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Kevin Nolan: 'Everyone in the Notts County squad is on board'

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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Joe Jones

10 reasons why Notts County should have a fruitful 2017/18 League Two season

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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Chris

Kevin Nolan hoping for "positive news" on prospective Liam Noble transfer

Kevin Nolan has confirmed that Notts County have made another offer for Forest Green Rovers captain Liam Noble and is hoping for "positive news".
The Magpies have been chasing their former player for a number of months but the newly-promoted Football League club is playing hardball.
Nolan says the matter is now out of his hands, but is hoping the club can seal the midfielder's return to Meadow Lane.
"An offer has gone in and we are waiting to hear back from Forest Green," said Nolan.
"Hopefully it will be positive news but if it's not, we will then see where we go.
"The negotiations have gone quite far, but I've given the club my target and hopefully the chief executive can get it over the line. That's all we are asking now.
"But I don't want to speak too much about him, because he's not our player and I want to respect Mark Cooper (Forest Green manager) and Forest Green."
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Joe Jones

Dan Jones glad to hook up with Notts County squad from start of pre-season

New Notts County recruit Dan Jones says he is glad to be with the club from the start of pre-season, saying he already feels like he's been with the Magpies a long time.
The former Chesterfield full-back penned a deal at Meadow Lane just two days ago, but was training with the squad from Friday, when pre-season began.
Jones told the official Notts site: "It gives me a long time to bed in before the start of the season and it means I can get to know everyone.
"I have been made to feel welcome since I came in - I feel part of it and it's like I've been here for a long time already."
Jones also spoke of working under strength & conditioning coach Mike Edwards and head of sports medicine John Wilson.
He added: "I played with Mike during my loan here from Wolves and I could see back then that he was into his fitness. The lads all respect him and we do as we are told. There are no shortcuts.
"The work we are doing is very relevant to football and we will feel the benefits. The days of distance running where you just plod along are long gone.
"We may be doing shorter runs but they are more intense, which actually makes it harder but it will stand us in good stead. We will be a very fit side this season.
"You can tell in the running and the things we have been doing in training that it is a good group here. You have lads pulling each other through and helping each other out. You can rely on your teammates, which is a massive thing."
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Joe Jones

Alan Hardy wants Notts County marketing to "keep pushing the boundaries"

Alan Hardy has made it known that he wants Notts County to keep "pushing the boundaries" of everything they do from a marketing and PR perspective.
The Magpies owner said the club's home shirt unveiling video, in which manager Kevin Nolan visits the home of a young fan and gives him a first viewing of the kit, has received great feedback.
"I gave a presentation to the staff a week-and-a-half ago about how everything we do and everything we touch, we need to do with the best of our ability," Hardy told the Nottingham Post.
"While we can't match Bayern Munich, Barcelona and so on because of the resources, for League One and League Two it needs to be the absolute best.
"I've seen what other clubs have done with their kit unveiling and it's usually been a picture on the website.
"Compared to what they have done our release with Kevin visiting the young fan was world class.
"That now needs to be the standard whether it be a brochure for corporate hospitality or a promotional video.
"My message to the staff is always to push the boundaries and do it better than what everybody else is doing.
"I was delighted with the video and I was even more delighted by the response. I had hundreds of messages saying they love the kit, but also the journey we are on. That's more important to me than anything."
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Joe Jones

PON factfile: Dan Jones

Dan Jones has become Notts County's third signing of the summer after he put pen to paper on a deal at Meadow Lane.
Here is some information about the player's identity, career, achievements and style of play.
Full name: Daniel Jeffrey Jones
Date of birth: December 23, 1986   
Place of birth: Wordsley, England   
Age: 30
Height: 1,88 m
Nationality: English
Position: Defence - Left-Back
Preferred foot: Left
Last club: Chesterfield FC
Came through the ranks at: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Other clubs he has played for: Sheffield Wednesday, Port Vale
Career achievements: Promotiotion to the Championship with Wednesday in 2011/12; promotion to League One with Port Vale in 2012/13
Style of play: Former Sheffield Wednesday teammate Anthony Gardner has described Jones as a "strong, tall, very athletic" player possessing "a great left foot" and a "great engine" who is "quick" and "good both defensively and in attack".
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Joe Jones

Notts County confirm signing of Dan Jones

Notts County have confirmed the signing of former Chesterfield left-back and ex-Magpies loanee Dan Jones.
The 30-year-old had been at the Proact Stadium since 2014 but was released at the end of the season following the Spireites' relegation to League Two.
Jones, who was on loan at Meadow Lane in 2009 for a brief period, won promotion with Sheffield Wednesday and Port Vale previously in his career.
He told the official Notts site: "As soon as I found out about the interest I got excited about coming back.
"I have been training with the lads for a few days and I've got a good feel of the place. There is a good energy here.
"When you see people like the gaffer, Alan Smith and Shola Ameobi around the place you want to impress them because of the level they have played at.
"With the plans the manager and the chairman have, the facilities we have and the stadium we play at it seems like a club built for success.
"The pitch is big and wide and I cannot wait to be out there playing on it and showing what I can do. It feels right to come here and I am absolutely delighted to be back."
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Joe Jones

Notts County news recap: June 2017

Pride of Nottingham goes over the biggest Notts County news stories of June 2017.
June 2
Alan Hardy has "completely transformed" Notts County since taking over the previously beleaguered club at the start of 2017, according to Paul Mace of Macesport, one of the new shirt sponsors.
June 6
Notts County chairman Alan Hardy confirmed the names that will make up the club's new board of directors, with BT Sport commentator Darren Fletcher the most high-profile name to take up the role.
June 7
Alan Hardy provided more details on his plans to set up a girls' football academy at Notts County, with a few to setting up a sustainable senior women's team that can play in the WSL.
June 9
Derek Pavis, who had died the previous month, was laid to rest in Nottingham, with hundreds paying their respects to him.
June 13
Defender Richard Duffy penned a new contract at Notts County.
June 15
Notts County revealed the names of each of the team shirt sponsors for next season, with Nottingham musician Jake Bugg - who will sponsor November - the standout name.
June 16
Jon Stead rejected interest from clubs all over the world to sign a new deal at Notts County.
June 19
Curtis Thompson became the latest player to pen a new contract at Notts County.
June 20
Shola Ameobi joined his Notts County strike partner Jon Stead in extending his contract at Meadow Lane.
June 21
The EFL fixtures for 2017/18 were revealed, with Notts County set to take on Coventry City and Chesterfield in their first two games.
June 27
Former Notts County forward Peter Bircumshaw passed away aged 78.
Notts County revealed the kits that they will be wearing for the 2017/18 season.
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Joe Jones

Alan Hardy: 'New Notts County indoor training facilities are top quality'

Alan Hardy has spoken of the new indoor training facilities at Notts County, describing them as Championship quality and hoping that they will play a part in attracting top talent to Meadow Lane.
The Magpies chairman has funded the construction of a 4G pitch, changing rooms, a gym and a medical department which sits in the Family Stand.
"I showed Kevin the facilities and he was absolutely blown away by what we have created," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "He said it is Championship standard and that was great to hear.
"Not only does it have a high performance gym and medical area, it's got one of the best 4G pitches in the country.
"In terms of size and quality, it's exactly the same as Arsenal's. The pitch is getting laid on Monday and it's nice to be able to say this is what Arsenal have and we also have it too.
"I think when you have these kind of facilities it can only help to attract players who will not only be blown away by our history, but the facilities we can offer them.
"We have goals that are on runners and can be positioned anywhere in the hall. Our first-team coach Mark Crossley said that, from a goalkeeping perspective, it was right up there with the Premier League.
"We are going to have four new goalkeepers coming in over the next two weeks for trials and they are England schools and youth internationals.
"Mark firmly believes that this could be a real centre of excellence in terms of goalkeeping.
"We want to be the best we can possibly be in every department both on and off the field. If you want to progress on the pitch, then you to need everything in place off it."
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Joe Jones

Notts Alumni: Lee Hughes

Over the years, Notts County have had some fantastic forwards on their books. From Tom Keetley in the early 30s to Mark Stallard in the 2000s via the likes of Jackie Sewell, Tommy Lawton, Tony Hateley and Les Bradd, every Notts fan you speak to will always have that one standout striker they remember bagging the goals for the Magpies.
Without a doubt, the last of the great Notts strikers - as of 2017 - is Lee Hughes. In his four years at Meadow Lane, he elevated himself to cult status with an impressive goal return and also a trophy, a rarity in recent years for the club.
Born on 22 May 1976 in Smethwick, West Midlands, Hughes was snapped up by West Bromwich Albion as a schoolboy from ages 11 to 15, although he was not offered a youth contract by the club.
Despite suffering the disappointment of not being taken on, he did not give up on his dream - he was taken on by semi-professional outfit Kidderminster Harriers, who were playing in the Conference at the time.
Nowadays, many clubs in the non-league are professional, but 20 years ago it was a rarity, so Hughes also held down a part-time job as a roofer as he juggled his ultimate goal with the need to pay the bills.
As it turned out, Hughes was a sensation in the non-league, scoring 34 goals in the 1996/97 season and bagging 70 in 139 games overall for the Harriers.
This led to West Brom, the club that had released him, eagerly taking him on board again, paying the Aggborough outfit an initial £200,000 - which rose to £380,000 after incentives - for his services.
Hughes, a lifelong Albion fan, set about repaying the Baggies for taking another chance on him, and between 1997 and 2001, he scored 79 goals in 156 appearances, with the 1998/99 season yielding 32 goals which made him the country's top scorer and the 2000/01 season seeing his strike partnership with Jason Roberts fore the club to the Championship playoffs.
In August 2001 Hughes was sold to Coventry City for a then club record transfer fee of £5,000,001 and he carried on his rich vein of form with 14 goals in 40 games, including a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Crewe Alexandra.
However, in the season that he was away, West Brom won promotion to the Premier League, and the lure of his beloved club saw him return to the Hawthorns once again for £2.5m, giving him the chance to prove himself in the top flight.
Hughes's third stint at West Brom proved mixed as he failed to score a single Premier League goal that season, the club tumbling back into the First Division, and he was also criticised by teammates who claimed he was not pulling his weight - he responded by scoring 12 goals in 36 games the following season to send the Baggies up again into the top flight.
During the 2003/04 season, Hughes fell afoul of the law after he lost control of his car on 23 November and collided with another vehicle, leading to one death and two injured. Hughes and his passenger left the scene and turned themselves in to the police 36 hours later.
On 9 August the following year, Hughes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. His West Brom contract was immediately terminated, and Hughes would go on to serve three years of his sentence before being released.
Upon leaving prison on 20 August 2007, Hughes issued a public apology, in which he said he made "dreadful mistakes and decisions that will live with me for the rest of my life."
Hughes signed for League One club Oldham Athletic as he set about rebuilding his career, and during that time he scored 25 goals in 55 games, while he spent time on loan at Blackpool in 2009.
At the end of the 2008/09 season he was released by the Latics, and his status as a free agent coincided with a remarkable turn of events at Notts, who snapped him up on a two-year contract on the same day that Sven-Goran Eriksson arrived at the club as director of football.
Hughes's career at Meadow Lane got off to a flying start as he scored a hat-trick on his debut in a 5-0 win over Bradford City on the opening day of the season, and claimed two more three-goal hauls against Northampton Town in September and against Burton Albion in December.
As the season went on, the initial euphoria at the club then turned to turmoil as the Munto takeover turned out not to be the incredible benefaction it purported to be.
Hughes, however, kept his head down and ultimately saw Notts over the finishing line as League Two champions, his 30 league goals making him the first Magpies player to achieve that amount since Tommy Lawton 60 years prior.
By the time the 2010/11 season began, Notts had a new owner and, with things seemingly more stable, Hughes signed a one-year extension to his contract that would see him at Meadow Lane until the summer of 2012.
The Magpies successfully staved off relegation in 10/11, with Hughes contributing 16 goals in 37 appearances.
Notts being Notts, there was to be another sterling moment coming up, as Juventus invited them to take part in a friendly to inaugurate their new stadium in September 2011, and became the first opposition player to score there as he grabbed County's goal in a 1-1 draw watched by the whole world.
Sadly Hughes's time at Notts would come to an acrimonious end as then-manager Keith Curle opted not to keep him as first-choice, with Yoann Arquin preferred in the role instead.
This meant that Hughes decided to up sticks in search of first-team football, and on 7 January 2013, his contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Port Vale was his next port of call, signing a contract until the end of the season, and his goals helped the Valiants to promotion into League One, ensuring his deal would be extended until 2014.
Hughes's later years as a professional footballer saw him also turn out for Forest Green Rovers, Ilkeston, Worcester City, AFC Telford United and former club Kidderminster.
In 2017, he rocked up at Worcester as both player and joint-manager alongside John Snape, but at present he is back to just playing and the lucky club to have his services is Halesowen Town, having joined in March 2018.
Notts County fans have not had much to smile about this century, it has to be said, but for one season, the Magpies were utterly sensational, and for that campaign, Lee Hughes was at the centre of it, which is why he is so highly revered by the Black and White Army.
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Joe Jones

Alan Hardy: 'New signing should be announced by Monday'

Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County may be in a position to announce their third signing of the summer on Monday, a defender.
The Magpies owner had previously announced on Twitter that a player was to have a medical on Friday, but no news as to the signing came through by the end of the day.
Hardy has however reassured fans that the signing is still very likely to go ahead, and also addressed worries about the club's seemingly slow pace in the transfer market.
In his weekly Nottingham Post column, he wrote: "Over the last week or so, I have been consistently asked about new signings and where we are in terms of building our squad for next season.
"A player had a medical on Friday and all being well, we should be in a position to announce our third signing sooner rather than later.
"We hope it will be Monday when the contracts are signed, but he has already trained with the squad and he is a defender who adds more strength to the back-four.
"What we are trying to do is make the back-four very agile and if we get the players in from the clubs we are negotiating with, then we should have one of the most agile back-fours in the league.
"Pace is going to be absolutely critical so with the wide men we have in Lewis Alessandra and Terry Hawkridge, we want quick full-backs to complement them.
"If we are successful in landing these targets then I will be delighted, but there is going to be some negotiating to be done.
"While a couple of players are free transfers, others are going to require a fee.
"We have started negotiations with two clubs and we are hoping to conclude those deals in the middle of next week.
"I know there is a demand for news and signings, which I understand, being a fan myself.
"But patience is absolutely paramount. Some of these players want to leave the clubs they are at, but they won't get released until replacements have been found.
"I can understand why the fans have become frustrated in some respects especially when they see Mansfield Town making their 13th signing earlier in the week.
"But we have our targets and we are still chasing them. Yes, we could take whoever is available, but we want to hold out for the people we want."
To read the column in full on the Nottingham Post, click here.
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Joe Jones

Jon Goodman: 'Kevin Nolan very supportive of young player development'

Notts County academy manager Jon Goodman says first-team boss Kevin Nolan is supportive of the project that Goodman will be undertaking with the club's youngsters.
The former Nike Academy head arrived at Meadow Lane last month tasked with revamping the Magpies academy and ensuring the young players can prosper to the point of being first-teamers.
Flanked by assistant manager Richard Thomas, Goodman is now able to get to work with the academy players, now they've reported back to the club for pre-season.
He told the official site: "Our remit is to develop first-team players for Notts County.
"Richard will be a big help to us because he's got great experience as an academy manager at Leyton Orient and a wonderful relationship with Kevin Nolan, who is also very supportive of everything we're trying to achieve.
"The manager's eyes are on the first team but he is very aware of everything that's happening underneath.
"Over the years sports science has evolved enormously and I've been lucky to work with some really good support teams.
"If we look at every aspect of player development, there's a scientific rationale behind the best practices. That's what we're trying to implement while remembering there's a human factor.
"These are young men trying to find their way in life so everything we add to the programme is to empower them to make good decisions, have successful careers and be good people."
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Joe Jones

Kevin Nolan has tough pre-season scheduled for Notts County players

Kevin Nolan has warned of a pre-season programme that will be tough from day one for the Notts County players, insisting that he wants to hit the ground running going into next season.
The Magpies players will report back to camp on Friday, with a host of tricky friendlies to come in July plus a difficult start in League Two in August with Coventry City and Chesterfield the first two opponents.
Nolan reminisced about how pre-season is a much more intricate - and kinder - affair to when he was starting out in the game, and also talked about how he's been unable to switch off now he's in the hotseat as opposed to just a player.
He told the official Notts site: "I wasn't liking the first few weeks, having to deal with agents and receiving a lot of texts and phone calls, but it's something I have to learn to deal with if I am to be a successful manager.
"It has been a strange summer because I have not been able to switch off, which I used to do as a player. There were usually three-to-four weeks I would spend away from football and not really think about it but it was constantly on my mind this summer.
"Since I have been back in, I have got the bug back and I'm really looking forward to the opening day of the season against Coventry. This will be my 19th pre-season but there is still plenty of life in the old dog yet!
"Comparing pre-season from when I started out at 16 with how it is nowadays, things are totally different. Usually on the first day people would be sick and, if you weren't, the coaches would work you until you were! Everything has changed now with sports science and so on.
"We have a great pre-season planned for the lads and I just hope they are doing their own work in the off-season so they can come in and hit the ground running because we don't have an awful lot of time. From day one it will be tough for the boys but I'm looking forward to seeing them again."
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Joe Jones

Joe Jones: Why I am not impressed with new Notts County kits

When it comes to club football, and particularly in the lower leagues with each team's 50+ games per season, fans have a constant, near-dizzying supply of football to keep them busy for most of the year.
And then, for about six weeks, nothing. No more games and very little news in drips and drabs, like the retained list coming out, new players coming in and ones already on the books penning new deals or saying "ciao adios I'm done".
But now we're heading towards the end of June, the crucial things that will provide infrastructure for the following season begin to take shape. First we had the fixture list coming out (difficult start, so best hit the ground running), and now, the new kits are out.
Now I quite liked the 2016/17 kits. The home shirt was classic Notts, with neat stripes just the right size, and I thought the away kit was a nice, strong, bold colour (hot pink, not red!).
But I was really excited about the new kits. After all, Puma is a "proper" brand with a history of gorgeous kits, and with the Newcastle United kit revealed in May, which I found sleek and neat, I was banking on something similar.
Fast forward to 27 June, and there I was looking forward to Wednesday morning, only to find out the kits would be revealed in the evening! I couldn't wait.
And then, the kits came out.
The initial surprise of seeing the kits then gave way to a feeling of "erm, well yeah, they're alright... I guess...", much like receiving a lousy Christmas present and having to pretend it's good because, hey, it's the thought that counts - or in this case, it's the brand new Notts kit, and it's Puma!
But now I've had a bit of time to process it, I've made my mind up - on the whole, factoring in the sum of their parts, they're crap.
Sure, they might eventually grow on me - and I've changed my opinion on many things in the past over time (there was a time I disliked Oasis... I was young and stupid). And if Notts end up winning promotion in one of those kits, then they'll become vintage.
But at this moment in time, I can safely say that, out of all the tops, there is one I like, one I don't like much, and the rest I don't like at all.
Let's start with the home shirt. Now, there isn't much you can do with vertical black and white stripes, that much is true. And there have been some designs over the years that have been nothing short of atrocious.
In 2011/12 the designers began marking out the black stripes but then there must have been a fire drill or something and forgot to colour them in, and in 2013-14 they must have watched that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon goes to a fancy dress party dressed as the Doppler Effect and thought it would be a good idea to replicate it.

So yeah, in terms of badness, 2017/18 is nowhere on that level, but still, simplicity is key, and the shirts from the last two seasons had 11 and 7 stripes on the front (not including sleeves) of equal size, so they looked neat and pleasant.
The current model has one chunky white stripe down the middle and flanked by two chunky black stripes, the three of which take up most of the room on the front. It's like it doesn't know if it wants to be stripes, or something closer to "blocks" (think Ajax shirt).
And then there's the fact that it somewhat resembles the 2014/15 shirt due to the big stripes - the one from the season when we got relegated from League One. So doesn't exactly conjure up great memories.
But then we move on to the away shirt. And this is the second time in three seasons (third in seven, in fact) that a blue Notts top which could have looked very nice has instead been ruined with a ridiculous pattern.
In 2011/12, Notts were invited to play Juventus at their new stadium - and that godawful blue two-tone number they wore will forever adorn the memory until the end of time. And in 2015/16, the third kit just looked like a bus seat cover.
This year, the away kit makes use of azure and sapphire blue, which are nice shades in their own right, but then decides to combine them in some ghastly triangular pattern that resembles the old "bruised banana" Arsenal kit of the 1990s.

Now we move to the third kit, which is a dirty "neon" yellow. If you're going to use a colour which is supposed to be bright and fluorescent, toning it down to a pastelly hue just doesn't look right. Kind of like an old highlighter which has pen smudged on it, so when you look at it, there's a sort of gray tinge there.
So that's just the shade of yellow, but in reality, the whole thing just looks totally insipid and uninspiring - you know when you go into Sports Direct and they have those bland kits which you can bulk buy for your five-a-side team? To me, the Notts third kit is basically that.
Next, the goalkeeper kits. Normally designers have a field day when it comes to these, adorning them will all sorts of weird and wonderful colours and patterns. Not these ones.
The first one, completely black, but with a random stripe of blue, pink and yellow on the sleeves, which just looks like someone left a couple of fabric strips on the prototype by mistake and someone came along and thought "oh, this must be it" and had it produced. And then a bright pink Puma logo, another spit of vivid colour in a failed bid to brighten up a bland top.
And then, the other two kits - a supposedly fluorescent yellow which is even duller than the third kit, to the point it just looks like snot, plus black stripes in another attempt to liven it up, and a mint green one which isn't really that much different to the mucussy yellow one.
Which leaves the training kit - and you know what? This is probably the best one of the lot. Frankly, this is what the away kit should have been - a nice shade of blue which isn't ruined by some overkill pattern, with a black panel at the top which has a diagonal blue stripe running to the neck. This one looks lovely - and you know what? It's the only kit in which the players are properly smiling!
So there you have it. That was my review of this season's kits. A little harsh, perhaps, but I'm just one guy with a humble opinion. Chances are by the end of the year I'll have bought one of each and will wear them on rotation, but for now, I'm not impressed.
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Joe Jones

Notts County 2017/18 kits: Fan thoughts and opinions

Notts County have done their big kit reveal, with the public now knowing the design of all their shirts and jerseys for the 2017/18 season.
On Tuesday evening, the club released a video which showed manager Kevin Nolan visiting a young fan and showing him the new home shirt.
Later on in the evening, Notts published an article on their website which showcased the home, away, third, goalkeeper and training kits.
As with every release of new clothing, there will always be divided opinion among fans, with some loving it, some disliking it, some not being particularly bothered.
But what is certain is that there is plenty of discussion about it.
Pride of Nottingham has collated several fan opinions regarding the new kit, and indeed it's very much mixed.
 




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Joe Jones

Notts County reveal kits for 2017/18 season

Notts County have revealed the kits that they will be wearing for the 2017/18 season.
On Tuesday evening, the club released a video which showed manager Kevin Nolan visiting a young fan and showing him the new home shirt.
Later on in the evening, Notts published an article on their website which showcased the home, away, third, goalkeeper and training kits.
The first kit to go on sale will be the training kit, at 9am on Saturday 1 July.
Season ticket holders will have the opportunity to attend an exclusive launch event at the club shop, currently scheduled for Friday 7 July between 6pm-10pm (subject to customs clearance and timely arrival of stock).
A number of first-team players, along with manager Kevin Nolan, will be in attendance during the evening, and these fans will be able to get their hands then.
The home kit will then go on general sale at 9am the following day, enabling supporters to buy theirs en route to Notts’ first pre-season friendly, against Rolls Royce Leisure Select XI.
Notts’ away and third kits will go on sale later in the month.
As mentioned before, fans will be able to choose to either leave their shirt sponsorless or select from one of 10 logos.
A selection of the logos will be available when home shirts go on sale - the club will update supporters when new logos become available.

Home Kit

Away Kit

Third Kit

Goalkeeper Kits

Training Kit

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Joe Jones

Peter Bircumshaw passes away aged 78

Former Notts County forward Peter Bircumshaw has died aged 78.
Born on 29 August 1938, Bircumshaw signed for the Magpies in 1956 and helped the club gain promotion from the Fourth Division in 1959-60.
Bircumshaw played as an inside-left and scored 18 goals in 22 games that season.
The following years brought even more goals, including his one club hat-trick in a 3-1 win against Port Vale in March 1961.
Overall, Bircumshaw scored 40 goals in 72 Notts appearances, before joining Bradford City in 1962.
A year later he signed for Stockport County before he moved into non-league football with Cambridge City.
Pride of Nottingham would like to extend its condolences to Bircumshaw's family and friends.
Joe Jones

Alan Hardy in favour of proposed football rule changes

Notts County owner Alan Hardy has given his seal of approval to a number of changes being proposed by football's lawmaking body.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) are discussing a number of proposals to make the game quicker and more attractive for fans.
There are plenty of changes which will go up for discussion, with one of the more notable ones involving two halves of football at 30 minutes each, with the clock stopped when the ball is not in play.
Other suggestions include players being able to dribble from their own free kicks, penalties awarded to the opposition if a goalkeeper picks up a back pass, and "penalty goals" awarded if a defending player handles on the goal line.
"I think the changes that have been mooted are fabulous," Hardy is quoted as saying by the Nottingham Post. "I am all for progression and we need to give the fans excitement, value for money and more enjoyment.
"We have to eradicate diving, which is what they have done with retrospective action, and time wasting. Too often the ball gets kicked into row Z for no reason when it could just be tapped out of play. The ball then takes an eternity to come back. Anything we can do to reduce blatant time-wasting must be looked at.
"Everybody seems eager for the rule changes especially the self-taking free-kick which is just one way they are looking at speeding the game up. It's all about bringing pace into the game.
"For me, players being allowed to dribble straight from a free-kick is the most radical while I suspect most will say it's the 60-minute games. But I think the self-taking free-kick will speed it up and get the team in an offensive position much quicker than normal."
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Joe Jones

Jon Stead: 'Uncertainty over my future led to me taking my eye off the ball'

Jon Stead has admitted that uncertainty over his future last season led to him taking his eye off the ball, but has reassured Notts County fans that there is "more to come" from him in 2017-18.
The veteran striker was considering a move to America in January, while the period directly after the League Two campaign finished saw him on the radar of clubs all around the world.
However, Stead has since put pen to paper on a new deal at Meadow Lane and, looking back over his time at Notts so far, conceded that he may not have been at his best from time to time.
"I've had some off games but I don't think I've had any stinkers," he told the Nottingham Post.
"For the best part, I think that shows in the offers that I had because I've had two decent seasons, which helps massively.
"But the uncertainty regarding my future led to me taking my eye off the ball and I don't like doing that.
"But there's certainly more to come from me and I just can't wait to get going again."
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Joe Jones

Alan Hardy: 'Prospective signings will make Notts County fans know we mean business'

Alan Hardy has reassured Notts County fans that the signings they have lined up will ensure that the team will "mean business" in League Two this season.
So far, the Magpies have only recruited two players, Terry Hawkridge and Lewis Alessandra, while the owner himself has claimed that four more players will be taken on before the deadline.
Some Notts fans have expressed concern over numerous issues, including the seemingly slow pace of recruitment and the desire for more than four players.
However, Hardy says the quality of signings he hopes to get over the line will make the fans' wait worthwhile.
"I will be disappointed if we don't make the play-offs," Hardy told the Nottingham Post. "I think we will have a good chance knowing who we have signed and knowing who our targets are.
"We have some special players lined up and we are hopefully going to be getting those over the line. These players will make the fans go 'wow, Notts mean business this season'."
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Joe Jones

Kevin Nolan reassured Notts County fans squad will be strengthened the right way

Kevin Nolan has reassured Notts County fans that the squad will be strengthened with players who will not only make the team competitive in League Two, but who will be at Meadow Lane for the full season.
The Magpies have been relatively quiet in the transfer window so far, with Terry Hawkridge and Lewis Alessandra the only two acquisitions, although every player who was already on the books and offered a new deal has renewed their stay.
Some fans have expressed concern at the lack of new blood in the team, with local rivals Mansfield Town signing a glut of new players, but Nolan insists that there is a lot of hard work still to be done prior to the end of the window.
He told the official Notts site: "We are working hard to ensure we get a number of quality players in.
"We are trying to find out if certain people are available and if they want to come here but, like last season, there will be nobody here who does not want to be here.
"If someone does not want to be here then they will be shown the door and the players we bring in will want to come here, work with us and be a part of this fantastic football club which is going in the right direction.
"We have a few targets and hopefully a few gems up our sleeve but there is still a lot of hard work to do.
"We have a couple of lads coming in to be a part of the training squad so there will be some unknown faces but we are trying to get a squad which will be here for the season and be capable of making sure we compete in the division."
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Joe Jones

Super Danny Allsopp: Contract extension signings are testament to good atmosphere at Notts County

All the Notts County players that were offered contracts have re-signed, which speaks volumes for the atmosphere that people like Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan have created around the club.
Some people may dismiss players such as Curtis Thompson and Haydn Hollis signing the contracts offered to them, but as Adam Campbell signing for Morecambe has shown, players that were on the fringe of our squad are capable of signing for our League Two rivals.
The tying down of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi perfectly demonstrates the attraction of Notts as a club, of the atmosphere and aspirations that the aforementioned people have demonstrated.
Stead had numerous offers, by his own admission, from throughout the world including the United States. Some may snort at the American leagues, but the offer of a ‘last payday’ as so many modern footballers find all too alluring (see the Chinese Super League) is quite real.
The fact that a combination of the competitiveness of the Football League, the feel-good factor created by Nolan and the aspirations of Hardy has convinced Stead to sign a new contract with the club is outstanding.
He is not alone. Ameobi - who without a doubt has received interest from other clubs in and around (or even above) us following some fine performances in a Notts shirt - has also re-signed. No doubt ex-colleague Nolan had an influence, but I don’t think it was the only pull factor.
I also echo some fans’ opinions that a young, pacy striker to learn from Shola and Stead would fit perfectly, but let us not underestimate the threat these two veterans pose to opposition defences. We saw it last season, we will see it again next season.
We all want to see new signings, we all have an F5 button that is showing the signs of a bit of wear and tear. We have already signed two wingers, who may not receive the ‘trial by Wikipedia’ nod of approval, but we have to trust Nolan’s judgement, January 2017 didn’t prove so bad.
There has been many a season where Notts have offered contracts to existing squad players who have chosen to move, for one reason or another. We should be confident that the players who we have offered contracts have all signed, they all want to be here, and the reasons why they want to be here should be reassuring for all Notts fans.
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Super_Danny_Allsopp

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