Quote Originally Posted by the_anticlough View Post
We tend to overlook something very basic...IB, like so many others, picks a formation without having the players for it.

There should be more talk on here and in the media about why Joel Taylor is missing. Taylor can play wing-back, Chicksen can't. We went into yesterday's game toothless down one whole side of the pitch. This throws out our entire balance. We actually did better with Roberts filling in there (although in no way am I calling for that )

The first third of the season we suffered with DKE at RWB until Richardson showed us what the position is all about. Now we have Chicksen. Managers say they're playing wing-backs then pick full-backs to play there. Extra defenders are good for draws and fighting relegation, not so good when you're playing for promotion and have to attack games.
To be fair to Chicksen and IB, his last appearance as left wing-back was Wrexham, when he was probably our best attacking outlet, got himself two assists and was generally excellent. Richardson has been really good and clearly improves us, but I'd say his Notts career so far basically mirrors the team - he's been superb in every home game he's played, but basically anonymous at both Wealdstone and King's Lynn.

I don't claim to be clever enough to have the answers, but I would say we have two big problems that are keeping us (just) as a play-off team rather than title winning one, and they are:

1) We start games far too slowly. Having scored fewer goals than Dover in the opening half an hour of games is ridiculous.

2) We're neither getting the results or the performances away from home. I think we're defensively okay, we don't generally concede lots on the road, but for some reason a team with Wootton, Roberts, Rodrigues, Vincent etc. that scores goals for fun at Meadow Lane doesn't actually create much away.

I don't think it's personnel, both of these themes have been pretty consistent across all formations and line-ups this season.