Quote Originally Posted by Elite_Pie View Post
If the Reedtz brothers do fail, I think it will be because their desired approach doesn't work particularly well at this level. I am a fan of statistics, analytics, projections etc because they can often tell you a lot. I'm not sure the National League is the best place to use them though. All the complex tactical formations, neat triangles, keeping possession and playing through the thirds have worked for some teams, but they don't seem very effective if your opponents decide to say "F*ck their fancy formations, just get stuck in and want it more than they do". That's been the main tactic of many of our opponents, and we don't seem to know how to counter it.
Better information on players is never a bad thing, especially for a club like ours that has been burned too often by managers signing old mates or players they saw perform well against them once. However, I think there's some truth in what you say, in that we shouldn't necessarily be using that data to identify the silkiest, most technical footballers, but instead the most aggressive, athletic, physical competitors who are equipped for football in the English lower leagues. Presumably, the data from Football Radar can be used to identify whatever type of player and personality you wish, but maybe so far we've been a bit idealistic about the football we eventually want to play, rather than picking horses for courses.

I must admit, there have been several occasions when I've watched Notts under Ardley and so far under the new coach where I've longed to see more of the 'smash-mouth' football we used to play under Warnock and Allardyce. It wasn't as "long-ball" as some observers used to claim, because we did play football mostly in the opponents' half, but it was based on getting the ball into the opponents' penalty area as fast and as often as possible, effectively laying siege on their goal and pressuring and battering them into submission rather than seeking to play nice patterns around them. And when you've got players as fast as Lewis Knight and Jimmy Knowles, why wouldn't you release them down the channels and into the area early, because most defenders at this level are very slow?

When managers across the river have tried to introduce more direct tactics, Nottingham Forest fans have sometimes admonished them with the song "We're Nottingham Forest, we play on the floor!", because that is their identity as a team. Well, over here at Meadow Lane, at least in the post-Sirrell era, our "identity" in our best years has been "We're Notts County, prepare to be bombarded and kicked off the park if necessary!". And when it's done right, it can be strangely satisfying and quite entertaining!