⚽Match Thread vs. Accrington 16.03.24 [EFL L2]

[BigFatPie]

If every Notts match this season had ended at half-time, we'd have 57 points and be in a play off position.

1st Half: Goals For 41 Against: 29

2nd Half: Goals For 31 Against: 43

Yeah second halves have been gash all season. Fitness?, tactics?, substitutions? Who knows, but it needs putting right for next season.

[M0ufMk3]

Interesting stat. I think along with the “good defence” line, I think we also kidded ourselves that we were super-fit because most teams in the NL ran out of gas against us after 60-70 minutes. We’ve clearly come up against fitter, more robust sides this season and that’s another thing to mark down in the “must improve” column for next season. It’s going to be a lengthy list.

I've wondered about this. I reckon that last year we moved teams around with our passing. Sometimes it was incisive, sometimes just spreading the play from side to side but we kept the ball and moved it around. The key player who must have been super fit and covered most ground was, no surprise, Palmer. This season other teams are more organised and fitter. The upshot is that to create the requisite space we are having to moving ourselves around. Consequently we are knackered for the last ten mins or so. Couple that with a lack of real strength in depth and Maynard's apparent caution (although respecting the point when we are in front does seem bizarre - I know he's never said it but his tactics imply it) we are a lot easier to play against in the last ten plus stoppage time.

[Mark_Ross]

If every Notts match this season had ended at half-time, we'd have 57 points and be in a play off position.

1st Half: Goals For 41 Against: 29

2nd Half: Goals For 31 Against: 43

It's very weird, but it seems to me that generally, the longer a game goes on, the worse we get!

[the_anticlough]

Reading all this just reinforces what we all know needs to be done. None of us wanted SM to fail and I thought maybe the owners had found another gem. The reality is that players who worked very hard all season to get us out of the NL are simply disillusioned that the owners have brought in a rank amateur who was in the lower reaches of the NL - how did they think the players would react?
He is tactically inept - who on earth would take off the divisions record assists provider for a defender against a second rate outfit. He is a small man with small ideas and the fans deserve much much better.
It is not negative to say SM must go because the negativity will be 10 times worse when we end the season nowhere near the play offs and top players want out and season ticket sales start tanking!
All that said the owners will drag this out unless they are honest with themselves.
Have said it before: Warnock in for 9 games to brighten things up and recognise the players deserve a real leader, then clear out the crap in the pre- season and get a proper EFL manager.
We need to stop faffing about, it’s painful.

Really good post

[upthemaggies]

Middle row shows we've turned half of the games we've gone in level at HT into a loss... 6 out of 12 times..... and only 2 out of those 12 into a win.

Bottom row shows we've gone on to lose every game we've been behind at HT apart from Grimsby home, which was the first home fixture of the season.

Breaking games down into blocks of 5 minutes, it does look very bad late in the game
F 71-75 mins: 0 goals scored
A 71-75 mins: 4 goals conceded

F 76-80 mins: 2
A 76-80 mins: 9

F 81-85 mins: 1
A 81-85 mins: 3

F 86-90 mins: 1
A 86-90 mins: 4

F 90 + mins: 3
A 90 + mins: 5

[upthemaggies]

Maynard would have 12 points, rather than 5, if all of his games ended at HT.


Last 10 games.......
Winning at HT: 3 v nwp crw acc
Drawing at HT: 3 v BRW SUT WIM
Losing at HT: 4 v man GIL wre CRE

1st Half: For 9 Against: 10

2nd Half: For 3 Against: 10

[Mark_Ross]

[QUOTE=upthemaggies;40471299]

Middle row shows we've turned half of the games we've gone in level at HT into a loss... 6 out of 12 times..... and only 2 out of those 12 into a win.

Bottom row shows we've gone on to lose every game we've been behind at HT apart from Grimsby home, which was the first home fixture of the season.

I think the second half of matches has been a problem all season.
Even when things were going well, we invariably faded badly, or just managed to free-wheel home.

[Could'vebeenacontender]

[QUOTE=Mark_Ross;40471318]

Middle row shows we've turned half of the games we've gone in level at HT into a loss... 6 out of 12 times..... and only 2 out of those 12 into a win.

Bottom row shows we've gone on to lose every game we've been behind at HT apart from Grimsby home, which was the first home fixture of the season.

I think the second half of matches has been a problem all season.
Even when things were going well, we invariably faded badly, or just managed to free-wheel home.

I'd say it's mostly down to lack of concentration and panic under pressure
There are no experienced leaders at all among the defenders at the club

[hissingdwarf]

[QUOTE=Could'vebeenacontender;40471343]

I'd say it's mostly down to lack of concentration and panic under pressure
There are no experienced leaders at all among the defenders at the club

This. The team is crying out for a similar signing to Mark Ellis when he signed. Old fashioned leader, tackle and head defender. And he got a few goals by imposing himself. We just don’t have that at all.
(Not suggesting Ellis now btw, as he’s past it, but that’s the sort of rock solid signing we need at the back.)

[SmiffyPie]

[QUOTE=Could'vebeenacontender;40471343]

I'd say it's mostly down to lack of concentration and panic under pressure
There are no experienced leaders at all among the defenders at the club

I would also say the second half weakness could well be down to our repetitive play. When the opposition see that Notts only "do" one thing (Play it out from the keeper, into the middle, then up the sides, stop, turn back and pass across the middle, pass it to the keeper, repeat) it's not hard to anticipate the pattern and wait for an opportunity (or three). We are weak in key positions and have a squad that have been drilled into one style of play and we haven't got the skill or the ability across the team to do the unexpected. With the exception of the few games when we have clicked we are realitively easy pickings.