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Lozzle1
Wow... the media has spring forth a rumour that Michael O'Connor won't be renewing his contract with Notts County, and all hell breaks loose on social media!
There's a few 'camps' on this, from the "he's an ungrateful, disloyal, past-it, broken player, so let him go!"  to the (I think, much more sensible), "he's a family man  who is entitled to look after the best interests of his family!"
I truly can't understand the former point of view; particularly since any player, under contract, (as he was) is fully entitled to receive treatment from his club (free-of-charge) and recuperation - however long it takes - is 'paid for', too!
So, scarily, 'fans' saying he's being 'disloyal' by taking the money/moving on after his injury, are under a (legal) delusion, I'm afraid.
I don't (and wouldn't) 'blame' anyone for a) looking for more wages  being unhappy at offer of a pay-cut Contract or c) missing out on opportunity to work closer to my family home.
I personally can wish him nothing but the best and a speedy "Bon Voyage", if nothing more than to stop all of the comments; fair or otherwise!
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Joe Jones
Pierce Bird has thanked fellow defenders Richard Duffy and Shaun Brisley for aiding his development at Notts County.
The young centre-back, who joined the Magpies last year, is hoping to break into the first team at Meadow Lane this season after signing a two-year deal earlier this month.
“They’ve been great with me and I could not have asked them to do a better job,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“They help me when I need it and they tell me when I’ve done something wrong. They couldn’t have done any more.
“Speaking to Duffs and Bris, they told me that talking is so important because it helps you organise.
“I didn’t really have that when I first came here but as the season went on, I’ve grown in confidence and I would say talking is where I’ve majorly improved.”
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Joe Jones
Former Notts County manager Sam Allardyce says he is "jealous" of Gareth Southgate and believes it should be him leading England at the World Cup in Russia.
The 63-year-old left his post as England coach by mutual agreement in September 2016 after only one match in charge, following claims by a newspaper that he gave advice on how to "get around" player transfer rules.
In a BBC documentary to air on Sunday, Allardyce said of his departure: "That decision was made very hastily.
"Jealous is what I feel. Massively disappointed. That should be me there. Unfortunately because of the circumstances that wasn't the case.
"One night I was playing golf - next day they said you can't carry on. And I still don't know why… because in the cold light of day, there was no substance, nothing behind it.
"If a bit more time was taken, a bit more patience, I believe I should still be the England manager.
"I've bounced back now - and while I will be extremely jealous I will be watching Gareth and the lads and hope they do extremely well."
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has revealed that one in three Notts County season ticket holders renewing this summer are now under the age of 21, after analysing crowd data from last season.
In addition, there has been an increase of more than 62 per cent in young fans buying tickets for matches.
"This is tremendous news for the long term development and prosperity of the club," he told the Nottingham Post.
"I have often listened to people telling me that the club has an ageing fan base. Well, not any more it hasn't.
"Young people and families are the lifeblood of this club and we believe we offer the most family-friendly experience of anyone in the region.
"We have invested significantly in improving family sections of the stadium, and launched a series of extremely popular discounted initiatives with schools and local community groups.
"It's great to see this is already bearing fruit with more than 30 per cent of our season ticket sales so far being taken up by young people under the age of 21.
"From detailed research of our attendances last season, we've also learned that the number of under 21s who purchased match tickets saw a quite incredible rise of 62 per cent.
"We have invested in the squad for players not just for the present but also for the future.
"We are not finished yet and we hope we can go one better next season in terms of meeting our objective which is promotion.
"These are incredibly exciting times to be a Notts fan."
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Joe Jones
Notts County chairman Alan Hardy has confirmed that the club will look into reducing the size of the matchday programme but is unlikely to get rid of them completely.
EFL clubs recently voted to end their compulsory publication as a result of declining sales and the costs involved in production.
“Like the fans I love a good programme, but the truth is the sales are declining every year,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
“A tremendous amount of work goes into them and they are a costly exercise with net losses being considerable.
“But I don’t think it is right to do away with them altogether and the traditionalist in me says they are still excellent mementos for fans or collectors.
“We will have a discussion in what we want to do next season in terms of the one we produce, but the likelihood is it will reduce in size.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County have confirmed they will be hosting a breakfast event at Meadow Lane to find out the release of the 2018-19 League Two fixtures.
The event (and the draw) will take place on Thursday 21 June, with doors opening at 8am, and costs £10.
Notts chairman Alan Hardy, manager Kevin Nolan and director Darren Fletcher will be present as the club finds out their fate in terms of who they'll play in the league and when.
To book, email [email protected] or call 0115 955 7222.
In addition, the EFL has confirmed that the draw for the first round of the EFL Cup - or Carabao Cup in corporate terms - takes place on Friday 15 June at 10:45am BST, with Notts being allocated ball number 23.
Seventy EFL clubs will feature in the new-look draw, which will see teams drawn into Northern and Southern sections, but with no seeding for higher ranked sides as in previous seasons.
Matches are scheduled to take place in the week commencing 13 August.
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has spoken of the signings of Tom Crawford and Will Patching as testament to how far Notts County have come and how promising their future appears.
The Magpies paid an undisclosed fee to Chester for midfielder Crawford last week, and followed it up on Monday with a free transfer move for Manchester City’s Patching.
“I am very excited with the arrival of Tom and Will,” Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
“There were clubs further up in the food chain looking at both of them, but they could see what we are trying to build here at Meadow Lane. They are young, they are technically gifted and we have high hopes for both of them.
“I think it’s tremendously important that as well as signing players for the present, that we do not neglect the future.
“That is why we have consistently scouted regions looking for young players that we hope will make that next step with us. It's something I am very passionate about and Tom and Will’s arrival is very exciting given their backgrounds.
“I spoke to Will about the club and where I envisaged it going in the next few years. The manager also did a brilliant job in talking to him, making him feel welcome, explaining his vision, his worth and how he wants to help him.
“It’s incredibly important that if you are to attract this calibre of young player that you give them as much detail as you can.
“Seeing Meadow Lane full and the atmosphere that was generated against Coventry also played a key role.
“With Will and Tom on board, I am very happy to have two young players at the club that, I am sure, will go on to have fine careers.”
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Joe Jones
Richard Thomas has spoken of how important it is for Notts County's players to not only recuperate after the rigours of last season but also to begin getting back into the swing of things in early June.
The Magpies saw their season prolonged due to the playoffs and are set to report back to training in three weeks' time.
“First thing is to rest and recuperate,” assistant manager Thomas told the official website.
“Get yourself some mental space, just relax, switch off and spend time with family and friends.
“Early June is the time to start ticking over so you don’t lose everything.
“We don’t want players coming back thinking you get fit in pre-season - you should come back and hit the ground running.”
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Joe Jones
Alan Hardy has revealed that he has held talks with EFL and FA officials in hopes of improving the quality of refereeing at lower-league level.
League Two was beset by officiating errors ranging from the minute to the critical, such as the ones in the Coventry City games that saw the Magpies miss out on progress to the playoff final.
"I have met with Dave Cookson, the Football Services Director at the EFL, as well as Andy Ambler, the head of professional game relations at the Football Association, to not only share concerns but also discuss ways in which we can assist officials," Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
"One of my ideas was to implement a watered-down version of Video Assistant Referees that could be trialled for League Two games.
"There is one broadcast camera filming every game, the feed from which could also be used to give the referee and the fourth official an opportunity to review a goalscoring incident or a goal by the side of the pitch.
"It may not be the eight cameras that the Premier League have but at least it may provide the chance for mistakes to be rectified.
"They listened intently to what I had to say and it was a thoroughly positive discussion because the last thing we want is for referees to be pilloried.
"We want to be able to help them avoid the headlines and if we can do that by implementing some form of technical assistance, I think it would be good for them, the managers, the players and the fans.
"It can be done simply and cheaply compared with the cost of an additional £86,000 for each club just to make the referees full-time, which would still leave the assistants part-time.
"My ideas were taken on board and they will be put forward to the International Football Association Board which oversees the rules of the game.
"I would hope the IFAB give it serious consideration because I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the reputation of officials in the lower leagues is not at an all-time high.
"That is not fair on them because they work long hours during the week and then officiate games at the weekend for their love of the sport.
"They deserve our respect but they also deserve our help.
"What I have suggested is not just for Notts County’s benefit, but for every other club in the lower echelons of the EFL.
"We have a responsibility to make the game the best it can be, whether it be in terms of entertainment, the experience or the issue of referees."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have confirmed that goalkeeper Branislav Pindroch has signed a new two-year deal at Meadow Lane.
The 26-year-old, who became the first Slovakian to play for the Magpies when he joined the club last summer, made four appearances last season and was third choice behind Adam Collin and Ross Fitzsimons.
“I have really enjoyed my first season at the club,” he told the official website.
“Learning from the likes of Mark Crossley and the manager has been an amazing experience for me and I’m so happy it’s going to continue.
“I’m really looking forward to pre-season and challenging for my place in the team.”
Notts manager Kevin Nolan added: “Bran impressed us so much in his first season with us.
“He showed massive improvement towards the end of the campaign and we definitely see a future for him in English football.
“He has worked very hard to conquer the language barrier and now speaks perfectly good English.
“He’s the first man in the gym and the last out. He’s a great example of a first-class pro and he thoroughly deserves his contract.
“It will be a really good battle between him and Ross next season. There is no number one – it’s up to them both to claim the shirt.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County defender Richard Duffy has signed a new contract with the club.
The 32-year-old, who stood in as captain for the previously injured Michael O'Connor, made 50 appearances for the Magpies.
Duffy joined Notts in the summer of 2016 and has made 97 appearances in total for the club.
"The club has come on leaps and bounds in the last 18 months," the Welshman told the official website.
"We've given ourselves a really strong foundation to build from in 2018-19 and I want to be part of that.
"It will be my third season at Notts and it feels like home now."
Notts boss Kevin Nolan added: "Duffer has been a pillar of consistency ever since I first walked through the doors.
"He was a huge part of what was a very positive 2017-18 season and I'm delighted he's going to be with us once again next season."
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Joe Jones
Notts County assistant manager Richard Thomas has described Dan Jones's new contract as "great business for the club".
The left-back put pen to paper on a two-year deal on Wednesday, joining goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons and defender Pierce Bird in committing his future to the club.
Jones was impressive towards the end of last season and ended the campaign with four goals, and Thomas praised him for his attitude and skills.
“We’re delighted DJ will be with us again next year," he told the Nottingham Post.
"He's fantastic to work with on a daily basis and is constantly looking to improve, which is all you can ask of any player.
"With the attacking threat he poses down our left, aligned with the goals and assists he brings, this is great business for the club."
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Joe Jones
Dan Jones has signed a new two-year contract at Notts County.
The 31-year-old left-back, who joined on a free transfer a year ago scored four goals in 33 games last season, helping the Magpies reach the playoffs.
Jones was one of several players to be offered a new deal by boss Kevin Nolan when the 2018 retained list was announced last month.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Meadow Lane so far and there was only one place I wanted to be next season,” Jones told the official club website.
"The manager, his staff, my team-mates and the club as a whole have been amazing.
“The disappointment of the play-offs is behind us all now and we’re really looking forward to the new season.
“We’re all focused on success and, with the group of players we have, I have every confidence we can achieve it.”
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Joe Jones
New Notts County striker Kristian Dennis has expressed his desire to be at the right end of the League Two table this season after back-to-back relegations with Chesterfield.
The 28-year-old joined the Magpies last week in a deal thought to have cost the club £150,000.
Dennis scored 21 goals last season but could not prevent the Spireites from dropping out of the Football League and is eager to make up for it by winning promotion with Notts.
“I came back into the league with Chesterfield and had two relegations so that’s the last thing I want on my mind,” he told the Nottingham Post.
“I want to be at the opposite end of the table and right up there vying for promotion.
“I know Notts finished fifth last season and hopefully we can go one better, get automatic and get up into League One.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County have announced the signing of Manchester City academy midfielder Will Patching once his contract at the Etihad expires on July 1.
The 19-year-old, who has been with the Premier League champions since the under-six age group, has agreed a two-year deal at Meadow Lane.
“I’ve never had an experience like this before,” Patching told the official Notts site. “I’m looking forward to it.
“I love having the ball at my feet and I can chip in with assists and like scoring goals, but I can play in a deeper holding position as well. I enjoy set pieces, too. I do a lot of work on them so hopefully I can score a few here.
“I can’t wait to work under Kevin Nolan. He’s got good attributes as a manager and he played in my position, so he can help me with a lot of things I need to work on. Hopefully I can go on to have a career like his.”
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