Chris

Notts County survived a late scare to move back to the top of League Two with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Barnet at Meadow Lane on Saturday. The Magpies went ahead on the quarter-hour mark when Shola Ameobi headed a Rob Milsom corner towards goal and Shaun Brisley made sure of the goal from point-blank range. Notts then doubled their advantage seven minutes into the second half when Matt Tootle Cruyff-turned his marker and crossed for Ryan Yates, who glanced home for his first league goal of the season. Kevin Nolan's charges pressed for a third, Jorge Grant belting over from close range before Jon Stead fired the ball into the back of the net only to be thwarted by the offside flag. The hosts then endured a nervy finish when Simeon Akinola drove inside the far post with seven minutes remaining, but were able to see the game out to leapfrog Exeter City up to top spot. Pride of Nottingham chief and master tactician Chris has provided his review of the game from a tactical and analytical perspective, and also looks ahead to Tuesday night's trip to Crewe Alexandra. Was the result fair? It’s actually quite hard to answer. I think overall Notts did deserve to win but at the same time I think Barnet themselves played very well at times. A draw may be fairer, yet the first half and majority of the second for me firmly favoured Notts – yet Barnet did take the game to Notts once they scored but only because we allowed them. How did Notts play? First half was alright, nothing special but we deserved to be in the lead. Both teams worked hard, and I was pleased with how Notts matched Barnet especially after the FGR game. Midfield seemed vastly different and it was pleasing to see the work rate increase within the second half. The Magpies dominated Barnet and really excelled within the second half, however the substitutes largely impacted the game and I feel it forced Notts to drop deeper to the point we started to struggle. How did Barnet play? Jamal Campbell-Ryce played very well, he was there key man and his outlet made it very difficult. However, going forward the whole Barnet squad did. I think their keeper was a massive weak link – he just seemed quite poor and created the issues within the Bees defence. They did very well to pull a goal back, at a time where they simply looked outmatched by Notts. Did our tactics work out? Yes, however at times they simply didn’t. First half I have absolutely no complaints, the starting line-up settled into the match very well and we looked quite lively at times (although Barnet were more dangerous). The game became more entertaining after the first 45 minutes, and the confidence grew but for me the substitutes happened at the wrong time forcing Notts to drop deeper. How did the referee perform? He was fine, called the game quite fairly and it was his co-workers who at times massively spoiled the game but these days referees have to listen to all the match officials – so I don’t blame him for ruling out our third goal. Who do we play next? Crewe Alexandra – on paper they seem worse off than they have been in previous seasons but they have some very good young professionals and on their day they can take the game to anyone within League Two. How should we play them? The key as always will be the way that we control the game, so the midfield will need to match the work rate that we saw against Barnet. I honestly feel it time that we saw Shola Ameobi and Jonathan Forte up top, even Jon Stead's performance off the ball seemed quite empty and I honestly feel having a quicker option would highly benefit the game to the point we really can’t start without Ameobi. Plus it seems unfair to see a largely consistent Forte forced back onto the bench, over someone who isn’t having the best season at all. Defensively we need to keep on our toes, if Collin is out – we shouldn’t rely on Fitzsimons to do all the work at the back. He made some amazing saves, and I am confident he deserves to start (even if Collin is able to feature) but no keeper should be relied upon as we saw within the final 20 minutes. Notts just have to ensure that they use the ball wisely, avoid rushing the play and really just keeping calm under possession. Barnet fan views (from Onlybarnet.com) Nicesirmick1: For the first 70 Mins this really was an awful game. We outpassed County (though did it mainly in our half of the pitch) but had no creativity in the final third. On todays showing I don't know how County are top. They hit the ball long and lack pace. We defended poorly for both their goals. With 20mins to go we seemed to realise that if we took the game to County they were there for the taking and but for one decent save by their keeper and the Santos miss at the end we could and should have got something from this game. Becbee: No club can lose their best players and it not affect results. However the contrast between the first 70 and the last 20 minutes yesterday showed there's more to it than that. We were awful early on, it was only a matter of time before Notts County took the lead. At 1-0 it was more hope than expectation. At 2-0 down we were out of sight. The fact that we could respond in the way we eventually did just shows what we might have achieved had we played for 90 minutes. This isn't the first time this season and it's just so frustrating. Mr Smart: County were a horrible team created in the image of their boss and his mentor Allardyce. Cynical, defensively well organised but horrible hoofball. Until we changed back to a wing back system they pressurised into mistakes and did their best to break up play and any momentum we got. We were largely toothless as an attacking force with a midfield that was scared of running in behind JLAA, standing on top of each when we had possession and far too one paced. All our football was played in front of County. One of the biggest differentiators was their deadball delivery which were superbly whipped in whilst we put in floaty nonsense. Then we switched to a back 3 and came alive. Tutonda was causing them all sorts of problems and put in some great crosses, one of which lead to the goal. Akinola/JLAA were 2v1 and Akinola couldn't pick out JLAA and then Santos missed a guilt edged chance right at the end. All in all we were second best but although it's frustrating, we have several players starting today who wouldn't be anywhere near our first Xi yet we come away from a promotion chasing team having marginally lost. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have returned to the top of the League Two table thanks to a 2-1 win over Barnet at Meadow Lane on Saturday. The Magpies opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Shola Ameobi thumped a header towards goal from a Rob Milsom corner, with Shaun Brisley getting the finishing touch to bundle home. Kevin Nolan's side then doubled their lead early in the second half thanks to great work from Matt Tootle to get a cross into the box, where the impressive Ryan Yates nodded home. Barnet, however, launched a late comeback and halved the Simeon Akinola drove inside the far post with seven minutes remaining, but were able to see the game out to leapfrog the Grecians up to top spot. Pride of Nottingham was at the match and took photos of the fans before, during and after the game. Have you made it into this week's Faces of PON? Check out our gallery and find out! Share your thoughts about this week's Faces of PON on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have moved back to the top of League Two thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Barnet on Saturday. Kevin Nolan's men went ahead after 16 minutes when Shola Ameobi headed a Rob Milsom corner towards goal and Shaun Brisley forced the ball home. Seven minutes into the second half, Matt Tootle beat his marker with a Cruyff turn and crossed for Ryan Yates, who glanced in his first league goal of the season. Barnet, however, kept plugging away and set up a nervy finish when Simeon Akinola rifled beyond substitute keeper Ross Fitzsimons inside the far post with seven minutes remaining. Notts managed to hold on to their goal advantage until the final whistle and the result sees them leapfrog Exeter City to return to the summit of the table. Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the game and interviewed a number of fans ahead of kickoff, asking them several questions including what they thought of Liam Noble's return to Notts County, the team's problem areas, and whether the Magpies have been overachieving at present. Share your thoughts about this week's Meet the Fans on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

We're just over a quarter of the season through and Notts County continue to sit nicely in the top three of League Two. However, alarm bells have started ringing ever so slightly as the Magpies have made a hash of their last two games, losing at Mansfield and scraping a draw with Forest Green. Another weekend, another chance. Up next are Barnet, another seemingly "winnable" game, but of course Notts need to take caution given their blip. In this article, Chris provides the lowdown on Saturday's opponents. History Notts County and Barnet have met 17 times over the years. The head to head stands at 9 wins for Notts, 5 for Barnet, and 3 draws. The first meeting took place only 20 years ago, the Magpies winning 2-1 at Underhill in Division 3. The last fixture took place in March this year, Notts winning 1-0 at Meadow Lane. Run-down of their last six fixtures Tuesday 12th September – Barnet 1 Exeter City 2 Saturday 16th September – Carlisle United 1 Barnet 1 Saturday 23rd September – Barnet 1 Crawley Town 2 Tuesday 26th September – Lincoln City 2 Barnet 1 Saturday 30th September – Wycombe Wanderers 3 Barnet 1 Saturday 7th October – Barnet 0 Coventry City 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers: Shaquile Coulthirst 8, Mauro Vilhete 4, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro 3 and Jamal Campbell-Ryce 2. Persistent Foulers: Jack Taylor 1 red card and 2 yellow cards, Andre Blackman 1 red card, Dabid Tutonda 3 yellow cards and Jamal Campbell-Ryce 2 yellow cards. The Key Players Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Shaquile Coulthirst are technically two very good strikers within League Two, both offer the Bees a lot of pace and direct threat. Shaq is a former Spurs academy product, and at the age of 22-years-old he has a wealth of league experience already. On the wing Barnet have former Magpie Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who on his day can turn defences inside out – if he releases the ball rather than repeatedly stepping over the ball. And Andre Blackman can be a rock within the Bees defence, whilst doubling up as a midfielder further up the field. Blackman has a lot of pace and likes to take on the opposition at every given chance available to him. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Despite their current league position, Barnet are a very good football club within League Two. They have one of the most talented squads within the division in terms of quality and prospect, and can attack teams with a lot of style and confidence. Whilst retaining the ball they aren’t afraid to enter limited ground and have the ability to work the ball around nicely – in my previous Scouting Report I mentioned how FGR have a very good midfield and Barnet have one much stronger. Their physical players will be able to get a grip of the game, and attempt to control the tempo. They can move between channels, switching between the centre of the park and revert onto the flanks where they have good wingers available to whip in the ball. Defensively they are switched on, and are well organised but can be sloppy if pressed. Part of their main issue so far during the 2017-18 League Two seasons, is when they commit men forward and leave themselves wide open to counter attacks. Set pieces is another variability, however they have several tall and physical players that aren’t easily intimidated. Yet if the ball bounces a few times, pressure can be assert due to their inability to deal with this type of threat. Notts will have to use the centre of the park wisely, whilst ensuring each Barnet player is man marked rather than relying on zonal marking. If we can assert a calm passing game the confidence within the match will only grow in confidence – as previously mentioned free-kicks and corners will be paramount towards creating good chances. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

This story has really refused to go away ever since Notts County were first linked with Liam Noble back in the pre-season – yet the club has taken it a step further by officially signing him on a free transfer after he was released by Forest Green Rovers earlier in the week. Friends had been telling me how Noble’s re-signing could be a beneficial thing for us, usually followed by the ‘especially if Jorge Grant goes back to Nottingham Forest in January’. However, for me this is a mere assumption and I really can’t see Jorge Grant being recalled because although he’s done well, he’s not quite the moulded League Two player we know he can be, so why would Forest consider recalling him for the Championship? It just seems like one of those weak reasons to justify a return of a player given more chances than a cat has lives. I’m really sick of this! The news is extremely disappointing and I fail to make sense of the decision behind capturing Noble's services yet again. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve said or written it, but I fail to see how he can be of any use after he failed to help a struggling League Two team. And the fact that he signed another deal with Forest Green just a short 3 months ago, it seems even more bizarre that he has decided to ask them to tear up his contract – especially after going on video and saying just how delighted he was to extend his stay there until 2020. Speaking to the FGR website had Noble said: “I'm delighted. There was obviously a lot of speculation over the summer but I am a Forest Green player and happy to be here to go again for another few years "We won at Wembley and I wanted to stay. As soon as I spoke to the chairman and manager about a new deal it was a no brainer to stay because I think the club are going places.” It’s ironic how quickly things can change once you're staring non-league right in the face again. The word unimpressed would be the easiest way to explain how I am feeling, yet it goes beyond that – I’m disappointed and I feel that the risk is such a huge gamble that it really doesn’t make much sense. Kevin Nolan spoke about wanting players to be at Notts, he wanted them to be passionate and focused – how much will Noble adhere to this framework? "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," the manager said. How long until Noble decides he doesn’t want to be at Notts? He’s shown already that he’s quite fickle when it comes to football already. Besides reading through Twitter, I noticed a friend Keith Waterfall had mentioned something quite striking – he wrote: "In my opinion Kevin Nolan looks at Liam Noble and sees Kevin Nolan." This really struck me, as the two are very much alike and if you cast your memories back to Nolan’s days at West Ham United – you will recall him being sent off near Christmas after committing a foul very similar to the one Noble made before Mark Cooper sent him home during his last spell at Meadow Lane. Don’t get me wrong, despite the level of frustration that I am feeling, I am more than willing to give Noble another chance, but I am nervous that the type of person he is will come back to haunt Notts. As I have said, I don’t question his ability but I do question his attitude, along with his approach to the game, because it’s quite clear that he wants to be playing higher than he is and there are demons quite obviously there when he doesn’t get what he believes a person of his talent deserves. He’s not the type of player I feel sets a very high example, and even after Notts chairman Alan Hardy attempted to throw fog onto the speculation by tweeting a fan “Liam who?” and then later “That boat has sailed, don’t worry.” – it just seems all rather bizarre. If we have signed a player that will give his all, avoid silly challenges and focus on being a team player – who can use his ability to help the club (rather than himself) then fair enough. And hopefully Nolan will understand how to deal with someone like Noble, however I just hope that it won’t backfire or create friction within the camp. We already have competitive midfield players deserving of a chance to start, so I really wonder how this move will work out. We can only assume, yet I understand why there are people even more annoyed than I am about this. We’ll have to wait until January to see how things pan out, we need to focused on the league and ensuring that we are fighting to maintain our current form – as it’s already been an amazing journey this season and I would hate for silly politics to derail us as it always seems to be the case. Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Despite having to reflect on the Forest Green Rovers game quite early, I wanted to take time to reflect on the game – which like most Notts fans I wasn’t very impressed with. There’s no denying that we have had a great start to the season, and along with Kevin Nolan picking up the League Two Manager of the Month award for September it really does highlight the amazing progress we have made so far. However, it's not been nice seeing us struggle to a side that is at the foot of the table and seeing a lot of issues within the game which honestly continues to nag me now. I can write the last two performances off quite easily, yet I strongly feel that the past two games are a wake-up call and that the club must go back to basics, whilst working hard on the training ground just to iron out the last two performances. Kevin Nolan himself has openly admitted that the players simply didn’t turn up against Forest Green, whilst also adding recently that ‘nerves’ may have affected the team’s performance. During his post-match interview, he said: "I'm relieved, fair play to the lads, they persevered and got their rewards in the end with a well-worked goal. "I don't think we turned up today, which is disappointing. A lot of lads didn't have one of their better days but the togetherness they showed got us over the line and earned a point, which they can take a massive lift from." Don’t get me wrong here, I found it hard to celebrate the goal because it felt like we had dropped points. I honestly don’t believe we deserved the goal, despite having worked harder towards the end of the second half. I feel we robbed Forest Green Rovers, and I just hoped for a better response after Mansfield. I’m unsure how there’s anything remotely uplifting about the performance, it’s not a massive lift – again we as fans have been let down. Certainly we are still in a very good position and I’m not remotely wanting to be negative, yet I urge a sense of realism because the progress made simply can’t go to waste. The hard work which has seen us turn around the massive land slide of last season has brought a lot of optimism and I really am enjoying the season. That said, I can’t ignore the backwards steps we have made and just how poorly Notts County defended against Forest Green. "As a management team we will sit down and think of ways we can help the players, I just felt on Saturday we went away a bit from the tempo we usually play at. We played to Forest Green’s instead and we didn’t exploit their weaknesses." Nolan added. For me it was a complete role reversal, and FGR made us look like the team stuck at the bottom of the League Two table. We had little tempo, going forward we looked like a side without confidence or faith within their own decision making on the field – whilst at the back we just allowed a side that does have a very capable midfield to look even better. However, I do agree with Nolan that we simply didn’t exploit Forest Green's weaknesses and their defence is exactly that – we should have been pressuring them but instead we ended up pressuring ourselves. Are we in trouble? I wouldn’t say so but I am concerned about how we have failed to respond after the stagnated performance against Mansfield – this weekend’s result feels worse in a way. I just don’t want to see the hard work undone, however this would be typical of Notts County. It’s just after all the recent issues within pre-seasons we must not underestimate the current progress, and it will require more focus from letting it slip – I hope each player believes that we are capable of containing this success of this season. Now let’s bounce back by regaining our focus, Barnet will be a difficult test for Notts but Meadow Lane can be the encouragement the players require at this point in time. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Hello and welcome to episode 28 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, presented by Chris and JJ. In this week's episode we assess Notts County's dour 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers. We also look ahead to the upcoming League Two encounter with Barnet and ask what the Magpies need to do to get out of the rut they're currently in. Other topics covered include whether Kevin Nolan's Manager of the Month award is a curse and whether free agent and former Notts midfielder Liam Noble should be snapped up by the club following his release from Forest Green Rovers. All this and more only in episode 28 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast! Share your thoughts about this week's PONcast by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County have slipped to second in League Two after a 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. The Magpies struggled against their opponents, who prop up the Football League, and needed a last-ditch goal from Rob Milsom to salvage a point after Omar Bugiel had edged Mark Cooper's side into the lead in the first half. Here is Chris's analysis of yesterday's game at Meadow Lane. Was the result fair? Some opposition fans like to call me biased on social media, however this may come as a shock to them but Notts County honestly robbed Forest Green Rovers yesterday. FGR deserved the win, and although their time wasting really did bite them back – they should have left with all three points. How did Notts play? Awful, I can’t sugar coat it and I simply refuse to try. Defending wasn’t acceptable at all, we allowed Forest Green to simply pass straight through us and largely without any sort of challenges to win the ball. It was very disappointing, and very difficult to understand how a team that has worked so hard in recent months have simply fallen apart in the recent games. I spoke about how Forest Green Rovers had a good midfield in my scouting report and we simply failed to match them – in terms of effort, desire and professionalism. How did Forest Green Rovers play? I felt depressed writing the scouting report, yet despite my opinion on their defence FGR played very well. They looked much tighter at the back, and easily in control from there on – their midfield worked hard to control and win the ball. This for me was very impressive, they appeared to be well organised and performed like a team quite far from the foot of the League Two table. Defensively, they did crumble with pressure and this was something else I pointed out but their time wasting stung them in the end. Did our tactics work out? Not at all, we simply refused to play the ball on the ground yet again. This for me was largely annoying, as there were times when we strung a few passes together and looked half decent – even within the first half. Yet someone would always tend to rush it within the final third and I believe its time certain players warmed the bench a little. I’m sorry, it looked like we had no tactical awareness. How did the referee perform? Aside from the inability to control the game, spot a blatant hand-ball, lack of overview to what could have been a serious head injury and of course a lot of time wasting from the FGR players (mostly their keeper, and when taking throw ins) – I guess you could say ‘well that is why he’s a former Premier League referee'. He was absolutely dire and quite lethargic in every sense. Who do we play next? Barnet – They’re a capable side on their day, and a team which shouldn’t be where they currently are. These will work hard just like Forest Green Rovers did – so Notts must focus on playing the ball on the floor. How should we play them? Keep the ball on the floor, pass it nicely but keep it simple. Notts have a tendency of overplaying it at times and the forcing of open play can be a real issue – there’s absolutely little need to pressure ourselves, so just take our time and build properly. In the recent games against Mansfield and FGR, Notts haven’t really been building from the back and as a result the defence has looked shaky from little pressure. Against Barnet this needs correcting, so take time to pass it out wide – get a feel of the ball and move with confidence. We will need to use the flanks as a way to inject pace against The Bees – however Notts must enjoy the holding possession and its times like this I wished Kevin Nolan would focus a little more on the passing phrases we create. Chances should come, and if we play hard enough the rewards will be clear for all. Just need to avoid another bad game, as this could set in and really the players need to believe in themselves – they’re capable of winning as we have seen great results already. Forest Green fan comments (from FGRForum) Coyler: The fact we are gutted about drawing against the league leaders shows that we may of turned a corner. Sounded like we were good for the win. KMB back involved , point at the league leaders and we got a few winnable games coming up. Positivity is needed. The Jovial Forester: Sickener late on but sounded like a hell of a performance. FGR-Ledge: Well done lads, that was cruel indeed, would have snapped your hand off for a point before hand though. Looks like we are up against bent referees as well!! 7 minutes added time!!!!!!!! Lady Magpie: What a shame about the injury time equaliser, mind you I would have had a draw before the start of the match. At least we are out of the bottom 2 in the league. Foggy: We brought on a substitute during time added on, which means the minimum of five minutes will be extended by the referee, tough but that is the rule. Garyjj: Absolutely gutted on the way back where is our luck? We were more than matching top of the table notts county and one moment of madness and it's only one point, deserved so much more. Tommyd: Fantastic result just gutted by the late goal. Would never have expected this. Was important not to lose today and keep the belief after the win midweek. Away points are going to be precious so well done to the lads. Share your thoughts about this tactical analysis piece on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.