Team for Chessie?

[Wooderson]

Mine:

Fitzsimons
Tootle, Brisley, Duffy, Jones (or Dickinson, if overcome Scunny game)
Hawkridge, Yates, Milsom, Grant
Forte, Ameobi

You could swap Allesandra in for Hawkridge or Forte to be honest, but I would like to see JF get a chance up front if his legs are up to it following Scunny.

[DAZH]

I'd play Allesandra where you have Grant, drop Forte and play Grant "off" Ameobi

[DelroyFacey22]

I would definitely play Allessandra, even if it meant playing him in the middle but probably instead of Hawkridge. I would say Dickinson over Jones too after his disaster at Coventry but Chessie is his old team and you know how football usually works... I'd be pretty shocked if Adam Collin doesn't start too

[sidders]

I was surprised when some Notts fans described Carl Dickinson's performance at York as 'same old'. I thought he looked much fitter and more fluid in his movements. I would predict that Dicko will be a major part of Nolan's thinking this season.

[Wooderson]

Agree with some of the above points, one of the positive things about this year's squad is a lot of the attacking players are interchangeable

[DelroyFacey22]

I was surprised when some Notts fans described Carl Dickinson's performance at York as 'same old'. I thought he looked much fitter and more fluid in his movements. I would predict that Dicko will be a major part of Nolan's thinking this season.

I would say he's a lot fitter than he was last season, Nolan said that he's one of the fittest players he's known which certainly wouldnt have described him last season when he was terrible fairly often, I don't think I've ever seen a Notts player have a worse debut than Dan Jones did against Coventry though, it was considerably worse than Branston's which I would guess is the measuring stick. If Dicko played well at Scunny Nolan can easily drop Jones with the excuse of Dickinson taking his chance rather than admitting it was because Jones was god awful

[CmonUSexyStylishPies]

Hopefully Nolan will not fall into the usual managers trap and revert back to his safe bet players. Stick with the best performers from midweek.

[60YearsAPie]

Hopefully Nolan will not fall into the usual managers trap and revert back to his safe bet players. Stick with the best performers from midweek.

I'll be disappointed if he reverts back. Seems we've got some serious competition for places this year, especially in goal.

[tarquinbeech]

Pretty simple from me:

Jorge MUST start.......don't play Shola and Stead together, so Forte to replace Stead up front......drop Jones....play both wingers, Hawk and Aless (and please tell them to attack the bylines!)....if Brisley and Yates don't start, make sure they are you're 2 main subs ready for a rousing finale

Whichever goalie starts, tie his shoelaces together to force him to roll the ball out to the backs.

[DelroyFacey22]

Whichever goalie starts, tie his shoelaces together to force him to roll the ball out to the backs.

Or just... I dunno... Tell him to do that before the game if the plan is to play out from the back? Which it won't be because Nolan likes Allardyce football.

[tarquinbeech]

Or just... I dunno... Tell him to do that before the game if the plan is to play out from the back? Which it won't be because Nolan likes Allardyce football.

The way I see long-ball football is this: unless you do it quickly, you are kicking into a melee of 21 people, your odds are at best 50/50 of hitting your own player.....if Shola's/Stead's first touch is as bad as it was at Covo, you're down to 75/25 of picking up the knockdown ie it's 3 times more likely that you are immediately on the defensive again HOWEVER if you play it to a centre-back or better still, a midfielder....you should still be in possession near the half-way line....it just seems so simple to me.

If they want to persist with the long-ball, at least break it up a bit by firing it into the corners for Hawk or Aless?.....we just looked too predictable at the Ricoh....anyway, that's my twopennorth

[DelroyFacey22]

I'm not saying you're wrong, or that our style of football is good or anything but in League 2 there's generally two methods of distribution from goal kicks, everyone stands on the same side of the pitch in a bunch and the keeper kicks the ball up in the general area of the tallest player, usually the striker (there was a time when Jeff Hughes had the role) and you effectively play for the second ball and see where you go.

Or you pretend you're Barcelona and tell people you like to play passing football (Looking at you Keith Curle but there are others that do it), have your centre backs stand on the corners of the 18 yard box and a midfielder drops deep and stands in the D, keeper plays it short, you make a couple of passes and unlike Barcelona, the ball is then either kicked long by a defender or back to the keeper who kicks it long under pressure.

Sometimes you can sneak a full back out onto the opposite side of the pitch when everyone is grouped up for the standard goal kick and the keeper will pass it to them, I think Roy Carroll did it a few times but the opposition catches on quickly.

Also, playing it to your centre back near the half way line immediately puts them under pressure from the strikers immediately and we'd end up with Hollis falling over the ball and there's nobody to stop the striker going clean through, there's a reason teams don't do it. You want to put the pressure on their defence to win the ball from a goal kick, not your own.

[Notts78]

It is not as easy as some think it is. People use Barcalona as an example, but watch how teams counter that, mainly by staying behind the ball so not to expose space for Messi and Co. Notts on the other hand, and most teams from the top 5 or 6 in the Prem down have the **** pressed out of them and mistakes are caused.
Then there is the obligatory shouts from the Pavis of 'gettit forrad' when the back 4 do knock it about, trying to create space by moving the oppo about. Unfortunately, this is systematic of UK culture. However, it also adds to the entertainment as our games are played at pace, with physicality and commitment, foregoing quality.
No manager in football will please all of his fans. Look at how Arsenal fans are with Wenger.

[tarquinbeech]

I'm not saying you're wrong, or that our style of football is good or anything but in League 2 there's generally two methods of distribution from goal kicks, everyone stands on the same side of the pitch in a bunch and the keeper kicks the ball up in the general area of the tallest player, usually the striker (there was a time when Jeff Hughes had the role) and you effectively play for the second ball and see where you go.

Or you pretend you're Barcelona and tell people you like to play passing football (Looking at you Keith Curle but there are others that do it), have your centre backs stand on the corners of the 18 yard box and a midfielder drops deep and stands in the D, keeper plays it short, you make a couple of passes and unlike Barcelona, the ball is then either kicked long by a defender or back to the keeper who kicks it long under pressure.

Sometimes you can sneak a full back out onto the opposite side of the pitch when everyone is grouped up for the standard goal kick and the keeper will pass it to them, I think Roy Carroll did it a few times but the opposition catches on quickly.

Also, playing it to your centre back near the half way line immediately puts them under pressure from the strikers immediately and we'd end up with Hollis falling over the ball and there's nobody to stop the striker going clean through, there's a reason teams don't do it. You want to put the pressure on their defence to win the ball from a goal kick, not your own.

It sounds like we don't have a lot of confidence in being able to hold possession at the back/midfield....unfortunately it's too early in the season to be able to say whether we have that ability I guess.

Under KC, the problem was that playing tika-taka across the midfield/back diamond also became boring and predictable so I'm not sure what the answer is......just mix it up a bit, it cannot be any worse than the Covo game.

[Freeman25]

It sounds like we don't have a lot of confidence in being able to hold possession at the back/midfield....unfortunately it's too early in the season to be able to say whether we have that ability I guess.

Under KC, the problem was that playing tika-taka across the midfield/back diamond also became boring and predictable so I'm not sure what the answer is......just mix it up a bit, it cannot be any worse than the Covo game.

I think you've possibly just gone too long without watching a full game in League 2 and forgotten what it's like to be fair, what we saw at Coventry was pretty much common practice, especially under Nolan, it's not THAT bad compared to what we've had at other times in our recent history.

[tarquinbeech]

I think you've possibly just gone too long without watching a full game in League 2 and forgotten what it's like to be fair, what we saw at Coventry was pretty much common practice, especially under Nolan, it's not THAT bad compared to what we've had at other times in our recent history.

You are probably right Freeman, I'd forgotten how bad it used to be after 4 years away....BUT, I have a good feeling about this year under KN and AH, lets play some "proper footy" and get promotion......hoof-ball ain't going to do it though