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Joe Jones
Michael O'Connor has provided an update on his recovery from the knee injury suffered in the game between Notts County and Portsmouth in April.
The Magpies skipper is recovering from an operation to his right knee in which he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, medial ligament and meniscus following a challenge by Pompey midfielder Gary Roberts.
Asked about his road to recovery, O'Connor told the official Notts website: "Things are going OK. The physio is happy enough.
"It's a slow process, this injury, especially at the start. The first 10-12 weeks after your operation are really important - not doing too much but trying to get the leg going again. It could be six months [before a return], it could be nine, it could be 12.
"Jimmy Spencer, who was here a couple of years ago, did his ACL and was back in six months, whereas Rob Milsom did his at Aberdeen and was back in 10 or 11 months. Everyone is different - it depends how your knee reacts."
The Nottingham Post, meanwhile, quotes O'Connor as saying it is the worst injury he has ever suffered, but he absolves Roberts of blame.
"It's the worst injury I've ever had by some distance," he said. "The worst I've had before was a groin operation I had five years ago. That kept me out 12 to 13 weeks so that's been the longest I've ever been out previously.
"But the first four or five days after the operation I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.It was so tough, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't move, my knee was 10 times bigger than what it should be and I had no quad muscle.
"It's been mentally tough. The recovery will be long, but I am not going to be stupid and rush it.
"But I hold no malice towards Gary at all. It's just one of those things. I don't hold anything against him. I am nearly 30 and I know how things work in football."
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TheSkipper
There is a growing trend in English football which I feel highlights the flaws in youth progression.
Many teams, from Premier League all the way down to League Two, tend to release promising young professionals only to re-sign them a few years later.
It feels like the transition into first-team football is majorly flawed - perhaps due to too much pressure to produce good talent?
We have seen this from the insane record-breaking transfer of Paul Pogba back to Manchester United, along with the free signing at Notts County of local player Terry Hawkridge.
A few weeks ago Michael Keane was also linked with a move back to Man United for another incredible fee, although has since signed with Everton.
And despite not being a youth, we have seen this pattern emerge with released players such as the recent saga between Notts and Forest Green Rovers for the services of Liam Noble.
Back in 2009/10 when Notts restored its own development of youth players, a batch of professionals was produced who all looked fairly able to make the set up into the professional game, with the likes of Haydn Hollis, Curtis Thompson, Kyle Dixon and Liam Mitchell among others.
Yet only Haydn Hollis and Curtis Thompson remain at the club, with other young players like Brad McGowan, Nathan Fox, Jordan Richards and even Montel Gibson all being released after failing to stake their claim for first-team football.
So why are we failing to produce natural talent?
I think clubs like Notts pile pressure onto young players who are simply not ready mentally for the dizzy heights of the professional game, with a lack of support and further development most likely attributing to the failure of these prospects.
It argues the case that clubs like ours really need to help with the mental side, but not just this - having youngsters on the bench is a waste and I strongly feel that they should be sent out on loan where other teams can help establish them further with proper game time.
Usually it's quite natural to see a player re-sign for his former club, yet in most cases these are seasoned professionals, players who know what to expect and still have links with the club.
I would agree that Hawkridge and Elliot Hodge are prime examples that good players can make the right progression and become useful first team members if they’re only looked after more wisely.
Luther Wildin and Jack McMillan are youngsters I was disappointed to see released, as they seemed very capable of making the step up and after the retained list was announced I felt exactly the same about Yohan Rutty-Smith.
Whilst academies are getting smarter with their setup across the Football League, more support needs to be given in the lower leagues to enable teams to produce better players.
I realise some fans will argue that naturally the players I mentioned are simply not good enough, yet when we fail to produce players who can make more than a few appearances, it does show that there is a lot more to be done.
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Joe Jones
Shola Ameobi has revealed that he was considering whether to call time on his career prior to joining Notts County, but says he knew it was "the right time to get back into the game" at Meadow Lane.
Between May 2016 and February this year, he was without a club having been released by Fleetwood Town, but was snapped up by former Newcastle United teammate - and Magpies manager - Kevin Nolan to try and help a side then in danger of relegation from the Football League.
However, five months down the line he has become a fan favourite at Notts and will be with the club going into the 2017/18 season, with quiet confidence of a prosperous season following an upturn in circumstances both behind the scenes and on the pitch.
“When I was back in Newcastle and coaching and doing other bits and bobs, you do start wondering if it the right time to stop,” Ameobi told the Independent.
“But I still felt the passion to keep training and I felt motivated, even though I didn’t have a club, so I think from my side I still felt I had something in the tank.
"I got up every day and made sure I did the right things. Ultimately, of course, it’s not really your decision but whether a club wants you.
“When the opportunity came along to play under Kevin [Nolan], I felt that was the right time to get back into the game. There was some negativity, but I never really felt any of that.
"As soon as I came here I felt almost at home. Not just the familiarity with the manager, but with the players, the staff and the fans. I felt the love right from the start.
"It helps that I’m wearing black and white stripes, because that is a familiarity I can cope with.”
To read the full Independent interview, "Shola Ameobi on football, faith and becoming a black-and-white hero… again", click here.
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Joe Jones
Notts County are good enough to launch a League Two playoff challenge next season, according to Shola Ameobi.
The Magpies finished last season strongly, losing just once at home since Kevin Nolan took charge of the first team in January.
Ameobi played a key role himself in driving the club out of relegation danger by scoring four goals following his arrival at the start of the year, and is now hoping for a top-seven finish.
"I am always looking to do the best we can," he told the Nottingham Post. "We had a great end to last season and we want to make progress from that.
"We don't want to be in another relegation fight and ideally you want to be in the top half of the league.
"You want to be fighting for those promotion and play-off spots and personally I think we are good enough to be in those positions.
"We want to be fighting for the play-offs and I know the manager will look to bring more players in that will help us try to achieve that."
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Joe Jones
Shola Ameobi has claimed that Notts County are on the "cusp of something great" and says it influenced his decision to remain at Meadow Lane.
The former Newcastle United striker signed on a free transfer in January and played a key role in the Magpies' bid to climb away from relegation last season.
Now the 35-year-old, who penned a new deal at the club in the summer, believes he is in the correct environment to make further progress in the upcoming campaign as Kevin Nolan's team target League Two glory.
"The fans have really been behind the team and myself from the get-go," he told the Nottingham Post.
"I felt the love from everyone, not just from the guys who feed us at the club, but right to the fans as well.
"I truly believe, that for me certainly, I have to be in the right atmosphere. If you are then it puts you in the best position to win.
"I felt that from day one. The manager has helped create that with the team and the lads all being together.
"I wanted to come back because I think we are on the cusp of something great."
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Joe Jones
Dan Jones has claimed that the high calibre of the Notts County backroom staff is conducive to players' progress.
The defender is back for a second spell with the Magpies, this time as a permanent signing after initially spending time on loan at Meadow Lane in 2009.
Jones insists that the working with the likes of Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith and Mark Crossley - all of whom players in the Premier League - along with their colleagues, is exciting and educational in equal measure.
He told the official site: "You've only got to look at the manager's career - how can you not respect that? We play football to try and get to the top level, and he's done that.
"Every day you've got to try and impress these people. If you don't want to do that, you shouldn't be playing sport. They know the game, and all the little tricks, inside out.
"It's great for me - I'm 30 years of age but I feel like I'm learning everyday. There's a real seriousness, but also a real enjoyment. Everything's intense."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have posted a video on their YouTube channel of new Magpies signings Lewis Alessandra, Terry Hawkridge and Dan Jones in the thick of the action as the team took on the Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI in their first friendly of the 2017/18 pre-season.
Here's the video shared here on Pride of Nottingham - see for yourself how the new boys got on in Hucknall.
 
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Joe Jones
Notts County assistant manager Richard Thomas has declared himself satisfied with the team's 6-0 win over the Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI on Saturday.
He told the official site: "It's a good start by the boys. They showed a lot of what we've been looking for in the first 10 days of training.
"The most important thing is the minutes in their legs. Everyone came through - no injuries - so it was a positive first game.
I thought they (the trialists) did well, considering some of them have only been working with us for a few days.
"Each and every one of them showed why we've got them in. Some stood out slightly more than others - maybe because of the way we played, or the situation.
"But they were productive in what they did and showed they have been listening to what we're trying to work on."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has expressed his joy with things moving forward in the 2017/18 season as the first Notts County pre-season friendly looms ever closer.
The Magpies will take on a Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI on Saturday afternoon, the first of more than 50 fixtures to take place until next May.
"It will be nice to be involved in competitive games again," Nolan told the official site. "Their players will give it their all and it's up to our lads to make sure they do a professional job.
"Everyone will get minutes against Rolls Royce to move them forward to next week's training sessions so we can carry on the work we have started since coming back.
"We know what we want and what we need to get out of our pre-season games.
"No disrespect to any team we play from now until the end of pre-season, but it is all about making sure we are prepared for the season.
"That means we have to be injury-free with the players hitting their targets in terms of minutes under their belt.
"Everything [for pre-season] has been planned for a few months now and hopefully at the end of it the players will be champing at the bit because we have a really tough start."
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Joe Jones
It's been a long two months since the end of the 2016/17 season, hasn't it? But fear not, because Notts County are in action again as of this weekend!
The Magpies' pre-season preparations are fully underway and the players will take to the pitch for the first time in 2017/18 when they take on Linby Colliery Welfare at Rolls Royce Leisure tomorrow.
Then there will be a pre-season friendly every following Saturday, after which the season gets underway on the first weekend - oh, plus the small matter of a fixture against a local team by the name of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday 19th July.
Here is a factfile about each of the teams that Notts will face over the coming weeks.
Rolls Royce Select XI (A): Saturday 8 July, 3pm
This fixture is usually the first pre-season game of Notts County's season, given the partnership between the Magpies, the Rolls Royce Leisure Centre in Hucknall, and North Nottinghamshire College.
The programme, also knows as the Notts County Pathway Academy, sees students study towards a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport and offers the chance to combine professional level football training with academic studies.
Basford United (A): Saturday 8 15 July (3pm)
Basford United play their football at Greenwich Avenue in Basford, a suburb of Nottingham, and currently ply their trade in the Northern Premier League - Division One South, where they finished 6th in the 22-man league last season to qualify for the promotion playoffs but lost to Coalville Town in the semi-finals.
There are quite a few names at Basford that you might recognise - manager Martin Carruthers was born in Nottingham and played up front for the likes of Aston Villa, Stoke City, Peterborogh United, Southend United and Scunthorpe United. Former Notts players Saul Deeney and Kyle Dixon, plus ex-Forest man Eugen Bopp, are also on their books.
Nottingham Forest (H): Wednesday 19 July (7:45pm)
Never heard of them.
Wigan Athletic (H): Saturday 22 July (3pm)
One of the success football stories of the 21st century (except for the last couple years, mind), Wigan were only elected to the Football League in 1978. They were little more than a footnote in the English game until 1995, when JJB Sports owner Dave Whelan purchased the club, but within 10 years they were in the Premier League.
The Latics enjoyed a total of eight seasons at the top table, but the greatest moment in their history ended up being rather bittersweet, as they won the FA Cup in 2013 but were relegated from the top flight in the same season.
The last few years have been tumultous for the club, as they now find themselves in League One just a year after winning promotion back to the second tier from the third. Since 2013, Wigan have either been relegated or finished the season in the promotion places (automatic or playoff).
York City (A): Saturday 29 July (3pm)
The Minstermen have endured a rollercoaster few years, reaching the League Two playoffs in 2014 and winning two FA Trophies, in 2012 and 2017, but now play in the National League North after two successive relegations in 2016 (from the Football League) and the season just gone.
York play at Bootham Crescent, a stadium near the city centre and just over a mile from the city's railway station which they share with rugby league club York City Knights. It was formerly known as KitKat Crescent for sponsorship reasons - why they didn't call it Yorkie Crescent is one of the great mysteries of life.
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has hit back at Forest Green Rovers's claim that Notts County have breached FA rules in their pursuit of Liam Noble.
Rovers chairman Dale Vince had claimed that County had made "behind-the-scenes contact" with Noble, having had offers for the midfielder rejected.
However, Magpies owner Alan Hardy insisted his club had acted "in a professional and diligent manner".
"I feel compelled to set the record straight regarding a number of comments made by Dale Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers," he is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying.
"Firstly, in respect of his claim that we have released a number of press statements about their player, we put them to proof on this matter.
"The only statements made by the club have been those attributed to me or Kevin Nolan over the past 48 hours.
"I can confirm that a number of bids have been made by the club, and that the final bid was for a transfer fee of £100,000 payable immediately.
"Why Dale Vince would deny this when it is fact baffles me.
"Furthermore, our Football Operations Director Jason Turner, who has been handling this matter in the strictest of confidence, was told by James Mooney of Forest Green Rovers when the final bid was rejected that they would not sell him to us for double the price.
"Dale Vince also claims they have been very clear from the outset that they did not want to sell Liam.
"While this may be the case, they have also been very clear from the outset that an offer of £100,000 guaranteed would be acceptable.
"It was only when this bid was lodged that they changed their minds.
"I am more than comfortable that we have negotiated with Forest Green Rovers in a professional and diligent manner but we now move on and look forward to welcoming them to Meadow Lane in October."
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Joe Jones
Forest Green Rovers have responded to Notts County's criticism of the Liam Noble transfer saga by describing their conduct as "megaphone diplomacy" and suggesting that they have issued false stories in the press and broken FA rules.
For weeks, the Magpies have been trying to sign their former player, but this week it was confirmed that he would not be leaving the newly promoted League Two club.
This led to Alan Hardy describing the whole saga as a "huge waste of time and effort by everybody at the club" and claimed that he and his club were messed around by FGR.
In response, chairman Dale Vince released a statement which read: "We've watched with an increasing sense of bewilderment as Notts County have released a series of press statements about their interest in our player.  It's one thing to engage in such megaphone diplomacy, and quite another to put false stories in the press.
We have received a series of bids for Liam, the first we considered to be a joke.  Their latest 'final' bid we received was not for £100k as their owner claimed in the press yesterday.  Equally, the claim made yesterday about us suggesting they could double that amount and still not get him is completely false.
We've been very clear from the outset that we did not want to sell Liam and the antics of Notts County since then have only firmed up that position.  Liam Noble - Captain of our play-off winning side - is not for sale.  We want Notts County to stop what they are doing, including the behind-the-scenes contact with the player, which we consider to be a breach of FA rules.  
Forest Green Rovers may be the newest and smallest member of the Football League family, but we know how to conduct ourselves and how to undertake a transfer negotiation the right way - quietly and respectfully club to club."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has asked Notts County fans to show "trust and patience" in him, his staff and Alan Hardy with regards to bringing players through the door.
So far, the Magpies have recruited Lewis Alessandra, Terry Hawkridge and Dan Jones, with a number of other player signings in the pipeline and several other rumours.
The relatively slow pace of progress in the transfer window has left some Notts fans disgruntled, especially with regards to nearby clubs like Mansfield Town who have been signing players willy-nilly.
However, Nolan is confident with what's going on behind the scenes, and is urging the Black and White faithful to keep the faith.
"We have had targets for a while now and we will stick to them," he told the official Notts site.
"There have been conversations between us and other clubs but we don't want to be in negotiations for too long and not getting the players in until the final weeks of pre-season.
"We want them to be able to withstand what our players have already been going through since they came back.
"Hopefully we will bring a few more in but I don't want to put a number on it. A lot of fans will be frustrated seeing other clubs sign a number of players but we are a club in transition.
"Looking back to where we were when Alan and I first came in, we are in a fantastic position and can hopefully build this club step-by-step.
"All I can do is ask for trust and patience in myself, my staff and Alan because we are working as hard as we can to get players through the door.
"We have to do our due diligence and make sure they are the right character and that they want to come here. They have to be able to contribute to the club and hit the ground running. We want to get them in as quickly as possible but it's not always the way in football. You have to be patient.
"You never know what will pop up later in the window so we don't want to do all of our work very early on. People can suddenly become available and you think 'We would have had him', so we are not blowing our budget. We have to be shrewd so that if those one or two players pop up - as they did in January - we can go and get them."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has given a positive update of pre-season at Notts County so far, with everyone reporting back in "fantastic shape".
The Magpies gaffer also spoke of how everyone in the squad is on the same wavelength, which bodes well for a potentially fruitful season in League Two.
Notts' pre-season began late last week and things will get up and running sharpish, with a fixture against a Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI the first of the friendlies.
After that, it's full steam ahead with at least a game a week going into the 2017/18 campaign.
Nolan told the official club site: "The players have reported back in fantastic shape and everyone is ahead of where we wanted them to be.
"Now we have to hold them back a little. We don't want to do too much too soon because that's when injuries can pile up.
"The good thing is that the players have bought into what we want to do. It speaks volumes that everyone we offered a new contract to decided to stay. It means everyone in the squad is on board."
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Chris
After putting two very disappointing League Two campaigns behind us, Pride of Nottingham delves into why we feel the 2017-2018 season will finally see Notts County move forward and secure the stability which will allow the club to be a strong contender for promotion in future seasons.
1) Revamping training facilities and securing a new location
The agreement to use Basford United’s facilities is a major coup for the club, the training pitches are some of the best I have seen in the lower leagues – much better than Arnold Town’s and central to Nottingham which ensures fairly straightforward travel for the players. Meanwhile, the recent overhaul of the Family Stand by Alan Hardy highlights the club's desire to move forward and to attract players in alternative ways.
2) The re-capture of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi
Whilst the majority of fans are all inclined to agree that we won’t see the duo partner up in many games back-to-back, we will however be able to rotate and with the potential of throwing Jonathan Forte into the mix – it provides the Magpies’ two very hard working strikers, something the club simply hasn’t had in recent years. They may be ‘experienced’ and what some refer as ‘the wrong side of 30’ – yet we know what we will get from them.
3) Signing players on a transfer fee
Acquiring players on a free, even building a complete team around them, can be quite rewarding. In the lower two divisions it’s actually much harder and I have mentioned for a number of years how much beneficial it is to sign a player for a fee. I don’t mean just one and of course they must be the right players. Yet assembling a mixed squad will allow us to establish the right tools to be successful on the pitch.
4) Academy focus and emphasis on producing good talent
Although nothing new to Notts County, the previous emphasis sort of rushed youngsters to making the step up and often seen players like Tyrell Waite, Fabian Spiess and Montel Gibson lost within the first team shuffle. With a new focus on mentoring and offering support, this will allow the club to help the youngster transition properly into first team football – whilst the changes discussed by Academy manager Jon Goodman highlights the renewed desire to produce talent which is ready to make the jump before it happens or is called upon.
5) Local derbies
The likes of Chesterfield, Mansfield Town and Lincoln City give an extra edge to the upcoming season, we haven’t done well in recent years in these games but I strongly feel that the 2017/2018 season will see these games give us an extra aspect to push ourselves forward. League Two will see quite a few more reasonable games which will lift match days both home and away.
6) Forging stronger networking opportunities (even with our neighbours)
We have to show an openness towards working with any club fortunate enough to be in a better position than ourselves. Notts have had a very good report with dealing with other clubs prospects and ensuring a safe transition for them into first team football. Tom Ince, Alan Judge, Jack Grealish and Callum McGregor are a few of the talents we have given an opportunity to. So on the back of Jorge Grant and others, it’s vastly important that we keep an open door to all the clubs in the Premier League and Championship – in order to network better and to acquire the right players on loan (not just those the clubs open to loaning out).
7) Open communication from the board and chairman
Naturally there will be aspects from open communication, especially on a social network such as Twitter which will leave desirable questions and see responses which, let’s face it, might not be accepted. Yet Alan Hardy has stressed his openness to engaging with supporters, whilst he shares many positives tweets from his day-to-day running of Notts County. We have seen the stonewall silence treatment, lack of news and an unhealthy relationship towards local media – so let’s be grateful to see the club return to caring about its fans and promoting the club in a healthy way. It may result in bigger rewards in the long term!
8) Kevin Nolan – A young hungry manager who seeks success not just for himself
We have had the label ‘young and hungry’ describe managers such as Jamie Fullarton and even Shaun Derry. But there’s something quite obvious from the way Kevin Nolan conducts himself, he is a person I have no doubt attracts the right type of respect. As a player on the pitch he strived for better and oozed professionalism well beyond expectations, and adding his success on the field, these are all transferable qualities into management and for once I feel we have the right balance at the helm of Notts to see success.
9) Ensuring the good atmosphere in the stands continues and never letting it degenerate to 2014-16 levels
A lack of communication by any business is an obvious wrong way about going about things, whilst Alan Hardy might have made some unpopular decisions and gone against the majority of fans opinions at times – there is no doubt that the decisions weigh on his belief for the best of the club. Whilst ensuring a better match day experience, among other things that will no doubt make the stands a better place for us fans.
10) Players that want to play and work hard for the club
They say you often get what you pay for in football, as a club Notts have had some very good professionals from Alan Judge, Neal Bishop to Bartosz Bialkowski. Yet in the most recent seasons, we have seen players who haven’t quite shown the passion we expect to see as fans and one thing Kevin Nolan aims to address is ensuring players at the club want to be here. I feel this will be one of the bare minimum expectations from the club as we move forward.
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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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