NCS Shorts | #5: Reverse Psychology

Hello and welcome to episode five of NCS Shorts. And this episode is sponsored by Taurus Network, who cover all aspects of web based services, including websites such as our very own NCS news site. So if you require professional, reliable web solutions, please visit WW taurusnetwork co UK. Thank you for joining us on another episode here of NCS Shorts. And thank you again for the positivity, the comments, the likes, the retweets, everybody who's engaged in the podcast, it really does mean a lot to us and I just want to repeat a plea from last episode, really, that we really want to have a good representation at the FCA's, the Football Content Awards this year. So if you like what we do and we want to be able to help us celebrate that, please find the details attached to this podcast where you can click the link and recommend us for the Best Club Content Awards. It's something that means a lot to us and something that will help us move forward. Now, before we get into some really positive things, including a fantastic performance at Tranmere, unfortunately, we're going to start another episode where we're having to send our commiserations to another player. Rich, could you take that forward for us, please?

Yeah, sure. Obviously quite upsetting the news about Edwin Scott and his knee injury. He's going to be out for the foreseeable future. Just looking back at Luke Williams'presser earlier today, the reason they used foreseeable was because they couldn't really put a time on it until they've seen how things settle down with the first bout of treatment and thing, which is fair enough. So really bad news because obviously Kedwin can play in more than one position for us. He fulfills a few roles and he's a cracking finisher as well. And he's going to be a big miss, certainly as a backup, but as a key player in the squad. But of course, what that does do, all the speculation about Junior Marias not getting on the bench and things like that. Again, Williams has said in his presser that he's eager to kick on and try and stake a claim in the know in the match day starting squad or whatever. So it'll be interesting to see if he can do that and whether the attributes that he has. He's a different player to Scott, obviously, but he might just provide another dimension for us that could really work well. So it would be good to see Mariah get those opportunities moving forwards.

Yeah, I echo that. And can I also say as well, I think Luke Williams managed that press conference fantastically well. I think he was thrown a question about obviously the impending transfer window and whether nots are going to be looking at replacements for Kedwin, Scott and obviously Geraldo Bajrami as well. And I thought Williams managed it with a lot of sensitivity, understanding that this is recent news to a player, that's very important, not only to Notts and to the squad. This is someone who's come up with us and come on that journey and I think Luke was very sensitive and sympathetic to that. So rather than saying, look, the focus is not let's go into the transfer because obviously that's what every piece of news is about now, every club, who are we going to land before the window shuts? I think he managed that with an element of sensitivity and consciousness of what Kedwin's probably going through emotionally, the impact that this has had on him, the impact it's had on a very tight knit and small squad. One of the things that has resonated with me is I've been looking at the number of arrivals in league two. So this is not including departures. We're over 300 arrivals at league two clubs this season and obviously as closer to the window that number is going to go up, which averages something like twelve players per club and Notts are on six I think in terms of their recruitment. And let's remember that two of those are very familiar faces as well in David McGoldrick and Jody Jones. So I think Williams has managed the squad and brought the nucleus of that squad onwards and forwards and I really think he was very sensitive to the psychology of that know, really making sure that it's like let's value the player that's gone out rather than talk about the player that's come in. But whereas Luke probably can't talk about that. Obviously we're a fan podcast, we've got slightly more freedom to talk about. Obviously we're devastated for Kedwin to lose his position within the squad for the foreseeable future. But over to you Tom. I just want to think about what your opinions are about recruitment going forward, either in Kedwin's position or maybe just as a bigger issue with the squad. Do you think we're going to do any business or just before the transfer window closes?

It's interesting you mentioned that because that's my main thought coming out of this is that recruiting for the players you've lost through injury is actually really difficult because they're squad players that cover a few positions and to recruit players in those areas is often quite difficult. One, because players of versatility are hard to come by. Two, it's difficult to convince a player to come to a club and say to them you're actually not going to be first choice. Also there's almost an element of do we want to add a squad player who we know really isn't going to be first choice and even might be third choice once Kevin's back or once Drowler's back. So there's a really difficult position to recruit for really, especially when we've got Will Randall hopefully coming back. Luke mentioned that in the presser that he's getting closer and while he won't play as the know, potentially could play as that attacking midfielder role, we don't know yet, we haven't seen him. But kevin plays kind of on the left and that's where we saw Will Randall play for Sutton, so that's a potential one there. And in terms of other recruitment know junior going out as a departure was pretty much it sounded like from what I was hearing that three national league clubs were in for him. The load move was going to happen and I think now that's been completely put as top to it. He will stay in with us now, I think pretty much until Scott's back and there's a huge chance for him to prove himself because he hasn't really been given the chances and like Luke said, through no fault of his own, he's had a lot of bad luck of injuries himself so hopefully he can kick on. And then lastly, just wanted to mention there's been a few links recently with the defender, Connor Keeley in Ireland. I think that sort of substance to that report, I think, and whether we get him or it's another defender, I think that's a market. We are looking at the Irish market for sure, possibly because it's a league that's in full flow, they match fit and I think that we may add someone before the deadline. But like Luke said, it's a really difficult market this year, especially, I think, and it's difficult. The club do not want to make rush decisions, they're not like that. So that's what I think could happen with transfers.

Yeah, I completely echo what you're saying, and I think how reassuring is it for us to as fans, which obviously, you want to get excited with transfer windows, you want to get excited with new faces and those sort of things that actually we're very much on board with the way that Notts are doing things and Notts are doing their business in a hierarchical sense that we're almost in sync with the board and with the manager in terms of the way that they're thinking. And hopefully that continues, doesn't it? Because let's face it, not all clubs are going to be having that same sort of synchronicity between fans and manager and boardroom. I think we're going to see an awful lot of disparity moving into this window. Fans being unsatisfied with business that's being done, managers having deals done for them, the board thinking that the managers overspent on a particular player, those sort of things. So it's quite nice, isn't it, to be able to even though we're talking about quite a difficult situation in terms of two key squad players having injuries, but actually the fan base seeing it the same way as the manager and understanding some of those finer points that influence transfers and make transfers ultimately successful. So on the subject of success and moving forward, let's get some thoughts about the Tranmere game and really thinking about things that excited us, things that we think moving forward and looking forward to seeing and thinking, obviously, about the game that we're going to be featuring and talking about in more detail at the weekend. So, Rich, I want to start with you. What were some of your key takeaways from that game? What were some of the things that pleased you, excited you, or maybe things that we still need to work on?

Well, the first thing is that for 75 minutes of the game, we were completely dominant. We were back to that free flowing, attacking, aggressive, high line, high pressing Luke Williams team that we got to be familiar with during last season or large parts of last season. And it was just such a great feeling to have that again. I know in the last pod I said that Tranmere were going to cause us a few problems. To be fair, on the occasions, even when we were dominant, on the occasions when we let them have the ball and we were prepared to let them knock it about a bit, they look like they're not a million miles away from something. Clicking and that was the other thing that was really satisfying for me was.

The fact that I know that having.

Watched Tranmere, they're not as bad as the game might have suggested. It probably suggested that we're probably a lot better than I was probably given us credit for before the game. And that's the kind of positive I'm taking from it. Dan Crowley was fantastic. He had a big part in both. Very, very clever little player. I think he's coming on leaps and bounds. But obviously the one thing that excited me the most about that game and having looked back at the previous couple of games and seeing how this partnership's developing even further, and that's with John Bostock and Matty Palmer next to each other in the centre of midfield there. We did our stats report earlier this week on the game, and in there I did some analysis on what I was calling an unorthodox double pivot, because a double pivot would normally be with the back four and they would sit a little bit more defensive and look to really bring the attacking midfielders into play whilst covering that defensive line. But because we played such a high line and the way that both those two players link up with the attacking players on either of the two flanks, it's a very fluid pivot. It's not rigid in the fact that it's like it's in a four, four, two or whatever. As the transitions change in play. The same happens with the way those two play, the understanding between them now, when one of them's in the attack, the other one's dropping just a little bit deeper just to cover off those spaces in behind, that the partner's leaving. They both seem to know where each other are now as well, which is really great. Matty Palmer is a fantastic player, as we know, but John Bostock has to be the best performance I've seen from a Notts player for a long time on Saturday. He didn't put 1ft wrong. I mean, I had a look at his stats, and overall, I think I put it in the report he was pushing 90% completed actions every single match. Action just phenomenal, really. And having players like him, matthew Crowley, Mcgowdrick, Mack, so many of them, really we're really blessed as a club at the moment at this level to have that standard of player in the squad. And for me, that's the real positive about the game as well as the result. It could have been different at the end with the substitutions, which is I know everybody seems to be trying to avoid a conversation about the substitutions and Scott's injury and the risk of making them at that time, but I'm prepared to give Luke Williams the benefit of the doubt on that one because everything else about the game was just fantastic and really excited me for what's to come as the season progresses.

I agree. I want to go back to John Bostock, though, because I echo what you were saying in terms of him just as a player, but I felt like we saw almost a different or I saw a different dimension to John Bostock. I'm not necessarily saying that he's added this to his game. I'm sure it was already there. But I think what we're starting to see is a player playing with confidence. And I think we need to understand that the player that arrived with us probably wasn't as confident as he is now, given the experience that he's had while at medalane and the fantastic moments that he's had. I think also he's a lot fitter, and therefore we're seeing just those extra sort of dimensions come to the fore a little bit. And I remember tweeting during the game, which I'm trying to do less and less of just because I think sometimes it's snapshots, isn't it? Emotional snapshots in a game, rather than being a little bit more reflective like we are being, know, being able to kind of talk about it. Holistically. But I tweeted during the game about John Bostock's defensive display, which is an aspect to his game that I don't think I've ever really raised before because I'm sure he played a defensive role, but he was dominant defensively, wasn't he? Tom, did that resonate with you? Did you see any of those elements that I saw?

Yeah. Massively. Massively. Have to agree with you. I think what we've seen from John Bostop since he's arrived in Mellon Lane is also his aggression has increased massively. And, I mean, that controlled. You know, he's aggressive and reckless, but he really uses his physicality. I think Luke Williams has brought that side out of know, we forget. Well, we don't forget, but people might forget. Looking at John Bossock and the way he plays on the ball. He's a six foot plus physical powerhouse of a person, and he often didn't play like that when he arrived at previous clubs. He perhaps didn't put himself about as much, and he has that same finesse still, but also has the ability to make those recovery runs. He's quick covers that ground really well, he's really physical and he is dominant, and he was dominant in every aspect of the game, both in and out of possession.

Also a very minor point, and this is a very tiny point, but one that just sticks out to me as well, that black boot and black sock combination, which you don't see very often now. And I'm going to sound incredibly old about how rare it is to find black boots on a player, but also black boots and black socks. Fantastic. Right. We deserve points just for every time he takes the field in that combination, as far as I'm concerned. But Tom, I'm going to go back to you then. So we've talked about the midfield, we've talked about John Bostock particularly, because I think he deserved an awful lot of credit, although obviously Matty Palmer another to add to the catalogue of fantastic and almost flawless performances. Was there anybody else that stood out? Was there anything else that stood out, either positive or negative in that game to help us think about moving forward?

I just think the fact that we should have scored more goals, it might sound like a negative, but it's a positive. More goals are going to come. I don't know how did he misses that chance? I think the ball kind of falls under him and he'll think the same and it was like a comedy of errors, it bounced off another player and another day that should go in, but they're all just playing really well now. Dan Crowley looks like he's settled in Rich, because I noticed Rich had something to say as well, so I'll pass over.

Yeah, sorry. Firstly, Tom yeah, you're dead right about goal situation, because on Another Day, Macca scores his big chance in the first half and the game's gone by the time Didz is hitting the woodwork in the second half twice, once with a shot and then once with a header. One of those goes in as well, then we would have been rampant. But yeah, I just wanted one last thing, and I don't want to keep going on as if it's a bit of a John Bostock love fest, but we have to remember as well that this guy is still only 31 years old, and the best bit of business that Notts County could do right now is get him to already sign a contract extension. For me, that's such a critical thing that we need to do if we really want to be growing in this league and then hopefully looking at climbing the tables as well, or climbing the leagues. Yeah, I just think that that's something that I'm sure the club will have in the back of the owners will have in the back of the mind, but that couldn't happen soon enough for me.

Do you know what? I echo that. And I also think, I mean, I don't know John Bostock personally, but I think he'd be up for it. As know, I get the impression that this is someone who's really enjoying the football, really enjoying interactions with a fan base, seems to be integral to the know, incredibly likable as a person. But I think he's somebody who's bringing other players along as well. So I think given the opportunity, he'd be somebody who would take that up. And I'll go as far as this, if a contract extension for John Bostock is the only business that we do in this transfer window, then I'll be happy with it. I will acknowledge that I've got some concerns over the extended game time. We still seem to be playing, and we've got a very small squad. But if the only business that we do is extending John Bostock's contract, then I will accept that happily right now and hope that we get through to January with the squad that we've got and obviously bring those players back to full fitness just before we move on. And you reminded me of this as well, and this was a conversation that we had on WhatsApp during the game, we've talked about defensively and we've talked about him in an offensive sense with McGoldrick. One of the things that came out for me was just how hard that man works off the ball and how much he does to create space for Langstaff, particularly other players as well. But Langstaff particularly to move markers around. He's absolutely willing and let's remember that this guy is getting accolades still for his performances in league, one that's been out on social media recently as well. This is a guy who's quite willing to work as hard to go back into his own half to push and pull players around, to use that now that he's got in order to create space for other players. Jodie Jones as well, I think has benefited from the spaces that he created. So as much as I want, I think John Bostock deserves the spotlight on him. I just wanted to add that little bit because even though we feel a bit frustrated for McGoldrick in an attacking sense that he didn't add further goals and extend his scoring run more than what he could have done, that defensive display, I think, was phenomenal, really. And I think it was another indication of just what he provides to this club other than him being an outstanding transfer and an attacking threat. Moving on then. So let's start thinking about Akrington. Tom, I'm going to start with you. Obviously, I think Akrington, I think the fan base feels that this is a slightly different challenge to perhaps ones that we've failed before. Is that a fair review, fair summary?

Yeah, no, I definitely think so. I think that what stuck out for me with Acklington is that they played Salford at the weekend and Salford are probably the team that are closest to us or one of the teams that are closest to us in terms of they like to dominate the ball. They're a good attack inside and acknowledging didn't have a lot of the ball. They had, I think, less than 40% in the they were the better side and they created a lot of chances against sulfur. So this is a team, an acknowledging team that are really good with very little, very, very effective. And I think as well, they've got a manager who is really good. He knows the club. John Coleman knows that club inside out and he'll prepare them for this drop in division. So I think that's the biggest difference for me.

Thank you for that, Tom. What about you, Rich? Anything that stands out, really, about this side, do you think we need to be aware of? Fans need to keep their eye out for anything that perhaps is going to be posing a slightly different threat to the teams that we faced previously?

Yeah, I think Tom's dead right about, you know, him being at that club for as long as he has. They've got an identity now in the way that they play and they're not a team that's going to want a lot of the ball, but it's what they do with it when they have got it that really matters and they've got some physicality up front as well as back. They're going to be dangerous from set pieces, they're going to put themselves about a bit. He plays with a back four mostly this season it's been a 4231, so there's a team that does probably play with another defensive double pivot just in front of the back four there, which allows them to be able to sit off a little bit and soak up that pressure and not get too worried about it. They'll be very organized and disciplined in their shape in the defensive transitions and phases, but it's what they can do when they win the ball over and they break. And that's the one thing that we've got to be really careful of. We keep saying this every week when we're going forward, everybody's forward, we're in the final third. Nine out of ten of our outfield players are in that final third, nine times out of ten, because that's what we do, so we've got to be really careful of being caught out on the break. But I think where Luke Williams, again, has played an absolute blinder this season now is he's taken a player that probably looked out of favour in the squad, didn't feature as much? All right, there's a couple of issues with injuries and things, but didn't feature as much as maybe he would have liked to have done last season. But Richard Brindley being moved into the middle of the back three is an absolute turning out to be an absolute masterstroke from Luke Williams. And I just think that gives us so much more solidity at the back that we didn't have before to be able to deal with the breaks when we're getting the facing, the know. We know that Brins has got a bit of pace about him. I'm still a bit frustrated with him over not closing down the Grimsby player for that goal against Grimsby. I think he should have done that in the same way that, to be fair, Rollo did at the weekend. He put the guy off, he ran when the guy was almost one on one with the keeper. Rollo managed to get across, that killed him, right? But he managed to get across and put the guy off. But I just see Brindley getting better and better in that position and when he's on his game, he's a Rolls Royce of the player. He's just going to keep ticking over. He can progress with the ball, he can pick out a pass, he can put in a challenge. And I think that's one of the areas that's given us the extra confidence to be able to attack the way that we did do at the weekend.

Do you agree with that, Tom?

Yeah, 100%. And what Rich says about Brinley being a RollsRoyce and having all that to his game, 100% I agree with it. And that's why I struggled a little bit when he was struggling. I struggled as a fan. He's one of my favorite players just because he has everything that I love about a footballer. He's graceful on the ball, he's got real pace, he can bring that ball forward. But I think what it is now is he's got this natural caution to his game, but actually that suits in the middle of the bat three, because sometimes we saw baldwin would push up, and then we get caught. Out because it he'd be unavailable or he'd be pushed up the pitch and he'd be caught out of the bat, whereas Brinley's got this natural caution now where he doesn't like to close down. And I agree with Rich, and it will cost us at times. I think it was one at the weekend where he didn't close down again as well, but in the middle of the bat free, it means he drops off a little bit more. He has that pace to deal with, that running behind, and I just think that his skill set is just perfectly suited there. And it's just like Rich says, massive strike from Luke Williams so far. And it almost has made me feel like we perhaps don't need another defender. Maybe we do long term, but through to January, I think that Brinley is going to be more than good enough as a stop gap for, I think.

You know, to bring this conversation back full circle. That's one of the things that resonated with me on his reaction to the kevin Scott injury was that there are solutions within the squad that he's got faith in and he wants to show that he's got the faith in that squad before starting to look at external solutions. And that's how you create a team. There are going to be plenty of sides in lead to carrying a bigger squad than us, but inevitably there's going to be disgruntled and dissatisfied members of that squad who aren't along with the journey, you know what I mean, and aren't providing and adding to that kind of camaraderie and that determination to get through. And sometimes in games that's what matters, doesn't it? That extra determination that we're all in it together, we're all in it for the same reasons. The manager believes in us, the fans believe in know, and we're going to get those chances. Then if we're out of the team for a couple of weeks, we're going to be trusted to go back in. We might do a slightly different role as we've seen with Brinley, but we're going to be trusted because he trusts us and that's how a squad is built and developed. One of the things that I wanted to add to the discussion just very briefly is something that I spotted with Aquinton and that is a tendency to score early. I just wonder whether and again, I think it probably links to what Rich is saying. I think five of their goals in the league have come in the first half and quite early on in the first half as well. We're talking the first sort of 2025 minutes, think there was one around 36 and there was one just on the stroke of halftime. I think that may be something that obviously not are aware of and need to be aware of. I think it goes back to actually one of the things that I said about the Tramier game, about not just keeping the ball and keeping possession being perhaps a little bit more cautious just to kind of iron out. That kind of threat, that ability that I think aquiton have got of catching teams out of shape, countering them really well and punishing them. If we can rule that out, get to nil nil at halftime, or maybe going one nil ahead, then I think we've got a really good chance. So I know that I've jumped ahead in terms of predictions and I've talked about mine. I think that if we can keep a clean sheet in the first half, it's not to say that they're not a threat, but I think if we can keep our discipline in the first half, hopefully go one nil ahead into halftime, I'd like our chances to see us through on that one. I still look at the fact that we still seem to be able to concede, particularly in those kind of latter stages. I obviously hope that Saturday is the game that we show that we're not going to be allowing. Those opportunities. And, yes, obviously there's contextual reasons for that. Kedwin going off injured and going down to ten men. I completely understand that from last Saturday, but I would like us to put that marker down. And so I'm going to hopefully say that Saturday is the return to clean sheets. So I'm going to go kind of one nil to Notts, keep it tight, possibly score either at halftime or early into the second half, play the game out from there. I don't think it's going to be an easy game at all, but I think that's how we're going to manage the game. Rich, what about you? What's your prediction?

I think one of the things we have to remember is this is the first team that we're playing, really. I think this season that are top half. In fact, they're third in the know. We're on the same points just behind them on goal difference, thanks to the Sutton game. But I don't disagree with you, Colin. I think a clean sheet is there, but I think it could be three. The team. I think it's going to be a very tight affair. I think Notts are going to have a hell of a lot of the ball and they're going to be frustrated as well. I'm going to go for a nil nil, as exciting as it sounds. Yeah.

No, I like it. In fact, I think you went for a draw against Tranmere, so I'm hoping that we have some sort of pattern. If you just predict draws all the way through the season, then hopefully we can celebrate the end. I'm quite happy with that.

Yeah. Reverse psychology, mate. That's what it is.

Let's go for it. Let's go for it. Tom, what about you?

I've changed my mind about three times there. While you two have spoken, I'm going to go one all. I'm going to go sort of in between both of you. I feel acklington. We've still got the frailty to us, to our back line, but still can still punish us. But I think we're good enough for a goal. To be fair, I feel like we could score two or three, but Atkinson are well organized. It really depends if we take our chances. I think we'll create plenty. Just because we're that good and we're getting better, we're not quite at our best, are we? So we could beat them, but easily they could beat us. And that sounds very obvious and sit on the fence, but it could be if they turn up like they did against Salford and we're not on it, it could punish us. But that's why I'm gone down the middle. Gone for one all. Pick up, be tight. Pick up be kg. Would I take a draw now? Probably not, but that's where I kind of see it going.

Okay.

I'm immediately concerned that I'm the most optimistic out of the three of us. That's never a good sign because I'm normally the one on the fence, but no, let's hope so. I think it's all about momentum, isn't it? We saw how great momentum was for Notts and built in the National League. Tom, I think I saw a tweet from you about understanding that we don't perhaps need that kind of relentless momentum in League Two in the same way that we did in the National League because of the amount of opportunities there are for getting up and getting out, either through the playoffs or through automatics, which at this very early stage is an exciting proposition, but certainly not a guaranteed one. So, no, I think you're absolutely right. And I think we're right to be optimistic, but I think we're also right to be cautious with some of the things that we've recognized in the opposition, some of the things that I think still need to be solved in the Notts lineup. But hopefully we're going to see some of those features that we've been excited for over the last couple of weeks turn up again at Medellin on Saturday. Right? Gents, thanks ever so much for joining us. Just a thank you to our listeners as well. A reminder about the FCAS, a reminder also about the opportunity to sponsor this podcast. Please have a look at our Twitter feed for a link to sponsorship packages that allow you to be able to sponsor this and get your messages out there as part of the NCS Shorts podcast, as well as, obviously, the NCS articles. Thank you ever so much for all the support that you've shown us so far. Come on, you pies.