New Notts era is frozen out, but the future is warming up nicely

With the beginning of the Stuart Maynard reign on hold, we take stock of where the Magpies are at

On the rollercoaster ride that is Notts County, the brave new world of Stuart Maynard‘s appointment began with an icy pitch and Saturday’s match postponed. But with over a fortnight elapsed since the shock departure of Luke Williams, at least Meadow Lane is officially under new management.

Some Magpies fans will be further relieved on two counts. Firstly, the game was against high-flying Stockport, so there was no guarantee that ‘new manager syndrome’ would’ve done the trick. Secondly, it gives Maynard and his staff more time to get used to their new environment.

With this transitional period that Notts find themselves in the middle of, what better time to assess the season so far and what the rest could hold. Let’s get one thing straight to begin with: Williams is the best manager the Lane has seen in a quarter of a century. Promotion from the National League, something that’s far easier than it sounds, was swift, especially when you consider the aforementioned Stockport took eleven seasons to accomplish this. Not only was it achieved quickly, but it was done with a brand of football usually reserved for Rio’s Copacabana Beach.

The one sizeable downside to this has been the defence. Anyone who witnessed October’s 4-1 home defeat to Mansfield will know that when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong. As such, the ‘Pies find themselves a little lower than the bookies suggested before the big kick-off. Still, League Two has been nothing if not entirely unpredictable so far, and mixed bags of results are everywhere. Going forward, Notts are undoubtedly the best in the division – simply irresistible, you might say – backed up by Macaulay Langstaff‘s twenty goals and the club being the current top scorers in the whole of England. That’s something to put a smile on the face of even the most downbeat fan.

But if league placings were based purely on frailties at the back, they’d find themselves fighting relegation. In a division where the brand of football is more on the ‘traditional’ side, they’ve been susceptible to getting picked off by long balls and set pieces. Yet this has been the Notts County way for many seasons now, so whether the answer to this problem is new defensive signings or just to play with a little less reckless abandon, who knows?

What we do know is that Maynard has done great things at Wealdstone. He’s obviously ready for the step up and relishing the challenge, but this current squad almost had a love affair with Williams, in much the same way Jose Mourinho used to have with his players at whichever club he was in charge of. But there seems to be a distinct lack of egos on the black-and-white side of the Trent, so this appears to be as good an appointment as any.

It goes without saying that we’ll have more of a clue after Maynard’s first few games in charge. If this season so far has proved one thing, it’s that you can have an extremely talented bunch of players at your disposal, but steady management is still the order of the day. Thankfully for the new boss, it’s an extremely simple equation in footballing terms: play to the Magpies’ undoubted strengths up front but never take your eye off the back.

On second thoughts it’s not that simple, but get it right and promotion is still a dream that can be realised. Notts County currently sit in sixth, and that’s a realistic expectation, especially with only three teams in the division looking highly likely to go up. But start relying on others too much, and they could well be frozen out of the promotion frame.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new manager and where Notts County will find themselves at the end of the season. Let us know in the usual place.