The Hunter or The Hunted?

[60YearsAPie]

After 16 games, including the two against Tamworth, the only 3 games we have lost were when the majority of our defence were missing through injury. A favourable result in a couple of those games would have seen us around the top of the table.

So, the question is, at this time of the season do you prefer to be at the top (the hunted) or keeping pace in the pack (the hunter), just a few points behind automatic promotion?

[crazyfists]

Set the pace. Sure there's pressure that comes with first place but then we're notts county in non league, we should welcome the pressure and want to be the team no one wants to play as we're too good. Having said that then finishing the season playing well is also a must if you're relying on playoffs but I still think we can get automatic depending on what happens in Jan regarding our transfer dealings and also other teams for example Wrexham who again will try and buy their way up the league as its not been plain sailing for them. It's interesting that this league seems to really be a complete grind and spending big isn't necessarily the way out.

[upthemaggies]

Just going by Notts own history, when we've won the league we've usually settled into top spot before this stage of the season and stayed there. Munto is the most obvious exception.

2009/10 Top from 13th April (first time top since 22nd August).
1997/98 Top from 13th December onwards (having already been top since mid September off and on)
1970/71 Top from 21st October onwards (having already been top)
1949/50 Top from 10th September onwards
1930/31 Top from 27th September onwards
The 1897, 1914 and 1923 Notts title winners all hit their side early as well.

You want to be the hunted.

[countygump]

Just going by Notts own history, when we've won the league we've usually settled into top spot before this stage of the season and stayed there. Munto is the most obvious exception.

2009/10 Top from 13th April (first time top since 22nd August).
1997/98 Top from 13th December onwards (having already been top since mid September off and on)
1970/71 Top from 21st October onwards (having already been top)
1949/50 Top from 10th September onwards
1930/31 Top from 27th September onwards
The 1897, 1914 and 1923 Notts title winners all hit their side early as well.

You want to be the hunted.

''Hunter'', nick the title from Cheatersfurlough on goal diff on the last day of the season just for the sheer nail biting, gut wrenching, enjoyment of it.

[lunaspie]

''Hunter'', nick the title from Cheatersfurlough on goal diff on the last day of the season just for the sheer nail biting, gut wrenching, enjoyment of it.

Hunter bites yer legs at the death.

[nw6pie]

Just going by Notts own history, when we've won the league we've usually settled into top spot before this stage of the season and stayed there. Munto is the most obvious exception.

2009/10 Top from 13th April (first time top since 22nd August).
1997/98 Top from 13th December onwards (having already been top since mid September off and on)
1970/71 Top from 21st October onwards (having already been top)
1949/50 Top from 10th September onwards
1930/31 Top from 27th September onwards
The 1897, 1914 and 1923 Notts title winners all hit their side early as well.

You want to be the hunted.

I’d say it’s best to be in the pack and not get too fixated on being top at this stage of the season. Over the last two seasons, there’s always too been too much of a gap between us and the leaders, and we can’t let that happen again (5 points is already too much) if we want to be serious contenders.

I think the most important thing we can learn from our history - and also this league - is that we’re going to need to string a long line of victories together at some point to get to the top - just like we did in 1997/98 (I seem to recall we were 5th at the start of December after a 2-2 draw with Peterborough, but then couldn’t stop winning for months) and 2009/2010. That’s also how Mansfield and Lincoln went up, and obviously there was Barrow’s incredible winning streak from a few years ago.

[i961pie]

Set the pace. Sure there's pressure that comes with first place but then we're notts county in non league, we should welcome the pressure and want to be the team no one wants to play as we're too good. Having said that then finishing the season playing well is also a must if you're relying on playoffs but I still think we can get automatic depending on what happens in Jan regarding our transfer dealings and also other teams for example Wrexham who again will try and buy their way up the league as its not been plain sailing for them. It's interesting that this league seems to really be a complete grind and spending big isn't necessarily the way out.

I think the manager is more important than just throwing money about. Yes it helps if you have the cash but having a good coach/ manager makes all the difference. I am now more wary of Stockport now Challinor is there.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I’d say it’s best to be in the pack and not get too fixated on being top at this stage of the season. Over the last two seasons, there’s always too been too much of a gap between us and the leaders, and we can’t let that happen again (5 points is already too much) if we want to be serious contenders.

I think the most important thing we can learn from our history - and also this league - is that we’re going to need to string a long line of victories together at some point to get to the top - just like we did in 1997/98 (I seem to recall we were 5th at the start of December after a 2-2 draw with Peterborough, but then couldn’t stop winning for months) and 2009/2010. That’s also how Mansfield and Lincoln went up, and obviously there was Barrow’s incredible winning streak from a few years ago.

I agree about being in the pack and not worrying about being top at this stage of the season. There are the old clichés in football about "nothing being won at Christmas etc.." and the "business end of the season" for a reason and that is because they are true.

Last season is a prime example whereby Torquay went storming ahead and were on a roll and had momentum but then they dropped off when it mattered at the business end and finished in the play-offs and did not get promoted. We even did this ourselves in the Nolan play-off season whereby we were top in September through to February and then we dropped off and ended up going nowhere as we lost to Coventry in the play-off semi final.

I also think that if we are to be title challenges we ideally will need to go on a winning run of about five or six games at least once if not twice between now and the end of the season, much like what happened in the Allardyce and Munto title winning seasons.

This season thus far we had a block of 7 games before we lost three games and we are now six games unbeaten in all competitions having won 4 out of the last 5 league games. So we can be positive that we are certainly heading in the right direction.

[kill_the_drum]

Better to be top for the simple fact it means we have more points. If 90 points was to win the league, it’s irrelevant when/how those points were accumulated.
We’re not currently top because we lost the three games in succession. When that happened, I don’t think any fan thought it was a good thing!

[laddo]

It's better to have the points on the board at any point in the season purely because it's let's you potentially get away with losing 2 or 3 in a row of for example you have your No1 out and half your defence.

If you are paying hunter then there isn't that room for error.