🗓️Pre-Season Friendlies 2024/25

[Chicken Balti Pie]

This has been very very underwhelming . Not only is Maynard under pressure but so is the recruitment team as seem to have missed out on a few first choices as well as letting our best player go for peanuts.

This! Maynard was already on thin ice with fans but for the recruitment team to let go if two forwards with no replacements as well as the fact Palmer has had no minutes so far and he hasn't got any cover is criminal. We haven't replaced what we've lost from last season and we have less than two weeks to go. Anything less than a stellar start and I'd expect changes in the board room as it's well noted the one person who is responsible

[TSANHO]

Totally understand the underwhelming feeling regarding the new season but it doesn’t help when probably 95% of us haven’t seen the team play due to there being no home games whilst the pitch is being renovated. We’ve had zero chance to see the new players and become acquainted with them, this doesn’t help in building a feel good factor.

That being said, the results haven’t looked great, and from the few who have been to games the performances haven’t either. Maynard desperately needs a good start.

[Pie-eyed&legless]

Not sure how the ‘well-noted one person’ can be held responsible for failing to get so-called ‘target players’ to come to Notts! - a target player is someone you would like to sign but that ‘target’ may not want to sign for Notts for a variety of reasons and so you end up signing players who were not actual targets.

[Seasonedpie]

Seems Maynard is doing exactly the same in the friendlies as he did in games last season ie playing players out of position and tinkering with the team and the formations throughout the game. He should by now know his team and preffered formation but I suspect we are in for more of the same this season, seems he just cant help it

[slack_pie]

This! Maynard was already on thin ice with fans but for the recruitment team to let go if two forwards with no replacements as well as the fact Palmer has had no minutes so far and he hasn't got any cover is criminal. We haven't replaced what we've lost from last season and we have less than two weeks to go. Anything less than a stellar start and I'd expect changes in the board room as it's well noted the one person who is responsible

Maynard will be the fall guy though. It's not his fault we've sold the best striker we've had this century and not replaced him, but it will be him the fans vent their fury at when we struggle to score as many goals as we're used to scoring.

I actually quite like Maynard. He seems like a plucky character who's worked hard to get where he is. Despite what some people say, I find him very likeable. He might well be a decent coach, but my concern is that Notts needs a big personality to steer the ship, keep the fans happy, and unite the team. It takes more than good players and fancy tactics to get promoted, and I'm not sure he brings that extra quality needed. Hope I'm wrong though.

[NottsNotCounty]

Slack is quite right Maynard will be the fall guy, a manager always is, I would add that I feel he has been dealt a bad hand off the field as well. We’ve seen two coaches leave this summer without explanation from the club, only one announcement made in terms of the keeper coach replacement and go into the new season risking a level of fitness without that type of coach in place. I’ve not been to any games this summer but what does the fitness levels look like? The last couple of years there has never been a concern over the fitness levels as it appeared we had a competent coach in place.
Nothing seems to be coming from within the club in terms of updates on players, kit, season ticket sales, even the updates on the pitch seem to have ceased it doesn’t help Maynard’s cause that the club seem apathetic this summer in their communication with supporters.

[matt_magpie]

Seems Maynard is doing exactly the same in the friendlies as he did in games last season ie playing players out of position and tinkering with the team and the formations throughout the game. He should by now know his team and preffered formation but I suspect we are in for more of the same this season, seems he just cant help it

I’d argue playing jones on the right isn’t playing him out of a position as that’s where he played before he joined us and also where he played when he ripped us apart getting his hatrick for Cov against us. Scott’s always been a victim of the same system, having the box midlfield with one up front means if he’s not playing up top then the next best position is the left number 10 cutting in and getting shots off.
If we are going to use this same system both LW and SM seem to like are we better bringing in another No 10? As your going to have Jatta, Scott and Mcgoldrick able to play there whereas if you do bring another striker, how much game time are they actually going to get with only one position up for grabs?

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Not sure how the ‘well-noted one person’ can be held responsible for failing to get so-called ‘target players’ to come to Notts! - a target player is someone you would like to sign but that ‘target’ may not want to sign for Notts for a variety of reasons and so you end up signing players who were not actual targets.

Except for the fact we haven't really signed anyone other than defenders. Have we replaced Baj, Bostock and O'Brien? Edwards seems a decent player but the unproven U21 player I can't even remember the name of is doing what exactly?

We've let go of Langstaff and Morias, who exactly have we bought in to replace them?

We have replaced Randall mind with Tsaroulla who seems equally adept at sitting in the medical room

[Could'vebeenacontender]

We shouldn't take too much notice of results in the friendlies so far as the lads have been having full training sessions the day before all the games.
We've been running out of steam in the second half in most games because of this
I feel a bit for Maynard
Our model is that the recruitment team brings in players mostly based on their data
The manager has little choice on the personnel and as Luke found, he often finds that some of the new signings are either not up to the level or don't play in the positions where we are lacking
Additionally data doesn't show up character deficiencies. The squad were glad to see the back of one or two who weren't kept on at the end of last season for example
Luke often talked about how we needed better defenders last season but he was ignored and instead found himself with forwards and midfielders who didn't play

[applepie2]

Except for the fact we haven't really signed anyone other than defenders. Have we replaced Baj, Bostock and O'Brien? Edwards seems a decent player but the unproven U21 player I can't even remember the name of is doing what exactly?

We've let go of Langstaff and Morias, who exactly have we bought in to replace them?

We have replaced Randall mind with Tsaroulla who seems equally adept at sitting in the medical room

Hinchy hasn't been in the building long enough for us to question what he's doing exactly.