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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
Personal Entry: January 15th, 2020.

Personal Entry: January 15th, 2020.

This blog is personal, as a result, it's not your typical read on Notts County, and I thought that I should warn potential readers before. It's not designed to be or written to be appreciated, understood or to attract comments. It's more a personal approach to how the individual feels if any reads are struggling with depression, anxiety or illness - please do reach out. Support will be out there, so give yourself a little care. I keep meaning to try to find myself, but my head and
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
Under the floodlights at Meadow Lane is the perfect way to start 2020 at home.

Under the floodlights at Meadow Lane is the perfect way to start 2020 at home.

There was something special about watching the first home game of 2020 under the floodlights at Meadow Lane, and I’m impressed with how December went and more so due to the buzz which we as fans have created. Of course, credit where it is due. Neal Ardley and the squad have done amazingly well – especially after the 2nd set back to Jim O’Brien. Despite feeling like Jim would be a massive loss, I think Notts as a squad has coped well to setbacks like these. As I have mentioned, I m
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
2020: Art will be one of my focuses within the New Year.

2020: Art will be one of my focuses within the New Year.

I've wanted to touch upon this subject for some time; however, I tend to put it off. It's not the most exciting subject, but at the same time having somewhere, I can express my inner thoughts did offer me some focus in the past. Towards the end of 2019, I tend to find my mind the most proactive of the year. While some openly mock people for wanting to improve their lives, whether it be for real or just for the sake of a quick social status - depression can be worse for those who suffer
Chris

Chris

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Piethagoram's angles
Klopp's Passion so missing at Notts

Klopp's Passion so missing at Notts

So here we are, National League bound.. Capitulation against Swindon still fresh in the memory. Ardley's experienced midfield, O'Brien, Doyle and Vaughan ran through with ease by Kaiyne River Woolery a former Notts loanee, how the tide has turned! Only once, can I recall a passing move under Kewell, where a string of decent passes led to an opportunity for Tootle who didn't get hold of his shot. We have just looked like a team of individuals, bereft of ideas or haven't been "coached" in the
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
Too little, too late? Notts County's history and heritage will live on regardless

Too little, too late? Notts County's history and heritage will live on regardless

What a season the 2018/19 League Two campaign has been, never would have dreamt that Notts County would be on the verge of relegation from the Football League. It’s something I find very sad, certainly it’s not good to see the faces of worry in the crowd but you know what? This is football after all, once you brush off the hurt and come round. I think the majority will accept that having the club still in existence is the main thing. The community around the club is one I would c
Chris

Chris

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Central midfield "Lost in Space"

Shortcomings of a defence that cannot mark and strikers that cannot score, despite the 000's spent, the central midfield area is one which is being overlooked. @ARLukomski twitter posting is so relevant: Along with Milsom, we must have one of the most ineffective midfields in this division. Do I see any real quality, the answer has to be no. Milsom's 1st half v Swindon, showed what was possible but there is no real pace to cover the ground whilst in possession. Hewitt has lon
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Loans, players in hindsight Notts could have possibly signed

Glenn Roeder Jack Dunnett's £ for £ matching supporters donations never happened Colin Foster Outstanding centre half loan signing from West Ham. It's easy to say "class" and he fitted that description Tom Ince Easy to see how he has carved a career in the top 2 divisions Lloyd Sam Great close control established him as a favourite at the San Sirrel. Matt Richie One escapee from the Munto era. Had Notts had signed him, Raymundo could have had a saleab
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Recruitment, recruitment, recruitment

When Alan Hardy took over at Notts, and then welcomed questions on either the Official Notts Co twitter or Nottingham Posts questions and answers...I submitted questions on the quality of our recruitment process, citing Brentford and Accrington as the "optimum" to aspire to. Needless to say, on countless opportunities, my questions remained unanswered We are now faced with a bloated squad with key positions short of the quality needed ( goal scoring striker in Akinde mould), Central mi
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Kewell's Dutch philosophy

an interesting read from The Guardian on his influences https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/07/harry-kewell-frank-rijkaard-notts-county Frank Rikjaard noted as being a main influence I may not have been a fan of Harry's initial appointment but was pleased to have someone to roll up the sleeves and work on the coaching, rather than Nolan's perceived man management at a distance. Mind you, Harry is at odds of my opinion of Brisley today...We cant agree on everything
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Nolan managing an "unbalanced" side..budget misspent? Part 2

It's fantasy land if Nolan thinks this squad is good enough? What is very apparent from the initial games, we have no height, no muscle, no guts to grind out results yet other teams are light years ahead of us. Relegation is a real possibility unless decent loan signings can be attracted, which may prove difficult in our position https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/kevin-nolan-finds-astounding-not-1425585 I refer back to this link as to where things started going wrong. If he
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
 

Round peg, round holes, square pegs, square holes, Hewitt fits neither

https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/notts-county-boss-kevin-nolan-280965  https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/kevin-nolan-backs-notts-county-1214452   so why does Nolan play him there? Yes, injuries to Ox-Ch but it is no coincidence that the change in form coincided with the loss of Yates, so even in midfield, I have to say he is not good enough. I would like to see the stats for pass completion, which must be among the lowest in L2. He helped protect the
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Piethagoram's angles
Nolan managing an "unbalanced" side..budget misspent?

Nolan managing an "unbalanced" side..budget misspent?

..or the chickens coming home to roost. The defence last season was so well protected by the likes of Hewitt, Yates and Hawkridge and since the departure of Yates, he was the key player that has not been replaced. Player identification is the key for success. Look at Accrington last season, 23rd in L2 in terms of revenues yet the budget was allocated so precisely and a balanced team won promotion By offering O'Connor allegedly 3 contract offers, we then panicked and signed Vaughan
Piethagoram

Piethagoram

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
How the poor start for Notts during the 2018-19 season has affected me

How the poor start for Notts during the 2018-19 season has affected me

Things are weighing up on my mind a lot, I’m still in some form of shellshock from yesterday and I am truly disappointed – I honestly struggle to see past my current mood because it’s all very deflating. I attended the game against Yeovil yesterday with my son @super_pie, @Magic magpie and @super_ram. Leading into the game I wouldn’t have gone if Mark dropped out, I just wasn’t looking forward to it but not because I felt Notts would lose. I actually felt positive about the game a
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
Looking ahead to the 2018/19 season for Notts County

Looking ahead to the 2018/19 season for Notts County

So, it’s the dawn of another new season for Notts and as the feeling has started to settle – I find myself really excited about the prospect of another good season for the club but also to pick up from last season. All the optimism I have right now is making me all the more eager to get the 2018-19 campaign underway. Last season, in reflection was a true rollercoaster, however despite what some may have considered negative then in comparison to previous seasons wasn’t all that bad and
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
 

New Year Resolution: Attend more Notts County away games in 2018

2017 has been a very busy year for me. Unfortunately I have only managed to attend two away games and despite having Luton Town eyed up as my third, it just wasn’t possible for me to make the trip which I am actually very gutted about not attending. It would have been nice to be there, as by all accounts it sounded like a very decent performance by the Magpies, and of course the travelling Black & White army that followed in support. However, I have started plans to attend several
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
 

Little changes make a big difference

This blog is personal, as a result it’s not your typical read on Notts County and I thought that I should warn potential readers before – if you prefer the regular variety of opinions be sure to have a read of our home page otherwise I would suggest clicking away from this blog. Towards the end of last season I decided to make changes, I wasn’t all that happy with things and as most fans (who know me) will have seen I started using my real name. It was more of a positive change than I
Chris

Chris

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weymouthPIE's Blog
 

It's Never Dull...

Well the dust has just about settled on another season of highs and lows, joys and sorrows for the world's oldest league club. It's been a rather strange season. It sounds very cliche but it really has been a season of two halves - one spent watching our promotion hopes go down the drain, and the other half spent fighting the unthinkable in relegation out of the very league we helped establish. But we've come out the other side,  and now seems like a good time to look back on a real rollercoaste
weymouthPIE

weymouthPIE

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
 

All's well that ends well

The 2016-17 season has been a funny one for me, personal circumstances meant I missed a portion of the Notts County games which took place over late October to mid-January – despite all the on-goings at Meadow Lane and the dire performances I really missed this period. Yet the break was exactly what I needed at the time, but the lengthy spell did leave me feeling drained and worried about my mother. I had been saying throughout the majority of the 2015-16 season that I would get back o
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
 

Pompey defeat left me looking forward to next season

Approaching Easter Monday, I was quite excited about the game against Portsmouth. In the back of my mind, I did question the attitude of Notts as we approached the match. The thought of added fire to fuel the game certain may help, yet for me I felt it wasn’t required. Of course I’m referring to the comments made about spoiling/delaying their promotion party, it didn’t work did it? I just didn't feel that the message was the right focus, yet I've mentioned this on social media and
Chris

Chris

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Loyal to the Lane: The Chris Buckley Blog
 

Goodbye 'Notts-Joe'

There was a time when I was encouraged to write personal blogs, yet new faces on the website never seemed to appreciate them – however with the minor change to my username I aim to mix things up. It’s a common recurrence that I get the urge to drop my ‘Notts-Joe’ persona, yet for one reason or another I just never did until now. I thought that it might confuse some members who don’t know me in person, yet it’s an never ending escape unless you apply the change and really, why would I w
Chris

Chris

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weymouthPIE's Blog
 

Same Old Notts

Well just when we thought we couldn’t possibly play any worse than what we did last Saturday at Bloomfied Road, bottom of the league Newport come to the San Sirrel and teach us a footballing lesson. I wasn’t at the Lane on Saturday thanks to some inadequate public transport down this neck of the woods, but I was at Blackpool last weekend, and it was right up there with the worst performances we witnessed time and again last season.  In John Sheridan we have a no nonsense, old school mana
weymouthPIE

weymouthPIE

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