NCS Shorts | #7: Rotation

Hello and welcome to episode seven of NCS Shorts. And I'm joined here with my double pivot, Tom Williams. It's just us two today. We've been given the keys to the podcast, so I'm really quite excited. So, Tom, with Rich not being here and obviously us two being the most devoted football manager fans, before we get onto notch related stuff, how are we feeling about FM 24, its proposed release date? How close are you to getting your current saved on? Ready for that? Because I'm ready to scrap everything in my social diary, I'll be absolutely honest with you.

That's the thing, mate, I'm excited, but I'm worried for my social life. FM is coming out again. So yeah, I'm excited. Definitely. Last year I played a lot to start with and then it sort of fizzled out. It's the same every year, I think, for me, I start really strong, but to be honest, with the new release date coming up, I've got maybe a save or two feeling that I could have one of them booted back up. So, yeah, I'm excited though, for sure, but as I say, worried about the social calendar.

A little tip from me, just to someone a little bit older, the trick is not to have a social calendar to worry about, to be quite honest with you. That's the way that I manage to get most of my FM timing. But I am quite stressed, to be honest. I've got a Red Bull Salzburg save that I'm close to getting, like a first season done, which anyone who plays football manager knows. That's an achievement in itself and I'm getting really excited about it. I think this happens every single time whenever there's a new release date is I get right into a save and then suddenly there's the tantalizing sort of taste of another football manager. So, yeah, I'm sure there's plenty of people out there listening to it as well and getting quite excited. And we have talked a little bit about the idea of doing a little bit of Notts related FM content going in there, so we'll keep you posted if that comes to fruition. So onto Notts issues and one of the things I want to talk to you about is to take us all the way back to the MK Dons game because two very unique perspectives that we've got on the pod today. Myself, I was a little bit remote from the game, I wasn't able to get to it, so I relied on an awful lot of kind of social media and superficial kind of commentary and those sort of things because my access to it was a little bit intermittent and from that removed perspective, it wasn't a bad know. When I look at it in isolation and away from the emotion of the know, when you think about the fact that we didn't have Jody Jones, when you think about the fact we didn't have David McGoldrick, which was a little bit of a shock when the teams were announced. I would have taken a point. I look at the fact that we've gone away to a side that we expect to be up there. It's a good point. The fact that we got ourselves back into the game as well was something that I saw as a positive. But Tom, you had a very different perspective. You were there at the game, obviously, there with the emotion, there with the eyes on, rather than the slightly sort of remote perspective that I had. Does that reflect your feelings or you've gone away from that game feeling something else?

No, I think it does actually reflect how we felt in the stadium at the time. I think there was a collective sense that actually, it's not a bad result here. It was a decent game of football. It wasn't our best performance, to be honest. We had the better, probably, of it in the second half. First half was very flat, I felt. And I think when we were sat as well, it felt a bit like it sounds mad to compare CMK to Wembley, but it felt a bit like that. You felt so far away from it, it was just mad and the ground was like half empty and it was just a bit of a weird experience, to be honest. The second half, obviously attacking down our end and where I sat was right in front of where Toby would be. We're getting down the right hand side and crossing and I think we came away thinking it's a decent point. When we left the stadium, we were actually top of the league, but then by the time we got out of the stadium, we were second. But look, I think we would have took a point before, and it's one of those weird games where there's not that much disappointment. Normally, if we drop points, there's been lots of disappointment, but I think we came out feeling quite positive. So I think fans are already adjusting to the fact that we're not going to win every single game.

Yeah. And I want to bring us back to something that you mentioned on the podcast. I think you tweeted it out as well about not necessarily needing that relentless obsessiveness about three points and getting points. Obviously every Notts fan wants to get as many three points as possible, but not needing that relentlessness that we had to demonstrate in the National League just to compete and just to get out of that scenario. In terms of things that you saw in the game, were there any partnerships, was there any kind of tactical shapes and things that you, you know, that works particularly well going forward? Thinking about obviously we're going to touch on the Wolves game, but thinking about the sulfur game that's coming up quite thick and fast.

Yeah, I think that down the right hand side, the obvious ones, Crowley and the two wingbacks that played down that side, the main in the first half and then Toby Adebeo in the second half. And I think the link up actually was probably better with Toby down the right hand side but it's very hard. People were coming away saying we should start Toby next game, but very hard because Aaron was our only player in the first half that actually didn't offensively really, he looked to take the game by the scruff of the neck and it was one of the better, the main performances. It was one of those games where every time he got the ball he looked to make something happen. So they both had really good games. Dan Crowley was really good in Attack. I felt that defensively coming away from that game at the time. Sam Austin, you felt coming away, you did feel for him a little bit because it was a big chance for him with McGoldrick being injured. And you did feel he didn't quite grab it, but actually looking back on it, he actually has a bit of a thankless task in that he has to pick up a lot of the defensive slack that Dan Crowley doesn't do. And I'm really, really impressed Dan Crowley but I'm not quite there yet with him because of the defensive side. He's replacing Ruben who did a lot of that himself. If he lost the ball, which did happen, he would get back and Graft and Dan crowdy hasn't quite got that sighting, I don't think, as of yet. And it meant that Sam Austin had to do a lot of running but they're the main takeaways, I think, from relationships in links. And also Baldwin was good when he came on as well. I thought him and Brinley perhaps a little bit more natural on the ball at the back than Brinley and Rawlinson. I think Bowen brought a little bit more pace to our build up, although he did shoot from 35 yards which got a massive round of applause from the crowd. But it didn't particularly please me.

I'll say that you make an interesting point really about Dan Crowley because obviously he's one of those players that has really hit well in terms of form the start of the season. Obviously he's won a lot of hearts and minds with the Notts fan base and I do think this is important though we've talked about this with results. I think it's also important with players that don't get too high with the highs and don't get too low with the lows. It's this idea that there's always elements to develop. And I think that's something that comes through loud and clear with Luke Williams himself is that even though these players are performing to a very high standard, it would be better if they could provide A-B-C or D. And I think that's how you get the better out, and that's how you get development with some of these players. And let's be honest, that's one of the reasons why they've joined Notts in the first place, because they see Notts as a platform to develop and Luke Williams is the type of coach to add those elements in, like the things that you've noticed with Dan Crowley. Now, Rich might not be with us physically, but I can almost hear know in the distance, in the remote distance, wanting to get our attention to the fact that not only did he predict the results due to his very unique way of predicting draws all the way through the season. But also he'd identified what you saw in the stadium, which was that weakness down the sides and being particularly under threat in terms of being run out as well. So even though Rich isn't here to celebrate that particular win, I feel like I should do that on his behalf. But moving on to the Wolves game and I find this football throws up these fantastic narratives, don't they? Here we are, we've had a little bit of our morals tested against the MK dons and then we've also got the EFL trophy as well, which I'll be absolutely honest, even though I absolutely love football, it's still something that doesn't really get the juices flowing in terms of football and football fandom for me. How do you feel taking it a bit wider then so rather than talking about it as a competitive game? Because I don't think there was very much we could take from that. And I think Luke Williams supported that with his post match press conference to know as a game, there wasn't a lot to take out of it from the players who performed. How do you feel about it as a competition? Or how do you feel about it as how can not use it to their advantage? Or is it one of those things where you just go, do you know what, let's shut it know, let's just get through it because we're concentrating on bigger and better things. How do you take that as a Notts fan?

Yeah, I think it's an interesting competition because it gives you the chance to see players that you wouldn't otherwise have seen. So Junior Morias, for example, probably won't start that many games for this season unless injuries take that he does and it's a good chance to see him play. And I guess in that sense it did interest me, but it didn't interest me for the price, ifolo was still full price to watch the game, which I thought was a bit ridiculous and I wasn't going to make the trip to Merrill Lane for that game, I'll be honest. Like you say, I absolutely love football, but it just doesn't interest me that much. I think the rules around it to try and make it more competitive, I understand why they do that, but it also restricts the amount of young players you can use in the competition. Which, again, I understand why they do that, but perhaps that's probably the most interesting aspect, is seeing those players that you wouldn't have otherwise seen. So that's what we can take away from it. I thought it was ironic that it was probably the first chance we get to see Ollie Tipton play, and then he's ruled out because he's on loan from wolves, so he couldn't play either. So that kind of summed it up for me. And that's no disrespect to the competition. I think it has its merits and if we did get far in it and we went to Wembley, look, I'm sure we'd all make it down to Wembley for that. I'm sure we'd all follow the competition from then on. But it's also frustrating. It's free cup games, guaranteed, and you don't want to go into any game wanting to lose. I'm very competitive myself and I want us to win every game. And I can imagine the players playing, they want to win, but it's hard to get motivated for those type of games. So I think we're approaching it in the right way. Yeah, we lost and the performance wasn't great from what I've seen. I've only seen a small highlights package, wasn't that impressed with the performance, but like you say, it's very difficult to take a lot from it because it's not really a competitive game.

Yeah, I mean, going back to our initial chat about football manager, the only thing that I can add to that discussion is knowing having previously won the EFL Trophy, which is I'm trying very hard not to put that on my LinkedIn page, but I know that you only make profit after you've won it. So, yeah, there is also that side of it, I'll be honest as well, and I think it's important to reflect on our experience in the National League. I can't help but feel that there's probably a better tournament out there, considering the debate that's happening online and thinking about a previous owner and his high profile debates with a National League journalist about the standard of the National League. Let's put the National League against League two. Let's solve this riddle, let's solve this problem. Let's demonstrate the strengths of the National League that we all know, having been through that competition for a few seasons, we know is there, and would probably add an element of competition to a level of performance that, let's be honest, has that sense of almost a preseason friendly feel about it. So I think that could add an extra dimension to it, certainly. But I know exactly what you mean, that despite being competitive and wanting to be competitive, I think there are other places to be competitive. And that brings us quite neatly onto our next league game against Salford. So, Tom, how are we feeling about this, thinking about players going forward? Because I think on the previous pods, we've been really perceptive in being able to identify particular threats and particular things that are likely to happen. So give us some of those ideas that we might be facing on some of those threats, some of those things that Salford pose that we need to be ready for.

Well, first I just want to say that the thing that perhaps has been I don't think it's been brought to tension that much, but I guess a lot of Notts fans would have noticed is we're playing on Friday night. We were the only EFL trophy game on Tuesday. So it just so happens our one game that we've played so far is in the same week that we're playing the game early. And obviously the game on Saturday was played in incredible heat, which would have taken out the players. So I think that will be reflected in the performance. I think the lack of recovery, we might see a lower tempo from us. We're also playing a solid team that like to keep the ball, that they are the second highest average possession. They like to keep the ball like we do. They had over 70% last time out and they lost at home. So they're facing issues probably even worse than us in the fact that they are having a lot of the ball. They're not creating a lot. They were top scorers last season in league two, but they've only scored nine goals so far and four of them were in one game, which was against Tranmere, who we know we've played as well. And Tranmere scored three against him in that game. And you wouldn't have thought that Tranmere had that in them to score three against any side based on their performances so far. That's no disrespect. Obviously they've got rid of their manager. So Salford are in a really, really tricky place at the moment. There's a lot of pressure on them because they're not living up to their expectations. And this brings me to a point I wanted to raise, was that even though I've said on previous pods we don't have to win every game, I do feel there is a point where we will have to pick up a few extra wins. For example, MK Dons and morcom. We've drawn both of those games, but if we'd won one and lost one, we'd actually be a point better off. That's obvious. But I feel like this sulfur game, the position they're in at the minute, they're on a downward spiral. If you'd offered you, me, a point away to sulfur at the start of the season, I'd have said that's a good point, but I think we need to capitalize on it and I think they are there for the taking. I really do think they're there for the taking. So I do feel it's one of these games where a must win is the wrong word. But if we want to be right up there this season, I feel like it's a game we should be looking at getting three points from.

Yeah, I think that's a fair point. I think we used the word as the title of the last episode about momentum, and there is a danger of that momentum not running out because again, I think the fan base is very logical when it comes to looking at the games that we've had recently. But if you threw a draw or a defeat into that, then again, it's a harder and harder job to pick the team up and to move them forward and to build on top of those performances to get those momentum. I think it is going to be interesting to see two sides whose KPI is about possession. So having two teams who's largely about possession, it's going to be a very interesting, almost kind of chess matchy performance rather than some of the games that we've had thinking about Akrington. And I'm not saying that they were kicking Rush or anything like that at all, of course they weren't, but they set themselves up to kind of counter Notts as possession and almost anticipate it in order to counter it, rather than you're meeting two sides who are already saying that we want the ball, we want to have it. And I suppose then that becomes a question of who can win that back effectively. Who's got the energy at this point, bearing in mind that we've come out of games that are coming thick and fast? Who's got the energy to press that ball high and early and turn over possession and make it count? I go back to some of the things that I remember from last year about Notts. How well we pressed, how high we pressed, sometimes winning that ball back and preventing teams from having much of the ball and spinning them around and doing something effectively. So that's what I'm kind of hoping. I think I was excited by the fact that McGoldrick seems to be, and I know this is an audio podcast, but I'm literally touching every wooden surface that I can find, seems to be on a path of know from what Luke Williams was saying in his pre match press. So obviously we've got the potential for Jody Jones to be back, even though it seems like he took a knock on international duty. And I think they could be fundamental in winning that ball high and early, putting that team sulfur under pressure, knowing that they like their possession, really trying to win it in those kind of high value areas and turn them into effective actions. And I go back to some of the things you said about Tranmere, that if they were able to get goals and they really did not look that much of a threat against us, then hopefully that's going to result in a positive performance, isn't it?

Yeah, definitely. I think that, as I say, I think we can definitely carve some more openings. And we did do that against MK dons. We used the width really well and we made a couple of good chances and there were a couple of chances where things like Xg, as much as everyone knows I love it, they don't always reflect it because there were chances where the ball flashed across the goal, we didn't get a shot off. So that would have been a really high, actually, chance if we got a touch on the cross. There were a couple of those. Obviously, Macca's header late on, looked for all the world to go in as an unbelievable save and I think if we create similar chances this time around, we will take them. I think they are going to be easier to play through them. Kdons they're missing some of their key players. Elliot Watt, who's their key midfielder, has been injured all season and I think they're really, really missing him in midfield. They lack creativity about him and I think that we could win the midfield battle there because of his absence. What they do have is a little bit of a different look up top. They have the ability to mix it up and a bit of variety. They've got Matt Smith, who may be a familiar name to people, he's played much higher up the pyramid. He's a very big tall striker and he can get on the end of crosses for them. But again, they don't seem to have been creating too much for him. And I just do feel that we will go there and I think we will still dominate possession. And I think that will be interesting to see how they cope with that. Because I think, look, they may dominate possession. But I think it's more likely that we'll be the team that looks to stand power authority on it, and it'll be how they adjust to that. And like you mentioned earlier, momentum is a key thing and obviously we've had a draw and technically defeat in the floppy, so it'd be really nice to bounce back, I think. And I think that with McGoldrick hopefully back in the team, we'd have a really good chance of doing that because again, his bit of clinical edge, I think, and even his aerial presence at the weekend just gone, was perhaps lacking a little bit. So I think his return touchwood, like you say, could be really positive.

So we're going to go on to predictions. Now. I don't need Rich to even be on this call to know that he's going to go for a draw. So we're going to throw that in there. I'm going to just pick one. One because I'm hoping that that methodology just leads us to promotion at the end of the season. What about you, Tom? What are you going for?

I'm going to be positive. I'm going to go for a win. I said draw last week, I think going to go for a win for us, I can't remember, but this week I'm going to go for a win. I'm going to go two one Notts. Like I say, I think they're there for the taking. Maybe I'm going a little bit in my head here, actually. I feel like my heart is saying I'd take a draw against Salford away, because that would be a good point, because it would be a good point, especially as we've got Forest Green, I think, next at home, which you think we would believe would be very winnable. So if you get a draw there, go back home and get a win. Everything's looking good, but I just feel that where they're at at the moment, we can get at them. I'm going to go two one. And I'm going to go with another Dan Crowley header because he had one in the week, almost scored and he's had quite a few. So I'm going to throw a Dan Crowley header in there for a goal. I'm going to go two one Notts.

Interesting, right? So, I mean, on the last two, I've been the most optimistic of Notts fans as well, so that's put me in an interest in Dalimo. I'm going to go for a win as well. I think it's also going to be narrow. So I'm going to go three two. The reason why I think that is because I still am a little bit concerned about our defensive set pieces. You've mentioned their tall target man, and so we need to be making sure that we're aware of these threats. Obviously I want us to be getting a clean sheet, but if we don't get the clean sheet, then I think it will come from these kind of set pieces or not being able to kind of defend effectively. Obviously I want them to shut that door, but at the same time, it may not be this game that we do it. So I'm going to go for three two. Still three points. Still building that momentum, but I'm still asking that question. Are we able to kind of defend our set pieces to the best of our ability? Tom, thank you for joining me on episode seven of NCS Shorts. I look forward to speaking to you next week.