📝 New Manager [Luke Williams Appointed]

[countygump]

What makes you say that?

It could be that, (year on year in this division), we've actually got further away from promo?

[jackal2]

It could be that, (year on year in this division), we've actually got further away from promo?

Technically I suppose we have, in terms of a play-off final followed by a semi-final followed by a quarter-final, but I think that's splitting hairs to a degree. The overall picture is that we've reached the play-offs every year since relegation, so we're definitely in the promotion mix, but we need to be a little more ruthless to become play-off or title winners. Over the past three seasons we've lost too many games away from home to teams you have to beat if you're going to win things, and based on what I've seen so far I fear that could happen again.

To avoid that, we need to strengthen the midfield ASAP and adopt a slightly more pragmatic style of play. I don't mean we need to go 'direct' or 'long-ball', but let's play our football in the right parts of the pitch where mistakes can be recovered. Don't ask National League players - who by nature are prone to make more mistakes than higher level players - to take silly risks and invite pressure upon themselves in the defensive third of the pitch. It really is practical common sense.

[pravda_plc]

100% agree...

[Old_pie]

Don't ask National League players - who by nature are prone to make more mistakes than higher level players - to take silly risks and invite pressure upon themselves in the defensive third of the pitch. It really is practical common sense.

And conversely take every opportunity to put the opposition's defenders under pressure instead of giving them time to re-assemble.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Technically I suppose we have, in terms of a play-off final followed by a semi-final followed by a quarter-final, but I think that's splitting hairs to a degree. The overall picture is that we've reached the play-offs every year since relegation, so we're definitely in the promotion mix, but we need to be a little more ruthless to become play-off or title winners. Over the past three seasons we've lost too many games away from home to teams you have to beat if you're going to win things, and based on what I've seen so far I fear that could happen again.

To avoid that, we need to strengthen the midfield ASAP and adopt a slightly more pragmatic style of play. I don't mean we need to go 'direct' or 'long-ball', but let's play our football in the right parts of the pitch where mistakes can be recovered. Don't ask National League players - who by nature are prone to make more mistakes than higher level players - to take silly risks and invite pressure upon themselves in the defensive third of the pitch. It really is practical common sense.

I guess it depends how people look at it. Some will say we have been getting further and further away from promotion since we've been in this league. In the grand scheme of the football pyramid we've finished 95th, 97th and 97th. The highest we can finish is 93rd.

We've basically found stability here in the fifth tier and stability is something that is extremely unusual for Notts which is why we ended up in the fifth tier in the first place. Typically since we've been at this level we've won more games at home than in previous seasons and have a hattrick off play-off campaign's. The club has been directed through the Covid crisis and has come out intact.

Is stability as a Top five National League play off club enough? I think it would be hard to find any Notts fan that would say yes to that question. We desperately want to get out of this league.

What concerns me is with the start of each new season we are at this level the frustration of the previous seasons of play-off failures is going to simmer and boil underneath. Having spent three seasons in this league already the expectation and pressure is raised from the supporters. We had Burchnall for one full season, and now we start our 4th campaign with a new manager. These coaches have to hit the ground running to stand any chance of building up credit in the bank amongst the supporters the way I see it. It's a tough gig.

There is some degree of fear of being trapped down here for a decade or more like Wrexham.

We must look at clubs like Luton who spent five years at this level. That is the hope that we must carry that our time to rise will come as we are the National League version of Brentford in the premier league in terms of how we are set up.