The Notts County board of directors have announced that they are displeased with the club’s league position but believe performances have deserved better, in a statement released on the club’s website.
The Magpies got off to a fantastic start to the season on their return to the Football League under promotion-winning head coach Luke Williams.
County’s start to the season, following on from a magnificent campaign the season prior, led to interest in Williams’ services. Eventually, the former Swindon Town manager would take over the reins at Championship side Swansea City.
Upon his departure, the Magpies sat sixth in the League Two table and were well in the mix for a playoff spot.
It was Wealdstone manager Stuart Maynard who answered the call to replace Williams and it was hoped he would continue the club’s March towards the top seven.
The board, consisting of Alexander and Christoffer Reedtz alongside Richard Montague, admitted to being disappointed in the likely outcome of the season but is pleased with performance levels.
“Our analysis shows that performance levels over the course of the campaign have merited a much better league position – and therefore the improvement required for us to compete for promotion next season, as will be our aim, isn’t as large as the table would suggest.”
The club’s hierarchy is keen to stress that the metrics used to measure performance indicate the club have performed better than their current league position suggests.
According to these metrics, the world’s oldest professional club have continued to perform at the same level as they were at the start of the season but their luck has changed.
“Due to the huge amount of luck and variance in results, we always try to look at the bigger picture. Many games have been lost due to fine margins and could easily have gone the other way.”
“Conversely, we had luck on our side on a few occasions at the beginning of the season, picking up better results despite not playing better or worse than we have done in 2024.”
The Meadow Lane side have conceded a huge 79 goals this season, the worst record in the division. The board are confident that Maynard and his staff can resolve this issue.
“Individual mistakes that lead to a goal are always most noticeable, but it’s crucial that we improve all the aforementioned aspects of our defensive play.”
“As you would expect, Stuart Maynard and his team are working hard on this and we believe we’re on track to build a team with the right balance between attack and defence, which will concede far fewer goals and bring an improved level of performance next season.”
The statement went on to say that, whilst the club is ambitious in its quest to improve its standing in the football pyramid, unnecessary risks will not be taken.
“Put simply, our intention will never be to seek success ‘at all costs’.”
Writer’s View
Clearly, the board of directors at Notts County support their manager and is happy to give him something many managers do not get- time.
The approach taken by the owners, with a focus on the data above results, has bought Maynard time and the opportunity to implement his views and build his own squad.
A positive start to the next campaign is needed for his time in charge to continue.
A primary school teacher turned writer, Tom has been part of The Real EFL for two years. He focuses on predictions, deep dives, and insightful content.
