Chris

I am glad it's much cooler today; it's been a bit unbearable to use my laptop due to it creating its own heat. Cheeky has adjusted my desk so that I can get my chair underneath it; I have a lot of issues with sitting down (I won't go into it, but it's back-related). Even making the slight change to remove what would have been an area my desk slided out on, housing my keyboard, I do find sitting closer and the ability to adjust more does make a big difference. Typing on top of my desk and having less room on the desk itself is a little fidgety. This is because I am quite fussy, but at least I can't see many cables. 😂

I loved this shirt because it is a very Nottinghamshire-looking kit; although simple, it holds a place of importance for me as a reminder of our first season outside the English Football League. I think the new away shirt is excellent; I like the pattern, but I am not so keen on the white trimmings. Yellow would have been much nicer in my opinion, but I fully understand the need to make shirts different. I really hope one day we return to a nice yellow away kit; if done in good taste, it can look very nice.

I watched a video on YouTube last week where it spoke about how match-fixing syndicates target young players. It mentioned how it can start by encouraging them to place bets, and once they get hooked on making money, it gives them more of a buzz to keep going. I am not implying that match-fixing is connected to these cases, but it's disturbing to see how these crime groups are targeting exceptionally talented young players. Some media outlets are already connecting Lewis Macari's grandfather's troubles with gambling. I do tend to sympathise a little because gambling has always been a huge problem, and it will only get worse. I am fully aware that professional athletes can't place bets, especially within football, but it's very easy to get involved. Football is very heavily associated with gambling, so that temptation is always there, and to some it might seem harmless placing a bet on a game which has no connection to where you play, but it's still never a good idea. It's time for betting companies to have the same treatment as alcohol manufacturers. Because if people think seeing a Liverpool shirt with Carlsberg on it is enough to tempt people, then betting companies need to stop using sport as a means to ram their product down the throats of fans, and they need to be held accountable just as much as the players. Match-fixing is an entirely separate issue, and I firmly oppose it, regardless of whether players have been manipulated or exploited. I’ve always empathised with players like Tony Adams and Paul Merson, who struggled with alcoholism and faced cruel taunts as a result. Any form of addiction is scary and concerning, and the amount reported with Macari would lead you to assume he did have a problem of some kind.

1992 would be a good point, and I would try to advise Derek Pavis on upcoming players and make sure that we backed Neil Warnock all the way. Rather than selling our best players, the investment in young talent we know could easily make us thrive and rebuild from the ground up from that success. Whilst it might be impossible for us to snap up the likes of Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, or even Les Ferdinand. We know enough about the path that some in our price range could have, and no doubt retaining some of our own future stars that went on to bigger and better things. It might mean we didn't win the Anglo-Italian Cup, which I watched as a young kid, but players like Phil Turner, I believe, would have thrived in our team built around young Premier League talent. We might have won the FA Cup for the second time.

I know once upon a time Notts used to announce, let's just say, adjusted numbers. Yet, I was under the impression that it is not possible these days. It was a very common thing during the 80s and 90s. I had been told. Meadow Lane can look busier at times compared to the announced gate, and at the same time it can look well under what was announced. I tended to take the gates under Alan Hardy for the big games as just an achievement rather than the actual number being a sign of our fan base growing; he used to give his employees tickets, allegedly. Which is different compared to the 90s, when the numbers tended to be inflated.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @Triton 61. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

If you can effectively address the morale challenge that comes from a significant defeat, while also mitigating the lack of offensive threat, and subsequently uplift the squad, it would be a remarkable achievement. The frustration goes away, but it is important for the players to understand the difference in our level and theirs. A lot of teams these days do want to put themselves into these positions where the team has to work hard against a much higher level of opposition. My comparison would be to the days when under Ray Trew we mostly played non-league clubs and we were the teams doing the whipping. It can give you a false sense of security, then when you play against good teams or ones on a similar footing, you have a wake-up call. I found FC Kaiserslautern to be quite a good team, but they won't be winning awards for being gracious hosts. In fact, I thought they were very much poor winners with few of their players making any effort to shake our players hands. It was visible that our lads would walk to them and the exchange would happen, but their players seemed more fussed about congratulating themselves. One right near the end, one of their players decided to walk from their established group, who were celebrating, to walk near the semicircle in order to shake hands. Our players had to initiate it, and it's not about losing; it's about being good sports. As a team, they were good. Very organised, quick to press and win the ball. Fitness will be used here, but it's more about paying attention. A lot of our team was guilty of just ball-watching, but again this could most likely be due to being overwhelmed by just how good they are and how little we had to combat them. I'm not sure why we made a big thing about Jodi Jones arriving, only to not play him at all. Part of me understands he's lacking confidence, but I think he could have used it as an exercise in defending. With some productive steps for us to get out of our own half, he has played for Malta since returning, so I find it a bit puzzling. The camera caught a glimpse of Jodi, who hadn't changed into training clothes. Not a big deal, but I don't think he needed hyping, because it just leads to the calls that will come that he's not fit or ready. Then it will loop back to how uninvolved he has been in the pre-season. Barry Cotter being sent off, I can understand, but I agree with DangerousSausage. European referees are less mindful, so I do think the official made the right call, but at the same time, I think he could have been forgiving and issued a yellow card. Cotter was quick to acknowledge the mistake; I think he genuinely attempted to go for the ball, and considering it's a friendly, I would have thought a yellow was deserving. So, yes, in a normal game I think red would be justified. I do think the official could have given him the benefit of the doubt and allowed Martin Paterson to take him off. It wasn't a challenge out of spite, which Kaiserslautern did some of their own. They left studs in many times and raised elbows to clatter our players, which loops back to them being very poor hosts. The melee that their players created should have seen at least two yellow cards and several warnings. Why some of their players decided to go after any Notts player, again, just convinced me that they were poor hosts. Chasing after Cotter, who at all times had his hands up, just seemed very unwarranted. Very poor officiating; the officials didn't do a good job dispersing it, and it's not for our players to do this - which they did despite being aggressively confronted. I don't think we can criticise our players; it seems very unfair to say they didn't want to play or that they made no effort. The only thing I would agree with is pointing out the ball watching, but even if we had reduced that. It would still be a no-contest game. The result doesn't matter, and I am not that bothered about the performance. I can understand that it was difficult for us defensively. There could be points made about doing better. Yet you have to understand the class in terms of quality between us and them. I think Paterson should perhaps have changed the formation to make us better suited to defending; it might have allowed us to attack a bit more confidently, but he might just want to see how we coped under pressure.

@super_ram, How inconsiderate of Notts, right? Nonetheless, Derby remains the top priority. [even though you are well known to talk more about Notts]. 🤣 I'll try to remember to watch it.

I am glad you were safe, but it is scary. When I was learning to drive, it amazed me how annoying and selfish ambulance drivers could be. I know people don't like hearing about people talking badly about them because they "save lives," but some of the drivers at times put others in danger; this applies to the police and fire services. Multiple times during driving lessons, I would pull in safely and receive praise from @Drivingmenotts, only to have an ambulance attempt to force me to move into a dangerous position for me. I would sometimes feel incredibly nervous, and it would cross my mind, "Should I?" but one look at Jim and he would say I was fine. To be clear, I was in a safe position for all involved, and the ambulance could have easily gone around me. At a different time on a roundabout, every car made space and stopped only for the driver to choose to go in between the cars instead of by the side where it was free, and the driver swore at everyone passing by.

He reminds me a little of Marti Allen, in the sense that he uses humour and direct talking to build a relationship with the players. I can't believe some of the players were asking him what he called the sprinkles on top of an ice cream; I've always known them as hundreds and thousands. It's only since 2010 that I have seen them being called sprinkes; even when my mum made cakes, her containers had "hundreds and thousands." 😂 The club did this with Stuart Maynard when he came in, and the contrast between the two is extremely different. I thought Maynard came across as very organised as a coach, but Martin Paterson seems another level. "Don't be disappointed, just get it right," and "you never need to say sorry to me." These are good ways to send your message over productively, and what he said to Riley Reynolds is a very vital thing for a young player to do. Communication is very important across the pitch, and if you have been selected to play, experience means nothing, nor does age, when it comes to telling a teammate to give you space, come in tight, etc. We play as a team, not as individuals, and success can be gained only when the team works together. Also, being selfish and unafraid to upset players is another important lesson, but it's all about timing and the right type of selfishness. There are times when players in previous seasons should go alone and have an effort on goal but choose to pass, and the opportunity ends up disappearing. Likewise, there's a chance when a player needs to be less selfish and make a pass. It's all about trust and trying to make the right decision. Also, there's nothing against this, but we have to keep in mind that this was always intended to be shared with us. Does this change what we heard? No, not really. Yet, you still need to hold onto some reservations nonetheless.

No, not at all. The weekly chat will always be encouraged for updating on what everyone has been up to, plans to do, and all those things that get the community talking to each other. I see the status as being more about personal achievements or things you would post on social media. With statuses being more personal or socially inclined, it could lead to further topic discussions being explored.

I would like to encourage members to use the status feature, just as you would on social media networks like BlueSky, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Threads. https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/ustatus/ This feature caught on after @Fan of Big Tone posted, and it's been a real joy sharing updates and posts as statuses to it. There are a handful of members who seem to be making the most of the feature; the statuses go in your profile and on the page above. There's even a widget in the dashboard which shows x amount, where you can read more and comment. This could be a very nice addition to our community, and another way to express something short: your day, a photo, etc. I'll be continuing to use it, especially during the new season. PS. Once the moods app is upgraded, you'll be able to set that, too. 👍🏻

The "Latest Community Discussions" widget is now back. Please note: The star icon at the beginning of a title indicates that a member has replied. If that icon lights up and the title is bold, it means there are new posts. The title will take you to the first post. The description or area beneath will take you to the latest unread comment. A total of forty topics will be presented, including those highlighted as featured. On mobiles and tablets in portrait mode, it will be thirty-five. A new feature: Active viewers will be shown without the need to reload the page; this allows members to see what content might be discussed live at that moment. As always, I welcome feedback. You won't be able to scroll pages, unfortunately; pagination isn't possible in v5 due to a lack of hook points.

I like that we are adding depth; he should be good cover, but with the options we have and our formation of being three at the back, it's hard to see how Sonny Aljofree will get ahead of Lewis Macari, Lucas Ness, outside of injuries. Not a negative, as I say depth and cover are vital. Hope he enjoys his experience and time at Meadow Lane.

It will be good for his confidence that he got a goal yesterday; that seems to be a big boost to Conor Grant's confidence. I do understand the points about him going quiet. I think he did very well in spells last season, but him taking charge in going forward and making himself a constant presence in our build-up play could see him chip in with more goals but also contribute with assists. Ideally, Martin Paterson will be able to get the most out of him. I don't think it's a lack of effort with Grant, but that other players like David McGoldrick tended to step up more than he did. Without the shadows of others, Grant has the potential to do the same. All our players should want the ball, should be able to drive us forward, and sometimes I would say Grant showing determination over ability would be welcome.

It's going to be another good test, considering their level and their being in the same league as Darmstadt. This standard of opposition is very useful for our preparation, as it will show who is ready and who needs to be pushed more.

The whole purpose of loaning players out is so that they gain first-team experience. I really hope we can start to bring through academy players before we reach the Championship (if and when that is). In League One, it can work because if you can find a good League Two team to take a youth on loan, it's a good level and starting point. I am not much of a fan of loaning players out to random National League North teams, with the exception of if the team is doing well. I generally question how much better they will be when they return? It's very hard, but it's why as fans we need to let the club know we are prepared to give youngsters a chance with the right experience. Even if the support players might not be as skilled as those around them, their passion, drive, and eagerness to get better can really bring something unique to the table.

Does anyone else write poetry? Let's continue to share and have some fun. 😁 Another outstanding poem, Michael! It leads well to the ending.

Holly will be missed, she's been a big part of the women's team and the reformed club after the last team folded. I hope they can strengthen and gain promotion, it would be nice to see our women's team continue to progress. I think Holly is now a coach? I believe I read that.

I wrote this on our Facebook group: I do still feel disappointed by the comments he made when he arrived, because I think this says a lot about someone's true character. His decision to leave, after Notts offered him what sounded like a fair offer, and rejecting it. Well, it went against those first comments he initially made, but I do acknowledge that football changes. There was a sense of excitement around the reception when he arrived before the AFC Wimbledon playoff home leg. Moving to Barnsley, I don't have any issues with that, and I wish him well. Had he joined Chesterfield or MK Dons, it would have disappointed me further, and I don't think I would think of him in the same light. Regardless of the money they offered, I just wouldn't get my head around it.

I am not trying to single out Mai Traore, I just wondered how he did? There were some good glimpses, I felt, from him against Alfreton, but I don't think the issue is English football. I'm wondering if it's nerves and confidence; I know it's easy to say "he's a professional footballer," but if he remains unsettled and not himself, it will naturally reflect on his football. If he looked the same as previously against a German team, then I would be inclined to think he will need longer to find his place on our team. I have nothing against him; I just feel he's not always the best option to be played, but at times I can acknowledge that for him to improve, he does need that support. I have seen glimpses of highlights; I think it did take Notts time to settle in and grow in confidence. Darmstadt 98 presents itself as a highly organised and cohesive team. I think when you play good teams, you learn far more in football if you can put those pieces of adjustment needed to further improve your own play. Defensively, we looked to have struggled, but this might not be fair given what I have seen. Not just the back three, but the midfield failing to pick up the danger as it grew. Nothing but knowledge and lessons to be learned from it, I am sure it has provided valuable insights.

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

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

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

Hello, @theAnticlough. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham! I apologise for having missed this, but I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.