Martin Paterson facing an immediate issue at Notts County - He'll want to fix it fast | OneFootball

Martin Paterson could be facing an uphill battle to win over Notts County supporters after being appointed as the club's new head coach.

A new era is underway at Notts County following the appointment of Martin Paterson as the club's new head coach.

Notts County had been on the hunt for a new manager after parting company with Stuart Maynard last month following their 2-0 aggregate play-off semi-final defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

A host of names were linked with the vacancy at Meadow Lane by the bookmakers, including Jack Wilshere, Joao Alves, Adam Hinshelwood and Tobias Solberg, but after a lengthy search, the Magpies named ex-Burton Albion boss Martin Paterson as Maynard's replacement on Sunday night.

In addition to his brief spell in charge at the Pirelli Stadium, Paterson has had stints as a coach at the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami, Barnsley, Swansea City and Huddersfield Town, but the news of his appointment has not been well-received by the Notts faithful.

Martin Paterson facing instant battle to win over Notts County supporters

Paterson took over from Dino Maamria at Burton in January 2024 with the club sitting just outside the League One relegation zone, and he made an impressive early impact, picking up 10 points from his first six games to briefly move his side clear of danger.

However, the Brewers were then dragged back into trouble after a horror run of form that saw them collect just two points from a possible 30, and while crucial late-season victories over Stevenage and Reading did eventually see them secure their place in the third tier, they only stayed up by two points.

It was, therefore, little surprise when Burton decided against renewing Paterson's short-term contract at the end of the season, and he departed after just over four months in charge.

In Paterson's defence, he inherited a side that were already struggling before his arrival, and he did achieve his objective of keeping the club in the division, but his record of just five wins in 20 games does not make for good reading, while he also had a strained relationship with the Brewers fan base.

Many Burton supporters felt that Paterson's tactics were often too negative, despite his side desperately needing wins in order to avoid the drop, and some questionable comments in interviews did little to convince the doubters that he was the right man for the job.

After a 3-0 defeat at Fleetwood Town on the final day of the 2023-24 season in what proved to be his last game in charge, Paterson angered Brewers fans for appearing to take much of the credit for keeping the club in League One, even though his team would have been relegated had Cheltenham Town won at Stevenage.

Of course, Burton was Paterson's first managerial role, and there is every chance that he will have learned from the experience, but on the evidence of the 38-year-old's time at the Pirelli Stadium, he is certainly a risky choice by Notts County.

Understandably, many Notts County supporters are concerned by the appointment of Paterson, and the ex-Burnley and Huddersfield Town forward only has to look to his predecessor Maynard to realise the size of the task he faces to win over a disgruntled fan base.

Maynard made the move from non-league side Wealdstone to take over from popular head coach Luke Williams in January 2024 following his move to Swansea City, and he endured a nightmare start to his tenure, with his side finishing the 2023-24 season in 14th place, having been sixth at the time of his arrival.

The Magpies stuck with Maynard last summer despite calls from supporters for him to be sacked, and even though his side only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season prior to the play-off defeat to AFC Wimbledon, many still held reservations about the 44-year-old and felt that he was holding a talented team back from reaching his full potential.

Having established part-time Wealdstone in the National League, Maynard arrived at Meadow Lane with decent managerial credentials behind him, but Paterson's only previous dugout experience was his ill-fated 20-game spell at Burton, so Notts fans may have even less patience with him than they did with their former head coach.

In the statement announcing Paterson's appointment, the Magpies also confirmed the creation of a new Technical Board, which will include Paterson, coaches Andy Edwards and Sam Slocombe, Director of Football Roberto Gagliardi, Director of Performance Dr David Rhodes and owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz.

The board will "share views relating to tactical approach and team selection" ahead of each match, with Paterson ultimately having the final say, as well as holding post-match meetings which will allow "the coaching team to explain in-game decisions and for a data-led review of the match to be presented", while a process is being developed to help the coaching staff make more "effective in-game decisions".

Given the size of the club and the strength of their squad, Notts should be one of the most attractive jobs in League Two, but some have questioned whether the introduction of the Technical Board has deterred better-qualified candidates from taking the role, and others have suggested that Paterson will simply be a yes man if he is willing to accept such a high level of interference from those above him.

It is fair to say that the Magpies have been a club transformed since being taken over by the Reedtz brothers six years ago, with the pair making plenty of bold decisions along the way, but the appointment of Paterson is certainly their most controversial call yet, and it will not take long for supporters to turn if his side were to make a poor start to next season.