⚽ Match Thread vs. AFC Wimbledon 10.05.25 [EFL L2 POSF1]

[TSANHO]

Oh I absolutely do not want a change in ownership either. I love the bros and want them to stick around for as long as possible. But I also want them to address the deficiencies in our squad and the limitations of our tactics.

I was a bit surprised to read that you were more engaged with the club during the Nolan era Slack. That was seriously some of the worst, infuriatingly unimaginative football I have ever seen, anywhere. Though I do understand that it is very subjective, what people like and dislike it just surprised me to see you say it for some reason!

It has been turgid for long spells this season but I?d much rather this than watching some big lump just aimlessly lumping the ball forward to another big lump and invariably watching it come straight back at us. We have seen some absolute garbage for the last 30 years but Nolan?s brand certainly makes my top three of worst ever.

[Lullapie]

No I want to win and I don?t want to be ugly.
The 2 are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes they might have to get mixed up a bit.
Would you really like Notts to play like Wimbledon?

I just want Notts to win. I seriously don't care how. I think most normal, honest people would think the same about their team.

We're not in a position to be football 'evangelists'. We pay our money each week and if Notts win, we generally go home happy.

I can quite honestly say that I have never watched or played in a game of football, where afterwards I've thought, 'well we had 80% of the possession, we had twice as many throw ins. We didn't commit a foul, whereas the other team committed 10 fouls and had 3 players booked and none of the opposition got hurt, but we finished up with 9 men because of injuries. We lost 6-0, but at least we have maintained the higher, moral ground'.

I like to see players like Brian Kilcline, put the opposition centre forward into the away team dug out with one tackle or players like Neal Bishop scaring the $hit out of the other team's midfield.

How many great teams have won anything, by playing schoolboy football? I struggle to think of any. Before the advent of modern football, ALL successful teams had their enforcers.

[matt_magpie]

We seem to be wrong side of line? how many teams have come to ML? barely shown any intent, bored us to death and yet won? I don?t recall Port Vale fans bemoaning the fact that they were dull as **** to watch.
Notts need to find a knack of being able to win ugly when winning nice isn?t on.

I can only think of a handful of games where I?d say we were bullied, both Salford games, Wimbledon away? Which others?
The other games against the top sides, was there anything really in them? There?s more an argument for me they took their chances and we didn?t, nothing to do with our pretty play. If you have the same amount of chances or even more as we did in some of those games and lose it?s actually another issue not winning ugly.

[1955pie]

Obviously we would all like to win pretty, we did it brilliantly in the promotion season.

Would I really like Notts to play like Wimbledon? If it means winning, definitely yes.

Perhaps the answer is to have a Ruben or Crowley type or two whilst the rest of them strengthen themselves up.

Anyway that is for another time. We have got 2 football matches to win first.

[Boomerangpie]

It?s great when the football is boring and ugly but you consistently win. The real issue starts when that style doesn?t bring results that?s when you will see attendances plummet far more than when more aesthetically pleasing football doesn?t produce consistent wins.

Every style is fine when it works and painfully dull (passing) and god awful (not passing) when it?s not. We have seen that with McParland and Thompson in far more depressing times. Never forget

[PedroTheFisherman66]

Possession football is fine if you move the ball quickly which leads to an attack, ours is slow predictable and boring most of the time.

I find it quite strange that with a team full of maynards favoured 11 out played one of the teams above us in the league and played some very good football. Add that to the fact that we played our best football with a fully fit team with maynards favoured first eleven, it makes you wonder is there a connection ? Or just coincidence? Xxxx

[matt_magpie]

How can you say Nolands brand makes the top 3 of your worst brand ??
Nolan finished higher in the table,in a tougher league 2 than this year, and on about referreing decisions, the ones against Coventry were some of the worst i have seen in 30 years, and today he has kept Northampton in League 1, so it must be a fairly effective style
i can think of many managers even recently such as Ardley, Burcnall, etc which wwere far worse

I am of the opinion that football is about winning, whether nice, passing , or bullies i do not care as long as its effective,

this is something notts have failed on this year, whilst you can get away with good passing in a poor national league when you have players like langstaff and ruben , you cant get away with it in league 2 without more league 1 standard players which sadly we do not have

i think crowleys departure in january cost us promotion this year, he was never replaced, and the january transfer window was extremely poor ,

I?ve said before i absolutely hated Nolan?s football, I thought it was a disgrace but that?s the great thing about football we all like different aspects of football.

I agree about Crowley and it draws massive similarities to the Nolan season. Yates was so key to picking up second balls as Crowley was linking up play and getting assists and goals.

[matt_magpie]

I just want Notts to win. I seriously don't care how. I think most normal, honest people would think the same about their team.

We're not in a position to be football 'evangelists'. We pay our money each week and if Notts win, we generally go home happy.

I can quite honestly say that I have never watched or played in a game of football, where afterwards I've thought, 'well we had 80% of the possession, we had twice as many throw ins. We didn't commit a foul, whereas the other team committed 10 fouls and had 3 players booked and none of the opposition got hurt, but we finished up with 9 men because of injuries. We lost 6-0, but at least we have maintained the higher, moral ground'.

I like to see players like Brian Kilcline, put the opposition centre forward into the away team dug out with one tackle or players like Neal Bishop scaring the $hit out of the other team's midfield.

How many great teams have won anything, by playing schoolboy football? I struggle to think of any. Before the advent of modern football, ALL successful teams had their enforcers.

I think some people do care though, I wouldn?t want us lumping it 99% of the time as I saw under Nolan. People asked me what was the football like, I?d say ?dreadful? but we?re winning a few till we didn?t.

I?m happy with middle ground, mixing it up, a few tackles flying in. That?s what I remember in the Warnock days, it wasn?t all long ball as many outsiders believed, we had enforcers like Harding, we had guile with the likes of Donno, we had culture with drapes, a great finisher in Tommy, pace with Bartlett, it was just a really good mix and now we don?t have a mix, just very very similar players.

[Lullapie]

I think some people do care though, I wouldn?t want us lumping it 99% of the time as I saw under Nolan. People asked me what was the football like, I?d say ?dreadful? but we?re winning a few till we didn?t.

I?m happy with middle ground, mixing it up, a few tackles flying in. That?s what I remember in the Warnock days, it wasn?t all long ball as many outsiders believed, we had enforcers like Harding, we had guile with the likes of Donno, we had culture with drapes, a great finisher in Tommy, pace with Bartlett, it was just a really good mix and now we don?t have a mix, just very very similar players.

There's a huge difference between getting the ball forward quickly and lumping it forward. Nothing wrong with either technique, as long as you have the players to play that way - in my opinion. It wouldn't bother me if all of Notts players were giants.

Putting the ball forward quickly though allows you to clear any danger and puts the opposition on the back foot all around.

I was always taught, if you can make the opposition have to turn around and run, then you are heading in the right direction.

Too much of Notts' football is not only played in their own half, but also in front of their own goal, meaning that it is Notts who are having to turn and chase, even when they're in possession.

[slack_pie]

There's a huge difference between getting the ball forward quickly and lumping it forward. Nothing wrong with either technique, as long as you have the players to play that way - in my opinion. It wouldn't bother me if all of Notts players were giants.

Putting the ball forward quickly though allows you to clear any danger and puts the opposition on the back foot all around.

I was always taught, if you can make the opposition have to turn around and run, then you are heading in the right direction.

Too much of Notts' football is not only played in their own half, but also in front of their own goal, meaning that it is Notts who are having to turn and chase, even when they're in possession.

This is my view too. Whether we play on the ground or in the air, I want us to play with urgency and desire, especially at home. I want us to get the ball forward quickly at any opportunity.

I understand that our current approach requires players and fans to be patient as we build an opening rather than force one, but it sometimes seems like the players are so drilled to be negative that their first instinct is to turn backwards, even if it's not necessary. The amount of times I've seen a player receive the ball in a good position and then, without thinking, turn so that they're facing away from goal rather than towards it.

Also, possession-based football prioritises keeping the ball. Our players often seem more concerned with keeping possession than making something happen. This results in playing the safer pass, or what I mentioned before - deciding to turn away from goal and pass backwards. But when you look at the goals we score, they almost always happen because someone took a risk and did something positive. I'd rather we focused primarily on creating chances or playing in the final third than keeping the ball and waiting for the perfect opening.

Maybe I'm just a dinosaur, but lots of other teams seem to do what I've described above. One thing seems clear though: having more possession doesn't seem to translate into winning more games.