Offer made for Greg Olley should be a Notts player by the end of the week

[laddo]

Imaginus Thick-tishous perhaps.
Yeah, it's really really boring and weird, all this 'destroyer' '6ft beast' crap. The job's done. Palmer is the defensive mid and Austin the box-to-box guy in what others have mentioned - a likely 3-4-2-1.

Another first-teamer would displace one of those guys and completely bury Francis, Vincent and O'Brien, who would hardly ever be seen again. Are they supposed to be just dead contracts?And don't Francis and Vincent, as young players, deserve the chance to build on their first seasons with us?

We need wing-back depth and another CB perhaps, far more than another midfielder, spots there are taken as far as I can see.

If we sign a central midfielder that makes one of JOB, Vincent or Francis null and void as he's a significant improvement then sign me up...... twice!

Every club has "dead contracts" in their squad. We don't need any more depth at CM we need more quality. If I had to make a snap decision right now I would choose I would pick JOB, but wouldn't be upset if any one didn't play much next season.

I'd certainly take a mobile midfield who can tackle (that description counts out all there names above) over another CB. We have 5 who can play there already. Why do we need another? Unless we are letting one go of course and the new guy is an upgrade then count me in.

[the_anticlough]

If we sign a central midfielder that makes one of JOB, Vincent or Francis null and void as he's a significant improvement then sign me up...... twice!

Every club has "dead contracts" in their squad. We don't need any more depth at CM we need more quality. If I had to make a snap decision right now I would choose I would pick JOB, but wouldn't be upset if any one didn't play much next season.

I'd certainly take a mobile midfield who can tackle (that description counts out all there names above) over another CB. We have 5 who can play there already. Why do we need another? Unless we are letting one go of course and the new guy is an upgrade then count me in.

Wide players are key when you're playing a wing-back system and we still look to be short there.

I'm just happy the club hasn't succumbed to the calls for a midfielder whose playing skills come second to his physique. Austin's probably the box-to-box player we needed. We can't stop being a side that always tries to play good football. And come on! The new coach will be giving Vincent, Francis a clean slate, so why can't we at least want them to have a meaningful role in the squad while they're here?

The CB thing rests on Baldwin I think - his playing record is hardly inspiring, although that doesn't mean he won't work out (the videos look good). 6 to cover 3 places, might be more in need of another than 5 to cover 2 places (centre-mid), especially when half are converted full-backs.

[jackal2]

I'm just happy the club hasn't succumbed to the calls for a midfielder whose playing skills come second to his physique.

I can't speak for others, but I've certainly not called for a midfielder whose playing skills come second to his physique. We do need someone with more height and aggression in that part of the pitch, but it doesn't mean they have to be a clogger. I'm looking for a Neal Bishop type, not a Matt Somner type.

If we can play good football next season then that's fine, but this is the National League after all. There are games, especially away from home, where you have to win the battle before you can start to play, and at times we will need a player who - in football fan parlance - can "get into 'em and f*ck 'em up". Our heaviest defeats last season came when we lost the battle to control the game.

[laddo]

Looks like we want different things AC, which is all good

I hope (and I'm pretty sure) the new coach will give everyone a chance to impress. I want them and everyone to have meaningful impacts in an ideal world. In reality that doesn't happen.

I'm not obsessed with height like some but I saw far too often us getting bullied and not putting a foot in on our travels last season. We sadly lacked strength and tenacity in the tackle in the midfield last term with Rodriques throwing his weight around and getting stuck more than most. He's one of our flair players which says it all.

Absolutely nowt wrong hoping for an addition who is strong and can properly tackle. That's something that doesn't play a big part in Palmer, Vincent or Francis' game. As you know their strengths lie elsewhere.

I don't think we need another CB unless we let one go or we really will be adding to the list of dead contracts.

Above all I trust the recruitment team , they've impressed to date so I'm happy to make no suggestions and let them get on with it.

[the_anticlough]

It's the use of words like 'battle' which lose me, Jackal. Players who don't hide, can see a pass, play a pass and move intelligently, work hard when out of possession, have some quality in general, is most of what you need (add leadership of course, mental strength etc). If we start to 'battle' against NL sides, we'll be at their level and this is the route to mid-table mediocrity IMO. Can't we focus on the quality of play.

[jackal2]

It's the use of words like 'battle' which lose me, Jackal. Players who don't hide, can see a pass, play a pass and move intelligently, work hard when out of possession, have some quality in general, is most of what you need (add leadership of course, mental strength etc). If we start to 'battle' against NL sides, we'll be at their level and this is the route to mid-table mediocrity IMO. Can't we focus on the quality of play.

Of course we can, but we aren't Manchester City and we aren't going to turn up in every game next season and play opponents off the park. I hope there are many games when our passing play and movement do indeed overwhelm the opposition, especially against the lesser lights, but there will be games when we come under severe pressure and have to battle and grind out results. It's what champions are made of. We didn't grind out enough results on our bad days last season and that's why we finished well off the title race. Good teams need steel as well as silk.

[the_anticlough]

For those times you're under sustained pressure, a dominant CB and keeper are key. Love Cameron, but his role is a bit different. Are Slocombe and Baldwin the guys we need? Genuine question.

[Notts78]

Of course we can, but we aren't Manchester City and we aren't going to turn up in every game next season and play opponents off the park. I hope there are many games when our passing play and movement do indeed overwhelm the opposition, especially against the lesser lights, but there will be games when we come under severe pressure and have to battle and grind out results. It's what champions are made of. We didn't grind out enough results on our bad days last season and that's why we finished well off the title race. Good teams need steel as well as silk.

Why can’t we turn up and pass teams off the park? People go on about we are not Man City, but we are also not playing against the teams they do.
I would like to see a mixed style of play. Particularly if, as expected, we are more pacy and mobile in forward areas.
I can’t recall too often where opposition players were out tackling us. Did we get over ran at times? Yes. Is that due to players not being physical? No. It was down to the fact we often over committed going forward, a loose pass would then put us in the ****. It’s easy for teams to stay in shape if all they do is dump the ball in the final third relentlessly. I really don’t want to watch that, it’s boring as sin. But, I also don’t want us to be gung ho.
I feel tactically we got it wrong. Some of the players that have been written off, like Vinny and Ed, might just excel with a different head coach.

[jackal2]

For those times you're under sustained pressure, a dominant CB and keeper are key. Love Cameron, but his role is a bit different. Are Slocombe and Baldwin the guys we need? Genuine question.

Slocombe's got a mistake in him, but I suppose that could be said about most goalkeepers at this level. Ideally I'd like someone as good as Patterson was last season, but I would still say Slocombe, with his experience, should rank amongst the better goalkeepers in this league. He also comes across as a hugely intelligent guy in interviews, so I wouldn't underestimate his influence in the dressing room.

When we signed Baldwin my reaction was that he looks like a supporting centre-half rather than a lead/dominant centre-half, a bit like Mike Edwards was to Graeme Lee in the Munto side. Bajrami looks that bit taller and was apparently regarded as a leader at Kidderminster, so I'll be interested to see how dominant he can be. We definitely need imposing players down the spine of the team.

[jackal2]

Why can’t we turn up and pass teams off the park? People go on about we are not Man City, but we are also not playing against the teams they do.
I would like to see a mixed style of play. Particularly if, as expected, we are more pacy and mobile in forward areas.
I can’t recall too often where opposition players were out tackling us. Did we get over ran at times? Yes. Is that due to players not being physical? No. It was down to the fact we often over committed going forward, a loose pass would then put us in the ****. It’s easy for teams to stay in shape if all they do is dump the ball in the final third relentlessly. I really don’t want to watch that, it’s boring as sin. But, I also don’t want us to be gung ho.
I feel tactically we got it wrong. Some of the players that have been written off, like Vinny and Ed, might just excel with a different head coach.

I didn't say we can't turn up and play teams off the park. I said we can't expect to do it in every game. Manchester City have the resources to buy the best player for just about every position, much like Wrexham in our league. We've got decent resources and good players who should be able to take control of many games, but there will be times/games where we have to hang in there.