Big If...

[Notts78]

I think Doncaster will challenge next season and surely Bradford have to get their act together eventually. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind we will be there or there abouts top 7 wise. Anymore than that well who knows. Excellent that Wrexham Stockport and Stags will be gone.

That’s a big assumption that Doncaster will be in L2 next season.
They have players back from injury and knocked out 8 wins in a row. 3 more would guarantee them a play off spot and a hell of a lot of momentum.
If they make the playoffs they would have a better chance than most IMO.

[queenslandpie]

That’s a big assumption that Doncaster will be in L2 next season.
They have players back from injury and knocked out 8 wins in a row. 3 more would guarantee them a play off spot and a hell of a lot of momentum.
If they make the playoffs they would have a better chance than most IMO.

Yeah I made that comment before I realised they have have now won 8 on the bounce! We beat them comfortably. It's certainly a yo-yo league next season by the looks with no particular stand out team. Notts will have as good a chance as anyone. Can't see Chesterfield killing themselves next season and whoever comes up with them will most probably be a red hot relegation favourite. Some pretty average stuff coming down by the looks. Apparently Carlisles US owners are pretty minted but not seen much sign of a pay off yet have they.

[upthemaggies]

The 2nd half of the season table (last 23 games) can be a useful-ish indicator as to who might be challenging in the next campaign.

2022/23 L2 last 23 games top six

1. Stockport Co
2. Gillingham
3. Salford City
4. Northampton T
5. Leyton Orient
6. Mansfield T.

Salford are the anomaly here.
Of the sides currently in the play off zone, Crewe were 14th in the last 23 games table, Barrow 16th and Crawley 20th (though Crawley may yet be displaced)
Sutton were 15th but winless in their last 11 games. Stockport unbeaten in their last 13.

Current top six for last 23 played
1. Stockport Co
2. Wrexham
3. Milton Keynes
4. Mansfield T.
5. Doncaster Rov
6. Walsall

Notts are 22nd in the last 23 games table, above Colchester and FGR.

[jackal2]

... But if Stuart kept going like this then he and the owners would deserve massive extra kudos in my opinion - the belief to hold out under such pressure and to come good - would be exceptional and show a lot of character and strength.

It's far too early to draw conclusions about a Stuart Maynard revival, but what the owners have made very clear is that they won't be overly influenced or intimidated by fan opinion on social media, unlike their most recent predecessors. They are, I'm sure, respectful of Notts fans and their opinions, but they're not in hock to them.

In their own calm, polite way the owners have laid down a marker in effect saying (without saying it) "'We'll make the decisions, when we want to make them, using our methodology and judgement".

To be frank, that's the way it should be for two reasons:

1. They own the club so it's their right
2. Decision-making driven by fan opinion on social media ultimately led to abject failure in the past.

[BigFatPie]

Finishing the season with a few wins will be helpful in getting everyone up for next time, and maybe flogging a few more season tickets than we would otherwise have done. All a matter of opinion of course but improvement in performances after the season is effectively over isn’t as impressive as doing it under a bit of pressure.

I’ve not really heard a convincing explanation as to why home form went off a cliff for those 5 games( while away performances were still pretty good) so for me the jury is very much out on Maynard, but at games he’ll certainly get my support if not necessarily with much optimism.

[crazyfists]

I'm happy for SM to have had a good couple of games, it must have been hard under all the pressure in the losing run. Let's hope this is the start of a revival.

[kill_the_drum]

Finishing the season with a few wins will be helpful in getting everyone up for next time, and maybe flogging a few more season tickets than we would otherwise have done. All a matter of opinion of course but improvement in performances after the season is effectively over isn’t as impressive as doing it under a bit of pressure.

I’ve not really heard a convincing explanation as to why home form went off a cliff for those 5 games( while away performances were still pretty good) so for me the jury is very much out on Maynard, but at games he’ll certainly get my support if not necessarily with much optimism.

In my opinion, we’ve had two bad performances under SM (Gillingham and Crewe), but far more bad results. I think that’s what the club statement was alluding to when they said our stats have still looked positive. And I generally agree.
Ultimately a manager will be judged on results but it’s a very unfair measure over a short period of time, especially when you’re coming into a club whose form was already on the slide.
The opinion on him is slowly changing because of the last 3 results. But in truth, the only difference between beating Harrogate/Walsall and many of the losses has been luck. I thought we played better against Wimbledon than we did against Harrogate but we lost 2-0 and the players were boo’d off.
I think we played much better against stags and Wrexham than we did against Walsall and were robbed of goals in both games. Walsall had over 20 shots yesterday after playing a 3rd of the game with 10 men.
I said a few weeks ago that I hadn’t seen anything that would suggest SM can’t do the job, and I still think that. We’re still playing good football and the players always seem to work hard. That, to me, is where a new manager needs to be measured.
Maybe he isn’t turning things around, maybe luck just has a way of levelling out?

[matt_magpie]

In my opinion, we’ve had two bad performances under SM (Gillingham and Crewe), but far more bad results. I think that’s what the club statement was alluding to when they said our stats have still looked positive. And I generally agree.
Ultimately a manager will be judged on results but it’s a very unfair measure over a short period of time, especially when you’re coming into a club whose form was already on the slide.
The opinion on him is slowly changing because of the last 3 results. But in truth, the only difference between beating Harrogate/Walsall and many of the losses has been luck. I thought we played better against Wimbledon than we did against Harrogate but we lost 2-0 and the players were boo’d off.
I think we played much better against stags and Wrexham than we did against Walsall and were robbed of goals in both games. Walsall had over 20 shots yesterday after playing a 3rd of the game with 10 men.
I said a few weeks ago that I hadn’t seen anything that would suggest SM can’t do the job, and I still think that. We’re still playing good football and the players always seem to work hard. That, to me, is where a new manager needs to be measured.
Maybe he isn’t turning things around, maybe luck just has a way of levelling out?

That’s the thing many fans will be solely judging by results whilst the owners are only solely judging by performance metrics.

[queenslandpie]

In my opinion, we’ve had two bad performances under SM (Gillingham and Crewe), but far more bad results. I think that’s what the club statement was alluding to when they said our stats have still looked positive. And I generally agree.
Ultimately a manager will be judged on results but it’s a very unfair measure over a short period of time, especially when you’re coming into a club whose form was already on the slide.
The opinion on him is slowly changing because of the last 3 results. But in truth, the only difference between beating Harrogate/Walsall and many of the losses has been luck. I thought we played better against Wimbledon than we did against Harrogate but we lost 2-0 and the players were boo’d off.
I think we played much better against stags and Wrexham than we did against Walsall and were robbed of goals in both games. Walsall had over 20 shots yesterday after playing a 3rd of the game with 10 men.
I said a few weeks ago that I hadn’t seen anything that would suggest SM can’t do the job, and I still think that. We’re still playing good football and the players always seem to work hard. That, to me, is where a new manager needs to be measured.
Maybe he isn’t turning things around, maybe luck just has a way of levelling out?

The you were not at Swindon away and Salford at home!

[BigFatPie]

In my opinion, we’ve had two bad performances under SM (Gillingham and Crewe), but far more bad results. I think that’s what the club statement was alluding to when they said our stats have still looked positive. And I generally agree.
Ultimately a manager will be judged on results but it’s a very unfair measure over a short period of time, especially when you’re coming into a club whose form was already on the slide.
The opinion on him is slowly changing because of the last 3 results. But in truth, the only difference between beating Harrogate/Walsall and many of the losses has been luck. I thought we played better against Wimbledon than we did against Harrogate but we lost 2-0 and the players were boo’d off.
I think we played much better against stags and Wrexham than we did against Walsall and were robbed of goals in both games. Walsall had over 20 shots yesterday after playing a 3rd of the game with 10 men.
I said a few weeks ago that I hadn’t seen anything that would suggest SM can’t do the job, and I still think that. We’re still playing good football and the players always seem to work hard. That, to me, is where a new manager needs to be measured.
Maybe he isn’t turning things around, maybe luck just has a way of levelling out?

Sutton and Salford were abysmal as well. We’ll know in 6ish months whether keeping Maynard was a wise move. Let’s be right though, equalling the club record for successive home defeats was ample reason to get rid, particularly, and unlike previous managers, he got to pick some of the best players in the league. I didn’t like his refusal to take any responsibility for those results either.

Other than maybe deserving a point against Wrexham and Mansfield we deserved all those defeats imo. Next season is obviously a clean slate though.