theAnticlough

Exactly, May 2022 revisited. But how well did that turn out? Montague added Maca, Scott and Austin. Found a manager to play Nemane over DKE. Was soon to add JJ and Bostock. He’d recruited players who are now, have been, or are soon to be Championship players - Maca, Ruben, Baldwin. Our 4th NL season was a masterclass, why can’t our 4th L2 season be the same. I’m not concerned about this news, apart from the possible impact it has on this season.

Nice topic. I've always got a musical fad on the go...spotify when I'm exercising well, youtube otherwise....but I find I'm always drawn back to the same era... The last month or so I've been on a John McGeoch binge Magazine: The light pours out of me / Motorcade / Rhythm of Cruelty Siouxsie and the Banshees: Spellbound / Israel / Arabian Knights Public Image Limited: Rise / Seattle / Disappointed Most played Track of this week - The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary (I wouldn't object to that being played in the Notts dressing room on Saturday to get them going!)

@Chris I will try to check it out when I get back from work this pm Thanks for all the amazing work to create and maintain this online community for us

FWIW I thought RodMac was fine. But a 6/10 maybe and a typical first game back from injury after a long lay-off. It's a trajectory he has to go on, and lets hope he's at his best by the time the play-offs arrive. With Platt out we need him to have any chance. I don't think we lost because of the backline yesterday - like Cambridge we just couldn't make the ball stick further forward

Have to agree @gtownjohnno He did the same with Platt (to accommodate Rodmac) v Chesterfield and he did his ACL sprinting back and forth down the line. MP's treatment of Macari (constantly subbing him and dropping him for CBs at times) has been one of his blindspots IMO. Either Rodmac was ready to come back or he wasn't, you gain nothing by putting another CB at Right Back for insurance I think Ness can play RCB OK, but not for a must win home game when it means supplanting one of your best ball users

I don't know. The problem with the play-offs is that you have an opponent! Usually one that really, really wants to win and to beat them you usually have to want it more. It's as much about will as it is about skill. It's not about being 'nice' or 'nasty' but you've got to be really competitive and it doesn't look like we are (again).

You’re absolutely right there. One thing we know about the club is that they’re not always ready to react when bad stuff happens Like when Luke Williams left When Montague left When Crowley left followed by Didzy The No10 positions have been an absolute nightmare this season, yet we play to a system that depends on that area for creativity and production (goals and assists) which have been chronically lacking

I feel that some of fan base is casting around for something to blame for the collapse in form just when it matters. In all of that, Martin Paterson is in danger of getting off too lightly. He's done well overall and I don't think he's in too much danger - but we shouldn't forget he's a 38 year-old rookie coach who has made mistakes. How much has he taken on board input from the 'Technical Board'? We don't know...but his stubbornness with Iorpenda is a case in point IMO. "Tom will score goals'' was his early refrain, but his 3 in 44 have only come from the few games he started deeper in Central Midfield. He sees the game more from there, is under less pressure, and benefits from coming from deep. But instead of that, we have had the poor Gagliardi signing Norburn, who is the wrong partner for Palmer. Macari has played lovely football this year, but he's taken every opportunity to drop or sub him, instead of building the confidence of one of our best footballers. Bennetts shouldn't have been anywhere near the team today after his 3/10 last week. He was even worse today. I think some fans give him the benefit of the doubt because he seems like a 'strong character' but I wonder how easy he is to work with. Is he collaborative and willing to take on board input from others? I'm still excited about what we can achieve with him next season (and maybe still this one), but the Bros need to remember it was our DoF who gave us one the best season of attacking football we've ever seen plus a promotion. If MP can work with that - great. If not, let's find another Luke Williams.

Kind of deja vu, I got Palmer over Ness - the only two who verged on being good IMO. And that's doesn't include any captaincy issues - it's just based on the play that we saw. Maybe Palmer looks good compared to the ineffective, inactive Norburn beside him. The worst? Well that was a contender for worst individual game of the season from Bennetts today. The subs were really poor too.

So sick of losing crunch matches. They get exactly what they want - we let that happen on our home ground yet again. We haven't been able to rid ourselves of last season's Losers mentality

Disappointing so far. We're the home team shooting for an auto spot - we're not supposed to look second best to Barnet. I suppose we're still missing 5 first choice players, but it tells Bennetts is an absolute liability, cannot do a thing right

Fantastic news on McDonald - welcome back to one of our best players this season. JJ we expected, but still great to see him on the team sheet. Dennis and Bennetts can consider themselves lucky - hoping for much better from them today

Bristol City 1-2 Norwich City Watford 1-2 Sheffield United Exeter 0-2 Stockport County Mansfield 1-2 Luton Town Fleetwood Town 1-2 Chesterfield Joker Oldham Athletic 1-1 Salford Solihull Moors 2-1 Boston Sutton 2-1 Altrincham

I'm also tracking Wimbledon who have been dropping like a stone - a couple of good games for Exeter and they're straight back down as well IMO, the biggest problem at L2 level is the officiating - too many players who can't play football are allowed to make a living at the expense of those that can

Well it's a world game @Robbie. We spent a couple of decades seeing England humiliated on the international stage and our club sides went backwards until we caught up for skill, technique and tactics. The top Prem sides will never veer too far away from competitive levels of those 3 things. And naturally there's a trickle down the domestic leagues. I think Bromley will be coming back down with a thud. I wouldn't want to pay to watch them.

What game is that from @Piethagoram ? Love it. But get braced for all the wrong conclusions to be drawn if we fail to gain promotion....how we need taller nastier players to give the ball away for us

It doesn't, and you're right@Sheffield Pie but I still can't get there - I'm wanting the draw

The main thing I want to see on Saturday is desire. This time last year we were letting every opponent get what they want, and we perfected that generosity in the play-offs. Barnet need wins, draws aren't that much use to them... I want autos as much as anybody, but if the game's difficult I'd be happy to see us stop them getting want they want. A bad-tempered draw would at least show we care and we won't be pushovers any more, continuing for anyone we face in the play-offs. Just don't end this season like the last one. If we fall short, let us go down kicking and screaming and fighting for every last ball.

It's an extension of the overprotection of keepers I think. They definitely should be treated as just another player when it comes to suspensions. You might have to put an outfield player in goal at sometime? That's fun. Everyone likes watching that. The rules should change, there shouldn't be an exception just because the player is a goalkeeper.

It's been another epic NL season, hasn't it? It hasn't quite got the glamour or name recognition, but I think York v Rochdale has surpassed County Wrexham as a contest. Mainly due to it going on longer and the two facing off in the last game of the season. I've been backing Rochdale. Yes, it is a very scummy place and that's where my pity kicks in. But once you get into Spotland, it is a very tidy, compact ground and I enjoy drinking in that big club bar they have on the corner. They were bombing along til Toby got injured. I think he was there secret weapon, so many assists from RWB. As for SM, I hated his era at Notts from start to finish. Especially the start and finish! The shock at the appointment (I genuinely thought it was a joke). The first plummet down the league the first season and the submissive, passionless (pathetic really) play-off campaign....kind of a bad experience, all round.

Yes, well done Barrow. Oldham's run seemed to end with us - must've gone to their heads I like where Barnet are sitting, because it makes Saturday a real play-off game in itself and a chance to see where we truly stand

Yes and maybe any team will drop off missing half of its starting 11 Platt, Robertson, Tsaroulla, Jones, Jatta ....and then the first reserve for Platt - McDonald. And maybe Tangan could be considered a starter. It adds up to a massive blow. We had Belshaw, Beseau, Macari. Palmer, Iorpenda + reserves on Saturday. We have been ravaged. It's desperately bad luck and MP, Monty, the players left, deserve a pass. But better not to feel sorry for ourselves - there's still a promotion out there to win.

Oh dear, I don't know how anyone can respond to my 'everyone's got the right to abstain' with a set of OTT comments like that. The whole thread is just a bit of fun on the best (or least worst!) player on the day. Chillax!

I agree with you on the captaincy. I think he should've handed over the armband last season as soon as he came back from injury. Better to concentarte on his game. Even Belshaw would be a better option now. But I didn't factor that in when picking him. I suppose he led by example again in getting on the ball and at least trying to knit the play together. Unlike his partner who was shockingly anonymous for that first 30mins. Only surpassed in that failing by Grant. Back to the skipper, the worst bit of captaincy yesterday was allowing Bennetts to take the free kick following the sending off. My daughter will testify that I lost it completely both before and after, screaming nooooooooo, not Bennetts, it's going over the stand again. I was so disgusted with that. Especially with a stone cold rookie keeper between the sticks. Unforgiveable!

This. Everyone's got the right to abstain, but it's always predictable that some fans refuse to give ratings or pick a MoM in a bad defeat. Never enters my head not to vote. 'Best' can be 'least worst' at times, I'm still going to pick somebody