than Flint and maybe Swann.

[queenslandpie]

Yes, sacking Flicker was a bad move. Had 2 dud managers after him, before Nige came in.

I assumed that with McGoldrick's reportedly high salary and your gates, etc, you'd have a good budget. Probably still bigger than ours. We've not splashed the cash this season, other than Flint and maybe Swann.

Yes I remember chuckling a lot at the time. McGoldrick came as he wanted to finish his career at Notts. Obviously I don't know the details but he had much more lucrative offers elsewhere I can be sure of that. One of our bigger earners I am sure but not on Wrexham type money I wouldn't have thought. These gates are not normal for us but I hope they continue. Our home average must be well over 10,000 now even in our last season in the top flight in the 90's when we were playing Man Utd etc I don't think it was that high. Attractive attacking football draws the crowds probably helped by the fact that dare I say it getting a ticket at Forest is pretty hard nowadays. Anyway good luck for the rest of the season pal.

[Willie-Wotsit]

As a neutral Wxm fan, I thought it was a very good game.

County started off with their now expected, passing game, but MTFC soon got to grips with the system.

A lot of other managers will have taken note on how to combat your pressing game....

Whether or not other teams can execute it as well as MTFC did, remains to be seen though... (I doubt it myself)

For us (& Notts fans though no doubt) the thing that gives me optimism going forward is, it's nothing like last season, where if one of us dropped points, it was a minor disaster, with only ONE going up automatically.

This season, there's more room for slip-ups.....

[Magpies1959]

Cheers Willie-Wotsit

[Kyle95]

Massive reality check for many tbh. I said in the summer we needed quality added in defence, otherwise we will finish mid-table i stand by that. Today also showed how much we rely on Jones and Cameron. He's not the best defender, but you'll struggle to find many better on the ball. Another thing i stand by is Bostock is our most important player. It's no surprise as soon as he left the pitch Mansfield dominated the midfield. As for the gaffer, he did a brilliant job last year but imo has come across quite naive\stubborn in recent weeks. Having Slocombe, Rawlinson, Brindley and O'Brien in an EFL side is 2023 is astonishingly bad. We need some new recruits and fast.

[Davy500]

Excuse me for sounding full of it, but it was all because of how we forced our game plan on you. To be able to sustain the press and have the character to implement it so effectively after going behind early, was highly impressive by Stags. I'm not sure it mattered what mentality or level of quality or desire Notts brought today. Mansfield, on our game, are just better. Sorry.

Course you are going to be full off it - i dont blame you -all fans enjoy days like this
For whatever reason Mansfield are a bogey team for us- and we had 2 of our best players missing and Bostock went off when it was still 1-1
mansfield just got lucky on the 2 set pieces that credited them with a healthy win , even your own supporters on their forum admitted the ball had dropped kindly for them in both halves
You will lose soon prob to a team in the bottom half,