The rebuild...

[i961pie]

Davy I could see 110% your arguments in and around Ardley and agreed with many of your sentiments around them.
However I cannot agree with your criticism of the owners.i would go as far as to say it was to their credit that they showed Ardley continued support despite his apparent failures in his quest for promotion.
Even the pro Ardley supporters admitted he had short comings in his approach.
I hope the brothers continue to follow this template with IB and give him the level of support that Ardley was allowed.
Personally I see a promising manager/ coach in the making and fingers crossed time will prove the owners right.
I really dont understand where the current criticism of the manager is coming from, hes still dealing with a group of players hes inherited and is trying to introduce his own style of play into a very much imbalanced and inconsistent team.
Losing to a team in the top 2 of the division with an inconsistent team you have just inherited is no crime, disappointing yes, expected possibly a crime open to ridicule I think not.

Good post Pedro.

[laddo]

That depends on the small print. If it's a rigid 4 years it would also seem madness to me, but if it has termination clauses (I think that's applicable to many manager contracts these days) then it isn't so bad.

Exactly EP.

I would be astounded if the contract didn't have various protective break clauses, review points etc.

In all honesty the length of the contract doesn't really matter, the section relating to maximum compensation if the club terminate the contract during those 4 years is key

Nothing to worry about Davy. Remember, wasn't Ardley given a 6 year contract?

[LaxtonLad]

Exactly EP.

I would be astounded if the contract didn't have various protective break clauses, review points etc.

In all honesty the length of the contract doesn't really matter, the section relating to maximum compensation if the club terminate the contract during those 4 years is key

Nothing to worry about Davy. Remember, wasn't Ardley given a 6 year contract?

...and it only needed six weeks.

[Stan Marshall]

[QUOTE=nw6pie;39752615]We have got to prioritise strength, pace and athleticism all over the pitch next season - I don’t see any other way out of this division.

I totally agree with this and it’s what we’re totally lacking now. I’m sure we can all remember teams we’ve played against and thought - ‘I wish Notts played like that’. I remember Newport coming down to the Lane a few seasons ago in what was a must win game for Notts. They pressed us high and closed us down all over the pitch. They were fitter, stronger, faster and hungrier than Notts and the thing that stood out most, to me, was how they chased everything until the final whistle. We lost, obviously!

I also recall Martin Allen suggesting recently how we should be scouring the divisions just below us for hungry, talented players. I would add the NL & League Two to that - not for the journeymen but for hungry players who meet the above criteria.

Finally, I would suggest we may not need as many new players as we think. Our midfield is terribly lacking in these areas. A couple of new players with the right qualities in midfield would transform us all over the pitch.

[queenslandpie]

Exactly EP.

I would be astounded if the contract didn't have various protective break clauses, review points etc.

In all honesty the length of the contract doesn't really matter, the section relating to maximum compensation if the club terminate the contract during those 4 years is key

Nothing to worry about Davy. Remember, wasn't Ardley given a 6 year contract?

Based on the slightly weird way NA was sacked and IB appointed and the rumourmill at the time about offers elsewhere I would say nothing is off the table. As the table stands if Notts perform a miracle we can still win the division. As it stands we can also finish lower mid table. I think the length of the contract matters a lot in terms of the message it sends out but the owners have already made their intentions pretty clear in that regards.

[eastwoodmagpie]

Think a lot of those will be gone.
Not enough pace in the side or squad. You need the odd old head in the side but not of
Doyles age or O'Briens.

Happy enough with the goalies.
Would keep
Rawlinson
Ellis
Lacey
Reeves
Rodrigues
Roberts
Enzio (would like to see him played up front Bartlett style or as an out & out winger)
Knight
Not overly fussed on Wootton tbh

I'd be scouring the NL for players who have been there for a couple of seasons so have the experience of this league.
Thought yesterday although not brilliant the tempo when we got going was far better than under Ardley but ffs, stop playing the ball out from the back, across the box etc

Why would you keep Reeves, poor most matches, needs to improve.

[laddo]

Good point QLD, they definitely have sent out a consistent message. They are thinking long term and want stability, if that's their weakness then I'm personally delighted.

[nw6pie]

[QUOTE=Stan Marshall;39753212]

We have got to prioritise strength, pace and athleticism all over the pitch next season - I don’t see any other way out of this division.

I totally agree with this and it’s what we’re totally lacking now. I’m sure we can all remember teams we’ve played against and thought - ‘I wish Notts played like that’. I remember Newport coming down to the Lane a few seasons ago in what was a must win game for Notts. They pressed us high and closed us down all over the pitch. They were fitter, stronger, faster and hungrier than Notts and the thing that stood out most, to me, was how they chased everything until the final whistle. We lost, obviously!

I also recall Martin Allen suggesting recently how we should be scouring the divisions just below us for hungry, talented players. I would add the NL & League Two to that - not for the journeymen but for hungry players who meet the above criteria.

Finally, I would suggest we may not need as many new players as we think. Our midfield is terribly lacking in these areas. A couple of new players with the right qualities in midfield would transform us all over the pitch.

Good players never lose their hunger - Ellis is a great example of a seasoned pro who’s come in with an excellent attitude and desire to achieve something this season.

Successful football teams have balance - some youth, some experience - and I hope you’re right that we don’t need sweeping changes. Whatever happens over the remaining months of this season, the Football Radar experiment begins in earnest this summer. I hope we hear from head of recruitment Richard Montague at some point to give us a few details on the logic behind it all.

[Davy500]

Davy I could see 110% your arguments in and around Ardley and agreed with many of your sentiments around them.
However I cannot agree with your criticism of the owners.i would go as far as to say it was to their credit that they showed Ardley continued support despite his apparent failures in his quest for promotion.
Even the pro Ardley supporters admitted he had short comings in his approach.
I hope the brothers continue to follow this template with IB and give him the level of support that Ardley was allowed.
Personally I see a promising manager/ coach in the making and fingers crossed time will prove the owners right.
I really dont understand where the current criticism of the manager is coming from, hes still dealing with a group of players hes inherited and is trying to introduce his own style of play into a very much imbalanced and inconsistent team.
Losing to a team in the top 2 of the division with an inconsistent team you have just inherited is no crime, disappointing yes, expected possibly a crime open to ridicule I think not.

Another thing Pedro, about the owners, is they should have never backed Ardley for nearly 2 seasons anyway, especially after Ardley incompetence during relegation season , they should have brought their own man in from the start
I am all for backing managers after they have shown some success
And now Burchnall with a 4 year contract, madness, gives no reward for doing well, what does he care if he gets sacked, he gets paid for 4 years

[jacobncfc]

Why would you keep Reeves, poor most matches, needs to improve.

Reeves has been underwhelming, but also has the pedigree of having been a good player at higher levels. I think he’s someone that Burchnall can build around in midfield, and I would like to see him alongside a couple of players who compliment his abilities (ie some box to box energy). Our biggest issue is having several midfielders who all offer broadly the same thing, which is making them all look bad.