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Northants Pie
There has been a big change in how some clubs assess whether any potential player could possibly make the grade, our own chairman recently commented on this very subject on his Twitter account.
Even a club the size of Manchester United have taken this new style approach which critiques a player's mainly physical attributes and that is the grading for whether or not a player is good enough.
They all forget the one golden question that you cannot coach into anyone.
Can he play?
You can coach explosiveness into a player, hire a sprint coach and do specific muscle training, same as strength etc etc but you cannot coach ability onto a player.
As a Football Association and football in general we seem to always be trying to recreate another country's system but with a fatal flaw, being smart about it.
Ask yourself how many of the Spanish, Dutch, Brazillian or Argentinian national sides would meet the frankly ridiculous criteria this country is adopting?
What do you think the first question Barca ask? Is he 6ft plus and an athlete? No.
Can he play? Yes.
The first question the Arsenal academy ask is can he play?
Our own Jimmy Sirrel asked this as a quality not being able to run around a lot.
Next time you watch kids playing whether in the street or on a pitch, just ask yourself one question.
Can he play?
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has revealed that he sacked John Sheridan from his post as Notts County manager because of his verbal abusing of match officials during the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.
The 52-year-old was dismissed as Magpies boss on January 3 following a club-record ninth consecutive defeat in League Two, but the club made no reference to why he was let go at the time.
New owner Hardy has now confirmed that it was Sheridan's abusive language towards referee Eddie Ilderton and the other officials following the 2-0 defeat to Wycombe in December rather than the club's poor form which led to the manager's departure.
Hardy told the official Notts site: "I wish to make it clear that this sort of behaviour by any employee of this club will not be tolerated.
"It was our decision to terminate the contract based on what I read in the referee's report regarding the incident. This is a family-friendly club which aims to be a pillar of the local community.
"Comments of the type made by Mr Sheridan were utterly appalling and wholly unacceptable, completely undermining the community spirit and focus we are striving to develop here.
"In light of the recent disclosure of the referee's report, I thought it appropriate to communicate the exact reasons behind the course of action we took."
Sheridan received a five-match ban for the abuse, and he apologised for his behaviour - he is now back at previous club Oldham Athletic.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan understands how the Notts County players are feeling at present as the club battles relegation from the English Football League.
The Magpies have not won since their 2-0 victory over non-league Boreham Wood in the FA Cup on November 15, while their last league win was a full three months ago, against Portsmouth.
Since then Notts have slipped from the playoff positions to the bottom two, losing 11 out of 12 league games, including 10 on the trot prior to the goalless draw against Mansfield Town.
Nolan says he sympathises with his players, having played in relegation-threatened teams before and understanding how confidence can waver.
"I've been in their situation," the Notts boss told the Nottingham Post. "You have that first bad touch and you go 'oh aye' and the next ball comes and you take three touches instead of two.
"All of a sudden you start getting what they call scatterbrain. A lot of the lads will be suffering from that given what's gone on in the past.
"But I was so pleased with their reaction to going a goal down against Grimsby at the weekend. They didn't capitulate and I was pleased with how they responded."
Up next for Notts is a home fixture in the league against Crawley Town.
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Joe Jones
Arthur Mann was born in Falkirk, Scotland on 23 January 1948 and began his footballing career at Heart of Midlothian in 1967.
A versatile player who could line up in both defence and midfield, he played for Hearts in the 1968 Scottish Cup Final, although he ended up on the losing side as Dunfermline won 3-1.
It was not long before his talents were spotted across the border and he moved to Manchester City for £65,000, then a record for a Scottish defender transferring to an English side.
The club's most successful period was roundabout this time until the early 70s, when they won the League Championship, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup under the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison.
However, Mann was unable to take part in Man City's European campaigns as he had a fear of flying, but he nonetheless enjoyed a three-and-a-half-year stay at Maine Road, which included a loan spell at Blackpool.
In 1972, he was snapped up by Notts County manager Jimmy Sirrel for £15,000 and he went on to enjoy the most fruitful and stable spell of his career, making 253 appearances for the Magpies and scoring 21 goals in seven years.
When Mann left for Shrewsbury Town in 1979, he fetched double the fee that Notts paid for him, but he only spent four months at Gay Meadow before signing for Mansfield Town in a £36,000 deal.
Mann spent the twilight of his playing career with Kettering Town, Telford United and Boston United, where he also served as a manager and led them to the final of the FA Trophy in 1985.
He was Alan Buckley's assistant manager at Grimsby Town and West Bromwich Albion, and had a spell as caretaker-manager at Albion early in 1997 following Buckley's dismissal.
Sadly, Mann died on 4 February 1999, aged just 51, in an industrial accident while working for a factory in Birmingham.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has admitted that there is a lot of work that needs to be done at Notts County, with defending the key aspect.
After the impressive goalless draw against Mansfield Town last weekend, the Magpies slipped to a 2-0 defeat away at Grimsby Town.
"We know there is a lot of work to be done and I never shied away from that," Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
"But we have got to start learning pretty quickly that we can't gift goals away.
"It's disappointing after such a good week that we didn't follow it up with probably the same commitment that we showed last week.
"By that I don't mean the lads didn't give me everything they had, but I mean good positive closing down and aggression.
"We were more on the back foot. I am disappointed in that way, but we always knew we would have to work hard to get out of the situation."
Nolan also reiterated owner Alan Hardy's work in trying to get the transfer embargo removed.
"Alan is trying everything to lift the embargo and with a bit of luck we might have a few days to have a go at a few players," said Nolan.
"It will give us the chance to freshen it up and give the lads a bit of a boost, because there is nothing better than seeing a new lad come in to help you out.
"We have had lots of positive feedback from players who want to come here and agents are texting and calling feeling that this is a good club to come to and be part of what we want to achieve.
"We are hopeful because whatever Alan puts his mind to he is getting done at the moment."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have slumped to an 11th defeat in 12 League Two games as Grimsby Town recorded a 2-0 win over the Magpies at Blundell Park on Saturday.
Goals from Omar Bogle - his 19th of the season - and Scott Vernon sealed the victory for the Mariners.
The hosts' opener came in the 27th minute when Jamey Osborne brought the ball back from the byline and cut it across the Notts penalty area, where Bogle was on hand to turn the ball home.
Not long after, Grimsby had a penalty shout turned down as Vernon's cross seemed to strike the outstretched arm of Matt Tootle.
The Magpies had several chances to pull level, with Jonathan Forte looping a cross against the woodwork and Richard Duffy headed wide.
However, Grimsby were the better side and threatened through Osborne's 25-yard effort and a Bogle shot that was palmed away by Collin.
With ten minutes to go, the Mariners managed to grab their second as Bogle forced another save from Collin, but Vernon picked up the ball and slotted home on the rebound.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson produced a good save from Stanley Aborah's free-kick just before full-time to keep the two-goal advantage intact, and confirm a defeat for Notts at the final whistle.
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Grimsby Town have met a total of 79 times over the years, with the first fixture coming on 5 October 1893. Notts won the Division Two clash 2-0 at Trent Bridge.
The Magpies have 27 wins, while the Mariners have 32, and 20 games have been drawn.
Grimsby Town FC was formed in 1878 after a meeting held at the Wellington Arms public house in Freeman Street, Grimsby.
Several attendees included members of the local Worsley Cricket Club who wanted to form a football club to occupy the empty winter evenings after the cricket season had finished
The club was originally called Grimsby Pelham, this being the family name of the Earl of Yarborough, a significant landowner in the area.
In 1880 the club purchased land at Clee Park which was to become their ground until 1889 when they relocated to Abbey Park, before moving again in 1899 to their present home, Blundell Park.
The club is the most successful of the three professional league clubs in historic Lincolnshire, being the only one to play top-flight football. It is also the only club of the three to reach an FA Cup semi-final (doing so on two occasions) and is the only one to succeed in two finals at the old Wembley Stadium. It has also spent more time in the English game's first and second tiers than any other club from Lincolnshire.
Notable managers include Bill Shankly, who went on to guide Liverpool to three League titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup triumph and Lawrie McMenemy who, after securing promotion to the then third division in 1972, moved to Southampton where he won the FA Cup in 1976.
Alan Buckley is the club's most successful manager; he had three spells as team manager between 1988 and 2008, guiding the club to three promotions and two appearances at Wembley Stadium during the 1997–98 season winning both the Football League Trophy and the Football League Second Division Play-Off Final.
In 2008 Buckley took Grimsby to the capital again, but lost out to MK Dons in the final of the Football League Trophy.
The Mariners had also reached the Football League Two Play-Off final in 2006 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, but lost the match 1–0 to Cheltenham Town.
Later trips to the Wembley in 2013 and 2016 saw them defeated in the FA Trophy final by Wrexham and FC Halifax Town respectively.
Grimsby managed to reach the Conference play-off final in both 2015 and 2016, after losing to Bristol Rovers they defeated Forest Green Rovers to earn promotion back to the Football League.
Initial relegation from back in 2010 made them the fourth club to compete in all top five divisions of English football (after Carlisle United, Oxford United, and Luton Town).
Team news
Grimsby boss Marcus Bignot will be boosted by a trio of new signings as the Mariners look to get back on track against Notts County at Blundell Park.
Midfielder Chris Clements signed from Mansfield for an undisclosed fee on Thursday and Jamey Osborne and Akwasi Asante have joined from Bignot's former club Solihull Moors.
Bignot has no new injury worries but may look to make changes after his side's heavy 3-0 loss to Exeter last week.
Sean McAllister could start after a successful comeback from his groin strain while defender Gavin Gunning is also being lined up for his first start.
Notts boss Kevin Nolan, meanwhile, has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from.
Louis Laing has returned to Motherwell following the end of his loan spell, meaning Haydn Hollis, Thierry Audel and Richard Duffy are the only available central defenders at Nolan's disposal.
Duffy and Audel were impressive against the Stags and were singled out for praise by Nolan for their performance.
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Northants Pie
To usher in the Alan Hardy era I thought I'd start a new piece that will be a fortnightly ramble about all things football and also some things slightly away from football with the focus being on what effect this has or could have on Notts County.
This week I will be starting with the January transfer window.
The two transfer window periods only favour the teams paying the biggest wages - they can attract the better players at the start of the season, leaving very little, low-lying fruit for the smaller clubs. This system is best suited to the Premier League and like many other things should be left there but that's a rant for another ramble.
Under the old system the smaller clubs could pick up a better player during October and November than would be allowed at the start of the season due to players falling out of favour as the season wears on and wanting to play - this is another facet to this system, the player power this has inadvertently granted them (anyway back to where I was before this ends up at Donald Trump...).
Now clubs have to wait and the void just gets bigger - look at Mansfield and Newport, between them they have brought in nearly a whole new team.
Then you have Notts County, who, because of this transfer embargo, are having to stick with what we have and are relying on good old man management to stir the players into giving a toss, something that happened against Mansfield thankfully. I wait with baited breath to see if it can happen again and again and again like we need it to.
If that fails, given the emergency loan window has been scrapped (thanks FIFA, sticking up for the little clubs once again I see), we have to rely on our own youth players who we can bring through without the hassle of having to worry about embargoes. One of which has come through in Sam Osborne, he should be starting every game now, his energy and directness causes defences problems.
Another youth team player I would like to see is Montel Gibson, give him a chance to start a game and he will score. If you are planning on going to watch our youth team at any point, if he is playing watch his movement and the positions he takes up, we are desperately missing a player of his abilities up top, it is of no chance of luck that he finds himself in the right place at he right time.
If our future is in the youth, let them play.
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Joe Jones
Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has pledged to get momentum going and edge his side to League Two safety, starting this weekend at Grimsby Town.
Despite the Magpies slipping into the drop zone, they managed to stop the rot last week with a point against Mansfield Town at Meadow Lane.
The goalless draw was an improvement on the previous 10 league games, which all ended in defeats, and John Sheridan's successor is hoping for more in the coming weeks.
"We want to build momentum now," Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
"We have been down in the dumps for so long with the 10 losses on the spin, but now we want to go as long as we can without losing.
"That may be picking up draw after draw until we get that confidence going and getting as many clean sheets as we can.
"These are all factors that are going to keep us up. There is lots of emphasis on that because I think we find goals easy to come by with the attacking options we have got.
We have 10, eight and seven between the front three, (Jon) Stead, (Jonathan) Forte and (Adam) Campbell. We know if we get chances they will put them away.
"We have to look forward, take all the good things from last week and build on them."
Nolan has also placed emphasis on video analysis to try and improve the players, whilst promising not to use it as a shaming technique.
"They are good players and good players for this league," he said.
"When they start expressing themselves we will start reaping the rewards.
"There's not going to be criticism. Whenever we watch a video and pull someone out, it's not a criticism.
"It's to make him better and to make him do what we want him to do on Saturday. If we don't make them mistakes then we will be a better team for it.
"It's all about helping players and giving as much information as I can without burning their head out.
"It's about being positive on the training pitch, and we've done it visually with the video as well.
"It's hoping they can learn from that and not make the same mistake too often."
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Chris
The atmosphere around Meadow Lane since the Notts County takeover has shown just how much fans wanted change, whilst the hope has remained in many prior to this – there is something refreshing about the club having found a ‘new hope’.
After the dismissal of John Sheridan, I was probably in the minority camp that was disappointed to see the departure of the 12th manager at the helm of the Magpies since we gained promotion to League One in 2010.
Yet the appointment of Kevin Nolan may not have appeased all Magpie fans, he does come very highly regarded from Leyton Orient fans who have spoken about how they would have liked to see him remain as their manager (rather than as a player/manager).
Personally, as always I would have tried to get behind whoever came through the revolving door – for me it was vital from day one that we all regrouped as supporters of the world’s oldest professional league club.
Whilst we have only seen a short glimpse into the ability that Nolan possesses, he does share some very intriguing traits as a player and his general approach to answering question isn’t a case of boring us to death with ‘football talk’ or beating around the bush.
It’s certainly refreshing to see this surge of optimism - considering the predicament that the club finds itself in, it really does arrive at the most welcomed time.
I honestly believe Nolan will be the type of manager who will revive the club's fortunes. It will be a slow, steady process, yet I have no doubt we will be better off with him around.
The doom and gloom can make you quite depressed. You get used to seeing fans week in and week out, but as the weeks roll on, more and more faces are missing. You may not be aware of their names or know them personally, yet you will recall seeing them virtually every week.
This is the feeling the club had prior to the takeover; so much credit is deserved to Alan Hardy for the fantastic turnaround and for the open dialogue with supporters.
In addition to the fantastic offers being put out the by the club, it certainly goes a long way with reviving the lot feeling of anticipation on match days.
I realise it will be cliché to say this, however I am going say it regardless – what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and the past three seasons certainly has seen us become stronger amongst the core who no doubt have found it hard to watch a Notts edging closer and closer to the non-league.
Within various discussions within the Pride of Nottingham forum it has been said that relegation isn’t all that much to be worried about, but the detrimental effect it may have on the attendances is a source of anxiety for me.
As our most recent opposition [insert joke about how many fingers they have] will no doubt know, the non-league is very difficult to get out of, what with having just two promotion places, as champions and as playoff winners.
However, I won’t dwell on this – I would rather focus on not seeing the good vibes that currently surrounds our club evaporate, and any bleak, minor recollection of the past is laid to rest or forgotten.
It’s time for the Magpies to rise, rebuild and challenge for respect – not just in the city of Nottingham but in the league we play in. The new era is full of more promise and worthy merit than any false dawns we may have had in the time.
And provided the players who represent our club continue to improve under Nolan, things for shouldn’t be all that negative.
The transfer embargo is not yet lifted, but the club is working hard to do so, and so we may see some quality added to the squad.
It’s starting to feel like December all over again. It’s just a shame the takeover wasn’t able to happen then! You Pies!
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Joe Jones
Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has revealed that the transfer embargo at the club is "starting" to be lifted, and hopes that he will be able to sign some players before the end of the month.
Despite Alan Hardy's takeover of the club, the embargo remains due to "higher than expected levels of debt during the takeover process", but Nolan is hopeful that this will be rectified.
Nolan is also considering registering himself as a player, but not for the time being.
"At this minute I'm fully focused on getting the lads right and trying to get my mentality and formation in place," he told talkSPORT.
"We've got this week to do that before Grimsby. The lads have been first class I've got to admit since I walked through the door.
"The chairman has been first class since I've come in. Anything I've needed he's kept his promises.
"We are starting to get the embargo lifted. Maybe we can get some faces in before the end of the window. He's working hard to do that."
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Joe Jones
Richard Duffy has revealed that the Notts County players were smiling in the dressing room after holding Mansfield Town to a goalless draw last Saturday.
The Magpies had lost 10 games on the trot prior to the derby, but were able to claim a point against their local rivals in front of more than 11,000 people at Meadow Lane.
With new manager Kevin Nolan at the helm and Alan Hardy taking over the club, Duffy believes that he and his teammates showed the fans what they're capable of.
"If you had offered us a clean sheet before the game we would have snapped your hand off," Duffy told the Nottingham Post.
"The way we have gone about our business recently hasn't been good enough and we all take responsibility for that.
"But we stood up and showed what we can do against Mansfield.
"There were a few smiles in the dressing room because it stopped the rot.
"It's been a terrible run. We take responsibility for it, but we showed the fans we can do it."
Up next for Notts is an away fixture at Grimsby Town in League Two this weekend.
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has issued a heartfelt thank you to Notts County fans for the bumper attendance at Meadow Lane for the derby against Mansfield Town.
The attendance for Saturday's game was above 11,000 as the Magpies played out a goalless draw against the Stags which gave them their first point after 10 defeats on the trot.
Hardy wrote on the official Notts website: “I would like to place on record my thanks to everyone who supported Kevin and the players on their way to a much-needed point and clean sheet on Saturday.
“It was brilliant to see such a positive response to our ticketing initiatives and there’s no doubt in my mind that the fans played a huge part in us getting the result.
"Hopefully we have now turned a corner on the field and we can look forward to climbing the table.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my first matchday as chairman, meeting so many fascinating, passionate people - including the Italian Magpies, of course!
“The messages of support keep flooding through and everyone here at Meadow Lane is determined to repay that by performing to the best of our ability on and off the pitch."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has claimed that many of the Notts County players just needed "an arm around the shoulder" to get them back on track.
The former Leyton Orient player-manager only took his first Magpies training session on Friday, but the following day the team was able to claim their first point in 11 games with a goalless draw against Mansfield Town.
Nolan said he spoke with several players individually to explain what he wanted from them, and they duly put in improved performances, such as Adam Collin and Richard Duffy.
"I told Adam what I wanted and what I expect and I think a lot of these lads just need an arm around the shoulder and a pat on the back," he told the Nottingham Post.
"They need a bit of loving. They had lost 10 games on the spin and I know what that's like.
"It's like Michael O'Connor, the skipper. I've been in his situation when the team is getting beat because you're the one who always gets hammered from every angle.
"I thought he was fantastic. I also managed to get hold of Richard and have a good chat with him.
"I know his quality. That lad is a fantastic footballer and he reads the game so well.
"I think he's brilliant having Thierry Audel next to him. I want to make that a solid centre-half partnership.
"I said to the players after the game that they had shown me the standard and that's the minimum required from now until the end of the season.
"We will be working our socks off week in, week out, to get better."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has described the reception he got from the Notts County fans in his first game in charge as "absolutely fantastic".
The new Magpies boss was introduced to fans before kick-off between Notts and Mansfield, and received a huge ovation from a crowd of more than 11,000 at Meadow Lane.
"It was absolutely fantastic and I can't thank them enough for the reception they gave me," Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
"I hope now that I can start bringing them success to the club.
"To have 11,000 in your first game in League Two was amazing.
"I didn't expect it and neither did I expect all the nice messages I received on the messageboards and things like that.
"I've a lot to prove and I promise them and the chairman I will give them 110 percent."
Nolan's first game ended in a goalless draw against the Stags, which ended County's losing run in League Two.
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