Quote Originally Posted by slack_pie View Post
I think one thing this thread has highlighted is how much football has changed in the last fif**** years or so. You used to be able to win the league with a rigid 442, a bunch of hardworking lower-league players, and one or two stars. Now, there's much more emphasis on technique and fluidity.

I've often thought when watching this current Notts team that they're the best I've ever seen, regardless of the division they're playing in. That obviously can't be the case, because I've watched Notts in the top division against teams like Man Utd and Liverpool. But I don't ever remember Notts teams in the early 90s playing such nice football (although Mick Walker's team were easy on the eye).

Just think back to when we were a comfortable L1 side players like Haydn Hollis and managers like Shaun Derry. Or riding high at the top of L2 with Richard Duffy and Terry Hawkridge. We seem infinitely better now, but yet here we are in the fifth division.
All true Slack.
Our style now is a stand-out feature and the starting point when imagining a game between the 2 sides 13 years apart. It's also the starting point for the rest of the league in figuring out how to play us.

Full credit to LW and RH, they've used our advantages in this division and translated them into a the best promotion push we've had - superior resources and finances, greater pull for recruiting players, fantastic stadium and pitch.

There's something we don't fully know about this team though. How do they stand-up to fierce resistance and being put on the back foot? (we rarely have to, that's the whole point of making the most of those advantages). Kasper, Lee, Edwards, Ravenhill and Bishop covered us for that in their day. Best case scenario is that we never have it tested (apart from Wrexham away), but here's hoping we rise to the occasion if we have to face that in the play-offs.