⚽ Match Thread vs. Dover Athletic [NL]

[JoePass]

We won, that’s all that matters.

[Magpies1959]

While agreeing that today's game was incredibly frustrating, and lacked intensity on our part, I do think with lady luck on our side we could easily have won by seven or eight.
Even if we had scored three or four today, I think we will still have to win our last two games to cement a home quarter final tie. As I have said before, our two games against Halifax will more than likely be our undoing, not Torquay
,Aldershot or the likes.
I know these are if's, and I am sure other teams have had setbacks, but to lose Patterson the way we did, coupled with Brindley, and more importantly Cameron, has really hurt us. If we had had these three available for the final third of the season, I am sure we would have made the top three.
They are key to the way Burchnall wants his teams to play football. With the best will in the world, Jaros/Slocombe, Rawlinson, Graham and Lacey cannot replicate that style.
One final point, I am struggling to see what Arter brings to our game. He seems to lack any responsibility, prefering to play a simple five yard square past to Palmer, rather than look for a forward option.

[uysapie]

Decided to give this one a miss!

[jacobncfc]

I don’t get the Arter criticism btw. He’s doing the same job Palmer was doing before he arrived, theoretically ‘freeing up’ Palmer to play higher up the pitch. I’m not sure that’s MP’s best role, though, and I think there’s probably a fair argument that the two of them are pretty similar to be playing together.

[Elite_Pie]

I don’t get the Arter criticism btw. He’s doing the same job Palmer was doing before he arrived.

Positionally maybe, but I disagree. Palmer always puts effort in, while Arter just went through the motions today. It's very rare I don't applaud a subbed Notts player even if they've had a poor game, but Arter was an exception.

On that note, it's strange to see an opposition player applauded off the pitch unless he's an ex-player, but the spontaneous applause their number 33 Gyasi received shows what Notts fans are about. He was their one forward player who faced three opponents and got no service at all, but he ran his heart out all game. The one thing we demand is effort, and it was something Arter lacked.

[jackal2]

Positionally maybe, but I disagree. Palmer always puts effort in, while Arter just went through the motions today. It's very rare I don't applaud a subbed Notts player even if they've had a poor game, but Arter was an exception.

Not applauding is fine if you don't think the performance merits it, and today I'd say you were right. However, I didn't like some of the ironic cheers when he was subbed. That won't do anything to boost his confidence or enthusiasm, whatever is missing.

On face value, Harry Arter could just have stayed at Forest collecting his money. The fact that he approached us about wanting to get games suggests his problem isn't lack of interest or motivation. I was reading this article which may or may not give a slight pointer to what's wrong: https://www.nottinghamforest.news/20...e-city-ground/

It looks like he had some injury problems at Charlton and seems to have suffered a major loss of confidence, whether that's primarily a mental or a physical thing or both. There's no doubt however that Arter two or three years ago was a fine player at a much higher level than this, so maybe we've got to persevere and hope that the extra edge of the play-offs brings him closer to his old form. The guy shouldn't be past it at 32, indeed only 50/60% of his best should be worthwhile having at this level.

The best thing is for the supporters to stay or get behind him and see if we can bring the 'real' HA back to life, which would be beneficial for our future prospects and his.

[i961pie]

Positionally maybe, but I disagree. Palmer always puts effort in, while Arter just went through the motions today. It's very rare I don't applaud a subbed Notts player even if they've had a poor game, but Arter was an exception.

On that note, it's strange to see an opposition player applauded off the pitch unless he's an ex-player, but the spontaneous applause their number 33 Gyasi received shows what Notts fans are about. He was their one forward player who faced three opponents and got no service at all, but he ran his heart out all game. The one thing we demand is effort, and it was something Arter lacked.

He did run his socks off but the two decent break aways they had he tried to dribble past two defenders and wasn't aware a couple of players had run 50 or so yards and were in much better positions.
They weren't happy with him.

[kill_the_drum]

Arter hasn’t been poor since joining, just in his last two games.
Prior to that he looked a cut above.

[ancientpie]

Arter hasn’t been poor since joining, just in his last two games.
Prior to that he looked a cut above.

I would expect any ex international, Championship player who drops down to this level to look a cut above however I cannot agree that Arter has looked anything other than useful at the best in his time here, obviously fitness comes into it but I expected much better.

[TheBlackHorse]

.. back on to earlier comments re Jim O'brien ... although he seems to have some fierce critics he really is the missing link in IB's play safe strategy. He is prepared to gamble which does not always accord with the safety merchants in the team; so they either miss or ignore his (and Richardson, for that matter) speculative runs, to the detriment of team performance. One of the reasons, I think, their no. '33' got such a good round of applause was because he represented a never give up attitude which was missing from so much of the Notts team; JO'b excepted. If you take the trouble to study exceptional success in sport, the best performances are often by those who make the most mistakes. JO'b may not be the finest exponent of the game but I'm absolutely sure thar NC are a better team with him on the pitch.
We won playing poorly; still a recipe for success. COYP ...