All going wrong

[Mess 616]

Forest have a difficult game against Newcastle tomorrow evening and they desperately need to get a least a point. A loss would likely see them nearer the relegation zone at the end of the weekend.

Steve Cooper has publicly stated that signing Lingard was a mistake. Apparently he's been paid £180,000 a week and contributed very little. That's been a very costly mistake by Mr Cooper and it isn't just the money. The rest of the squad are probably pretty demoralised by what's gone on with “superstar” Lingard and it's showing in the team's performances.

I don't imagine Ryan Yates earns a quarter of that yet he's twice the player with his attitude and determination.

Notts had an excellent win on Tuesday. After a disappointing first half they turned it around in style in the second half. Ruben Roderigues was absolutely outstanding and his performance got even better after he'd missed a penalty. Captain Langstaff scored his 36th goal of the season and they've all come from open play. It will be very hard to hold on to Ruben and Macca even if Notts do get promoted.

Saturday sees Notts travel south to Barnett who are currently sitting 5th in the table, but Notts fear no one in the National League this season even Wrexham. Anything less than 3 points will feel like a loss especially if Wrexham drop points at Bromley.

Mansfield will do well to get anything at Stockport. Their midweek performance was woeful and they seem to be imploding a bit now.

So it's Notts County who are flying the flag for Nottinghamshire football at the moment. After a few years in the wilderness it looks like their time is coming.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

9 hours ago, Mess said:

So it's Notts County who are flying the flag for Nottinghamshire football at the moment. After a few years in the wilderness it looks like their time is coming.

The best we can hope for is

1. County to return to the EFL as Vanarama League Champions
2. Forest to survive in the EPL
3. Stags to get a promotion play off space and if so ???

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Forest - Slip closer to the drop zone with a 1-2 home defeat against 5th placed Newcastle United. Now only two points clear of safety.  Sadly, a not unexpected result given their recent form, 29,000+ faithful fans were on hand to see Forest take the lead in the 26th minute. Newcastle equalised on the stroke of half time and gained all three points with a last minute penalty. Forest had five players and one of the substitutes booked, 4 in the last few minutes of the game, probably frustration. If it comes down to goal difference on who gets relegated then Forest are in deep trouble as the have the EPL's worst goal difference, highlighting the season long problem of not being able to score goals. Home against fellow strugglers Wolves on April fools day and this is now a must win match. They play bottom of the table Leeds away on Tuesday, a game they must get points from if they are to survive and not see an immediate return to the championship.

[Mess 616]

21 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

Forest - Slip closer to the drop zone with a 1-2 home defeat against 5th placed Newcastle United. Now only two points clear of safety.  Sadly, a not unexpected result given their recent form, 29,000+ faithful fans were on hand to see Forest take the lead in the 26th minute. Newcastle equalised on the stroke of half time and gained all three points with a last minute penalty. Forest had five players and one of the substitutes booked, 4 in the last few minutes of the game, probably frustration. If it comes down to goal difference on who gets relegated then Forest are in deep trouble as the have the EPL's worst goal difference, highlighting the season long problem of not being able to score goals. Home against fellow strugglers Wolves on April fools day and this is now a must win match. They play bottom of the table Leeds away on Tuesday, a game they must get points from if they are to survive and not see an immediate return to the championship.

Leeds win at Wolves and Everton’s draw at Chelsea has pushed Forest two places closer to the drop zone going into the International break. Their goal difference could be critical to their survival in the top tier.

Mansfield salvaged a point with an added time equaliser at Stockport to keep their hopes of a playoff  place alive, just.

Chesterfield recorded a great win at high flying Woking. That's their fifth game undefeated. They are getting very close to a third place finish.

Notts could only manage a draw at Barnet whilst Wrexham managed an excellent win at Bromley. Wrexham now have a three point lead and a game in hand over Notts.

The faint hearted have said the title is probably heading to Wales and at first sight it looks that way but wait.
Wrexham still have to play Notts on Easter Monday and today their first choice goalkeeper tore his knee ligaments putting him out for the rest of the season. So whilst Wrexham are clear favourites for the one automatic promotion place it's not a definite. I did say it was squeaky bum time. Watch this space.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Stags - After a brave run in the FA Cup mid table Grimsby Town held the Stags to a goal less draw at Field Mill last night. It was a game with not many chances for either side and almost certainly ends the Stags chance of an automatic promotion spot. They are at home against the side just below them, Sutton United on Saturday.

 

County  - Home against relegation strugglers Scunthorpe United on Saturday, a game they should win. County's main rival Wrexham have what looks like an easy home game against 18th placed York City.

 

Forest - Home against Wolves on 1st April, after the international break, (who thought that one up, I suppose the overpaid snowflakes in the EPL need a rest, poor diddums) I hope it is not All Fools Day for them when the game comes around.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

County - 16,000 fans were at Meadow Lane to see the Maggies thump Scunthorpe United 4-0 With "that man" Macauley Langstaff again scoring a brace in three minutes in the second half.

Unfortunately Wrexham won 3-0 against a struggling York City to keep them 3 points and a game in hand of County who are away at mid table Altrincham on Tuesday evening.

 

Stags - Another lacklustre 0-0 home draw in front of 6,00 fans leaves the Stags three points out of a play-off slot. Home against Crawley Town next Saturday in what is a must win game.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

County - Back at the top of the table on goal difference after a 0-2 away win at Altrincham. "That man" Macauley Langstaff broke the club record with his goal today taking him to 40 for the season and not one a penalty! Tom Keetley previously held the record. If Macauley scores again in the remaining games he will hold the record for the league. His partner in goals Rueben Rodrigues scored from the spot, his 17th goal of the season. Only 2011 were in attendance, almost 650 of those made the trip from Nottingham. In his first start, Archie Mair the Maggies young goalkeeper saved a penalty from Altrincham's Cameron. Home against 9th placed Wealdstone and then away at Wrexham on Monday 10th, a game that could well decide who gets the coveted automatic promotion spot. Come on you Maggies.

[Mess 616]

An impressive and thoroughly professional performance from Notts last night on a soft and very demanding surface.

Archie Mair's penalty save was absolutely huge after a very controversial Notts opener. It would be fascinating to hear the conversation between John Bostock and the referee before he slipped it to Macca Langstaff to score his 40th goal whilst the Altrincham defence was in complete disarray. Most referees wouldn't have allowed the goal to stand but John must have had the refs approval to take the kick quickly so it's a nice tactic to keep in mind for future games.

Hard to single out a Notts player in a game they completely dominated. The midfield was in almost total control and 35 year old Jim O'Brien was immense when he came on. Many doubts have been expressed about the depth of Notts squad mainly by Wrexham fans who thanks to their Hollywood owners have thrown money at players but Luke Williams seems to have got it spot on. I can't remember such a togetherness amongst the players. Even those who don't start are very much part of the team.

If Notts can get a result at Wrexham I think they could still nick the title because I can see Wrexham dropping points on their run in. 
Forgive my wishful thinking but I've followed Notts since 1959 so I'm far from objective when I say things like that. If there's any justice then the team that finishes second has to get promoted by winning the playoffs but football always manages to throw up surprises so don't bet on it.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

When everything is going well, some sad news for Notts.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65135896

[LizzieM 9,507]

How very sad, evidently he worked incredibly hard to drag County up to a force to be reckoned with, albeit in a low league, taken so young too. 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Vale Jason Turner.

The best thing that County could do in his memory would be to gain promotion to the EFL.

Deepest condolences to his family and friends and all at Notts County Football Club.

 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

County - No game this weekend but rivals Wrexham thumped Oldham 51 to get to 100 points, 3 points ahead of the Maggies and played the same number of games. County play 10th placed Wealdstone on Friday night at Meadow Lane and after that away at Wrexham in what could be the automatic promotion decider.

 

Stags - 6,000 fans were on hand to see them thump Crawley Town 4-1 at Field Mill leaving Crawley in a dire battle to avoid relegation. Stags are now two points from a play-off spot with a game in hand over their rivals. Davis Keillor Dunn scored a brace in the second half in an easy win. Next game is away at Swindon Town on Friday.

 

Forest - A disappointing 1-1 home draw against Wolves sees Forest only two points clear of the drop zone in what looks like a battle for EPL survival between nine  clubs. 29,000+ fans saw Forest take the lead late in the first half only to surrender two vital points seven minutes from time. The Reds have a difficult run of games as the season draws to a close with the next game away against fellow strugglers Leeds United on Tuesday evening and then a series of games against teams at the top of the table that could well decide their fate.

[Mess 616]

On 4/1/2023 at 10:20 PM, Oztalgian said:

County - No game this weekend but rivals Wrexham thumped Oldham 51 to get to 100 points, 3 points ahead of the Maggies and played the same number of games. County play 10th placed Wealdstone on Friday night at Meadow Lane and after that away at Wrexham in what could be the automatic promotion decider.

 

Stags - 6,000 fans were on hand to see them thump Crawley Town 4-1 at Field Mill leaving Crawley in a dire battle to avoid relegation. Stags are now two points from a play-off spot with a game in hand over their rivals. Davis Keillor Dunn scored a brace in the second half in an easy win. Next game is away at Swindon Town on Friday.

 

Forest - A disappointing 1-1 home draw against Wolves sees Forest only two points clear of the drop zone in what looks like a battle for EPL survival between nine  clubs. 29,000+ fans saw Forest take the lead late in the first half only to surrender two vital points seven minutes from time. The Reds have a difficult run of games as the season draws to a close with the next game away against fellow strugglers Leeds United on Tuesday evening and then a series of games against teams at the top of the table that could well decide their fate.

Oz, sorry to be contrary but Wrexham still have a game in hand over Notts and they certainly look unstoppable at the moment however five of their six remaining games are far from routine. 

Yeovil and Torquay desperately need points to stave off relegation whilst Barnet and Boreham Wood need the points to ensure they secure their playoff places. I would expect Wrexham to drop at least a couple of points from these four games.
The need for Notts to win at the Racecourse Ground goes without saying.

Notts are still in with a chance but can't afford any more slip ups.

I don't see Mansfield being promoted this season even if they do manage to sneak into the playoffs. It was a good result yesterday but according to reports Crawley weren't up to much. Will the Radfords stick with Clough Jnr. for next season? I suspect not but who could come in and propel The Stags into L1?
Clough was welcomed as the man who can but barring a huge upturn in form I don't see it happening.

I'm looking forward to the resumption of the Stags v Notts local derbies.

West Ham beat Southampton this afternoon pushing Forest one place closer to the relegation zone and things could get much worse next week. If Everton pick up a point on Monday then Tuesday could be highly relevant to Forest's survival in the Premiership. Bournemouth are at home to Brighton whilst following  Brendan Rodgers's departure Leicester will be looking to take points off Villa. Forest travel to fellow strugglers Leeds so by 10 o'clock Tuesday night Forest could be second from the bottom. Let's hope they can conjure up a win at Leeds because their remaining fixtures look rather daunting.

I think Cooper has lost the plot so may yet be ditched to see if a new manager bounce can save the Reds. Shame because he was outstanding in the Championship last season but looks increasingly out of his depth playing with the big boys.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

4 hours ago, Mess said:

Oz, sorry to be contrary but Wrexham still have a game in hand over Notts

Quite correct, Sorry but the league ladder that I looked at yesterday morning had them both played 40 games?

Sorry but I can't see Wrexham dropping any points against the cellar dwellers and may be only dropping one point against the promotion chasers. The game against Notts will be a cracker.

Do you think that the fact that Wrexham and Notts are streets ahead of the rest of the teams might prompt the administration to adopt two down two up or do you think the play-offs keep the interest alive for more clubs?

I think Wrexham getting the one automatic promotion spot is a foregone conclusion and Notts winning the play off promotion spot is by no means assured. A Nottinghamshire local derby next season is far from certain but I certainly hope so.

To me, Forest's biggest problem has been lack of goals, they have the second worst goal difference with -27 and yes their performance does not make Cooper's job at all secure. Who would be up for the job given their lunatic splash of the cash for some very marginal players on their promotion?

Stags have been suffering a spate of injuries that has no doubt impacted their performance, whether the owners will stick with Clough Jnr. is anyone's guess but as you say who would replace him?

 

[Mess 616]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11930035/Steve-Cooper-great-coach-manage-Champions-League-club-hes-50.html

[Oztalgian 3,271]

I found that a strange article, no mention of the fact that they have only scored 23 goals all season, one more than 18th placed Everton. The game against Leeds on Tuesday night is crucial to their survival.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Forest - After taking the lead in the 12th minute the Reds succumbed to two further first half goals. A goalless second half saw them lose 2-1 at Elland Rd in front of just short of 37,000 fans. Judging by the awarding of four yellow cards against the Reds it looks like frustration came to the fore as yet again they could not improve on their away record of only winning one game. Next games, away at Aston Villa(7) then home against Man Utd(5th) and away at Liverpool (8), can't see a basketful of points coming from those. On the positive side we still have a home game against Southampton and the final game is away at Crystal Palace, both deep in the relegation battle.

I can't see Cooper lasting much longer and even worse I think sadly  Forest will be a one season visitor to the EPL unless there is a drastic improvement in the remaining results. It would be sad if their last home game against Arsenal consigned them back to the Premiership. In the words of Private Fraser in Dad's Army "We're doomed"

[Mess 616]

My son set me up to watch Forest on a pirate stream last night and I was surprised what an entertaining game it turned out to be. Forest have some good players who just weren't able to play as a team for almost all the game. Leeds were excellent and don't look anywhere near a relegation outfit these days. Their new manager has certainly instilled some real determination into them whereas Forest play with very little belief.

I think the recruitment of so many players has left Steve Cooper with a huge problem. They have virtually no cohesion at all. They just don't know one another and seem to play in a vacuum.

I fear it's too late now to change things and expect Steve to be gone very soon. Any incoming manager will be faced with the exact same issue which to my mind condemns Forest to relegation.

The backroom staff have to shoulder a lot of the blame for this debacle or maybe it's Mr Marinakis himself because as I understand it a lot of the signings didn't have SC's approval. If that's true you have to feel for him.

If he does go I imagine he will do very well in his next job as long as he's left to it. He showed what he's capable of last season so don't be surprised if he makes good at his next club.

The alternative is to keep him and give him more control but I can't see that happening. I think the real problem lies higher up the management pyramid.

[Mess 616]

Forest have just released a statement that they're sticking with Steve Cooper.
Interesting to say the least.

Stick or twist. I don't think he can turn things around unless he's left to get on with it. At the moment I think it's too late to change anything but what do I know?

The real problem IMHO lies over Steve's head

The twist in the tale may be another club coming for him in which case he may well be tempted to move on to manage a club that let's him get on and do it his way. 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

County - Just shy of 10,000 faithful at Meadow Lane yesterday afternoon to see Notts go back to the top of the league, all be it, only on goal difference. That man Macauley Langstaff again stuck one in the onion bag in a 3-0 victory over Wealdstone. F.C. Halifax Town did the Maggies a favour by beating Wrexham 3-1 at The Shay but the Robins still have that game in hand. Notts away at Wrexham in a crucial game on Monday afternoon.

 

Stags - A solid 2-4 away win at Swindon Town with four players getting on the scoresheet sees The Stags back into a playoff spot. Home on Monday to bottom placed Rochdale should see them further consolidate that position.

[IAN FINN 807]

Like your report OZ  though i do have to wait until late afternoon worth looking forward to hope Notts can pull it off next week.

[Mess 616]

16 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

County - Just shy of 10,000 faithful at Meadow Lane yesterday afternoon to see Notts go back to the top of the league, all be it, only on goal difference. That man Macauley Langstaff again stuck one in the onion bag in a 3-0 victory over Wealdstone. F.C. Halifax Town did the Maggies a favour by beating Wrexham 3-1 at The Shay but the Robins still have that game in hand. Notts away at Wrexham in a crucial game on Monday afternoon.

 

Stags - A solid 2-4 away win at Swindon Town with four players getting on the scoresheet sees The Stags back into a playoff spot. Home on Monday to bottom placed Rochdale should see them further consolidate that position.

Notts brushed aside Wealdstone yesterday with a dominant display in front of nearly 10000 at Meadow Lane. On a pitch reminiscent of Wembley Notts played their passing game close to perfection with Macca Langstaff's goal bringing another record for the Notts goal machine. Austin opened the scoring after 7 mins with an excellent goal whilst Vincent scored the third with an equally impressive finish. Thanks to Halifax Notts are back on top of The National League making Mondays top of the table clash with Hollywood backed Wrexham a very nerve racking affair.

Mansfield did very well at Swindon and they look as if they've found form at just the right time with the playoffs looming. I still don't think they're promotion material but the playoffs can be such a lottery it can't be ruled out.

I've got everything crossed for Notts on Monday. They have the quality to win it and Halifax have just shown Wrexham are not invincible. But Wrexham haven't lost at home this season so its a very big ask. A neutral would probably predict a draw which would suit Wrexham more than Notts. It’s being shown live on BT Sport and I'll be watching. We've had Good Friday so let’s hope it’s Good Monday too.

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Forest - In a game with seven yellow cards, 3 to Villa and 4 to the Reds in front of 42,000 fans at Villa Park, Forest, yet again fail to score and go down 2-0 to goals just after half time and just before the final whistle. They were comprehensively outplayed and this leaves them in real danger of relegation especially when you look at the upcoming fixtures. Crystal Palace and Southampton look to be their only realistic chances of any points in the 8 games left. Their woeful goal difference may well be what decides their fate and it appears that they are very much in the hands of their fellow cellar dwellers. Is Lingard that bad that he remained on the bench when Forest continue to fail to score? Despite what Marinakis said earlier in the week I cannot see Cooper lasting the season but realistically who would want the job?

[Oztalgian 3,271]

County - Wrexham took a huge step in securing the automatic promotion spot by beating Notts 3-2 at the Racecourse ground in front of 10,000 fans. Notts took the lead just before half time and Wrexham equalised almost as soon as the second half had started and went ahead in the 70th minute. With around 15 minutes to go Notts drew level again only to go behind again in the 78th minute. Notts had a chance to share the points with a stoppage time penalty that was saved by the Wrexham keeper Ben Foster. A draw would have been a fairer result for two teams who are far and away above the rest in that league. The win leaves Wrexham 3 points clear and a game in hand of the Maggies who play 3rd placed Woking at home on Saturday.

 

Stags - Fall out of a play-off spot after a disappointing 1-1 home draw against bottom club Rochdale. The Stags took the lead in the 6th minute only for Rochdale to equalise just before half time. Stags had chances in the second half but could not find the net with a couple of fine saves from Rochdale keeper O'Donnel denying them. The Stags got a scare near the end as a Rochdale shot came back off the bar. Away at Grimsby on Saturday who held them to a scoreless draw at Field Mill just short of a month ago.

 

 

[mary1947 2,079]

Well OZ what can one say not a bad game but maybe they took a leaf out of the RED MEN'S Book  so poor Forest would not be facing the football scene alone.

Having said that the first foul near the goal should have been a penelty for Wrexham.