Hello all, firstly i'd like to apologise for the delay since the last diary, it's been a busy couple of weeks! I enjoyed both of the friendlies this week, the first half against Peterborough sort of excepted and am looking forward to Corby on Monday. I think the shape and style of the team is starting to appear, some of the play over the two games has been a joy to watch.
Peterborough Observations
There's no denying that the first half against Peterborough United on Wednesday evening was pretty much an unmitigated disaster. The 3-0 scoreline flattered us rather than Posh and, frankly, with a bit more composure infront of goal they could've had double figures in that half. Sam Sodje being withdrawn (never to be seen again, it seems) after eight minutes to be replaced by the inexperienced and raw Haydn Hollis didn't help defensively and the absense of Krystian Pearce was striking. Pearce is, quite simply, the best player we have and I think that he is the one player we really can't afford to be missing for any period of time this season. He's matured into a complete defender over the past twelve months and his pace brings something different to the table for us. The lack of pace possessed by Edwards and Hollis meant that, despite their dominance in the air, Peterborough were able to thread balls in behind our defence at will and the pace of the likes of Nicky Ajose caused us constant problems.
The other problem in the first half was the lightweight and attacking nature of the midfield. With Spicer and Judge both playing centrally, Posh were not put under enough pressure in central midfield and Hamza Bencherif was left with an impossible job. Grant McCann and George Boyd, who dropped deep to exploit this, were given oceans of time to thread balls through the midfield and this was something Notts never got to grips with. In the second half, when Jeff Hughes and Neal Bishop were introduced in that area, Notts were able to dominant the central midfield area and then take control of the game. I think that playing Spicer and Judge there was something of an experiment and one that Martin Allen probably won't be returning to in a hurry.
In terms of the players who were impressive on the night, I thought both full backs did a decent job, particularly in the second half. Julian Kelly looks to have tricky feet and the pace and willingness to burst forward on the overlap to support his winger. Alan Sheehan on the other side looked comfortable on the ball and retained possession well. It was Hughes and Bisho's introductions that changed the game though, Hughes' quality on the ball was evident and Bishop's industriousness hasn't wained over the summer.
Wolves Observations
If the game against Peterborough had positives and negatives almost divided equally between halves, the Wolves game this afternoon was extremely promising for Martin Allen and Notts. Despite the occasional flash of Premier League quality in the first half, Notts looked fairly comfortable when defending. Wolves did hit the woodwork twice, but one of these was a brilliantly executed free kick by Adam Hammill. In the first half Notts looked comfortable in possession and retained the ball well, but struggled to really create any clear cut openings. The best move of the half did lead to Karl Hawley cutting inside and clipping the bar with a dipping effort that wasn't dissimilar from the one that hit the post at Manchester City last season.
The second half was particularly promising, with Notts dominating both possession and opportunities created throughout. The midfield recycled possession extremely well and Jeff Hughes' vision and quality on the ball troubled Wolves throughout. Karl Hawley was also very impressive, selflessly creating opportunities for his teammate, Alan Judge being guilty of squandering two of those. Defensively, Notts looked extremely solid and Krystian Pearce was imperious marking initially Kevin Doyle and then Andy Keogh. The introduction of seventeen year-old winger Curtis Thompson was also a positive, with Thompson laying on the equalising goal for Neal Bishop with a cross of real quality.
It was the first of the pre-season friendlies when I think the shape of the team that Allen is trying to drill into them was really evident. The back four looked comfortable playing together and were shielded well by both Hamza Bencherif and Neal Bishop. They also seemed to have a good understanding, with one staying and one driving forward. Jeff Hughes playing infront of them looked to dictate play and create opportunities for a fluid and rotating front three of Karl Hawley, Alan Judge and Craig Westcarr. The only noticeable issue for Notts was the lack of a focal point in attack, a striker who lingers in the box and on the shoulder of the last defender, looking to put the ball in the net. I think this is a problem that we were well aware existed though and it looks like Martin Allen is looking to remedy it sooner rather than later...
Is Paul Benson the right man for the job?
So, it seems that Paul Benson is the man that Martin Allen has identified as the solution to Notts' attacking problems. With a £150,000 bid having been accepted by Charlton Athletic for the striker and Benson having been in attendance at this afternoon's friendly draw with Wolves, all the signs are pointing towards Benson being a Notts player in the not too distant future. Having played much of his career with White Ensign in the Essex Senior League, Benson was spotted by John Still and had an incredible scoring record at Dagenham & Redbridge before a £250,000 move to the Valley last summer, where he scored 10 goals in 30 appearances.
Benson is really an out and out goalscorer who thrives on the service provided by the midfield, many of his goals at Dagenham were as a result of the precise, early delivery of winger Danny Green, who has incidentally recently joined Charlton. Whether this is service that Notts can provide is up for debate, Craig Westcarr is an imperious crosser of the ball whilst Alan Sheehan can also provide a quality delivery from full back, but Notts' game seems to be based on slow build-up play and retention of the ball. However, if the ball can be got into the box with quality at the end of this then Benson could be a player who can thrive in this Notts team. He is also a good finisher when played in behind, despite a lack of pace, his movement is excellent. This means that he could be excellent for Notts given Allen's tendancy to play three attacking midfielders in behind a lone striker.
One issue with Benson may be that he isn't a player who brings other into play and holds up the ball, which may be an issue as a lone striker. It would indicate that Allen is going to demand Notts play the ball from the back and build slowly every time, as long balls up towards Benson simply will not stick, despite his height. If Allen truly has converted his footballing principles towards a 4-2-3-1 formation and slow build up, then Benson could be the perfect focal point to finish off the flowing moves that Notts have, on occasion, been producing in pre-season. He is a similar player to Lee Hughes in being an out and out goalscorer, so should be a good option for when he is unavailable, whilst offering a different option to Karl Hawley. Whilst £150,000 for a 31 year-old is perhaps slightly overpriced, at this stage of pre-season I think we are unlikely to find a better play than Paul Benson. He'd be a good signing.