Notts County vs Swindon Town Official Matchday Thread

[THE FLASH]

Ok, just before I turn in for the night, I'm going to try to be positive.

I liked Norris, worked hard, won a lot of headers, put a shift in. Vigs made a cracking save and held the crosses he came for.

Also, I had a genuine fear that we'd slide through this division (Vale are bottom), but I believe this team have enough about them to be mid table. They should halt the decline. At the end of last season, I'd have taken that.

I'm sure we will get midtable, anything above that is icing to me.

[Flashheart]

Reading the contrast in fan reactions after almost every game is greatly amusing.

  We were a top 3 team after Saturdays game. Hopefully we will be again this coming Saturday.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

We were a top 3 team after Saturdays game. Hopefully we will be again this coming Saturday.

Which I still believe to be true. I have not said otherwise   

[brocklesby red]

We give away a stupid penalty, Notts County spend the rest of the game timewasteing and offering very little as an attacking force and we still looked fairly toothless. Gordon looked up for it and was a big improvement on Woolery, Elsinik looks useful and Norris worked his socks off. The fastest Taylor moved was when he was subbed and personally would have preferred to see Tom Smith in there if he's fit

[Wobbly Bob]

The stated aim of chairman, manager & players is promotion.
Based on that a mid table finish wouldn't be too good.

Lacked a bit of composure & quality in the final third last night.

Hopefully the 5,000 or so hardy souls will be treated to a much needed home win on Saturday.

[Panda Paws]

We were a top 3 team after Saturdays game. Hopefully we will be again this coming Saturday.

We still should be, and if we're not challenging Flitcroft goes.

[Reg Smeeton]

Ok, just before I turn in for the night, I'm going to try to be positive.

I liked Norris, worked hard, won a lot of headers, put a shift in. Vigs made a cracking save and held the crosses he came for.

Also, I had a genuine fear that we'd slide through this division (Vale are bottom), but I believe this team have enough about them to be mid table. They should halt the decline. At the end of last season, I'd have taken that.

Still too early to tell either way... take Notts as an example, last season they had a start not too dissimilar to ours this, but then went on a terrible run of 1 win in 20... woke up a bit in the new year, and then tailed off at the end, just about enough to stay up. Whereas Exeter were bottom in November and ended in the PO's.

In the overall scheme of things, most would happily have taken a point at each of the 2 tough looking away games... we got 3.

[Wobbly Bob]

In the overall scheme of things, most would happily have taken a point at each of the 2 tough looking away games... we got 3.

The world seems like a better place now. Thanks Reg. 

[Red Frog]

Not amused by form. Amused by fans reactions.

'Flitcroft'

Case in point.

Ha ha. Has a mod done an autocorrect to stop the original version catching on?

[Bob's Orange]

The Matt Taylor signing has been a bit of a waste of time by the sounds of it. Think he'll be gone by January.

[Reg Smeeton]

The Matt Taylor signing has been a bit of a waste of time by the sounds of it. Think he'll be gone by January.

And yet, had Power signed him last January, everyone would have said just what we need. You can see what Flitters wants from Taylor, and he played 40 + games for Cobblers last season, so he still might have something to offer, perhaps coming off the bench to run down games when winning.

[Peter Venkman]

Lets put it into a bit or perspective.

We were beaten away from home to a team who are (currently) very near top of the table by a solitary, and by the sound of it slightly iffy, penalty.

Yes we didn't have a good night, we didnt create lots of chances, but we still made a few which on any other day could have been converted giving a very different scoreline.

Last season we weren't even creating chances and still leaked goals.

It doesn't seem to need a lot of tweaking just maybe a couple of strikers hitting a bit of form, we should be aiming at play offs still.

As for Shitcroft....seriously?

[Flashheart]

Ha ha. Has a mod done an autocorrect to stop the original version catching on?

It needed nipping in the bud.

[Chrystovski]

From what I've seen this season so far...

We look like a mid-table side, the football on offer from both us and other teams is truly dire.
I didn't expect such a big difference in quality between League 1 & League 2 but the gap appears to be massive.

[Reg Smeeton]

From what I've seen this season so far...

We look like a mid-table side, the football on offer from both us and other teams is truly dire.
I didn't expect such a big difference in quality between League 1 & League 2 but the gap appears to be massive.

There is a gap between Div 3 and 4 but it isn't a chasm. These days the biggest gap seems to be between Div 3 and Div 2, which has been skewed by the sides falling out of the Prem with massive parachute payments. Straight away from last season's promotion sides Millwall and Bolton are struggling, of those going down Blackburn, Wigan and Roverum are doing OK.

In many ways Div 4 is like the Prem, insofar the perceived wisdom, is that for the most of the clubs who are looking to stay in that league, it's about %ages, long ball and physicality with the occasional flash of football. It's no coincidence that its hallowed operators like Allardyce, Pulis, Pardew, Dyche, Howe have all done time either as player or boss in the lower reaches of English football.

The smarter foreign bosses get this, it also helps if they played a bit here, so West Ham v Uddersfield on Monday was a truly dire game, a slight upgrade on Div 4. The old Euro 2012, England most passed move, of Hart hoof up to Carroll, very much in evidence.

Of course the wealthy elite clubs can afford to graft a bit more style onto the muck and nettles. 

In Div 4 the perceived wisdom is that you need a big physical side, that can score a few from set plays, and not really much place for small skillful players, unless they happen to be strong stocky types. You could hear Flitters talking about this in his post match, Power obviously knows it by ripping up the model. This season won't be pretty.