Maynard out

[legs77]

I’d take any bloody ground that isn’t us passing it around 30 times to go exactly nowhere. I think the acknowledgement of it working 18 months ago is fair, but we also need to acknowledge that it isn’t working now at all and maybe that’s why other teams don’t use it all the time in the lower leagues.

It was working till Feb 2024 ....what happened that made us drop ?

Moving up any league is always hard history shows you that and its a reason most clubs dont do back to back promotions.

[OldBanksy]

I can't see Maynard going before May. The club will have an eye on a management team currently having a good season.
It's clear the players are tossing it off. It just takes one or two big time charlies who look down on Maynard and it brings down the team spirit.

[hissingdwarf]

It was working till Feb 2024 ....what happened that made us drop ?

Moving up any league is always hard history shows you that and its a reason most clubs dont do back to back promotions.

I’ll be honest and say I’m not convinced it was working until Feb. I think Luke Williams was working. He pulled all the threads together and managed the players to such a level that we could still attack our way out of the issues. Defence…we’ve all known it for past few years. The point being, we muddled through on the basis that the head coach could coax the extra 5% out of them and the passing from the back led to something rapidly.
I also think we need to be realistic, Williams had all the components of the orchestra, and he managed to make the tune sound pretty good rather than a useless rabble.
Maynard isn’t of the same calibre imo, tactically or motivational wise. But……

The wheels were beginning to come off before Williams walked.
The summer recruitment was pretty rubbish. The injuries stopped us in our tracks and we didn’t compensate well enough and now…

All amounts to the tippy tappy with no progress getting us stuck in a rut.

[legs77]

I’ll be honest and say I’m not convinced it was working until Feb. I think Luke Williams was working. He pulled all the threads together and managed the players to such a level that we could still attack our way out of the issues. Defence…we’ve all known it for past few years. The point being, we muddled through on the basis that the head coach could coax the extra 5% out of them and the passing from the back led to something rapidly.
I also think we need to be realistic, Williams had all the components of the orchestra, and he managed to make the tune sound pretty good rather than a useless rabble.
Maynard isn’t of the same calibre imo, tactically or motivational wise. But……

The wheels were beginning to come off before Williams walked.
The summer recruitment was pretty rubbish. The injuries stopped us in our tracks and we didn’t compensate well enough and now…

All amounts to the tippy tappy with no progress getting us stuck in a rut.

I disagree about wheels were coming off didn’t LW win 4/5 at home ?

Yes we got some beatings away but that is completely normal we had moved up a level.

With Williams we had a good chance of just getting in the play offs and anything can then happen.

Yes our defence isn’t great but our attack was our weapon and we used it to scare the sh*t out of teams which is what happened lots of teams completely sat off us.

LW is better than Maynard we all know this but that is my point the style WAS working as we have clear evidence of that it was only when he went that it didn’t work.

We might decide to play more direct next season and that will mean a overhaul of players who can fit that style so that will also have teething problems especially if you have a dud in the dugout.

[PedroTheFisherman66]

If we are looking to change our style of football next season then we might aswell stick with Maynard. His problem is he has changed the system with players that are not suited for it.You might aswell stick with him and let the recruitment team recruit players that fit the new model and vision.however it wont be pretty from what we've seem so far.

[Davy500]

Are you for real, we could only sign players 3 days before the start of the season, the fact we got to Wembley was a miracle in itself

I stand by what i said - a better manager would have got us promoted - we have seen Ardley record with 2 NL clubs since

[OchPie]

I was out for the first half last night but didn't put on live score. Was home for the second half but didn't put on iFollow. I think Notts have a long history of firing managers on a whim and that doing so makes future hires more difficult, but - to the extent I still care - I don't think it's possible to keep excusing relegation form. I also don't think it will make any difference getting rid of him now vs. end of the season, but if he's still here next season I don't think I'll renew iFollow. I'll be back to following Notts here and on the teleprompter.

[ForeignLegion]

I was out for the first half last night but didn't put on live score. Was home for the second half but didn't put on iFollow. I think Notts have a long history of firing managers on a whim and that doing so makes future hires more difficult, but - to the extent I still care - I don't think it's possible to keep excusing relegation form. I also don't think it will make any difference getting rid of him now vs. end of the season, but if he's still here next season I don't think I'll renew iFollow. I'll be back to following Notts here and on the teleprompter.

It will make a difference to ticket sales, unless they have someone lined up immediately at the end of the season. If he does go then and the recruitment process for both manager and players is slow and drags on, then quite a few may hold onto their $$ for a while longer. Assuming they are going to grab one at all.

After one excellent season in god knows how long, I'm not sure many hardcore/committed Notts fans are keen for a repeat of the last 10/15/20 years, let alone all the new support they have recently attracted. A big decision coming up for the owners.

[Woodypie]

This. If they get rid of Maynard (tonight or tomorrow would be good please Brothers!) they then need to step back a little. Look at why it’s failed so miserably. Admit the mistake and most importantly, on the next appointment, get someone who has hardened experience of the dog fight that is League football.
I had the Swindon commentators today and they nailed us perfectly all through the match. Comments like committed to total football, philosophical football, possession based stats… they all came out, but they were all paired with “but they've been getting hammered week in, week out.”
I don’t want us to go to route one football, but if all we do is appoint another inexperienced head coach who is totally committed to the pure football or nothing approach….we’ll end up relegated.
Keep the elements that we’ve seen works so well. Fast, fluid football on a quality pitch.
But have the nouse to instruct players to deal with things differently when needed. The amount of pointless passing is now beyond the joke.
The prattling around our own box in defence leads to far too many mistakes.
Our inability to commit to challenges 110% etc…

I saw Flitcroft mentioned earlier in the week. If someone such as him is genuinely in the mix, he needs to be given more control.
Be a manager. By all means keep the radar idea and the data led stuff, but let the new guy stand by his own players and his own style occasionally.

Realise that what we achieved last season was superb, but it also managed to mask a few things. Those things now are in neon lights for all to see.
Be willing to adapt to life now. What really does work in the lower leagues? The be sensible enough to adopt parts of that to our game and staff.

The “Gerrrittt Forward” comment is often used as a mickey take out of older fans, but I’d happily take more positive tempo and bang it forward right now.

Agree with this, at present Flitcroft could be the man for the job, but he too is a tippy tappy proponent. Gerrit Forward? Well, yes it is dismissed by many here but like many things it isn't as straightforward a choice as do we play tippy tappy or hoofball. How about Jürgen's "heavy metal" football? This is based on playing three mobile and direct strikers that harry opposition defenders, win balls from defenders and go fast and strong and score lots of goals. If you loose possession you get it back asap. Four fast and capable midfielders that play possession football on the half way line, looking to play killer passes to the strikers when the opportunity arises, rather than back to the goalie and repeat, and that pressure the opposition midfielders when out of possession. Three fast and nimble defenders that can tackle and win balls and a goalie that can save and pass the ball with his feet. And a manager that players and fans respect. Pep's passive possession or Klopp's heavy metal? Both work and there is a fag paper between City and Liverpool but I know which I prefer.

[nw6pie]

Our football right now reminds me of Spain when they decided that possession was the be-all and end-all, and forgot that fans want to see their team trying to score goals. How can you have 75% of the play, as we did yesterday, yet still let the other team have more efforts on goal with their 25%? That’s not what this system is meant to be about - remember LW and his mantra of controlling the game? Our current style just puts the “pass” in passive and it’s painful to watch.

A football club lives and dies on its recruitment, though, and ours has been very poor post-Jodi Jones. LW was good enough to mask that; SM is out of his depth and has merely highlighted all of the flaws in the squad.

I’m struggling to see any clear philosophy from our signings since getting promoted - exemplified by the sentimental signing of a 36-year-old striker on a (presumably) hefty salary on a 2-year deal. Maybe Richard Montague should explain what our philosophy is going to be this summer to make us more competitive.