Match Thread vs. Coventry

[the_anticlough]

When we appointed Kevin, my friend who knows his football just said "why ?"
He is another rookie, very good player but little managerial experience.
He hasnt addressed the key areas of weakness that we have had for several seasons:
Chronic lack of pace
Woeful defence
Only workman like midfield
No goal threat
If we can see it why cant a top level player ?
I have spoken to KN several times and he seems like a genuine top bloke with no arrogance or aloofness
I really want him to be successful at Notts
Time will tell

Top post. I couldn't believe how poor the team looked on paper but wanted to believe, it being the first game and all that. I don't think Nolan will ever let us slump like we did under Sheridan, Derry etc (or should we just say Trew) but he's making big mistakes and we have to hope he can learn from them...

Don't be too impressed by names. Just because a player once cut it at the top level means nothing once your level's fallen. Stead and Smith were a ball and chain last season and will be even worse this. The same might be true of sons of ex-players. We'll see
Don't force square pegs into round holes for too long. Hewitt will never offer enough in midfield to play all season for a team that wants promotion.

With what we have, the best tactic until we get a better striker might be to go 4-1-4-1 pick Allesandra, Hawkridge, Grant and Walker (Milsom holding) Looks like a prem formation, KN should be impressed by that.

[durhampie]

He said that they'd got very close to quite a few players, but had been let down either by the players themselves or their agents.

I think he used the phrase "eye-opener".

So we had to settle for a bunch of useless trialists.

[Freeman25]

With what we have, the best tactic until we get a better striker might be to go 4-1-4-1 pick Allesandra, Hawkridge, Grant and Walker (Milsom holding) Looks like a prem formation, KN should be impressed by that.

Nah, 4-2-3-1, Milsom and Hewitt or Curtis doing the defensive midfield duties, Hawkridge, Grant and Allessandra in an attacking 3, interchangable and Shola up front holding the ball up and playing those three in, easy money.

[ancientpie]

He said that they'd got very close to quite a few players, but had been let down either by the players themselves or their agents.

I think he used the phrase "eye-opener".

I'm not trying to make excuses for our lack of quality signings but I do tend to think that we forget that both AH & KN are both novices at this & perhaps this close season should be viewed as a learning curve for both.I heard them interviewed on radio red at the end of last season saying that they would only sign players who were desperate to join the club & anyone who needed time to think about it could forget it, no surprise then that it as come as an "eye opener" that quality signings (ie those with multiple choices) have not been queuing at the gates to sign for a club that nearly got relegated last season.

[Freeman25]

Nolan also pointed out in an interview that incoming strikers were scared to come to Notts because they see Shola and Stead and worry that they won't be able to break into our first team...

Stead and Ameobi aren't too similar in football terms imo though, Ameobi is a very good target man, I think you'd struggle to find a better one in League 2, his ball control/first touch, hold up play and his ability to win the ball in the air is all excellent, Stead doesn't really show any of those qualities, he's a better finisher and he's good at poaching goals in the box, the similarities they do have are physical - they're both old, tall and slow.

[KeepTheMagpieFlyingH]

Nah, 4-2-3-1, Milsom and Hewitt or Curtis doing the defensive midfield duties, Hawkridge, Grant and Allessandra in an attacking 3, interchangable and Shola up front holding the ball up and playing those three in, easy money.

For Shola to play the 3 mentioned in..the 3 mentioned would need pace! If the 3 mentioned had that kind of pace..Ameobi wouldn't be 30-40 yards from goal looking to thread passes..he'd be in and around the box causing havoc.

[Freeman25]

Stead has no pace and Shola managed to play him in 3 times in about 10 minutes yesterday, he also got lucky with a deflection and inadvertently played in Hawkridge when he hit the post in the first half. They don't need to be Usain Bolt, they just need to be mobile, which all three are in comparison to Stead.

[KeepTheMagpieFlyingH]

Stead has no pace and Shola managed to play him in 3 times in about 10 minutes yesterday, he also got lucky with a deflection and inadvertently played in Hawkridge when he hit the post in the first half. They don't need to be Usain Bolt, they just need to be mobile, which all three are in comparison to Stead.

Exactly..Stead gets played in 3 times because Coventry City and Mark Robins are happy to leave that space behind because they're confident that either their defenders are quick enough to cover or the keepers capable of sweeping. If Notts had any pace at all to worry about that space wouldn't be there.

That space was there yesterday and will be there against a lot of teams..because no manager worth his salt is going to sit deep against Notts County.