Game 18 - The Pirates (A)
Team - Bristol Rovers
Date - 29/11/2025 15:00
Where - Memorial Stadium

What would your starting line-up be? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

I never like playing teams that are on dreadful losing runs, like Bristol are on right now, because it always feels like their luck usually turns when they face us. They are going to get a draw or win in the league at some point even though they are currently on a 7 match losing run. And I'd imagine Bristol are desperate by now and will be changing things up more to try and get a good result.

That said, I’m hopeful they won’t end their run against us and in a way I think the result against Colchester might actually help us because when we’ve needed a result/response this season we’ve got it. I’m thinking beating Shrewsbury at home after the last-minute Barrow defeat, beating Crawley after losing 1-0 and playing badly at Gillingham and then most recently the performance and win at Cheltenham after Brackley. These are all good signs for me.

No idea if Martin will make changes, maybe one or two but regardless I think the team will be going to Bristol to right the wrongs from last weekend.

The players need to give us a good performance after last week, they will be hurting and hopefully desperate to put things right with a win.

4 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

The players need to give us a good performance after last week, they will be hurting and hopefully desperate to put things right with a win.

I think they do, Big Tone.

If we just had a bit more quality, we wouldn't have gone 1pt from 6 against Harrogate & Colchester.

I think there will be changes. It's just a matter of who and how many.

It'd be brave to drop Roos for Griffiths, but he may do it. Gagliardi is yesterday's man and his reputation at Notts sinks by the week. MP and Monty can draw a line under the summer recruitment if they like.

I think it's time for Platt over Ness. Ness isn't above him in the pecking order so what would MP be doing now that Platt must be fully fit again?

Jones back too hopefully.

I was joking about Jatta and Dennis on the other thread, but don't rule out MP being so mad he doesn't something unexpected with our strikers.

Edited Thursday at 22:324 days by theAnticlough

I'd like to see Martin give Dennis a start for this match even if it means Jatta on the bench. I would also like Platt to come back into the back three for Ness. It would be nice to see Griffiths having an opportunity between the sticks & Kouhyar making a start on the left.

Notts need to show some grit and determination in this one. Even if they have to draw or win ugly so be it. They also need to cut out the mistakes at the back. A clean sheet would be very welcome. At this point I would applaud a 0:0 draw.

My team

Griffiths, Macari, Platt, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Palmer, Robertson, Kouhyar, Grant, Hall, Dennis

Subs

Roos, Iorpenda, Norburn, Ness, Bennetts, Jatta, Jarvis

Apparently, Palmer will be out for a while due to a knee injury so Iorpenda needs to come in for Palmer in central midfield. Palmer being out for a period is a big blow as far as I'm concerned.

Looks like Traoré will have to be one of the Subs.

Perott in goal for me. Blood him now

It's Matchday

21 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

Perott in goal for me. Blood him now

For all his faults I still think that Roos is the best goalkeeper available at the moment (which doesn’t say a lot), I did read that Patterson has been looking at other goalkeepers so I’m sure he and the club are aware that Roos needs replacing although he was diplomatic and said the goalkeeping area needed strengthening.

The first lesson is. A Club shouldn't sell their best players unless they have a suitable replacement, either it be a player already on the books or a player that the Club has already lined up to transfer in.

This goalkeeping situation could easily have been avoided, but we have already seen it happen twice before with Ruben & Dan leaving without having suitable replacements on hand.

Why bring a young player in, think he is good enough to sit on the bench & replace Roos through injury, but not have the confidence to give him a chance to stake his claim from the start of a game?

48 minutes ago, Robbie said:

The first lesson is. A Club shouldn't sell their best players unless they have a suitable replacement, either it be a player already on the books or a player that the Club has already lined up to transfer in.

This goalkeeping situation could easily have been avoided, but we have already seen it happen twice before with Ruben & Dan leaving without having suitable replacements on hand.

Why bring a young player in, think he is good enough to sit on the bench & replace Roos through injury, but not have the confidence to give him a chance to stake his claim from the start of a game?

To be fair @Robbie Griffiths has been given a chance in cup games and to be honest I wasn’t impressed, his distribution was awful, he’s young and has a lot to learn, I don’t think we can afford to put him in the goal for a league 2 match.

Having said that I’ll have egg on my face if he starts and plays a blinder.

@Fan of Big Tone We've seen Roos in action & a lot of the time he has been poor. It doesn't say much for Griffiths either if he can't force himself into the side.

I don't blame the players fully for the goalkeeping problems, that's down to the recruiters & the fact that the best goalkeeper in the league was sold for profit.

13 minutes ago, Robbie said:

@Fan of Big Tone We've seen Roos in action & a lot of the time he has been poor. It doesn't say much for Griffiths either if he can't force himself into the side.

I don't blame the players fully for the goalkeeping problems, that's down to the recruiters & the fact that the best goalkeeper in the league was sold for profit.

@Robbie What we have to realise that we are a selling club and when a good offer comes in for a player they will always be sold but I do agree that the recruitment of Roos as a replacement has been a big mistake.

The Notts team to face Bristol Rovers.

Personally I think that this Notts selection is dissapointing. I hope I'm proved wrong, but against a side that has lost seven league games in a row, & Notts not playing two strikers from the get go, but just playing one with two on the bench, strikes me as being very negative.

As I said, I hope I'm proved wrong & Jatta gets a hat trick today.

Kick off. COYP.

Surprised that Ness has been left out - equally that MP has preferred Iorpenda over Norburn.

Brizzle Rovers sound very shaky according to Stall, we need to get maximum points here. COYP.

Update.

Update

Update

Update

Hall off!

Have to see, he often looks clumsy in the challenge due to his lethargic style. He gets caught out then lunges in, frustration seems to have got the better of him here.

We are up against it now.

Need to go 4-4-1

My worry is he’ll take Grant off and stick Norburn on early in 2nd half.

Think we’ll consolidate and try to hang in for the point……..we’ll see. Hope I’m wrong.

Goalless at the Break.

Mark Stallard: 'Not a lot from Notts in a positive sense. Hall went sliding in and Notts are down to 10, Bristol Rovers have hit the post twice as well.'

Tough 45 mins coming up - whilst the point would be handy now, we can still win this. Hope M P sees it that way too.