Chris

It could be a good move for Tyler Miller; Bolton should be among the teams fighting for promotion, and they also have room for someone to establish himself as their number one. I wish him well; it's a shame we never had the chance to see how he could perform.

I would hope that it still gives them hope that Macaulay Langstaff can make the grade, but with him being transfer-listed, it might help him find a club at the same time. His level might not be quite at the Championship stage, but I still feel Millwall is the wrong type of team for someone like him. There's still every chance he could be useful to them, but it does seem likely that he will be heading out.

Today should be quite productive, I forgot to say yesterday that my new home shirt had arrived. That will be making the worn trip to Newport on Saturday, its very nice! There will be a teaser, but not yet Mr Tone. 😉 ETA's a very difficult when some of the scope is out of my control, but two major areas are making good progress. I think next week, might see some of the news start to filter into the site. I will of course post an announcement closer to the time, most likely dangling a carrot instead of tackle.

During the Cardiff game, I heard a mixed amount of opinions on Jodi Jones's role within the XI that took on the Welsh side. I think the role is encouraging, and I could see Jodi Jones affording better potential than what he would get from the wider areas of the pitch. It might also see him gain more chances to convert opportunities, with him being further up the pitch. In my opinion, if we are to give Jodi this role, I would hope that we persist and afford him the chance to grow into the role as Mai Traore had in game time last season. The comments I heard were mostly negative, with complaints that he's not good enough or that he isn't creative enough for the role. I understand the concerns that he's exciting to watch coming from the flanks, but he can still do that if he's afforded some freedom to drift either left or right. It's no different than David McGoldrick, although the promising thing is that we have other attacking options ahead of and around him. Sometimes with Didzy, I could understand the frustrations with him going deeper or moving out to the flank, because it would isolate the attacking threat in the middle. I don't see this being the same as Jodi, as there will be better quality in the position(s) he's previously played, with fewer chances for the opposition to want to hack him down. For some reason, officials act like it's perfectly fine to hack wide players down when they are good, whereas they tend to stamp down on it in the middle, and opposition players tend to be more afraid to challenge players for fear of giving a free kick in a vital space. If the concerns I have seen and heard over Jodi losing his "pace" are true, it would be more reason to give him a fair chance in this squad. Personally, I think he's suffering from a lack of confidence and is scared of falling victim to further injuries. With his history, it's perfectly natural, but if you watched him play when he returned towards the end, he wasn't the same out wide, and if the attacking midfield brings him confidence, I can see it paying off.

This is overseas fans means of having a season ticket, which I would hope our wider fan base would take up because it is good value. It keeps you in the loop with visual performance and adds to the club's coffers.

Crying about it isn't going to help them, either. This sort of thing made so early sounds more like excuses than reasons because it's down to the club to find the players at the right price. If they can't find affordable players, they need to rethink. If they can't pay what the expectation is for jumping up a level and being closer to the second tier of English football, then they are in for a rude awakening. What happens if their current squad harmony and new signings are enough for them to earn back-to-back promotions? Will he be back complaining that £200,000 isn't enough to find a quality Championship player? All Bradford City can do is try to unearth affordable gems; crying that the players costs have jumped up to me suggests a lack of understanding of the business that football is.

I liked Dave Bracegirdle, both his commentary and his interviewing. Adam Hassell is okay commentating, but I do think he leads to obvious and negative questions when there seems to be zero need for them. I would much rather a Notts fan do it, and for the long term, so I do wish Adam all the best in stepping into the role full time. Hopefully, he grows in confidence and asks the right questions at the right time.

I wouldn't have signed him based on his performance at Cardiff, and I obviously missed the German friendlies. However, they might have influenced the decision. He shows potential and was impressive going forward, but I have concerns about his defensive abilities. When will we have another opportunity to evaluate him further? We wouldn't, and it's not my decision to make. I just personally wouldn't have offered him a deal, but I do hope it works out and that my doubts aren't correct in time. One point which I would like to make is that his career having been overseas does seem to attract more optimism than some who don't have a glamorous football CV. It's quite unusual for me to acknowledge that his positivity largely stems from the clubs he has been associated with. However, my son was really hoping that we would sign him, and I do respect the club's decision. I am also open to the prospect that he does have a level of exciting ability; it's just the defensive side, but that might be perfectly fine against teams at our level. I would always welcome such a signing, regardless of my personal thoughts. I do hope Keanan Bennetts does well for us.

Further depth to the centre of midfield. I am a bit surprised by the signing, even as a loan, but I welcome it. The competition in this area does need to be used to make sure only those in form start, with the exception coming from suspensions, injuries, or tactical choices; it further gives Martin Paterson something different, so that will be interesting to see.

Some exciting news which has kept me busy; I really do wish I could clone myself! All very positive things for PON, and from three different areas. Although I do think I will need to push two areas as a means to see this through. I know it sounds very cryptic, but I don't want to leave any open spoilers. Not at the moment, as two of the things are in very early stages. Match days are a good escape from day-to-day life, from knowing nobody to knowing so many great fans. I am in a very privileged position, and I do want 2025-26 to be the season where I return to challenging myself when it comes to the anxiety and mental side of things. I am very thankful that I have so much support because it might feel like it's the other way around, but I know in my heart this is not the case. Thank you for the belated birthday wish, Michael. Ava had a lovely day. Aye, I do. 🖤🤍

Every football club looks to work towards sustainability; Notts is doing much better at this, but it will continue to come at the cost of selling players. A promotion when not ready could result in this being harder, but when club officials speak about sustainability, they are often talking about cutting down on losses at the end of each season. It doesn't generally mean they are breaking even or making a profit; in football, this is hard for a professional football club to do. Spending money on the training ground could be a waste, especially if UoN decides to kick us off its facilities. Without knowledge of the agreement, I wouldn't be able to say, and therefore it is only speculation. I wouldn't imagine there's an agreement which the club is happy with, and that is for a fair duration. Having an identically sized pitch is a good idea on the principle of making routine training, especially matches held on the training ground, easier, and when we play intra-squad practice games. We will be playing on the exact dimensions as Meadow Lane, which will make it easier for the players to work on training-ground drills to put into practice with the first team. I think Manchester City has one the same size as the Etihad, with the exception of having several other different-sized training ground pitches. You would believe that this would help make Meadow Lane a fortress at home, as it allows us to replicate more closely what visiting sides might try to pull off. Better preparation does tend to lead to bigger things. There were silly comments on social media from some fans suggesting that our owners were asset-stripping and priming the club for sale. I do wonder if it is so hard to believe that the ambitions of our owners, the work that they have done, and the desire they repeatedly show deserve such nonsense? Similar to the absurdity found in the frantic comments regarding the Reedtz family supposedly losing interest simply because they acquired Viborg FF. This can be a healthy discussion, provided we approach things respectfully and considerately. There are several intriguing points, making this topic particularly engaging.

The WSL is by far the best female league in the world, and it's reflecting with the improvements made by the English national team. It's great to see the England Lionesses doing so well, despite not having watched the game my son confirmed we had won (as we played Monopoly as a family). I thought we had won 3-1, but when I checked I realised that it was on pens. Brilliant achievement! It goes to show that if you have a keeper good enough to save them, you should have the qaulity to put them away. PS. I think some of the Spanish players were a bit cocky leading into the game, claims being far more superior to our ladies.

I need to make it clear from the start that I really like Kellan Gordon, but he frustrates me at the same time because he is clearly a good player. I think when it comes to putting in crosses, he's one of the best at the club, but it's just how lacking we are to attack his good deliveries. He's almost identical in trying to beat his man; it's virtually nonexistent. He came off against Cardiff, and I thought, "Why did we start him?" He's technically good; he has the ability to defend, but doesn't get stuck in enough for me. I think if he did, he could easily outshine others and prove too good with assists. The question I found myself asking as he came off against Cardiff is something that frequently pops up when he plays. Mai Traore, I still feel unsure about whether he will come good. If he managed to establish himself, he could be exciting to watch. I have seen spells where he has had the ball at his feet and gone forward, looking dangerous. Whereas without it, he looks like a duck out of water. Ability I don't question; it's his effort and the mental side of the game that I question. If we talk about players who can be good but need to be more consistent. I think the easiest answer would be Jacob Bedeau because, in spells, he sort of lost his way last season. Mostly towards the back, which could be more team-related, but it got to a point where I didn't want to see him lunging forward with the ball. He's perfectly capable of attacking, but if we could get solid performances out of him week in and week out, I think our form would reflect it. Some fans told me he was their player of the season, and I can't dispute their thoughts, but I didn't agree personally. He had a great season, but it was off the boil at times. I think the first game was Morecambe away, where I questioned whether he was the player I had seen playing brilliantly at Meadow Lane. Every player has their off days, so this might seem unfair to some, but I think when he's brilliant, we are generally by far the best team on the pitch.

To carry on from Super, I should have posted half of my post in the new weekly discussion here.

@Piethagoram, you didn't think to get a selfie with Super? Tut. tut.... 🫨 Saturday, I went to watch Notts vs Cardiff with Jake, my friend, and his partner. Ironically, misinformation made it a real merry-go-round to obtain my season tickets. Anyone else notice lots of scratches on the bar code? A few seasons back, I was issued a ST that was visible, and I couldn't get into games reliably. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn't. However, it had no damage from looking at it, but my new one looks highly unlikely to work. It could be worse, as my friend's partner Katrina had her name "Miss. P".. So, I kept joking that her name was Patrina. My friend, whose name is Mark, was mistakenly called Martin when he participated in the crossbar challenge last season and successfully hit it. It's too bad for them that Notts just can’t seem to get it together with their names. 😂😂😂 It was nice to be back at Meadow Lane, and I tried to make sure I said hello to everyone I know, as I want to try to combat the anxiety that I can't shake off since COVID. Sunday, with it being my youngest daughter's 14th birthday, we all went to see Super. It was nice, though we would have stayed longer, but we didn't want to disrupt his plans for watching the England ladies defend their Euros title. That said, we did spend a few hours with him, and it was good to catch up. Later on at home, we played Night Before Christmas Monopoly, and that was a right laugh. Very long game, though, bordering on three to four hours. We usually play Monopoly Go for this reason, but Kate got this version for Christmas, and we hadn't played it. In typical fashion, I ended up getting cards (which would be chances) only to be sent to jail for smashing Jack's pumpkins. Today, I don't really want to dwell on things, but I will say that I am relaxing. 👍🏻

I do need to figure out how to set the server up with the site which would allow me to explain what is going on, but as a single person maintaining things, I have to choose how best to spend my time. If setting up the means for it to be detected automatically, it would make it easier for me to pop a short update as to what's happening. Then continue to fix things, but there's no way I would make it publicly known on social media. Not because I don't value updating, but because it poses a big security concern. I am and have always believed transparacy and accountability are important values. Most might not care for the updates I provide, but it's there for those who do and it's their for those who might.

Cardiff City played really well going forward and were direct at the beginning. They made it difficult for Notts to get into, and I wish more people would understand that good teams do make it hard for clubs that might not be up to their level to play. There was a lot of frustration heard about how we couldn't attack, but I think the credit must go to Cardiff for pressing and making it difficult. The referee was quite easy with fouls, quite irritating at the beginning because a lot of the early "fouls" were nothing compared to the shirt pulling or tackles our players faced. Notts would have had to take control of the ball and force Cardiff back, and I didn't think they would maintain their aggressive start. It's a demanding tempo to retain for 90 minutes, but to expect us to be able to play the way we grew into the game from the start is very naive thinking. Confidence played a big part in the positives today; the passing at times was a joy to see, but we lacked the movement that was visible later on. As we grew in confidence, Cardiff struggled to maintain the tempo and control. I thought Conor Grant was class; he would be my man of the match. Jodi Jones, playing as the attacking midfielder with the ability to go to the flanks, could work if we persist. His creativity could be missed from the wider area, but we have a lot of quality in the wing-back positions. Jodi could be braver in this role without the worry of being crunched down so much. Defenders don't like flying on attacking midfielders who play a central role, as it doesn't protect their goal. For some reason, in football it's perfectly acceptable on the flanks. Yes, Jodi is brilliant in the wide space, but there's no reason why he can't be the replacement for David McGoldrick. I don't blame Matt Palmer for Cardiff's second goal; I wish people wouldn't target players who people constantly call out. It was a silly pass from Harry Griffiths; it went straight into danger, and most of our players would have been hard-pressed not to lose the ball. You play it that quickly to an area where the opposition are waiting like lions; you can't expect a player to cope well in that situation. Comments about squad depth should be eased a little, as I do think we had plenty of options, and although I still would hope for one or two players. Yet, the signs are quite promising, and I loved watching Martin Paterson. Though Jodi might like Martin picking him up, the passion and constant instructions set a high standard. I left happy from the Notts perspective; I don't think I would have if I supported Cardiff. They wasted so much attacking space by trying to get behind our last defender, but again, I think defensively we were superb at times.

Hello, @Terry Lyons. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, I do hope you enjoy being a memeber of our Notts County community. If you need any help or assistance please do reach out to a member of the team. COYP!

Hello, and welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @roadsider1862. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

I am sorry about this, but I'm working on upgrading one of the old resources, and it looks like I'm running into some glitches. This might happen a bit here and there, but I’ll do my best to keep the live site running smoothly and avoid any hiccups. Thanks for your understanding!

I really hope the bets have no connection to any information connected to Lewis Macari or youth games, as otherwise we could be looking at a lengthy ban. Most likely, I agree with you that the club might be preparing for Macari to be banned for several months. Looking at the list, according to @TheSkipper's analysis, it appears that even those with over 300 might face a lengthy ban. I am really hoping the first part of my comment above this quote is the case. I assume it's due to the complexity that comes with proving it, the FA doesn't issue charges without extensive proof and evidence. So, it makes me wonder if in Lewis Macari's case someone tipped them, then they spent all this time investigating it and making their case as concrete to issue the chagers. I mean, the amount sounds quite signicant to me until I read the various amounts noted by The Skipper. Now it seems near to be some form of average amount, but the fact they can find totals seems facinating to me.

I have thought about that, but I think I would find standing just as challenging. I usually feel like a robot after standing at football games, though there's nothing stopping me from looking at a desk that is flexible between sitting and standing. My daughter has a special gaming/office chair that is very heavenly to sit on; you can adjust the back, and it moves with you. I sometimes joke about nicking it from her, as I have spent considerable time working on her Windows install and computer itself at times. So, I do think I should consider saving up for a new, similar chair. The guidence at least was there, though I probably wouldn't get up either. 🫣 Backs feeling much happier since having a nice warm bath, the cold has the opposite effect to me. Not that with the water shortage, I would be wanting them as often as I would find use for. I appreciate your recommendation and comment.

I have seen comments about him needing fitness on social media, and some unhappy "fans" complaining that he got a red card against FC Kaiserslautern. Some might be fair; it was a reckless challenge, but again, it's pre-season. I am not sure why there are some calls for him to be returned to Barnsley because of it. I think it's very much one of those where you have to let it pass and accept it for what it is in that moment. On paper, it does look to be a decent signing. Obviously, he has not played a lot of minutes, but getting him up to speed in training and remaining friendlies could see him make an impact for us. His position has a fair amount of candidates to start, so I think we can afford him time to improve his fitness without being too judgmental of him.

Aside from Alfreton, I haven't been able to see any of the trialists, and none really impressed me in that game. It would be interesting to see if our next game will be streamed, as it sounds like a fairer contest on paper, and hopefully the German style doesn't throw us off. As mentioned by Liam, I am hoping we buy a keeper because that gives the player a sense of being wanted, and generally they tend to be far better than whoever ends up as a free agent.

I am pleased for Chelsea as they represented England, and I am sure @super_pie will be happy as he likes them too. I almost changed his username once to "Superski" during the Roman Abramovich era. Thankfully, a combination of bringing @callum2569 and Notts looking up kept him a magpie. It's a great result for Chelsea, but it highlights just how much of a star Cole Palmer is.