Sudden sunshine after the rain as Alan Hardy takes over at Notts County

Saying it's not easy being a Notts County fan is as much a case of stating the obvious as proclaiming that bears probably go for number twos in forested areas.

Four years ago, almost to the day (9 January 2013), then-owner Ray Trew declared that he was not prepared to invest more money in the club, due to falling attendances and a lack of support.

This was at a time when the club was in the midst of relative stability and success, having enjoyed tilts at the League One playoffs and boasting talented, hardworking players like Alan Judge and Gary Liddle (Lee Hughes, sadly, had just left Notts at the time).

From then on, the Magpies went on a downward spiral - final-day survival in 2013-14, relegation back into League Two in 2014-15, and the soul-crushing almost-second-consecutive-relegation near-miss that was 2015-16.

With off-the-pitch turmoil going hand in hand with the poor footballing displays, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep the faith, and the gates duly dropped to reflect this.

The last three days have been especially difficult as Alan Hardy's takeover stalled and appeared in jeopardy, but finally it's been confirmed, and for the first time in months (we started this season quite well, after all), Notts fans can smile again.

A local businessman and devout Notts fan, Hardy is the owner that fans at Meadow Lane wanted, and his eagerness to post and reply to fans on Twitter is also reassuring, as it denotes transparency and a willingness to communicate.

Of course, the celebrations can only last so much, because there is much work to be done, and Hardy will no doubt hit the ground running.

Notts risk being dragged into the relegation dogfight following ten consecutive League Two defeats, a new manager needs to be appointed, the transfer window is open for incomings and outgoings to take place , and then there are those rumours of missed payments, all of which needs to be addressed swiftly.

But the key thing about Hardy is that he truly seems to care about the club and its fans, being one himself, and being from Notts, he will understand the role the club plays in the community.

This is what endears him to fans, so for the first time in a long time, the outlook for Notts is moderate to fair, rather than stormy and cloudy.

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