I have got no inside information but my best guess about what is going on is as follows: Jodi wants another multi-year contract at Notts and the club are holding out, maybe to see if his fitness and availability record improve in the first half of the forthcoming season. The hesitancy on the part of Richard Montague is based on Jodi's recent availability and other performance stats. He has started 43 games in the past two seasons combined, and, after storming league 2 in the first season back, has produced a much diminished return in the subsequent seasons. I am as big a fan of Jodi's as anyone but if I'm right I support the caution being shown by the club. The best case scenario is he regains his fitness, storms League 1 and gets the contract he wants. A more likely scenario is that he loses patience with Notts and is granted a transfer - probably to a League 2 team because I can't see us selling to a rival.

Jodi is a superbly talented football and obviously cares deeply about the club. He has served us extraordinarily well despite his injuries but decisions about his future will be taken objectively and with the best long term interests of the club in mind. Oters will disagree but I, for one, think it's the right approach to take.

@Graham totally spot on analysis 👏

Me too! I have genuine concerns that he won’t cut it in L1 anyway. He isn’t robust enough, will be a target and he’s lost a yard of pace……

I’d hope Roberts has the agility and direct, attacking instincts to do well for us tbh. He is a highly talented footballer and he’ll grow into L1. I’d probably back him over Jones for the next couple of years tbh.

You might be right there @Graham, Jones' absence is odd and it's starting to feel like another Jatta situation. We're rumoured to be in for Harry Boyes, who plays in his position. Is he intended to be competition or a replacement?

He's blown hot and cold over the last couple of seasons, but we know he can unlock a defence for us. He deserves a stab at League One and I'm in no doubt that he's good enough for it.

I hope we can keep him, on his day he’s one of those players that get you out of your seat in anticipation when he gets the ball. I think he’s still got something to offer in league one.

His performance in the Playoff final was top three championship class at the very least. If he is allowed to go serious questions need to be asked about the reasoning for letting him go.

10 hours ago, Robbie said:

His performance in the Playoff final was top three championship class at the very least. If he is allowed to go serious questions need to be asked about the reasoning for letting him go.

I am guessing but I believe @Graham has hit the nail on the head when he says Jodi it’s after a new contract and his expectations don’t match what the club is prepared to pay, we saw the same with Didzy.

No player is bigger than the club, they are obviously confident they can replace these players with new hungry players who match their model, as they have demonstrated in the past. Time will tell whether it’s the right thing to do.

The latest club rumoured to be courting Jodi is Northampton. As I said before I hope he doesn’t go but trust the system if he does.

I quite like the ruthless streak that The Brothers have implemented - they have certainly learned from being perhaps a little too sentimental after the last promotion to League 1 when they stuck with too many players expecting them to make the step up.

Younger, ambitious players are surely the way forward even though they must recognise that not all will make the grade.

16 hours ago, Robbie said:

His performance in the Playoff final was top three championship class at the very least. If he is allowed to go serious questions need to be asked about the reasoning for letting him go.

Good? Yes, but top 3 championship class? No.

That would mean he would get into the teams promoted to the Premiership.

The reasons he may leave have been well explained by @YoopEyes @StarkMallard @Fan of Big Tone and others on this thread.

It's a strange one with Jodi, because what I can find, and I don't trawl the depths of social media, I've not seen even a kind of half-credible journalist suggest that there are clubs that have bid for Jones. That's not to say things aren't going on behind the scenes but some journalist eventually picks up on these things.

If nothing is going on and he is injured, as per Martin Paterson, then there is absolutely no reason for the club to put out a statement and that’s kind of where I’m at with it. He has had a very disrupted pre-season so I've no reason to doubt he is injured, but if it turned out he's been training all this time and the club used an injury as smokescreen for his departure, I’d be pretty disappointed.

I think with Jodi there is no doubting his quality as a player. The question seems to be his fitness. We don't actually have all the facts to be certain of what is going on. If he is looking to move to another club, the question is why is it taking so long? Ability not in question. Is it his fitness that is being questioned by other clubs? Is that the reason the brothers have not extended his contract? To be honest we don't really know. He may end up seeing out his contract with us. We will just have to wait and see.

There is a now a glaring difference when you look at our first team on the club website, everyone has a new photo for the season, everyone except JJ that is...

18 minutes ago, menzinho said:

There is a now a glaring difference when you look at our first team on the club website, everyone has a new photo for the season, everyone except JJ that is...

Perhaps he was injured when they were taken??🙃

4 hours ago, menzinho said:

There is a now a glaring difference when you look at our first team on the club website, everyone has a new photo for the season, everyone except JJ that is...

JJ has a big head compared to his frame, but that's ridiculous. And Grant appears to want a fight.

Just got back from a long trip away - the Jodi Jones saga was a bit of a black cloud hanging over it...

I'll chip in now though

Before I left I was at Alfreton. Tbh it looked like he'd had a great summer! Pity the game was only 3 days or so after they'd reported back. I have to say he looked a lot bigger than his usual match shape and wasn't very mobile. After his role in our promotion I don't begrudge him that 'good summer'. But if i'm right, that could lead to the injuries under MP's regime.

No one knows if JJ overplayed his hand in what he asked for. The data won't always be in his favour. Last season, he played more poor games that good ones, despite the heights he can hit.

Fans are not analysts though, just as they should never be bean-counters. We can leave those roles to Montague and Palmer. But in turn, the club shouldn't lose sight of what the game is all about - 'glory' as Danny Blanchflower once famously said.

The season before last he set a remarkable new assists record for any league. 24!!! beating Thierry Henry's and De Bruyne's record. He saved us from penalties with his winner against Boreham Wood, and before that certain defeat with his assist for Baldwin. And then a key pressure pen in the Wembley fianl. If all of that didn't make him a club legend then his masterclass to finally put Salford in its place surely should. His assist for Jatta was a work of art, De Bruyne would struggle to pull off. As MP said, he's a magician, and fans usually love that type of player.

My hope is that the club can remember what football is all about, think like a fan for just a moment and reach a compromise with JJ. Lord knows we'll need a game-changer in the tough season ahead. His special moments and top performances are worth precious points.

Where's he going to go? No one's offered him a lucrative 3 year deal for a fee to Notts or he wouldn't be here. Notts probably don't want to sell him to an EFL1 club. Would a championship club take a gamble on him? He doesn't seem to be on Salford's shopping list. Not York's either minus Maynard. Hopefully all parties will see sense and strike a deal.

I see things a little differently, and I feel the club might be protecting him for suffering an injury in training or something along these lines. Is there any evidence to suggest this? No, but it's the same with all the rumours about him being on the verge of leaving. People claiming the club has had a big money offer, it seems less likely to me.

Jodi Jones is a very good player, but he struggles with consistenacy.

Last season I had the unpopular opinion that I would have Jodi as an impact player, and occastional starter. Fans didn't seem to think this would suit Jodi, but with his injury record and age it would give him more time to remain with us. The way I see it, a move higher up would almost most certainly mean he would be used in this way; I can't see him being used differently. Only a step down would make me believe that he would feature more promintely within a team's dynamics.

He's a great player, who without his issues would be a Championship player no doubt.

I think had he not been so loyal to Coventry, or expeirence his setbacks, he would have made it to the Premier League. However, this is neither here nor there.

There have been players in the past who have missed squad photos due to being injured, though I must admit it can be more likely that they are departing as that tends to be the more common trend with Notts. It's becoming one of those tell tale signs, but even if Jodi does leave we should be fine. I love Jodi, and have a huge amount of respect for him, but sometimes clubs and even players move on. If it was to come out that Jodi wanted to test himself elsewhere, I would wish him well.

I don't think the club would actively push him out, so I am more swayed to my earlier point and hope that he's just getting specialist treatment for a potential injury.

My current thoughts are that I hope the recent reports about Jodi going to Bromley are unfounded.

Unfortunately, this O'Rourke guy has seemed to get everything correct - so my current thought is to hope the Bromley move collapses for whatver reason. Jodi gets cold feet or even fails a medical.

If we do lose him I hope he's honest about how and why it happened. I hope we get to hear his side of the story.

Last thought...those fans who say we're OK, we don't need him, after one game, are just as likely to go to the other extreme if we're convincingly beaten at Luton.

I think that Patto is the type of head Coach who wants 100% commitment from his players in every game they play. A player having one good game in four or five just doesn't fit with his footballing philosophy. I also think that a player's attitude & how he performs on the training ground is another important aspect for Paterson. Players are always going to have an off game from time to time, but if they are showing commitment, & drive combined with plenty of energy & effort, I think that Paterson will respect that very much

It seems there's a real basis to the Bromley talk. Like the rest of you, I hope it doesn't happen. JJ is a fantastic asset and is under contract. Why strengthen a potential rival with someone who we know can provide lots of assists?

I also want to hear his side of all this. According to some of the speculation, he refused to train because he wasn't offered a new contract (or he wasn't happy with the offer) and the club is trying to cash in instead. I hope that isn't true as refusing to train when you're still under contract is effectively going on strike. Yet he was buzzing to play for us in L1 after Wembley. Perhaps he was told to stay away from training after contract negotiations broke down and things have just dragged on. Either way, it would be a sad and unnecessary end to his career with Notts.

You have to pass medicals before Clubs sign you…… just saying…

23 hours ago, Robbie said:

I think that Patto is the type of head Coach who wants 100% commitment from his players in every game they play. A player having one good game in four or five just doesn't fit with his footballing philosophy. I also think that a player's attitude & how he performs on the training ground is another important aspect for Paterson. Players are always going to have an off game from time to time, but if they are showing commitment, & drive combined with plenty of energy & effort, I think that Paterson will respect that very much

I agree @Robbie - with the analysis.

If it's correct though, I'm one supporter that doesn't want to go in that direction. There's nothing worse than going down to defeats with no flair players to pin your hopes on. The only promises the Reedtzes ever made was that we'd be attacking and entertaining...

Actually I think your post goes a long way in explaining to us why we might be about to lose Jodi Jones

Edited August 20Aug 20 by theAnticlough

2 minutes ago, theAnticlough said:

I agree @Robbie - with the analysis.

Actually I think your post goes a long way in explaining to us why we might be about to lose Jodi Jones

I don't want Jodi to go. I agree that we need flair players to give us something extra. Cal Roberts is that type of player.

We've only seen two competitive games but it's enough to see there has been a sea change in the style. Against the weaker League 1 teams we may see a little more flair from the team. But generally we are not going to dominate teams possession wise as we did in League 2. Jodi may not want to be an impact player off the bench, but if he stayed that could be his role.

Montague, with the Bros' blessing, has given us Cal Roberts, Ruben, Sam, Didzy, Crowley, JJ, Bostock, Nemane...add Baldwin, Tsaroulla, Tangan and others

Evidently, there's no issue with bringing in flair players (although all left for different reasons). It fits their pledge to serve up entertaining, attacking football

Agree @Robbie that for our first season back in L1 there will be times when we're overmatched and won't get hold of the ball much...but at least the opposition will still have something to worry about, and us something to hope for, if we have a player or two that can do something special. It'd be grim viewing otherwise.