‘The Problem’

[Carlton_Pie]

The defence needs more discipline. Simples. Success starts from the back in footie...IMHO. Defend set pieces and stop the crosses and once that's in order we can start to play expansively without panicking every time the opposition gets the ball in our half.

Agree on this one and it is a difficult problem to solve but one NA hasn't been able to during his time at Notts.

His first season, i can forgive letting crosses into the box as we had Tootle, Jones etc at full back who didn't give a....but it was a problem last season and continues to be now

[Carlton_Pie]

Out of interest, why do people think Ardley is ‘here for the foreseeable’, or that the owners are more patient than previous incumbents? I’ve seen it said quite a few times, but I don’t know what it’s based on. I didn’t think Hardy was a sacker until he got rid of Nolan 5 games into the season.

I just think Ardley is tactically inept, demonstrated in the playoff final, and further evidenced on Saturday. Other managers seem much more capable of effecting games with much fewer resources. He wants to play passing football, but I’m not sure he knows why.

I don't see NA tactics as a problem, it's more his easy come, easy go attitude. There doesn't seem to be an repercussion for continued under performance. Whether that's different in the dressing room...who knows?

During the end of the Hardy era when it looked like we going under, i did question why did NA stick around? He could have got another job somewhere else, even as a number 2. Did he stick around coz he knows he's never going to get a club as big as Notts that pay him as well as Notts do? When he looks like he might be on the brink of a possible sacking, he pulls a result out of the bag. Just doing enough to keep his job

[magpie_mania]

Agree on this one and it is a difficult problem to solve but one NA hasn't been able to during his time at Notts.

His first season, i can forgive letting crosses into the box as we had Tootle, Jones etc at full back who didn't give a....but it was a problem last season and continues to be now

I thought we had improved massively last season on this, our record was good. But for some reason, the old problems have re-emerged. I don't think the constant need to change fullbacks, and to an extent centre-backs has helped.

[Carlton_Pie]

Mainly the quality of the football. It's less agricultural admittedly and not widely known for succeeding at this level, but when it works it shows that there is indeed a plan. A plan and some stability is exactly what's required after decades of catastrophic short-termism. That said, he really does need to show us this season that said plan works. He has my full backing at this point though and I find it remarkable that people are calling for his head after three wins and two odd-goal defeats. Just my two penneth.

Oh and before the standard reply comes back, yes, I do think this season is a clean slate and so far it looks promising, despite individual errors costing us a point at Dover and three against Maidenhead.

I'm not calling for his head as is results haven't been poor enough to warrant a sacking.

I wish he would just be more ruthless and instill a winning, aggressive attitude into this team. After the 4-2 win away at Halifax last year, it seemed we had it and were prepared to grind our results with stubbornness and sheer will, which is currently missing.

[Carlton_Pie]

The answer to that is NO. He shouldn't be anywhere near the football club..

Bit harsh, he may not be the next Ameobi but give him a chance

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I started to get optimistic after we drew at home to Lincoln, won away at Forest Green, and then beat Mansfield at home. We had real momentum (no not that momentum Soccerman), because we had beaten or drawn with teams at the top end of the table and survival looked a formality. Some on here were predicting mid-table (Magpie Mike was one before you ask laddo) but then it all went tits up. All that momentum was lost when Newport stuffed us at home, and the rest is the sorriest chapter in our long history.

That's where I was at. In January when we signed O'Brien, Doyle, Milsom and Rose along with the loan signings of McKail-Smith, Schofield, Barclay, Gomis, Stubbs and Palmer I thought with those ten additions we might have enough freshening up in the tank to see us safe.

At the time I didn't think we should have let Jamie Turley go either and kept him until the end of the season. He was one of only two players brought in under Kewell and one of the first out the door when Neal Ardley came in and moved onto Leyton Orient. He subsequently ended up back in League Two after we swapped places with them and was offered a contract with them. He's getting in the squad for them in League Two this season.

The writing was on the wall for me when we got stuffed at home to Newport. People say a season is not about one game, but something changed that night and I remember leaving the ground thinking we were not strong enough to survive. It transpired that we were to never really recover from that. We lost and drew games after but struggled to score, then we got hammered again by Cheltenham.

After the Newport humilation, the failure to beat any of Morecombe, Port Vale, Northampton at home and likewise not beating Crawley away from home sealed our fate in my opinion as all those finished below 15th in the table. If we had turned two of those draws to wins we would have stayed in the league.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Smith & Ameobi were support for Nolan and I suspect he missed that in the dressing room and for his own motivation. Who decided they should go?

Edwards would also have been missed all round. It cannot have been a moral booster to see him leave/sacked/dismissed. How many previous managers suffered when they decided they didn't need him. He was "Mr Notts County" and hard to believe there would have been unfitness in his presence.

The slump started with the "I promised a stronger squad ... and I believe I have delivered on that promise" statement. We were on course to romp to promotion. Psychological and demoralising blows were the outcome and Nolan never recovered. Shame really though I'm not sure how much a manager he really was. He's learning the trade properly now.

This is what I think went wrong in the Summer of 2018. The loss of Edwards, Smith and Ameobi basically ripped the heart out of the coaching staff. Likewise the change in style of play.

Alan Smith - We lost the knowledge and experience of a former Manchester United and England player. There were a lot of supporters that seemed to not appreciate what a player of this ilk can bring to a squad just by their presence. The man came to Notts for the love of football, not for a wage. Was at the club before Nolan but fitted in perfectly once Nolan and Ameobi came to the club as he'd worked with them previously.

Shola Ameobi - Again a Newcastle legend who had had a distinctive career at the highest level. He still had that class and quality when playing for us and we played to his and Jon Steads strengths. Was one of Nolan's generals on the field and in the dressing room.

Mike Edwards - Long standing club stalwart who was popular amongst staff and supporters and knew the club inside out. Vast experience and knowledge of the club and the lower leagues. Plus also fitness coach and eyes and ears in the dressing room.

You take all that knowledge and experience out of the heart of a team and anyone who has played football at any level will tell you that it will have a negative affect. That was Nolan's support network and generals gone.

There was more though.

Michael O'Connor - Although he rejected a new contract he was a very good midfielder at league two level and proved it when he moved onto Lincoln and got promoted with them.

Adam Colin - We should not have let Adam Colin leave who had been at the heart of a good defence the play-off season. This is one of the key mistakes made for me.

Curtis Thompson - A club youth who had played well in League One when given the chance. Was frozen out but could have played more of a role and is certainly one that got away in hindsight. His tenacity in midfield and energy and battling would have been an asset. The club went backwards and he went forwards after his release.

Playing Style - The club (or Hardy) decided that we would change our style of play. We brought in big signings for league two in Enzio, Hemmings, Dennis along with Vaughan, Kellet and Crawford. They were more suited to the style we play now rather than Nolans style. But it just did not work.

All the above set us on a downward trajectory which started as soon as the 2018/19 season began.

[laddo]

Excellent post and summary MM.

The loss of Colin I remember all too well a really solid keeper. I forgot about O'Connor leaving then who I was a real fan of.

Curtis Thompson was/is a better version of Mitch Rose. Both have defensive battling qualities but Thompson was much better on the ball.

[Davy500]

What evidence, available at the time of the game, not from August, are you using to base your judgement?

Because the 2 teams had not changed in that time, and we were well beaten in the play off final, even the cup match where Harrogate were not allowed to play any of their new signings . So 2 losses , what makes you think Notts would have won - more rose tinted glasses by the Ardley brigade

The fact is Ardleys shows promise, by winning a number of games, that is always followed by the inevitable slump. Ardley has done it, time after time. I am telling you here and now, this season will be no different
Give Ardley more time, give Ardley more time bull, it will make no differnce, just another season gone , same result

[magpie_mania]

Because the 2 teams had not changed in that time, and we were well beaten in the play off final, even the cup match where Harrogate were not allowed to play any of their new signings . So 2 losses , what makes you think Notts would have won - more rose tinted glasses by the Ardley brigade

The fact is Ardleys shows promise, by winning a number of games, that is always followed by the inevitable slump. Ardley has done it, time after time. I am telling you here and now, this season will be no different
Give Ardley more time, give Ardley more time bull, it will make no differnce, just another season gone , same result

Note to self: No point in debating with Davy500 as he cannot understand what 'At the time of the game' means.