⚽ Match Thread vs. MK Dons [EFL L2] 01.04.24

[maddogslater]

A whisker away from a 4 3 at the end, great swashbuckling entertainment.

[SwalePie]

[SwalePie]

[1955pie]

Shame more people don’t take the initiative and unveil BT engineer out quicker the clown is gone the better if he’s still here next season guaranteed to be a bottom four side.

If you started to go down the Lane again Warsop you could unfurl you own banner.

[OchPie]

Just watched SM's interview and thought he said the right positive things but I really miss some humility. The guy made a big step up, he could say a lot more about how (and what!) he is learning. But nope.

I still think it was their substitution and his failure to respond that let them back into the game, but it is true Austin for Bostock did us no favours and was when momentum started to swing. Even if later on I thought Bostock was playing some nice one-touch stuff.

[SinceSept1959]

What substitutions would you have done out of curiosity? Austin was knackered. JJ came on for Chicks and set up the equaliser. Jatta had lost a bit of oomph as he tired, hence the ball constantly coming back.
I’m all for calling SM out but FFS do it with some knowledge of football. When players come off in professional football it’s seldom down to performance - this is highlighted in ALL 3 of the incorrect subs you mentioned. All played there part but all had not played much football so we’re never going to last 90 minutes.

Thanks for your comments and yes I have played at a high level , been a player manager and manager , so I do understand that players have to have minutes measured especially in the modern game, and especially with advances in sports science and technology .
Thanks for stating the obvious without the arrogant need for two capital f's and a capital s.
I also understand game flows and momentum which SM obviously doesn't . His use of substitutes at Crawley and Wimbledon (H) in particular , highlight this fact.
It appears that Maynard obviously favours defensive options and is more likely to lose a game than win it.
The important point to note is that Notts were quite comfortable at the time subs were made and if players are tired after 53 minutes they didn't show it today.
With your superior tactical knowledge , please enlighten me which substitutions you would have made and try to convince me that Bostock , Didzy and Warner actually improved our chances of winning the game.
As I stated, Nemane was indifferent throughout the game and Jones was probably a better option on the right today with Chicks staying on at LWB.
Maynard has regularly utilised JJ on the right and Jatta may have been able to add to his tally with crosses from both flanks.
Scotty would have been a better bet than an unfit Didzy and JOB would have provided more urgency and momentum than Bostock in his current form.
I'm still of the opinion that it was two points lost, rather than a point gained because of duff substitutions at the wrong time.

[JoePass]

The lads with the banner were men of the match today.

You mean kids, pathetic and embarrassing.

[jackal2]

Just watched SM's interview and thought he said the right positive things but I really miss some humility. The guy made a big step up, he could say a lot more about how (and what!) he is learning. But nope.

Counter-intuitively, people who show humility often have great confidence, because it takes courage to publicly acknowledge weakness, whereas people with fragile confidence tend to over-compensate on trying to look tough and unbothered. Given his current position, SM is probably not feeling confident enough to air any self doubts.

[SinceSept1959]

Decent game today, certainly better performance-wise than the Salford game, but the defending remains pitiful. We conceded three goals and were lucky not to let in more. I haven't watched the goals back yet to identify for sure who the chief culprits were, but as a team we're still horribly tame when confronted by any sort of attacking intent. Our players need to grasp the fact that taking up a defensive position counts for nothing unless it's actually accompanied by heading, closing down and tackling. At times we really do look like a bunch of wimps out of possession.

On the plus side, we looked pretty good going forward and could have scored more than the three we got. The fact that we came back for a late equaliser after the body blow of going 2-3 down proves if nothing else that the players are definitely still trying for Maynard. You don't get last minute goals from a team that has given up. I was watching the bench very carefully today and it was clear that the interaction between the players and the Head Coach is still positive.

That said, I thought bringing Bostock on for Austin was a really bad move when the momentum was with us. If Austin was too knackered to carry on, then O'Brien would have been the best replacement. Bostock's arrival certainly didn't reinforce us, in fact we looked more vulnerable with him in midfield.

What was clear today was that the vast majority of the crowd had come to support wholeheartedly. They didn't turn on the team even when we went down 0-1 and 2-3, but tried to rally the players to keep going, and ultimately it worked. There was a small gaggle of fans in the bottom right hand corner of the Kop who unfurled their 'SM Out' banner (and then hid it again after the equaliser), but it's fair to say the vast majority of the crowd didn't seem to follow that mood. At the final whistle, most of the Kop and the Main Stand returned Maynard's applause, I think mainly because they could see a team that had tried and for the most part entertained, even though huge flaws remain.

I very much agree with your post ,very factual and sensible as per normal.
Like yourself ,I was close enough to the bench to note interactions and body language between the players and coaches.
I did observe a deep conversation between Macca and the number 2 coach , whoever he is, during an injury break in play . It was quite obvious that Macca had a different point of view which he continually emphasised .
With due respect to the coach concerned Macca has a much more prolific scoring record and was unlucky not to have scored 2 or 3 today.
Now that was bad luck and not the kind of bad luck Maynard was claiming.
Wrexham and Mansfield away excepted.
The downside of today's game was conceding three goals , especially when we might well have had a 4-1 lead at half time.

[TSANHO]

Just watched the after match interview.
That was a weird one. Finally putting better questions to him…but why today? After, what could arguably be said as our best performance under him, why go all guns blazing at him?
Strange one Bracegirdle.

He’s right regards the individual errors have cost us games. He’s right the recruitment needs serious attention in the summer.
Still don’t think he’s the man for the job though.
I know one thing though. Tonight feels a lot better than previous matches!
And that was only a point.
Come on Notts. Put a few wins together for Christ sake.
Then again…if they do that, would that mean that SM keeps his job…questions, questions.

That’s the big question, isn’t it. If Maynard gets a string of good results and performances between now and the end of the season what do the owners do. He is effectively learning on the job and although he has had a poor start by anyone’s standards the attitude and effort of the players hasn’t been brought into question.

LW had a full preseason and a number of games into the season before his style started to implement itself and results started to come….and that was in a league lower and thus better players. What can Maynard do with a full preseason and a new backline and maybe a few midfield additions and some deadwood hopefully cleared out? Chicksen made some good comments in his interview about the manager implementing his ideas, so maybe the players are behind him but it’s just taking time.

His post match interview was a bit odd but the more I think of it why not fight your corner and be a bit bullish? Fair play but to him. We had Luke Williams before who was naturally gifted at interviews and gelling things together and speaking inbetween the lines. Perhaps Maynard can develop this over time. I remember LW saying at one point he didn’t feel like the team was his yet…and that didn’t happen for some while.

Our results have been terrible for sure but somethings just telling me he really does just need a little more time. Most of the fans at the ground today showed they will get behind him if we can string a few games together….i’m starting to root for him a bit! ��*♂️