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Joe Jones
Notts County have had a bit of a downturn in form, with their derby defeat at Mansfield Town followed up by a woeful performance against Forest Green Rovers that ended up as a draw by sheer miracle.
The Magpies will hopefully have regrouped over the last seven days as another relatively winnable game awaits, a home encounter with Barnet.
Although the Bees are not exactly setting League Two on fire, neither were FGR, and look how that turned out, so here's hoping Notts will have gone back to basics and got themselves back up to scratch.
Pride of Nottingham spoke to Barnet fan Dan to get an insight on Saturday's opposition.
About Dan: I'm in my 20s, been a Bees fan since 2005, and my favourite player is John Akinde.
1) London famously boasts 12 clubs in the Premier League and Football League - who are your biggest rivals?
Historically our fiercest rivals were Enfield, while Wealdstone are our current main enemies. In terms of league encounters, any match between ourselves and other London teams tend to have a bit extra spice, but it's just us at present from London in the league. Closest thing this season would be Luton but we don't really see them as proper rivals.
2) What was it like when legendary midfielder Edgar Davids became manager of your club?
At first it was pretty surreal, to see such a world-famous player rock up to Underhill and take the reins, and he did pretty well at first, though we ended up going down on the final day due to our woeful start-of-season form. In the Conference, his relationship with the fans became strained as it seemed like he was hogging the limelight and, with the team pretty much out of contention for the playoffs by January, he resigned. Started well, ended sour, but was definitely a memorable experience.
3) Martin Allen is remembered fondly at Meadow Lane - what do you think of him at the Hive?
On one hand he has given Barnet some good times - in his last spell (fourth) with the club, he took an average Conference side and turned them into champions within a year and left with the club in the top 10 of League Two. On the other hand, he did ditch us for Eastleigh, who were waving their chequebook, and just days before leaving, he sold one of our key players to them - ironically, neither of them were at their new club for very long!
4) Looking from the outside in, Tony Kleanthous seems like a very involved, hands-on chairman. What's he like?
No complaints about him whatsoever. He's been a very good chairman for Barnet over the years, has kept us financially stable, invests in the club, and in terms of managerial appointments, has a decent record.
5) Who are your danger men?
Shaq Coulthirst has had a great start for us, with six goals and three assists so far in the league and was voted the Player of the Month. Then there's John Akinde, who has scored over 20 goals in each of the last two seasons in League Two and he's back from injury now, so once he hits top form again, he'll be dangerous.
6) Score and scorer prediction
I'm hoping we can pounce on County's recent poor form and claim a win. I'll say 2-1 to Barnet, Coulthirst brace.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has expressed his delight with Notts County re-signing Liam Noble but insists that it's "a different club" now to when he was last at Meadow Lane.
The 26-year-old, who recently left Forest Green Rovers, put pen to paper on an 18-month deal at Notts and will be available for selection as of January 1.
“I am delighted to sign him,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“The circumstances of his departure from Forest Green are between him and them.
“For me, he is somebody we chased in the summer and were willing to pay a lot of money for him.
“I had a chat with him on Wednesday to see where he was at and what he was doing.
“It was then down to me to make a decision with my staff as to whether Noble comes into the team and makes it better or does he weaken it in the dressing room or on the pitch.
“I think from speaking to the lad, I think he’s going to be a good addition and I believe we can improve him in a lot of areas.
“He’s got a long wait before he makes his debut, but it’s a different club now.
“We’ve made clear to him that there are standards he has to stick to and raise.
“He can’t bring them down. It’s a nice thing for him to be able to come back and prove a lot of people wrong. Hopefully that’s what he will do."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have confirmed that Liam Noble will rejoin the club on an 18-month deal on January 1.
The 26-year-old, previously on the books of Notts County, was club captain at Forest Green Rovers last season as they won promotion to League Two.
Noble made 11 appearances in all competitions this season, but has not featured for Mark Cooper's side since the loss to Swindon on September 22.
He subsequently left Forest Green Rovers on Monday citing a need to move closer to his family in the North East of England.
Pride of Nottingham broke the scoop by publishing pictures of the midfielder apparently in training with Notts on Thursday.
Later in the afternoon, the club confirmed the news, saying in a statement on the official website: "(Noble) will sign an 18-month deal on 1 January.
"As his contract with his former club was terminated outside the transfer window, Noble will not be able to sign for the Magpies until it reopens in the new year.
"He will be eligible to play for Notts from the home fixture against Crawley Town on 6 January and, in the meantime, will train full-time with the club and feature in reserve matches."
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Joe Jones
Unattached midfielder Liam Noble is training with Notts County, according to a report.
The 26-year-old's Forest Green Rovers contract was cancelled by mutual consent on Tuesday with the club citing his desire to be closer to his family in the North-East of England.
Noble's departure from Nailsworth has led to much debate among Magpies fans over whether the player should return to Meadow Lane.
A source at the club's training ground has sent us two pictures of what appears to be Noble in training alongside the Notts players.
Noble is presumed to be the man in the centre of the pictures, standing next to the free kick mannequin.
This season's training kits appear visible in the photos.
 
Noble was subject of a number of bids from Notts over the summer which went up to £100,000, which were rejected by the New Lawn outfit and led to a war of words between the clubs' chairmen.
The maverick midfielder can only sign for a Football League club in the new year, but is currently free to sign for National League clubs not restricted by the rules of the transfer window.
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Joe Jones
What's been happening in League Two over the last week?
Here is Pride of Nottingham's round-up of the news from the last seven days.
- Chesterfield appointed veteran football administrator Michael Dunford as their new chief executive. The Derbyshire native had a five-year spell as Everton’s CEO and held the same role at Birmingham City, Plymouth Argyle and Crawley Town.
- Harry Redknapp took on a role at Yeovil Town as an unpaid advisor following his departure from Championship side Birmingham City.
- Port Vale appointed Lee Nogan as the club's assistant manager and Gary Brabin as first-team coach, while chief scout Darren Wrack has left Vale Park.
- Swindon Town goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was hit with a four-game ban for using "foul and abusive language" towards match officials after the final whistle of the 2-1 defeat by Coventry in late September.
- Billy Kee extended his contract with Accrington Stanley until the summer of 2021, a three-year addition to his previous deal.
- Liam Noble left Forest Green Rovers as he wanted to be closer to his family in the North-East of England.
- Morecambe's financial future is secure for at least the next two years, according to Graham Burnard, who represents majority shareholder G50 Holdings.
- Yeovil Town defender Daniel Alfei will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2017-18 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
All news stories sourced from BBC Sport and Sky Sports.
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Joe Jones
Carl Dickinson has revealed he's been busy practising free kicks but insists Notts County's strength in depth from set pieces is impressive.
Jorge Grant, Dan Jones and Dickinson have all scored directly from set pieces this season, the latter smashing into the top corner of the Mansfield Town net from 25 yards out.
“It was great to score against Mansfield and I was delighted with it because I have been champing at the bit to take one,” Dickinson told the Nottingham Post.
“I’ve been taking them in training and have been smashing them past Adam Collin, who has been getting a little bit wound up!
“But we’ve got some great lads and great technicians who can do it.
Jorge popped up with one and so has (Dan Jones). We’ve been a lot better from set-pieces as a whole.
“We look dangerous and defensively we have looked really solid against them too. More goals from set-pieces is only going to help us.”
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Joe Jones
Rob Milsom has admitted that not scoring many goals is something that has bugged him throughout his career but is hoping to chip in with a few more for Notts County by the end of the season.
The midfielder got his first goal for the Magpies last Saturday, a 96th-minute equaliser that salvaged a point at Meadow Lane against Forest Green Rovers.
“I don’t score many, and it is something that has bugged me throughout my career,” Milsom told the Nottingham Post.
“It’s something that I obviously need to do better at, but I think other parts of my game kind of make up for it.
“But I was delighted to get the goal even though it wasn’t the best of headers. It went in and I just hope there are more to come.
“Obviously it was my first ever goal for the club and it was a good feeling for me and the team to score that late on because it ensured we got the draw.
“Hopefully we can put some more runs together and maybe I can chip in with a few goals from now until the end of the season.”
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Chris
Despite having to reflect on the Forest Green Rovers game quite early, I wanted to take time to reflect on the game – which like most Notts fans I wasn’t very impressed with.
There’s no denying that we have had a great start to the season, and along with Kevin Nolan picking up the League Two Manager of the Month award for September it really does highlight the amazing progress we have made so far.
However, it's not been nice seeing us struggle to a side that is at the foot of the table and seeing a lot of issues within the game which honestly continues to nag me now.
I can write the last two performances off quite easily, yet I strongly feel that the past two games are a wake-up call and that the club must go back to basics, whilst working hard on the training ground just to iron out the last two performances.
Kevin Nolan himself has openly admitted that the players simply didn’t turn up against Forest Green, whilst also adding recently that ‘nerves’ may have affected the team’s performance.
During his post-match interview, he said: "I'm relieved, fair play to the lads, they persevered and got their rewards in the end with a well-worked goal.
"I don't think we turned up today, which is disappointing. A lot of lads didn't have one of their better days but the togetherness they showed got us over the line and earned a point, which they can take a massive lift from."
Don’t get me wrong here, I found it hard to celebrate the goal because it felt like we had dropped points. I honestly don’t believe we deserved the goal, despite having worked harder towards the end of the second half.
I feel we robbed Forest Green Rovers, and I just hoped for a better response after Mansfield.
I’m unsure how there’s anything remotely uplifting about the performance, it’s not a massive lift – again we as fans have been let down.
Certainly we are still in a very good position and I’m not remotely wanting to be negative, yet I urge a sense of realism because the progress made simply can’t go to waste.
The hard work which has seen us turn around the massive land slide of last season has brought a lot of optimism and I really am enjoying the season.
That said, I can’t ignore the backwards steps we have made and just how poorly Notts County defended against Forest Green.
"As a management team we will sit down and think of ways we can help the players, I just felt on Saturday we went away a bit from the tempo we usually play at. We played to Forest Green’s instead and we didn’t exploit their weaknesses." Nolan added.
For me it was a complete role reversal, and FGR made us look like the team stuck at the bottom of the League Two table.
We had little tempo, going forward we looked like a side without confidence or faith within their own decision making on the field – whilst at the back we just allowed a side that does have a very capable midfield to look even better.
However, I do agree with Nolan that we simply didn’t exploit Forest Green's weaknesses and their defence is exactly that – we should have been pressuring them but instead we ended up pressuring ourselves.
Are we in trouble? I wouldn’t say so but I am concerned about how we have failed to respond after the stagnated performance against Mansfield – this weekend’s result feels worse in a way.
I just don’t want to see the hard work undone, however this would be typical of Notts County.
It’s just after all the recent issues within pre-seasons we must not underestimate the current progress, and it will require more focus from letting it slip – I hope each player believes that we are capable of containing this success of this season.
Now let’s bounce back by regaining our focus, Barnet will be a difficult test for Notts but Meadow Lane can be the encouragement the players require at this point in time.
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Chris
Hello and welcome to episode 28 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, presented by Chris and JJ.
In this week's episode we assess Notts County's dour 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers.
We also look ahead to the upcoming League Two encounter with Barnet and ask what the Magpies need to do to get out of the rut they're currently in.
Other topics covered include whether Kevin Nolan's Manager of the Month award is a curse and whether free agent and former Notts midfielder Liam Noble should be snapped up by the club following his release from Forest Green Rovers.
All this and more only in episode 28 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast!
 
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Joe Jones
Notts County owner Alan Hardy has claimed that Kevin Nolan's success as a manager is due to his "innate ability" to be both on the same wavelength as his players and also their boss.
The former Premier League midfielder has turned a side that was battling relegation last winter and turned them into one in the top three of League Two.
Nolan was rewarded for his exploits in September, which saw Notts claim six wins from seven, with the League Two Manager of the Month award.
“What I especially like about him is the uncanny relationship he has with the squad,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
“It’s a very rare gift to be able to relate to the players at their level, and be one of the boys, but still command supreme respect from them.
“Only a few managers have it and I don’t believe there is a manager at League Two, One or even Championship level that has that innate ability.”
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Joe Jones
Liam Noble has departed Forest Green Rovers because he wants to move closer to his family in the North-East of England, the club have confirmed.
The 26-year-old, previously on the books of Notts County, was club captain at the Gloucestershire outfit last season as they won promotion to League Two.
He made 11 appearances in all competitions this season, but has not featured for Mark Cooper's side since the loss to Swindon on September 22.
"Liam has family in the North East that he needs to be with, and we understand that," Cooper told the official FGR site.
"His efforts and hard work on the pitch are recognised and appreciated by both the club and the fans. We wish him the best of luck."
Noble told the club website: "Thank you to the chairman and manager for supporting me through this difficult decision.
"The fans have made my time at the club special - thanks to them."
Noble, who hails from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, signed a new contract with Rovers until 2020 as recently as July, after he was the subject of bids from Notts.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has admitted that nerves may have got the better of his Notts County players against Forest Green on Saturday.
The Magpies seemed a shadow of the side that enjoyed a near-perfect September as they fell behind to an Omar Bugiel goal and stole a 1-1 draw via a late Rob Milsom equaliser.
“As a management team we will sit down and think of ways we can help the players,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“I just felt on Saturday we went away a bit from the tempo we usually play at. We played to Forest Green’s instead and we didn’t exploit their weaknesses.
“We seemed a bit nervous and we want to take that away from them. They have to realise they are at the top of the league for a reason – and that’s because they are good players.
“They do the right things more often than not. Nerves are when I first walked through the door in January and you are second from bottom.”
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Joe Jones
Rob Milsom has revealed that Kevin Nolan had given the Notts County players "a kick up the backside" during the break in their League Two game with Forest Green.
The Magpies did not replicate the stunning form that saw them shoot to the top of the table in September as the visitors came mighty close to leaving Meadow Lane with all three points.
Omar Bugiel had given FGR the lead and they maintained it until the 96th minute, when Milsom struck a late equaliser for a final score of 1-1.
Milsom said Nolan had given the players a verbal dressing down at half-time because he was unhappy with the level of performance.
“We got a kick up the backside at half-time and we should have done as well because it wasn’t good enough,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“We’ve set ourselves a standard and we need to keep to that. We just can’t drop off.
“We had a poor result against Mansfield last weekend and we needed to make amends against Forest Green.
“But we were especially poor in the first half and at the end of the game he just said it wasn’t good enough.
“He said we are going to work hard in the week to put a few things right and then hopefully we will come back and put in the kind of performances we were doing a couple of weeks ago.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has hailed his Notts County side for showing their “inner strength” to help preserve their unbeaten record at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies put in a meek showing against Forest Green but managed to claw a point thanks to a 96th-minute equaliser from Rob Milsom on Saturday.
FGR, managed by former Notts boss Mark Cooper, led for more than an hour courtesy of Omar Bugiel’s opener, but left Nottingham having had to share the points in a 1-1 draw.
“We didn’t play well, but we showed we have inner strength and belief that you can get something no matter how bad you are playing,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“We always say try to stay in the game for as long as possible because you never know what can happen.
“They did that. We all weren’t great. We just waited for that chance and when it came along, we put it away.
“In the end we got a great result when we looked like we were heading for defeat.”
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Chris
Notts County have slipped to second in League Two after a 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
The Magpies struggled against their opponents, who prop up the Football League, and needed a last-ditch goal from Rob Milsom to salvage a point after Omar Bugiel had edged Mark Cooper's side into the lead in the first half.
Here is Chris's analysis of yesterday's game at Meadow Lane.
Was the result fair?
Some opposition fans like to call me biased on social media, however this may come as a shock to them but Notts County honestly robbed Forest Green Rovers yesterday. FGR deserved the win, and although their time wasting really did bite them back – they should have left with all three points.
How did Notts play?
Awful, I can’t sugar coat it and I simply refuse to try.
Defending wasn’t acceptable at all, we allowed Forest Green to simply pass straight through us and largely without any sort of challenges to win the ball. It was very disappointing, and very difficult to understand how a team that has worked so hard in recent months have simply fallen apart in the recent games.
I spoke about how Forest Green Rovers had a good midfield in my scouting report and we simply failed to match them – in terms of effort, desire and professionalism.
How did Forest Green Rovers play?
I felt depressed writing the scouting report, yet despite my opinion on their defence FGR played very well. They looked much tighter at the back, and easily in control from there on – their midfield worked hard to control and win the ball. This for me was very impressive, they appeared to be well organised and performed like a team quite far from the foot of the League Two table.
Defensively, they did crumble with pressure and this was something else I pointed out but their time wasting stung them in the end.
Did our tactics work out?
Not at all, we simply refused to play the ball on the ground yet again.
This for me was largely annoying, as there were times when we strung a few passes together and looked half decent – even within the first half. Yet someone would always tend to rush it within the final third and I believe its time certain players warmed the bench a little.
I’m sorry, it looked like we had no tactical awareness.
How did the referee perform?
Aside from the inability to control the game, spot a blatant hand-ball, lack of overview to what could have been a serious head injury and of course a lot of time wasting from the FGR players (mostly their keeper, and when taking throw ins) – I guess you could say ‘well that is why he’s a former Premier League referee'. He was absolutely dire and quite lethargic in every sense.
Who do we play next?
Barnet – They’re a capable side on their day, and a team which shouldn’t be where they currently are. These will work hard just like Forest Green Rovers did – so Notts must focus on playing the ball on the floor.
How should we play them?
Keep the ball on the floor, pass it nicely but keep it simple.
Notts have a tendency of overplaying it at times and the forcing of open play can be a real issue – there’s absolutely little need to pressure ourselves, so just take our time and build properly.
In the recent games against Mansfield and FGR, Notts haven’t really been building from the back and as a result the defence has looked shaky from little pressure. Against Barnet this needs correcting, so take time to pass it out wide – get a feel of the ball and move with confidence.
We will need to use the flanks as a way to inject pace against The Bees – however Notts must enjoy the holding possession and its times like this I wished Kevin Nolan would focus a little more on the passing phrases we create.
Chances should come, and if we play hard enough the rewards will be clear for all.
Just need to avoid another bad game, as this could set in and really the players need to believe in themselves – they’re capable of winning as we have seen great results already.
Forest Green fan comments (from FGRForum)
Coyler: The fact we are gutted about drawing against the league leaders shows that we may of turned a corner. Sounded like we were good for the win. KMB back involved , point at the league leaders and we got a few winnable games coming up. Positivity is needed.
The Jovial Forester: Sickener late on but sounded like a hell of a performance.
FGR-Ledge: Well done lads, that was cruel indeed, would have snapped your hand off for a point before hand though. Looks like we are up against bent referees as well!! 7 minutes added time!!!!!!!!
Lady Magpie: What a shame about the injury time equaliser, mind you I would have had a draw before the start of the match. At least we are out of the bottom 2 in the league.
Foggy: We brought on a substitute during time added on, which means the minimum of five minutes will be extended by the referee, tough but that is the rule.
Garyjj: Absolutely gutted on the way back where is our luck? We were more than matching top of the table notts county and one moment of madness and it's only one point, deserved so much more.
Tommyd: Fantastic result just gutted by the late goal. Would never have expected this. Was important not to lose today and keep the belief after the win midweek. Away points are going to be precious so well done to the lads.
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Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

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