Notts County picked up just their second point at home under Stuart Maynard in his seventh home match in charge in their draw on Monday with MK Dons. Still without a win at Meadow Lane in 2024, the pressure is certainly beginning to mount on the manager.
Their away record, although slightly better, is still far from impressive with two wins and a draw on their travels since Maynard’s January appointment. Having now managed 14 games and only picking up nine points from those, a rate of 0.64 points per game (ppg), the fanbase is beginning to turn on the former Wealdstone man.
Maynard certainly had big shoes to fill after Luke Williams, who revolutionised the club leading them to promotion back to the EFL, left to join Swansea City in early January. His predecessor was a real hit with the fanbase, and rightly so given the job that he had done. It can therefore be said that the new manager was already fighting an uphill battle, but he hasn’t exactly helped himself during his time at Meadow Lane.
Obviously the performances cannot be solely attributed to Maynard’s arrival, especially as Notts County weren’t exactly in flying form prior to his appointment but the side do look like a shadow of their former self. Now sat in 15th and ten points off of the play-offs, the remaining games are all about finishing the season with some pride.
For Maynard, the remaining five games could give him the opportunity to save his job, and gain the faith of the fanbase going into next season. In an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham, the manager thanked the fans despite the performances, and sympathised with the current frustration surrounding the club.
“We have to give them something to get off their seats and sing about. When you’re losing, everyone’s going to judge you.
“It’s not easy to be on a run like we’ve been on and then play in front of 10,500 people and be brave and want the ball. The reception they gave me and the players at the end was incredible. They’ve been good home and away.
“When they boo at the end of some games, I get the frustration. I’m frustrated, so I don’t take it personally.”
Maynard also acknowledged that there are a number of problems currently at the club, but also noted that some of those said problems were present prior to his arrival.
“We’ve stopped certain things but it’s been very difficult,”
“Before I got in here, we’d lost nine in 15, so it was a similar trend. They picked up a lot of points early in the season and it put them in an incredible position, but it’s not been consistent – previously or for me.”
Writer’s View
After a positive start to the season, everything has fallen apart for the Magpies and last season already seems like a distant memory. There’s obviously been plenty of problems since Maynard took the job but as the manager noted, the club weren’t exactly in the best of form prior to his appointment in January.
Perhaps Maynard could be deemed as somewhat of a scapegoat considering the position that Williams had left the club in when he left for Swansea. However since his arrival, things have got worse and they’ve fallen from play-off contenders to now be sat in the bottom half of the table.
The last five games could be the difference between Maynard keeping or losing his job this summer. If sticking with the manager, improvements may be seen fairly quickly next season if he’s given the time to find his own players to bring in, but that’s no guarantee. What’s potentially most important currently is getting the fans back on his side, as they’re far from that at the minute unlike under Williams.
