Chris

Craig Dudley is a worthy name to throw into this mix.

They played a full strength squad. First Half: George Shelvey; Joe Worrall (C), Moussa Niakhate, Josh Powell, Neco Williams; Orel Mangala, Remo Freuler, Brandon Aguilera; Emmanuel Dennis, Alex Mighten, Taiwo Awoniyi. Second Half: George Shelvey; Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Aaron Donnelly, Mohammed Drager; Danilo, Ryan Yates; Joe Gardner, Dale Taylor, Josh Bowler, Hwang Ui-Jo. Notts broke into two squads, with youths featuring in the second half.

I agree, Will Randall never looked to be in it. Sometimes the balls to him were over hit, but more than a few times he remained static, failing to read the pass and the few crosses he did manage to get were either low or smashed into a Forest player. Adam Chicksen for me was a bit indifferent, when he joined in the attacks he was good but seemed to be more defensive for the most part. He never really did the two like we know he can, though defensively he mopped up a fair amount in the first half and remained very calm. It impressed me, I just wished he linked up better with Sam Austin when in attack. Aidan Stone appeared to be in good condition, well defended, but unfortunately he was deceived by the Forest's goal. His communication was extremely beneficial, as was the presence of Connell Rawlinson. Rawlinson looked to be enjoying himself and mugged off the Forest players several times. Including heading the ball to himself three times, before giving it to Stone. Lucien Mahovo displayed remarkable progress on the pitch, consistently delivering impressive crosses every time he partnered with Luther Munakandafa. However, the latter seemed to lack confidence in putting in his own crosses or taking on the Forest players. Matt Palmer, John Bostock, Jim O'Brien, David McGoldrick, Jodi Jones, Aaron Nemane, Cedwyn Scott, and Macaulay Langstaff all performed well and were satisfied with their performance.

As I felt, Forest were happy to allow us to play, and they looked to pick up the ball/counter most of the time. The gifted goal, it was frustrating because it's the only thing that separates us from them. I don't think a Forest fan can say they outplayed us. Likewise, I don't think many would admit we were the most lively out of the two teams. I think they played well, but I do feel we created far better chances. It was almost as if some of their players didn't put 100% in, not all but more than a few because they had a lot of skill and pace in their squad that should have caused more trouble. I thought at times the friendly became a bit fiery with one of the Forest playing pretty much making the mistake on picking out Jim O'Brien and stamping on him, which resorted in Jim getting his foot tangled. I think Jim thought about kicking out in anger, but he stood up to him. Although we had a few good opportunities, our finishing was hurried. If there was anyone who seemed capable of opening the scoring for us, it was David McGoldrick. Macaulay Langstaff didn't stop chasing things, but he just didn't quite look like a threat on goal. There were times, some good moves, but they didn't work out. The friendly was entertaining, and we should both be happy with the performance.

What you want to do, is place the machine beneath one of your back tyres. Then you need to proceed to get into your car, then reverse back as if you were going out. When you hear the sound of breaking plastic and a good crunching sound. Proceed to stopping, then jump out frantically and act as if this was all an accident. Congratulations, you've just taken care of damaging the laptop in the @Super_Danny_Allsopp style.

Friday, @cheeky~k8 and I had to pop into town to go see the person taking care of her hearing. The settings of the hearing aid have been adjusted, although it's going to take time for Kate to get used to everything again. Somebody doesn't like hearing fans and air conditioning units, but has to get used to it. There are plenty of noises which I would rather not hear, but I am used to now. Bless Kate, though she's doing well. Saturday (today), I am going with the lads to see the Notts vs. Forest friendly. My brother and his side of the family are making their way to the game too, which I believe will be Luna's first ever football game. I'm buzzing about that! Plus to spend time with my nephew Harry. Sunday (tomorrow), my brother and I have air marked a potential walk but due to weather he's unsure if he will. In the likelihood that it slings it down with rain, I still intend to go over to see @super_ram. We did it a few weeks back, the bottom of dad's house looked like it had a river in the middle of the street. Photos don't do justice to what you could see with your eyes.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Kevin May. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

It's going to be one of those cases where the punishment must fit the rules that were broken and the more rules broken, the higher the severity. I don't agree with points being docked either; however it's unfair that other teams get punished in such fashion.

I think it's very obvious when mental health is the issue, even if people are trying to keep it inside. More support needs to be given to all that suffer. Not all situations can be treated the same way, as some people criticise those who suffer while others seek attention. The issue is, genuine cases tend to have depression don't magically see it disappear when people do rally around them. It can help, but there are obvious signs. Unfortunately, it depends on how people see you or, think of you, whether you are believed or not. Regarding Dele Alli, I must say that I foresaw it when discussing with my brother at the time when his performance was declining and people were doubting why he was still being picked for the England team. It's so easy for people to throb things off as they are just being 's**t' or 'no longer good enough'. Ali's decline in his performance was very quickly, and he only started to seem better once he had joined Everton. I hope fans of football support him and leave his suffering alone, people can be cruel when it seems like a bit of fun but mental health isn't a game.

Usually, it does tend to be just two players. I think the most I've known it to be was five with Nathan Thomas being the then new signing. The players weren't around for long; they stood talking in a huddle and then walked off. To Thomas' credit, he did make a fuss of every young fan, but I think the leaving was pretty much the culture then. Our players now do seem a lot closer to the players. I believe that the problem lies mainly with the photographers themselves. If someone with a basic understanding of photography were taking the photos, they would make sure to capture the background entirely within the frame and ensure that everything is properly centred. The Rule of Thirds is something to keep in mind. Some won't care if the background isn't framed well; cropping on larger pixel devices can help with that. Yet I have seen many where the framing is out, and it ends up looking nowhere near as good as the photo Notts took. I would've volunteered to help the club for nothing, but I think all those days when I went out of my way isn't something that is appreciated.

Sorry to read about your mum, @GrannyPie (my mum) died in February, and it's a difficult thing to overcome. It's good that you are managing to get to see your dad, though. It's positive that you are getting back into Notts, not because of PON but for family reasons. Let's hope we have a good season again. You may make a fan out of your daughter! All the best to you.

A lot of the Stoke City players impressed me, they had some very good midfielders that don't play the conventional passes but spray balls outwide which was nice to see. I thought they would hoof it more, but they played proper football.

Will this be because of the financial implications that a reserve team has and the commitments? This is my guess, but either way it's good to see. The team that was defeated appears to consist mostly of young players. I hope it proves to be a good run out for them. Losing will tell them more, so they can work on it and improve in time.

Very fair and to the point, @TheSkipper. This is a very good blog. I believe it is widely accepted that we are in need of another centre back, someone who possesses similar qualities to Aden Baldwin but without the injury history. Baldwin is a key player from last season that helped to improve the defence, but it is unfortunate that he is so injury prone. All the signings are smart additions, capturing Jodi Jones' signature will be a key decision because he looks quality whenever he's on the ball. Randall also had a great collaboration with Sam Austin, and together they were a deadly force that could easily dismantle unprepared defences. I think our quality in the attacking positions is excellent, defensively we are fine, but one addition would cement a solid squad.

I seem to recall saying to @super_pie and @Callum234 that Chicksen had been elbowed, but it's really foggy now. I am glad that it's been reviewed and corrected, as no player should be violent on the pitch and elbowing players is dangerous. I have noticed a lot of upset York City fans, as he's one of their key players. It's going to be interesting to see how the suspension impacts them. I am starting to believe in karma.

I hope Southend manage to pull through and find a new owner who can just restore them to being a club without the financial drama.

I hope Luke Williams doesn't remove the youth team players completely, but I do think it's important to start the strongest defence that we can. After some time, maybe bring on some of the youngsters. I think it's important to focus on our defensive strength rather than worrying about giving players a chance in a rotating team. Just to shut up those who are complaining about certain youth players and Aidan Stone. The score doesn't matter, it's all about fitness and getting ready for the season. I don't think it will be a repeat of Stoke City, I think we will take our time a bit more. If Forest plays their strongest squad, we just need to play into space and protect Stone better. That said, I think Sam Slocombe will start.

I’m not sure if it’s just me or if it’s due to streaming and having everything just a download away. When I was younger, I would have the urge to watch certain films. I would put in a VHS tape or later, a DVD. I own quite a lot of films, all of which were favourites of mine in some way or another. Sometimes, I think about a film I haven't seen in a long time and eventually, I can't resist the temptation to watch it. However, these days I don’t think much about films I have seen. I rarely watch DVDs any more since everything is available for streaming. What is your experience? There was a period where I would watch something I previously enjoyed at least once or twice a week, but now it’s more like every 3–6 months. It’s a habit I really need to break. Halloween and Christmas are the only exceptions, as we enjoy watching Hocus Pocus and Home Alone 1 and 2. Is it just me? Is it an age thing? Share your thoughts below.

Don't worry about it, mate. Sometimes hackers find a way and really what is the point in doing it? Facebook are quite pathetic when it comes to protecting accounts.

Although I have some doubts about Jake's interest, if he were willing to come along, I would definitely make every effort to convince Cal to join us. I would assume we take our own pictures.

I have the feeling there will be many more falling into this trap, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's very saddening to see, but I do feel its only going to get worse for some clubs who are struggling.

Those who know Neil, will say this is the classic story of him (not that I know him) but I have heard stories from ex players of our clubs. I was going to share an encounter I had with Neil, where he gave a former manager of mine a taste of her own attitude, but I won't. It was a strange and funny experience, with ex-Notts players doing their best to get me in trouble (in a joking way). Neil went to a wedding anniversary party for a former player from our club. Many players from his time were there, including Tommy Johnson and Mark Draper, who knew me. The latter two pretty much hi-jacked me whilst waitering, as they did the conga.

I had hoped that he would have joined a Premier League team when there were rumours about it. I believe that he would have been able to showcase his talents even more. However, he has achieved extraordinary success at Celtic. He had his heart set on being their captain and I respect his passion and dedication.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Jones10, I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

Darren Ward and Craig Westcarr, the latter is a player who was vastly underrated during his time with us IMO.