Maynard: Tough times will make Magpies stronger
STUART Maynard says the lessons learnt by Notts County in the last few months will make them stronger for the future.
It has been a tough journey so far for Maynard since becoming Magpies head coach in January after Luke Williams left to take over at Championship side Swansea City.
But Maynard celebrated his first home win as Magpies boss last weekend when his side beat Harrogate Town 3-0 and they travel to face Walsall today in League Two (3pm).
While there is not much to play for in terms of league position for the Magpies, it’s still important for Maynard to see his team build momentum before the end of the season ahead of the next campaign.
Taking over mid-season was always going to be tough but Maynard said: “You always learn a lot about yourself, your staff and the players that you’re working with when things are going bad.
“When things are going well, it is harder to say who your real characters are in and around you, because it’s easier to live and work in those moments.
“I think we’ve learnt a lot about each other and ourselves, which is only going to make us stronger for the future. It’s not easy to come in mid-season and try to implement what you want to do as a coach.
“In an ideal world, you always want a pre-season to come in and get your ideas across.
“It’s been a difficult experience but it has been a very enjoyable experience at the same time.”
The 43-year-old has embraced the challenge at Meadow Lane and has enjoyed working with the Notts squad, who he says have been tactically flexible.
He added: “It’s been enjoyable to work with this group of lads who are incredible in the way they take on information.
“We’ve flipped shapes in the game – as was seen in the Harrogate game, because we felt they were building pressure, so we tactically had to change to a back four.
“The way the team can do that in-game is great because that is not easy to do.
“Inbetween games, it is easier to set a team up in a different shape but to do it in-game and see it out as we did is one example of where I feel we’ve progressed.
“A lot of goals we conceded earlier in the season were from teams opening us up, getting in behind and down the sides of us, which I feel we’ve stopped. It’s just been individual errors which have cost us in key moments but we’re working hard to fix that.”