Role for Doyle

[the_anticlough]

Reads like confirmation of a Player-coach role is imminent...

https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport...-doyle-4409657

Hope so, seems like a good fit and makes more sense than him re-signing as a player. I don't believe he can perform at a level of a top-2 promotion side (that's being polite...)

Forts?

[jackal2]

If Neal Ardley re-signed Michael Doyle with the intention of playing him as one of two central midfielders in a 4-4-2 system, then both are headed for disaster.

If, on the other hand, he envisages playing Doyle as a holding midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 system then the old warhorse could still do an effective job, which allied with increasing coaching duties would get the best value for whatever we're paying him.

Make no mistake, Doyle is a good example to any young pro in the way he maintains his fitness at such an advanced age (in football terms), but in order to maximise his influence and ability on and off the pitch you've got to deploy him the right way, which wasn't always the case last season.

[the_anticlough]

If Neal Ardley re-signed Michael Doyle with the intention of playing him as one of two central midfielders in a 4-4-2 system, then both are headed for disaster.

If, on the other hand, he envisages playing Doyle as a holding midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 system then the old warhorse could still do an effective job, which allied with increasing coaching duties would get the best value for whatever we're paying him.

Make no mistake, Doyle is a good example to any young pro in the way he maintains his fitness at such an advanced age (in football terms), but in order to maximise his influence and ability on and off the pitch you've got to deploy him the right way, which wasn't always the case last season.

Yeah, I'd go along with most of that.
Whatever his role, his playing time has to be that of a squad player and one that rarely plays the full 90 minutes
Joining the coaching staff would help this transition, I hope it happens

[laddo]

Totally agree about his usefulness in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 suits him and potentially Notts far better than a 4-4-2

[the_anticlough]

Footballers peak at 27/28.
The way I see it is that there's massive drop off in performance every year after 35. That's why we don't see outfield pros aged 39/40. You can do the same in reverse, working back from the peak - seeing 20 back to 15 like 35 to 40.
We shouldn't be making any plans building a midfield around a 39 year old, as we wouldn't a 16 year old.
I'd love to see Doyle coaching at Notts, but we've seen him at 38, I'd rather not see him reprise that at 39.

[laddo]

There is always that chance that an older player circa 33+ suddenly drops off in terms of performance from one season to the next.

Neal Bishop at Mansfield Town is a prime example. Literally went from a player of the season type player to their scapegoat the following season