Stockport

[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