❔Score, scorers and attendance predictions v Walsall [H] 09.12.2023 [EFL L2]

[BCnotts18]

I would imagine the defensive issues of the last few weeks are taking their toll through the team. Could be the team spirit has taken a bit of a kicking?

Looks like it to me. Both the players and LW seem a low on confidence and I'm sure today's debacle hasn't helped.

[hissingdwarf]

Today was shocking. To make matters worse, you add in the Shrewsbury game where we “laughed off the cups” so we could “rest up and concentrate on the league.”
So much for the rest then as we looked slow and second to nearly every ball against a bang average Walsall team.
The LW debate should be taking place imo because of the fact he’s not willing to change his formation or style to the players he’s got available.
Last season, in the conference, it worked. This season, it’s been hit and miss and we’ve been hit with major injuries. That is the point when Lw should be able to see that and change something significant rather than throwing on pointless substitutions that hinder rather than help the game.

Radar obviously got it wrong with Stone so get Brooks back between the sticks and give him a solid run for the next month, regardless of issues.
Tell the players defend first and if that means crack it up field or into the stands, then so be it.
Bring some discipline into defence and force them to do what they were taught at other clubs. Put on hold the pass around at back crap and focus on solidity.

The argument has always been if we don’t have 3 at the back “playing out” then we’d lose the attacking prowess. Well, with 3 at the back today…looked today like we couldn’t attack a piece of paper with a pencil crayon.

[TSANHO]

It was poor today, very poor actually. I can’t remember such a poor performance since the days of Nolan….utterly clueless and aimless. A really bizarre display regardless of how poor we have been recently.

In other games we have lost we have at least shown some control, or control of the ball, created some good openings or shown good character. All those were totally absent today. Some of the players were shockingly poor both in application and attitude and I’m not sure where this has come from. LW simply has to change it up now. There’s stubborn, and then there’s just blind.

I may go on about it, but I had a lengthy debate on here at the end of last season about our player of the season. Without Matty Palmer I said, none of the other stuff happens….in fact it’s worse than that, days like today happen, he is that important to us.

* God only knows what to do with the goal keepers
* Jones was MOTM but he gave up for their first goal, totally unacceptable.
* Brindley, unless we’re going to play him in position, just don’t bother…and maybe then think twice.
* Send Gosling back, he’s not bothered or able anymore, clearly.
* Sam Austin is never, ever, a CM. That’s been clear for months.
* Back three is clearly, obviously , surely to the most ardent supporters - not working
*Signs of the old toxic meadow lane today

I’ve not been worried about a Notts performance for a long time but todays performance reminded me of the relegation season…..against one of the poorest teams I’ve seen this year….in front of 11k fans 🥹

[Mark_Ross]

It was poor today, very poor actually. I can’t remember such a poor performance since the days of Nolan….utterly clueless and aimless. A really bizarre display regardless of how poor we have been recently.

In other games we have lost we have at least shown some control, or control of the ball, created some good openings or shown good character. All those were totally absent today. Some of the players were shockingly poor both in application and attitude and I’m not sure where this has come from. LW simply has to change it up now. There’s stubborn, and then there’s just blind.

I may go on about it, but I had a lengthy debate on here at the end of last season about our player of the season. Without Matty Palmer I said, none of the other stuff happens….in fact it’s worse than that, days like today happen, he is that important to us.

* God only knows what to do with the goal keepers
* Jones was MOTM but he gave up for their first goal, totally unacceptable.
* Brindley, unless we’re going to play him in position, just don’t bother…and maybe then think twice.
* Send Gosling back, he’s not bothered or able anymore, clearly.
* Sam Austin is never, ever, a CM. That’s been clear for months.
* Back three is clearly, obviously , surely to the most ardent supporters - not working
*Signs of the old toxic meadow lane today

I’ve not been worried about a Notts performance for a long time but todays performance reminded me of the relegation season…..against one of the poorest teams I’ve seen this year….in front of 11k fans 🥹

But apart from that, plenty to be cheerful about!

[Another one]

First match I have got to since 2017. Should have stayed in the Stratford Haven.

[TSANHO]

But apart from that, plenty to be cheerful about!

Only had Kit Kats in the tuck shop too. I love a kit kat chunky but those 4 fingered slim line Kit Kats belong back in the 80’s. Sort it out Notts!

Positives?

Plenty overall, but not today…..we’re still in the playoffs? 🤷

[uysapie]

Today was shocking. To make matters worse, you add in the Shrewsbury game where we “laughed off the cups” so we could “rest up and concentrate on the league.”
So much for the rest then as we looked slow and second to nearly every ball against a bang average Walsall team.
The LW debate should be taking place imo because of the fact he’s not willing to change his formation or style to the players he’s got available.
Last season, in the conference, it worked. This season, it’s been hit and miss and we’ve been hit with major injuries. That is the point when Lw should be able to see that and change something significant rather than throwing on pointless substitutions that hinder rather than help the game.

Radar obviously got it wrong with Stone so get Brooks back between the sticks and give him a solid run for the next month, regardless of issues.
Tell the players defend first and if that means crack it up field or into the stands, then so be it.
Bring some discipline into defence and force them to do what they were taught at other clubs. Put on hold the pass around at back crap and focus on solidity.

The argument has always been if we don’t have 3 at the back “playing out” then we’d lose the attacking prowess. Well, with 3 at the back today…looked today like we couldn’t attack a piece of paper with a pencil crayon.

The problem is that there is no plan B and most teams will suss out that if they press our backline and midfield, it cuts out any supply to the forwards. Our alternative, kick it long and lose possession.

[uysapie]

I thought neither last season or now. The poor level of the NL and our above average players such as Jones, Bostock , baldwin and Macca made LW look very good at that level, and ultimately gave us promotion
I remember some supporters saying the level does not matter, of course it matters , now we have risen a level to League 2 which remember is the basement division, LW has been made to look average as a manager only backed up by the stronger players mentioned above
So in terms of LW i never thought he was that good, and today i dont think he is that bad. He is average at this level, but he is young as a manager, and with the backing of our owners over several years should gain the experience required to step up a level
This season we would do well to finish top 7, then there is a chance of promotion if you can win 3 games, but would promotion be to soon, with our current team we would get trounced in L1
But we are not going down , so we wll stabalise in L2, where the owners and LW will replace the weaker players and next year and the year after we will get stronger till we gain promotion to L1

Said from the outset that this should be a consolidation season.

[ajojones]

Think the criticism is totally justified but it's weird how happy some posters seem to be about it. Is it the 'I told you so' effect, subdued over much of the last 18 months. It is an interesting phenomenon not restricted to football on social media.

[LaxtonLad]

We're sinking back to the miserable days of L1 where your safest bet at the bookies was a Notts loss or draw, when we were beaten not by a team of better players but by an organised team with a better team spirit.

We seem to have the better players but not the best cohesion and how can you build that in the middle of a game that you appear to be dominating yet losing? LW seems to think multiple substitutions might do the trick but it hasn't worked yet. The statistics will show we have
the higher possession but as we have seen, most of that possession is in our own half between our defenders, gone are the days when we could tap the ball around on the edge of the enemy's penalty area.

We can see Langstaff to-ing and fro-ing, waving for the ball to be lobbed forward just for a change but no, we appear to be under orders to keep the ball in our own half or pass it to a winger who already has two markers and expect him to "do something".

You are being out-thought, LW.