A hopeful, positive perspective on the current situation.

[glasgowdave]

I've either watched or listened to most Notts games this season and I have always believed avoiding relegation is the most important thing for us this year.
And this is by no means yet certain. Two wins will do it, and even just 4 more points but it us gard to see where they may come from.
But, let us assume they will for this argument.
The positive spin I have is this:
1. I think the owners thought the squad would be good enough for League 2, and renewed some surprising contracts. New recruitment was not helped by tge delay caused by our play off success. Which league will we be in?
2. Had we continued to do well this season and either just missed out on promotion in the play offs or, even worse, got promoted, then there may still have been a view that the squad was good enough.
It clearly isn't and is still basically a very good NL squad.
3. The worst thing that can happen( other than being relegated of course) is to be promoted and fail dismally in the League above...loads of examples this season alone (Sheffield, Burnley, Carlisle etc). This really does inhibit sustained progress.
4.Knowing that we will be playing in League 2 next season will give the recruitment team plenty of time to identify and secure the correct targets and make sure we have an improved and more balanced squad. Whether we retain our main assets or not is a moot point. Good recruitment must take this in to account.
5. We must therefore secure the 4/6 points we need and then work hard on a recruitment plan to get us out of L2. This is a better prospect than punching above our current weight and thinking we might be in L1.
6. The owners are smart guys and will know the importance of all this and must be delighted with the fantadthome attendances and the improved income stream. Surely, we are better off financially than last year?
7. I am obviously deeply concerned about the management team and wonder if this gamble is a big mistake, but provided we get the 2 wins( big assumption I know) then the rest of this season's results will answer that question.

So, in some ways I am of a view that this dreadful slump is for the best in many ways. We need to keep faith with the owners, support the lads and get the 2 wins and then recruit well and hard for a sustainable attempt to get in to L1.
Easier said than done of course.
Cheers.
David
COUPs.

[Woodypie]

Agree with all that, apart from thinking Maynard has any chance of getting six points.

[51Magpie]

Agree with all that, apart from thinking Maynard has any chance of getting six points.

Oh, I don't know... we've got four from the last twenty-seven so with thirty to play for we're very nearly on track for another six points already.

[keldsyke]

I've either watched or listened to most Notts games this season and I have always believed avoiding relegation is the most important thing for us this year.
And this is by no means yet certain. Two wins will do it, and even just 4 more points but it us gard to see where they may come from.
But, let us assume they will for this argument.
The positive spin I have is this:
1. I think the owners thought the squad would be good enough for League 2, and renewed some surprising contracts. New recruitment was not helped by tge delay caused by our play off success. Which league will we be in?
2. Had we continued to do well this season and either just missed out on promotion in the play offs or, even worse, got promoted, then there may still have been a view that the squad was good enough.
It clearly isn't and is still basically a very good NL squad.
3. The worst thing that can happen( other than being relegated of course) is to be promoted and fail dismally in the League above...loads of examples this season alone (Sheffield, Burnley, Carlisle etc). This really does inhibit sustained progress.
4.Knowing that we will be playing in League 2 next season will give the recruitment team plenty of time to identify and secure the correct targets and make sure we have an improved and more balanced squad. Whether we retain our main assets or not is a moot point. Good recruitment must take this in to account.
5. We must therefore secure the 4/6 points we need and then work hard on a recruitment plan to get us out of L2. This is a better prospect than punching above our current weight and thinking we might be in L1.
6. The owners are smart guys and will know the importance of all this and must be delighted with the fantadthome attendances and the improved income stream. Surely, we are better off financially than last year?
7. I am obviously deeply concerned about the management team and wonder if this gamble is a big mistake, but provided we get the 2 wins( big assumption I know) then the rest of this season's results will answer that question.

So, in some ways I am of a view that this dreadful slump is for the best in many ways. We need to keep faith with the owners, support the lads and get the 2 wins and then recruit well and hard for a sustainable attempt to get in to L1.
Easier said than done of course.
Cheers.
David
COUPs.

I think my biggest concern with our situation going forward regardless of who is manager is the recruitment side, there is nothing to say that will change, until that situation is addressed I have no confidence in the seasons ahead. Apart from a handful, the rest have been 'lucky dips' Jatta being the latest.

[irishpete]

I think my biggest concern with our situation going forward regardless of who is manager is the recruitment side, there is nothing to say that will change, until that situation is addressed I have no confidence in the seasons ahead. Apart from a handful, the rest have been 'lucky dips' Jatta being the latest.

The recruitment team? Do you really trust them? ****ed up on the latest Coach, contracts that were handed out in the Summer, players signed. What other club would signs 2 crocks & pay a fee for one? Defence never been sorted from day of being here. Yes there has been a couple of good signings but the law of averages says you have to get some right

[glasgowdave]

Yes, this is an issue but I would have thought the Brothers will be sitting down with 'The Recruitment Team' and just like my dad said /did to me when I accidentally set fire to his bike when I was 8 years old and then walked nonchalantly in to the house on the Dale asking 'crikey, what happened there Dad?'...he gave me the biggest good hiding imaginable and said if I ever did anything like that ever again, it would be the last thing I ever did.
It worked. I never did.
And I'm sure they will improve...they have done good work as well as bad and simply must do better if and when we secure our L2 status. And the sooner the better!.

[jackal2]

I think my biggest concern with our situation going forward regardless of who is manager is the recruitment side, there is nothing to say that will change, until that situation is addressed I have no confidence in the seasons ahead. Apart from a handful, the rest have been 'lucky dips' Jatta being the latest.

The standard of recruitment while we were in the National League was very good, self-evidently otherwise we wouldn't have been promoted with more than 100 points. The squad as a whole last season did a great job for that level, as did the Head Coach.

I think it's fair to say the recruitment this season has been much patchier, but Christ, compared with the shocking recruitment record of previous regimes there have still been some pretty good picks - e.g. Crowley, Robertson, Macari, Didzy - as well as some who look poor - particularly the goalkeepers - and some who just never seem to have got started fitness-wise.

I think the club have acknowledged indirectly if not directly that they are themselves still learning about this level, and sometimes you have to make bad mistakes to do that. I'll be surprised if they don't now recognise that they put too much faith in retaining some of the defensive unit, perhaps swayed by loyalty to the players that got us up, the desire for continuity, and the decision to invest in attacking players like Crowley and Didzy while they were on the market.

Whatever the reasons, the big 'need' in the summer is some really good quality, dominant additions to the defensive line and defensive midfield, because the current side lacks height, defensive experience and steel. We're a soft touch at the back basically. It's true that we can't afford to make many/any mistakes in that defensive recruitment, otherwise we'll go into next season seriously undercooked, but the recruitment under the current regime - though clearly not infallible - has been considerably better than several regimes previously.

[Togtastic]

The standard of recruitment while we were in the National League was very good, self-evidently otherwise we wouldn't have been promoted with more than 100 points. The squad as a whole last season did a great job for that level, as did the Head Coach.

I think it's fair to say the recruitment this season has been much patchier, but Christ, compared with the shocking recruitment record of previous regimes there have still been some pretty good picks - e.g. Crowley, Robertson, Macari, Didzy - as well as some who look poor - particularly the goalkeepers - and some who just never seem to have got started fitness-wise.

I think the club have acknowledged indirectly if not directly that they are themselves still learning about this level, and sometimes you have to make bad mistakes to do that. I'll be surprised if they don't now recognise that they put too much faith in retaining some of the defensive unit, perhaps swayed by loyalty to the players that got us up, the desire for continuity, and the decision to invest in attacking players like Crowley and Didzy while they were on the market.

Whatever the reasons, the big 'need' in the summer is some really good quality, dominant additions to the defensive line and defensive midfield, because the current side lacks height, defensive experience and steel. We're a soft touch at the back basically. It's true that we can't afford to make many/any mistakes in that defensive recruitment, otherwise we'll go into next season seriously undercooked, but the recruitment under the current regime - though clearly not infallible - has been considerably better than several regimes previously.

Whilst some might accept 'the club' is still learning about life in L2, it was painfully evident well before the January window that we needed proper defenders. It was obvious to everyone it appears, except the recruitment team.
(Most of us thought that before a ball was kicked and waited all pre-season for a decent defensive signing)
With no appropriate activity in January one of two things were likely to happen without recruiting real defenders, with or without LW at the helm. Either we would stop conceding silly goals and win games at a canter, or we would stop scoring and lose games with ease.
It's not rocket science
We gambled on red when we should have bet on Black.
The GK situation is catastrophic, Stone is NL at best, I would love to see the recruitment file which justifed his purchase, LAH is no better and as pleasing as it was to see Slocombe perform so heroically on Tuesday he is not the future of the club.
Given the evidence I have no faith whatsoever in the recruitment team for anything other than 'very nice' tidy footballers who are superb unless the big boys come out to play.

[SmiffyPie]

Whilst some might accept 'the club' is still learning about life in L2, it was painfully evident well before the January window that we needed proper defenders. It was obvious to everyone it appears, except the recruitment team.
(Most of us thought that before a ball was kicked and waited all pre-season for a decent defensive signing)
With no appropriate activity in January one of two things were likely to happen without recruiting real defenders, with or without LW at the helm. Either we would stop conceding silly goals and win games at a canter, or we would stop scoring and lose games with ease.
It's not rocket science
We gambled on red when we should have bet on Black.
The GK situation is catastrophic, Stone is NL at best, I would love to see the recruitment file which justifed his purchase, LAH is no better and as pleasing as it was to see Slocombe perform so heroically on Tuesday he is not the future of the club.
Given the evidence I have no faith whatsoever in the recruitment team for anything other than 'very nice' tidy footballers who are superb unless the big boys come out to play.

It could be seen last season that the defence would struggle against fitter, hungrier, streetwise players in L2 and I really would like to have a peep at the books and see who stopped any defensive recruitment in the close season. Did LW assure the Bros that the attacking +'s would outweigh the defensive -'s or did the Bros stop any business? The club was very naive (be it LW or the Bros) thinking we could take what we had into L2 when there were several warning signs when the better NL teams exploited our defensive frailties. Yes we had a good start in L2 (apart from Sutton) but we played some teams that were poor and if I remember correctly we had some very favourable results from other teams that kept us in the PO's longer than we expected. In hindsight the judgement of the owners to appointment SM is a little worrying but it's their first EFL season as well so benefit of the doubt on that one (as opposed to jumping to the conclusion they went cheap). We need to resolve whatever is going on behind closed doors with the coaching staff, stop this worrying slide and get to the end of the season as soon as bloody possible! It would be good if we could keep the nucleus of this squad and resolve the defensive recruiting issues over the close season or we will obviously struggle again. It's going to be a time for the Bros to put down a marker as to how they see our immediate future.

[Woodypie]

Agree with all that, apart from thinking Maynard has any chance of getting six points.