Match ratings vs Chesterfield

[CmonUSexyStylishPies]

Collin - 6.5 - Not much to do

Tootle - 6.5 - Steady
Jones - 6.5 - Nervy early on but improved, poor set pieces though
Duffy - 6.5 - Solid
Brisley - 7 - Solid, what we've been missing

Hawkridge - 7.5 - Lively, some nice touches, covered plenty of ground
Allesandra - 6 - Quiet game, lost possession too often
Hewitt - 6.5 - Still not convinced, little impact going forwards
Yates - 7 - Some misplaced passes early on but plenty of good tackles and 50/50 wins, again what we've been missing

Ameobi - 6.5 - Usual handful
Stead - 6 - Still not convinced, should have scored when 1 on 1

Subs:

Grant - 8 - Class as ever, needs to start
Forte - 6 - Not strong enough
Walker - 6 - No impact - scoreboard said Lewis Walker for some reason?!

[tarquinbeech]

Watched half the game (thanks to iFollow...grrr)....first impressions

Collin mixed up his kicks with rolling the ball out to mainly Jones.....he still kicks too many balls directly to the oppo keeper.
Jones, much better game, some great runs down the wing
Jorge, why oh why doesn't he start the match....guy is awesome
Stead, looked knackered....he should have slammed a goal home one-on-one with the keeper....no pace
Shola, some decent knockdowns despite being double-marked by Chessie
Forte looked ok coming on....almost got on the end of a few
Hawk, I like this guy...busy and fast

Chesterfield, nothing really to offer....niggly and nasty at times.

[CmonUSexyStylishPies]

Jorge, why oh why doesn't he start the match....guy is awesome
.

Think it's a fittnes/injury with Grant. He's obviously our best player so think he'd be the first name on the teamsheet if fit.

[tarquinbeech]

Think it's a fittnes/injury with Grant. He's obviously our best player so think he'd be the first name on the teamsheet if fit.

Jeepers, imagine what he'll be like when he's fit!

I'm pleased for Jones today after the 'mare at Coventry.....looked a different player even though Chessy didn't really attack down that side too often.

[hissingdwarf]

Collin - 5.5 - Not much to do, but atrocious kicking and severe reluctance to roll the ball out!

Tootle - 6.5 - Steady, no major issues.
Jones - 5.5 - Nervy early on but improved a little. Still the weak link in the back four. Get a fit Dicko in. Not a free kick taker!!!
Duffy - 6.5 - Solid game. Looks good partnering...
Brisley - 7 - Solid, what we've been missing

Hawkridge - 7.5 - Lively and wanting to be in the game as much as poss. Well played!
Allesandra - 6 - Quiet game, lost possession too often
Hewitt - 6 - Not convinced he is offering alot at all. Get Milsom back in please!
Yates - 7.5 - What we've been missing. Read the game well and put himself about a bit!
Ameobi - 6.5 - Usual game from him.
Stead - 6 - With him and Am up front we don't offer anything different and Stead looked the weaker of the pair today. Should have scored when 1 on 1

Subs:

Grant - 8 - Class as ever, needs to start every game if poss. The X factor we needed.
Forte - 6 - Not sure he is the answer tbh. We need a new marque signing striker imo.
Walker - 6 - Steady for the short time he was on.

[Freeman25]

Collin - 5.5 - Not much to do, but atrocious kicking and severe reluctance to roll the ball out!

He kicked the ball out of play once, everything else was fine and he got a b*llocking for throwing the ball out at one point in the second half and was told specifically to ignore the crowd, not sure why Notts fans can't seem to grasp the fact that he's doing what he's told to do?

Edit: Oh he did kick the ball straight up twice actually to be fair, I still wouldn't say it was atrocious overall though, I'd say 3 bad kicks total out of god knows how many he did all game isn't anything to get too upset about.

[hissingdwarf]

He kicked the ball out of play once, everything else was fine and he got a b*llocking for throwing the ball out at one point in the second half and was told specifically to ignore the crowd, not sure why Notts fans can't seem to grasp the fact that he's doing what he's told to do?

If you mean he kept in on the field, then yes he did. Actually kick constructively ? then nope. And I saw quite a few *******ings from Norm and KN aimed his way for not rolling the ball out quickly. He slowed the play down and kicked aimlessly!

[BigFatPie]

Good to get first win on the board, but flick me sideways, we were poor at times.

Only Hawkridge, Grant and maybe Forte came out of that with any credit. Nolan was happy with the clean sheet, I still thought we looked vulnerable at the back, and marginally better sides than Chesterfield won't have any trouble carving us open.

Hewitt isn't a midfielder in a million years and the decision to give Stead a new contract is looking worse with every game. Past it.

Chesterfield were awful with 11 and terrible with 10, but the sending off was a joke. Can't wait to start with our strongest team, presumably with a new striker in before the end of August.

[Freeman25]

If you mean he kept in on the field, then yes he did. Actually kick constructively ? then nope. And I saw quite a few *******ings from Norm and KN aimed his way for not rolling the ball out quickly. He slowed the play down and kicked aimlessly!

You might have misunderstood, he was moaning at the defence for not pushing up quick enough and explicitly told Collin to ignore the crowd on the occasion where Collin seemed to argue back with him. There's no way he'd tell him to do things quicker, we were up 1-0 and he'd been telling him to slow it down all game consistently.

BFP - What about the red was a joke? They should have had 3 reds, the assault on Hewitt, the foul on Hawkridge when he was clean through (whether he'd have got the ball or not) and then the most blatant of them all when Forte was tripped at the end as he was going clean through.

[jackal2]

Now I'm getting the idea of the type of football Nolan wants to play, I'm beginning to understand why he favours Hewitt. Elliott isn't a great footballer, but he's tall and physical in midfield and has a long throw into the box. He'll probably turn in loads of 6/10 performances which don't catch anybody's eye, but is probably doing exactly what the manager wants him to do.

[CmonUSexyStylishPies]

Now I'm getting the idea of the type of football Nolan wants to play, I'm beginning to understand why he favours Hewitt. Elliott isn't a great footballer, but he's tall and physical in midfield and has a long throw into the box. He'll probably turn in loads of 6/10 performances which don't catch anybody's eye, but is probably doing exactly what the manager wants him to do.

We certainly have got some height in the side with Jones, Brisley, Yates added along with Hewitt, Ameobi, Stead and Duffy.

That said we put endless balls into the box early on with little impact, the set pieces from Jones and Allesandra were poor, hopefully Grant will provide better quality.

[SwalePie]

Think it's a fittnes/injury with Grant. He's obviously our best player so think he'd be the first name on the teamsheet if fit.

Apparently had a minor hamstring problem in the week and was being protected by Nolan by not starting.

[Elite_Pie]

Collin - 6.5 - Saved us a couple of times and looked solid. Moaning about his distribution is harsh, he did the right thing at the right time.
Tootle - 6 - Looked sound defensively, didn't get forward a lot.
Jones - 6 - Better defensively, forward play and set pieces were mixed.
Duffy - 6 - Did what he was there to do.
Brisley - 6 - Better than at Coventry, hopefully he can build on this.

Hawkridge - 6.5 - Worked hard, good involvement for a wide midfielder.
Allesandra - 6 - Some good bits, but anonymous at times.
Hewitt - 6 - Won plenty of challenges but needs to use the ball better when in space.
Yates - 6 - A bit indecisive at times but still promising.

Ameobi - 6 - Great touch, always offered a target.
Stead - 6 - Average performance, but did keep their defence occupied.

Subs:

Grant - 7* - Gave us the touch of class we needed. I've deducted a point for his silly booking. He was lucky to escape a yellow at Coventry for a petty kick at the keeper. Cut out the petulance Jorge, because we need you on the pitch.
Forte - 6 - Got into some good positions, but let down by his first touch.
Walker - 6 - Steady for the short time he was on.

To be honest that was a pretty unimpressive but very welcome 3 points. I thought the performance of the officials was bizarre, they seemed to get a lot wrong and if anything their incompetence worked in our favour for once. I didn't see the first Ugwu incident, but a bloke near me was adamant he had elbowed Hewitt off the ball. The lino took an age to raise his flag, so I don't know how much he actually saw even though he was only a few yards away. Him and the ref had a discussion, then Ugwu was shown yellow. If it was a deliberate elbow then either the lino saw it and should have told the ref it was a sending off offence, or he didn't see it and Ugwu escapes unpunished. It was either a straight red or play on. The red card he did issue just before the break looked harsh in the extreme. I don't see how it was classed as denying a goalscoring opportunity at all. Maybe he was making up for his earlier error. I also thought that Stead was pushed to the ground when he was one on one with the keeper, which would have been a penalty and red card. Also the ref issued yellow cards for fouls that were softer than some he let go. Hopefully replays can clear a few things up. I have to admit leaving the ground with the impression that neither team will be involved at the upper end of the table.

[crazyfists]

Collin - 6.5 - Not much to do

Tootle - 6.5 - Steady
Jones - 6.5 - Nervy early on but improved, poor set pieces though
Duffy - 6.5 - Solid
Brisley - 7 - Solid, what we've been missing

Hawkridge - 7.5 - Lively, some nice touches, covered plenty of ground
Allesandra - 6 - Quiet game, lost possession too often
Hewitt - 6.5 - Still not convinced, little impact going forwards
Yates - 7 - Some misplaced passes early on but plenty of good tackles and 50/50 wins, again what we've been missing

Ameobi - 6.5 - Usual handful
Stead - 6 - Still not convinced, should have scored when 1 on 1

Subs:

Grant - 8 - Class as ever, needs to start
Forte - 6 - Not strong enough
Walker - 6 - No impact - scoreboard said Lewis Walker for some reason?!

This. Need to start Grant as well. Still we won and think Brisley is a good addition.

[Frigiliana Pie 1]

For me, one encouraging aspect was a solid performance in the centre of defence by Duffy and Brisley. Their partnership will need time to improve and there will be tougher tests ahead, but hopefully we might eventually be able to say we've got the two no-nonsense central defenders we've been looking for since Edwards and Lee were together.

Grant was outstanding, Hawkridge did some good things and Yates had a promising home debut. The rest put in a decent effort. There are several areas where improvement is still needed, not least retaining possession. And of course we still need that extra striker to give us more penetration up front.

[freemuzzy]

I thought Yates had a good debut and is clearly a very promising prospect, but I don't understand why we need both him and Hewitt at home, particularly after they were reduced to 10 men. Both are excellent at pressing and breaking up play but neither is very good on the ball and we had zero craft to break them down until Grant came on.

Milsom is the only midfielder we have who is good with and without the ball and I can't for the life of me why he has suddenly gone from Player of the Season to 4th choice midfielder.

Similarly, one of Stead or Shola has to make way. The relentless, one-dimensional direct play really was painful to watch and just plays into Chesterfield's - and indeed most L2 teams - hands, where the centre backs are almost always big, strong and decent in the air.

That said, we did win and keep a clean sheet and I echo the thoughts of above about Brisley and Duffy; both very solid today. Duffy's outstanding block right at the start of the second half at 0-0 was a huge moment.

Collin - 6
Tootle - 6
Duffy - 7
Brisley - 7
Jones - 5, Dire set pieces and not the best defensively. I never thought I'd be calling for Carl Dickinson..

Hawkridge - 7
Yates - 7
Hewitt - 6
Alessandra - 5.5
Ameobi - 5
Stead - 5

Grant - 8
Forte - 7, must have been watching a different game to some above. Thought he was excellent.
Walker - 6

[tarquinbeech]

One of my lads was in the Kop.....here's his summary:

Ben Beech Good result but very lucky that they were average. The left back, Jones is very poor and uncomfortable on the ball, lots of hoofing which came to nothing and both strikers very slow - no real pace in the team. Grant definitely saved our bacon!

[slack_pie]

Collin 6 - did what was required of him
Tootle 6 - same as above
Jones 6 - ""
Duffy 6 - ""
Brisley 7 - good in the air, strong in the tackle
Hawkridge 7 - looks a good addition. Works hard and can cross it.
Yates 7 - good debut. Showed his inexperience at times but looks promising.
Allesandra 6 - quieter than Hawkridge
Stead 6 - got in a couple of good positions but couldn't finish. Looks tired.
Shola 7 - some great first touches. Excellent hold up play. Makes difficult things look easy.

Grant 8 - won the match for us with two great goals, plus as excellent through ball to put Forte through. Gives us an extra dimension.
Walker 6

[Carlton_Pie]

With 6 as a average....

Collin 6 - not a lot to do but decent save in 1st half. His kicking isn't great, regularly fails to pick out Ameobi by a good 15-20 yards.

Tootle 7 - solid in defence and good cross for the first goal

Jones 6 - doesn't look a natural defender, getting turned inside out too easily. Went on a few good runs. In a team that will need to keep clean sheets to win regularly, he may be liability

Duffy 7 - solid performance, fantastic hero bloke at 0-0 to prevent a certain goal

Brisley 7 -reminded me off Edwards in his prime, put his head on everything and a danger at set pieces too

Hawkridge 7 - Like the look of him. Never shirked a tackle and enough pace and trickery going forward.

Yates 7 - What a player this lad is gonna be and I can see why he is picked ahead of Milsom. Strong as an ox in the tackle and looks like a born winner. With a pacey striker he will provide plenty of assits

Hewitt 6- Quiet game from him but was solid and his throw ins are a threat. Harsh on Milsom to be left out for Hewitt but Hewitt fits in perfectly to Nolans way of playing. Tall, pacey, strong, covers the ground.

Allesandra 5 - never really got involved. Doesn't look a natural winner, would like to see him playing off Ameobi

Stead 4 - very poor from Jon. Had a few opportunities to get through but lacked the pace and strength to penetrate. Obvious where we need to recruit

Shola 6 - Was a nuisance as usual but never looked like scoring

Grant 9 - One player in the Notts side with quality. We can't rely on him all the time but the way Nolan sets us up suits Grant perfectly

Forte 7-looked lively playing off Ameobi

[TheProphet]

Collin - 5.5 - Not much to do, but atrocious kicking and severe reluctance to roll the ball out!

Tootle - 6.5 - Steady, no major issues.
Jones - 5.5 - Nervy early on but improved a little. Still the weak link in the back four. Get a fit Dicko in. Not a free kick taker!!!
Duffy - 6.5 - Solid game. Looks good partnering...
Brisley - 7 - Solid, what we've been missing

Hawkridge - 7.5 - Lively and wanting to be in the game as much as poss. Well played!
Allesandra - 6 - Quiet game, lost possession too often
Hewitt - 6 - Not convinced he is offering alot at all. Get Milsom back in please!
Yates - 7.5 - What we've been missing. Read the game well and put himself about a bit!
Ameobi - 6.5 - Usual game from him.
Stead - 6 - With him and Am up front we don't offer anything different and Stead looked the weaker of the pair today. Should have scored when 1 on 1

Subs:

Grant - 8 - Class as ever, needs to start every game if poss. The X factor we needed.
Forte - 6 - Not sure he is the answer tbh. We need a new marque signing striker imo.
Walker - 6 - Steady for the short time he was on.

I pretty much agree with all of this.
Whilst Collin made one good save, his distribution is poor. It is slow and when he does eventually kick he rarely finds either of the 6ft plus strikers we have on the field.

I was impressed with Yates, plenty of room for improvement but he got around the pitch well and was happy to get stuck in with some tasty tackles and distribute the ball well.

First time I've had chance to see Allesandra and I was disappointed, he was practically anonymous.

[60YearsAPie]

Thought our best players on Saturday were Brisley, Hawkridge, Yates and Grant. They also happen to be players who’ve been brought in this summer.

Shock horror! Does this mean that the management team have done what they said they’d do, bring in players that would improve the team?

[mickeymag]

Still need that holding and creative mid fielder plus a striker with quick feet to partner Shola leave defence to develop that understanding still early days.

[Pies4u]

I thought Yates had a good debut and is clearly a very promising prospect, but I don't understand why we need both him and Hewitt at home, particularly after they were reduced to 10 men. Both are excellent at pressing and breaking up play but neither is very good on the ball and we had zero craft to break them down until Grant came on.

Milsom is the only midfielder we have who is good with and without the ball and I can't for the life of me why he has suddenly gone from Player of the Season to 4th choice midfielder.

Similarly, one of Stead or Shola has to make way. The relentless, one-dimensional direct play really was painful to watch and just plays into Chesterfield's - and indeed most L2 teams - hands, where the centre backs are almost always big, strong and decent in the air.

That said, we did win and keep a clean sheet and I echo the thoughts of above about Brisley and Duffy; both very solid today. Duffy's outstanding block right at the start of the second half at 0-0 was a huge moment.

Collin - 6
Tootle - 6
Duffy - 7
Brisley - 7
Jones - 5, Dire set pieces and not the best defensively. I never thought I'd be calling for Carl Dickinson..

Hawkridge - 7
Yates - 7
Hewitt - 6
Alessandra - 5.5
Ameobi - 5
Stead - 5

Grant - 8
Forte - 7, must have been watching a different game to some above. Thought he was excellent.
Walker - 6

Comments and summary, pretty much, spot on.

Stead & Hewitt have not improved over the summer! No need to have Yates & Hewitt in the same team, they look alike, play alike and neither showed any creativity. Yates has youth & inexperience on his side, he should get better, Hewitt just won't.

It baffles me that so many Notts fans mistake energy and effort for ability! That certainly applies to Hewitt, who seems ok at knocking people over but an intuitive or incisive pass seems beyond him. He is best at CB, where he has to concentrate and can see everything in front of him. As a midfielder, he is next to useless. Leaving Milsom out for him is a criminal offence.

In a similar vein, despite loads of effort, Hawkridge missed a sitter in the first half and barely touched the ball in the last 30 minutes, managing to run it out of play when he did! I liked his commitment and application at times but he is still a bit limited in respect of actual skill. How he could be MOTM ahead of Duffy, Brisley or the bloke who scored the 2 goals & changed the game remains an utter mystery. More a measure of "beads of sweat" then actual contribution. Credit to him tho', he tried hard. I hope he continues to display that sort of approach.

Jones actually defended quite well, his clearances might have been questionable occasionally but his basic, no nonsense, defending was ok. His set piece delivery was beyond woeful tho', it was simply a disgrace tbh.

Duffy & Brisley looked solid and composed all game, very assured. The game changed when Grant & Forte came on - the first thing Grant did was score, (something Stead had never looked like doing), and Forte was more dynamic and mobile in 25 mins than Stead had been for an hour or so.

Useful win, some promising signs but we struggled for long periods against a poor side, down to 10 men - I wouldn't get too excited just yet!
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