Stockport

[jackal2]

Appear to be imploding.

Is this a good or a bad thing from our perspective ? Assuming we are in the playoffs … would we rather play Wrexham or Stockport.
If Stockport have “gone” then maybe them ?

Without doubt it's good news if Wrexham win the title and a dejected Stockport drop into the play-offs. I still don't think this Notts team has got what it takes to win three play-off matches, but our chances would certainly be improved if Wrexham are out of the equation and the morale of the league's second strongest team is on the floor.

[upthemaggies]

If we were playing them tomorrow, I'd fancy Notts against Stockport or Chesterfield, home or away.

Not sure about Grimsby.

We really shouldn't be afraid of Halifax or Solihull. Away would be tough - as we've seen this season - but winnable.

Wrexham are the only team I'd seriously want to avoid.

Biggest question mark over Notts is whether or not they could get through three games without having one almighty stinker. Silly to give up hope now though, seeing that we're almost assured a place at the play-off party. OK nobody will be surprised if we blow it, but you'd be mad to say a club the size of Notts has no chance in the 5th tier play offs, we're not facing a Suunderland or Sheff Wed.

[jackal2]

OK nobody will be surprised if we blow it, but you'd be mad to say a club the size of Notts has no chance in the 5th tier play offs, we're not facing a Sunderland or Sheff Wed.

Very true, and that's why I get frustrated by the narrative we often heard from Ardley and now again from Burchnall, telling us how difficult opponents like Dover, Weymouth and Aldershot will be, let alone the better teams. I'm not saying we should ever go into games thinking we have a right to win, but FFS we're Notts County Football Club playing in the National League with more resources than almost all teams at this level. We bloody well should demand that our players put in performances good and strong enough to take on and beat teams like Aldershot, and indeed most teams around us. How about a bit more of a 'can do' culture, even if it does put the dreaded 'pressure' on players, rather than repeatedly telling everyone how difficult it all is.

[slack_pie]

Very true, and that's why I get frustrated by the narrative we often heard from Ardley and now again from Burchnall, telling us how difficult opponents like Dover, Weymouth and Aldershot will be, let alone the better teams. I'm not saying we should ever go into games thinking we have a right to win, but FFS we're Notts County Football Club playing in the National League with more resources than almost all teams at this level. We bloody well should demand that our players put in performances good and strong enough to take on and beat teams like Aldershot, and indeed most teams around us. How about a bit more of a 'can do' culture, even if it does put the dreaded 'pressure' on players, rather than repeatedly telling everyone how difficult it all is.

Exactly. I'm sick and tired of hearing how teams like Aldershot are tough because they're well organised or whatever. It's Aldershot, for god's sake. No offence to the vast majority of teams in this league, but with our resources, we shouldn't be losing to teams like like Aldershot, no matter how well organised they are.

I don't expect us to win every game. I expect us to try to win every game, and if we fail, I want it to be that we gave absolutely everything but were just outclassed/unlucky. To simply not turn up - like Notts do once every five games - is shocking for a club in our position, with our ambitions, at this stage of the season.

Bring in someone who can instill a ruthless winning mentality in our players. And bring in players who can win a battle. No more Zak Brunts, please.

I was thinking about the two games we played against Halifax in the league this season. The away game, we throw away three points after leading against ten men. The home game, we fail to break down 10 men despite having a tonne of chances. Halifax get four points, we get one. Now, imagine if Notts were in the two situations Halifax were in - 0-2 down with a few mins to go and down to 10 men away at a club who's hammering us with wave after wave of attack. How many points would we have gained? Zero, with a doubt. That's the difference. That's why Halifax will finish above us (literally).

[Elite_Pie]

Exactly. I'm sick and tired of hearing how teams like Aldershot are tough because they're well organised or whatever. It's Aldershot, for god's sake. No offence to the vast majority of teams in this league, but with our resources, we shouldn't be losing to teams like like Aldershot, no matter how well organised they are.

Very well put. I keep reading about how competitive the National League is this season, but it's only true at the top end. At the bottom end there is some real dross. Absolute cannon fodder. That means that the top few have to try and better their top opponents, while taking full advantage of their games against the dross if they want to progress. We've not done too badly against our rivals at the top end, but we've failed to take full advantage of our 'easy' games, with Saturday being a perfect example. We are good when we're good, but we also have this weakness that means that we are perfectly capable of losing to anyone in this division. There is definitely something missing.

[jackal2]

Exactly. I'm sick and tired of hearing how teams like Aldershot are tough because they're well organised or whatever. It's Aldershot, for god's sake. No offence to the vast majority of teams in this league, but with our resources, we shouldn't be losing to teams like like Aldershot, no matter how well organised they are.

I don't expect us to win every game. I expect us to try to win every game, and if we fail, I want it to be that we gave absolutely everything but were just outclassed/unlucky. To simply not turn up - like Notts do once every five games - is shocking for a club in our position, with our ambitions, at this stage of the season.

Bring in someone who can instill a ruthless winning mentality in our players. And bring in players who can win a battle. No more Zak Brunts, please.

The two messages I wanted to hear from IB after yesterday's shambles were that he accepted some responsibility for the result in terms of a poor team selection, but also that he wouldn't accept that kind of lethargic, half-arsed crap ever again from any team he sends out. It was a completely unacceptable performance and result which needed to be declared as such inside and outside of the dressing room.

Instead, we got a shrug of the shoulders, a moan about a penalty decision and a story about how Aldershot had set up to make life difficult for us. If the manager starts making excuses and showing such a lack of passion, then it's hardly surprising that the players do the same. I repeat, I'm not calling for the manager's head at all, but I am saying he needs to recognise what's missing and demand more of himself and his players. That's the only way we'll stand any chance of pulling off a surprise in the play-offs.

[slack_pie]

The two messages I wanted to hear from IB after yesterday's shambles were that he accepted some responsibility for the result in terms of a poor team selection, but also that he wouldn't accept that kind of lethargic, half-arsed crap ever again from any team he sends out. It was a completely unacceptable performance and result which needed to be declared as such inside and outside of the dressing room.

Instead, we got a shrug of the shoulders, a moan about a penalty decision and a story about how Aldershot had set up to make life difficult for us. If the manager starts making excuses and showing such a lack of passion, then it's hardly surprising that the players do the same. I repeat, I'm not calling for the manager's head at all, but I am saying he needs to recognise what's missing and demand more of himself and his players. That's the only way we'll stand any chance of pulling off a surprise in the play-offs.

Indeed. All we hear after a performance like that are reasons why it was difficult. They were well organised, the were fighting for their lives, they made it difficult for us, etc.

These aren't valid reasons.

The 'they were fighting for their lives' one really pissed me off. Like it's not possible for our players to fight for promotion with the same level of desire.

It's obviously a personnel issue. I don't think our players are deliberately not trying, I just think they aren't the kind of players who are up for a battle. Desire and passion are just like technical skills in that you have to recruit for them. I just don't think our players have it in them, regardless of the manager. We badly miss balance. Yes, have a few lightweight and skillful attacking midfielders, but also have a some hard-tackling, hard-running midielders. It isn't rocket science.

[Elite_Pie]

The 'they were fighting for their lives' one really pissed me off.

Yep, the reason 'they were fighting for their lives' is because they had lost more than twice as many games as they had won. In other words, they're not a very good team who we should have beaten without too much trouble.

Desire and passion are just like technical skills in that you have to recruit for them.

That's my worry about this supposed #radarlove. The stats might be evidence of their technical skills etc, but does it work when your opponent says "stick your stats up your arse, I want it more than you"? Saturday suggest it might not.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Exactly. I'm sick and tired of hearing how teams like Aldershot are tough because they're well organised or whatever. It's Aldershot, for god's sake. No offence to the vast majority of teams in this league, but with our resources, we shouldn't be losing to teams like like Aldershot, no matter how well organised they are.

I don't expect us to win every game. I expect us to try to win every game, and if we fail, I want it to be that we gave absolutely everything but were just outclassed/unlucky. To simply not turn up - like Notts do once every five games - is shocking for a club in our position, with our ambitions, at this stage of the season.

Bring in someone who can instill a ruthless winning mentality in our players. And bring in players who can win a battle. No more Zak Brunts, please.

I was thinking about the two games we played against Halifax in the league this season. The away game, we throw away three points after leading against ten men. The home game, we fail to break down 10 men despite having a tonne of chances. Halifax get four points, we get one. Now, imagine if Notts were in the two situations Halifax were in - 0-2 down with a few mins to go and down to 10 men away at a club who's hammering us with wave after wave of attack. How many points would we have gained? Zero, with a doubt. That's the difference. That's why Halifax will finish above us (literally).

I had hoped there would be some acknowledgement publicly that the performance was unacceptable and that we've got to be better but there was nothing. It's all well and good that Aldershot were fighting for lives and herein lies the problem. We should have been fighting for promotion away from home because we were challenging for 3rd place but we didn't. It's not like it's the first time this has happened either as too many times we've not fought away from home this season.

We have no devine right to beat anyone but let's be honest Notts County in the National League should not have picked up just two points away from home from in games against Weymouth, Alrincham, Eastleigh, Aldershot and Wealdstone. That's is not an acceptable standard of results for this football club. Collectively it's a new low, but these away games seem to be a leveler without the confines and luxury of Meadow Lane and our 6,000 fans.

I don't want the manager to go, I think he needs time and a second summer. The club as a whole must look at why we struggle to beat inferior opposition away from home, and make sufficient changes whether that be in playing style or personnel otherwise we will never have that final piece of the jigsaw that's missing that's needed to be challenge for the title.

[The-Mac pie]

To a degree I agree
I like birch’s style of play but I don’t think his philosophy or the owners to play complete football is ever going to get us out this league.
Full stop.
A good mix of pretty/rugged/long ball football with some quality will give you a much better chance