Player ratings vs. Salford City 14.12.24

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The owners are clearly not "idiots", and nor are they "arrogant". I suspect some of those throwing such insults may accidentally be looking at themselves in the mirror.

Any and all football club owners will make mistakes, because plotting success for a football club is an extremely difficult and inexact science, especially if the ambitions of a club's fans sometimes outstrip the resources realistically available at the time.

The two fundamentals for me are motive and mindset.

In terms of motive, we need owners who are genuine in their intention to be the custodians of the club and maintain and leave it in secure financial shape, as opposed to a Russell King, who saw the club and its fans purely a vehicle for an elaborate fraud.

I would say our last three owners - Ray Trew, Alan Hardy and the Reedtz Bros - were/are all genuine in their motive. Some might raise an eyebrow at that description of Trew and Hardy, but then we come to discuss mindset...

I think Ray Trew and Alan Hardy were (also) both on a bit of a personal ego trip and very much wanted to be seen by the fans as the club's knights in shining armour. They enjoyed being the centre of attention and both seemed keen to seek "love" from the supporters on social media, which was forthcoming when things were going well, but not so when things went badly. They engaged too emotionally with the fanbase and it ultimately led to big promises and knee-jerk and ultimately bad decisions which saw the club gradually decline, albeit with some momentary highs along the way. They also became very sensitive to the criticism thrown their way when things went wrong, as if they naively believed the adulation of the fans for saving the club would last forever.

The Reedtz Brothers have had a noticeably different approach. They have kept their engagement with the fans genuine, but more at arms length, perhaps understanding that directors cannot afford to get wrapped up in the week-to-week emotional roller coaster that football fans ride on sites like this. The Reedtz's do communicate, and with sincerity, but at selected times on their terms, explaining their decisions in some detail, though not necessarily seeking or wanting constant approval or 'love'.

In terms of investment, the Reedtz have not made any 'promotion or bust' or 'top five budget' promises even though fans like to hear such things. The Reedtz's have explained only that they want the club to keep building and improving little by little, and even then, they warn that there will be setbacks because football is a game of variables.

They've also invested capital in infrastructure like the Padel courts and the Nest, and better matchday hospitality options, clearly with a view to sustainably increasing the club's revenue stream and ergo its ability to pay and increase wages, so we're not as reliant on form or attendances for our income.

The brothers have shown more than enough ambition to keep me happy over the past few seasons, and their strategy has achieved the most important objective of all: getting us back into the league. I also think they want to move up the league as soon as possible, but for those who think they're not ambitious to move fast enough, perhaps it's true that brothers would prefer a rate of progress that sustainably matches the development of the club's off-the-field revenue-raising infrastructure, rather than shooting too far ahead of what's sustainable and falling backwards very quickly.

To the frustration of some fans it took us several years to get out of the National League, but given that even the team which blitzed the National League found it quite tough going in League Two last season, it's arguable that the teams of Ardley and Burchnall would not have been quite ready for the step up at all. As it is, we survived comfortably last year and our current concern is a loss of form which in all likelihood will be temporary, even if it ultimately needs a couple more signings or a managerial rethink/change to get back on track.

Overall I'm satisfied with the current ownership, even if their calm, strategic approach can jar sometimes against the football fan mentality, which let's face it wants to win every week and be contending for promotion every year. The club seems to be in safe hands, but it might take a fair amount of time, patience and yes, trial and error, before we're ready for the next step up.

A gold standard post this one Jackal. We must always remember the bigger picture and the periods gone before from 2001-2019 where it was boom and bust and not repeat the mistakes of the early part of this century that could very easily have seen us having to start again like Bury, Macclesfield and others.

May I add that I think there is a little more impatience within sections of the fan base due to other clubs who are above us in the pyramid such as Mansfield, Stockport and Wrexham. So for some fans they will see where these clubs are and naturally will want us to keep up with them. Mansfield had been building under Clough for a number of seasons before getting promoted. Wrexham built a league one team whilst in the National League and Stockport were a season in front of us. Wrexham and Stockport spent a lot longer in non-league than we did and Stockport sank lower than what we did.

It will be ten years at the end of the season since we were last in league one but our time will come again for that I'm confident under the brothers. What we have to be is good enough to hold our own in League One when we do get there. The last thing we want is to do a Forest Green and come back down and end up in a free fall. In the short term there is no doubt results have to improve and quickly if we want to be in the mix come the end of the season. It needs to start at home against Bradford on Saturday.

[matt_magpie]

A gold standard post this one Jackal. We must always remember the bigger picture and the periods gone before from 2001-2019 where it was boom and bust and not repeat the mistakes of the early part of this century that could very easily have seen us having to start again like Bury, Macclesfield and others.

May I add that I think there is a little more impatience within sections of the fan base due to other clubs who are above us in the pyramid such as Mansfield, Stockport and Wrexham. So for some fans they will see where these clubs are and naturally will want us to keep up with them. Mansfield had been building under Clough for a number of seasons before getting promoted. Wrexham built a league one team whilst in the National League and Stockport were a season in front of us. Wrexham and Stockport spent a lot longer in non-league than we did and Stockport sank lower than what we did.

It will be ten years at the end of the season since we were last in league one but our time will come again for that I'm confident under the brothers. What we have to be is good enough to hold our own in League One when we do get there. The last thing we want is to do a Forest Green and come back down and end up in a free fall. In the short term there is no doubt results have to improve and quickly if we want to be in the mix come the end of the season. It needs to start at home against Bradford on Saturday.

Totally agree, do I think we?ll go up this season, I?d say probably no, do I think we?ll go up in the next 3 seasons I?d be very confident of that and I?d probably believe we?d get out out L1 in 5 years.
Their not just not going to go sh1t or bust which hopefully should mean on the flipside we won?t go bust or get relegated which has pretty much been the overall story of the last 20-30 years.
Of course they?re not going to get everything right and manager and player recruitment come with so much complexity and uncertainty. The recruitments been the best for years but that doesn?t mean we still won?t sign players/managers that don?t work out, it?s about trying to reduce that as much as possible but it will always happen.

[Bohinen]

The nodding dogs are back in control.

[Elite_Pie]

Any and all football club owners will make mistakes, because plotting success for a football club is an extremely difficult and inexact science.

I agree with all of this.

especially if the ambitions of a club's fans sometimes outstrip the resources realistically available at the time.

I see this as a tame acceptance of second best. My current ambition as a fan is to see us playing in League 1, I'm not asking any more than that. Does playing in League 1 really "outstrip the resources realistically available at the time"? If it does, then we should doff our caps to the owners and thank them that we can compete with the likes of Salford City. If it's true that " it might take a fair amount of time, patience and yes, trial and error, before we're ready for the next step up" then all the momentum we have built up will be long gone.

If we plod along in mid table, I'll be very interested to see that patience in terms of attendances.

[Mapperleypie]

Lets be honest.

The owners have watched the same dross as all of us over the last few months and too often even the 'metrics' have not been good. As someone mentioned on another Fred we seem to have lost our identity. That's way more telling than results IMO.

Their patience, along with all of us, will be wearing thin.

More of the same over the festive period will surely lead to a change.

Personally I have seen enough of Maynard to draw my own conclusions - nice bloke but he is not quite up to the task. It's staring to feel very much like Ardleys last month or so in charge.

[nw6pie]

Exactly. But my belief is that the infrastructure and attendances we have at the moment should put us in a better position to spend "a bit more on the team" than pretty much any of our rivals.

I was surprised at the fans? forum to hear that there are L2 clubs spending considerably more than us and that our budget is merely competitive. Given the high attendances we have for the division, I?d expect us to have a top 3 budget, but that doesn?t seem to be the case. Maybe the club wanted to get the off-field expenses out of the way first that will help make us more sustainable before turning on the tap a little more for player funding?

The Reedtz seem like smart guys. I?m confident they?ll see that if this season goes down the pan like last year, they?re going to have to spend more on the squad next year. Of course, I?m still hoping we?ll turn things around and get into the top 3 this season, starting with getting the injured players back and adding more quality in January.

[BigFatPie]

I agree with all of this.



I see this as a tame acceptance of second best. My current ambition as a fan is to see us playing in League 1, I'm not asking any more than that. Does playing in League 1 really "outstrip the resources realistically available at the time"? If it does, then we should doff our caps to the owners and thank them that we can compete with the likes of Salford City. If it's true that " it might take a fair amount of time, patience and yes, trial and error, before we're ready for the next step up" then all the momentum we have built up will be long gone.

If we plod along in mid table, I'll be very interested to see that patience in terms of attendances.

Yes, I presume everyone with at least half a brain knows it?s best if we can be sustainably run. But if that entails travelling half way across the country on a Saturday morning to see us getting our arses kicked by the likes of Salford and Crewe or scoring 2 goals in 5 home games than you can have all the fantastic hospitality facilities you like, there?ll eventually be very few people using them.

We managed to attract 5 figure crowds by playing entertaining, attacking football. Many of those won?t stick around to watch the dross we?ve had to put up with for the most part of 2024. Then see how sustainable your football club is.

[Notts78]

I?m not sure we have lost our identity. We keep the ball and that has been our identity for some time. Listen to any pre match presser and all opponents say the same.
The issue we have is that the way we play simply doesn?t suit the important players within our side often enough. Crowley as mentioned is deep? this is the guy who can pick a team apart or get on the end of stuff. Yet Maynard is asking him to do that 70 yards from goal with 9/10/11 players in front of him.
We bought in wing backs that had solid assist records in a promoted team last season, yet they have been nullified.
We have a centre forward who seldom holds the ball up, looks clumsy and doesn?t offer a lot to the way we play? either he?s dropped or we look to utilise his strengths better.
Maynard is like a number of managers/coaches where he has a way of playing and simply won?t adapt. The substitutions on Saturday were a joke and an acceptance that the game has gone with 20 plus minutes left.
I have no problem with Crowley being moved about the pitch, playing deep or getting in the attacking third. **** me Palmer does the holding role.
I have no problems with wingers/wing backs playing on the wrong wing, but change sides during a game. These aren?t even subtle changes and I do it with my under 12s side.
I?m sick of watching Notts do the same thing over and over and over.

[durhampie]

We have a team of plodders with no pace in the team and no ball winner. Jatta is getting worse every game and McGoldrick is too slow. Unless we get some decent replacements in January, we will finish closer to the bottom than the top. The side we put out against Salford was pretty much full strength apart from Jones.

[Notts78]

We have a team of plodders with no pace in the team and no ball winner. Jatta is getting worse every game and McGoldrick is too slow. Unless we get some decent replacements in January, we will finish closer to the bottom than the top. The side we put out against Salford was pretty much full strength apart from Jones.

The side on Saturday wasn't the issue. How they were asked to play was? you could tell that the pitch was ****. Salford apparently aren?t long ball merchants but were happy to dump the ball in our third and wait for us to **** up, which we did on a number of occasions.
Funny how Nemane was vilified by some on here and yet sits top of the assists chart. Oh to have him playing again for Notts.