Chris

He's not in the current list to be taken to Germany; I suppose this could be based on not having a passport or even maybe being loaned out? You could definitely speculate about that a bit! https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2025/july/08/follow--notts-in-germany/ Yes, I think out of all the young players we have. James Sanderson is the one who most stands out and could do with some first-team experience within Notts. I am somewhat disappointed not to see him listed in the squad going to Germany. I thought he did well against Alfreton, and footballers don't reach higher levels without being tried at them first. If he's going out on loan, I would hope it's to a good team, but really I think there's room for him to feature in our team. He could fit in nicely in the attacking midfield position, perhaps as a backup or rotational player, where he could get minutes as a substitute. While I would encourage loans, there are times when you feel a player deserves a chance to make an impact, and Sanderson has always impressed me. There's room for improvement, but that comes from experience and game time. Perhaps early on, Martin Paterson won't be as inclined to give younger players a chance, as he will be learning about the team, but you would hope that with time he would start to try to make the most out of the young, hungry, and upcoming youngsters we have. If Norwich, Spurs, and so on can take our young stars and turn them into professionals, there's zero reason we can't; it's just a failure to get that exposure at the level we are playing at.

Didn't we do this once during the Trew era? At least I seem to recall something like this happening or being suggested. David Grof stands out in my memory as someone who might have stayed with a fan I know. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dávid_Gróf It's not uncommon for clubs who don't have a lot of money, and wish to reduce the costs of hotels and apartment rentals.

I suppose his injuries could be what makes him seem lazy, but I wasn't impressed with how he expected other players to make runs when he wouldn't move a slight bit to intercept the ball. It's not his positional play that had me more concerned; it's his confrontation to losing the ball and aggressive stance when things don't work out. I don't think these actions are useful in a team environment. It could be that Notts are looking for "experience," but I would give him a hard pass based on his attitude and injury history myself.

Oldham have signed a couple of good players, but I still don't feel all that threatened by them, and we don't really need wide players. If there were more to cover, with him being lined up to play an attacking midfield role, it could work because he can also play up top, but I don't see it as a missed opportunity myself. I know he scored a fair amount of goals in the National League, but we'll see how he does with Oldham now, and I am sure the club will be tracking players who they may have interest in or have lost out on. We have a good squad, yes, we missed out on the automatic places and lost in the playoffs. However, to suggest we are a million miles away from other clubs based on not signing x, y, or z just seems a little vague. A lot of fans seemed to agree at one point that all we needed was strengthening in crucial areas, with cover for injuries. Every time another club signs a player, we seem to be comparing them and acting like we have the ability to sign them all. I do agree, @Piethagoram is right that Jack Stevenes could make a good signing, but he would need to be guaranteed a starting place to continue his journey in my opinion, and I fail to see currently where he would fit in to secure that. Nonetheless, he could be a future signing because he is still quite young.

Jevani Brown got stick when he signed on loan for not doing anything, and my first thoughts were, if the number 9 we played in the second half was Romaine Sawyers, could we get more of the better aspects I saw out of him? I don't like players who complain and make comments to others in a way that suggests they're unhappy or just being plain mardy. I mean, it's only a friendly, but I think those types of attitudes can be destructive. It's also quite frustrating to see as a fan and a telltale sign of their attitude. The number 9 did this a lot against Alfreton, and he walked around the pitch making minimal effort. There were some clever passes, but the crossing wasn't brilliant. Maziar Kouhyar, who I thought was brilliant, had contention for crossing, with the number 9 demanding he make the crosses early into the second half, which Kouhyar eventually took more control of and I think did better. It's a torn thing, as I didn't like what I saw. The negatives outweigh the positives; I mean, calling players angrily to come receive the ball but barely moving when others want you to do the same? If this player continues to do this in friendlies, and we do sign him and it turns out to be Sawyers, it would be irritating to see it in league games. He did a very clever pass to Mai Troare that, unfortunately, Traore wasn't able to control the ball as it seemed to hit a bobble. That was a quality pass, but audible nonsense was shouted with signs of frustration from number 9. He did a lovely spread pass to James Sanderson that looked levels above League Two, and a neat turn to put Matthew Dennis into a goal-scoring chance. Assuming number 9 is Sawyers, the negative side would need to be tackled. It's not something I like; after all, it's a team sport, and Paterson would be wise not to let players ruin morale. Maybe he was frustrated? Or it could be that he was acting out because he wants to be signed? Personally, I didn't see enough to say that we would see more quality than silly antics and laziness. I asked @ARLukomski, after the Alfreton game who number 9 was and he mentioned he believed it was Sawyers. @sadlad: You should know Romaine Sawyers well from his time at Walsall, what do you think? Does he have issues with being mardy?

@liampie, @CliftonMagpie, as far as I am concerned, all the subscribers are heroes, but it's not just about money. It's about acknowledging people's efforts; so far, Michael has been an unsung hero. I don't want to draw attention, but I felt a thank you was deserved. I don't want to upset people, so I try to make sure praise is collective, though it really is deserved here. It doesn't take anything away from anyone else, nor does it mean I don't appreciate those who can't donate or subscribe, because I do. I'm very thankful for the things I have learned, the friends I have made, and the people who have made PON enjoyable for all.

Hello, I just wanted to share a quick update on the remaining upgrades from the old version of the site. Thanks to the generous support of our donating members, covering the costs has been much easier. A special thanks to @Michael D Pie., someone whose kindness really shines through, not just because they're generous, but because they genuinely care. Those members who know me well will know I don't like singling people out or giving praise, but Michael has been a significant factor in this process, and it's only right to thank him. The + Create button, which was scrapped from v4, has returned as a custom mod. This adds a level of convenience to starting new discussions, among other content, without the need to go to a specific location. It was such a boost when it arrived as a feature and quickly became something noticeably missed since upgrading. While this is a small update, it should help with content in general and starting discussions as we start to move into the pre-season. As previously noted, the upcoming game features enhanced automation of match discussions. I will be spending time ensuring the full fixtures get added, alongside the help of my wife @cheeky~k8. Mood statuses will be returning, with Terabyte informing me recently that he's wrapping up the finishing touches on his app. Our previous footer will return, but unfortunately the dev working with me on that is currently unable to code at this time. I have enquired about the app which gave subscribers a badge; I am hoping to hear back from the dev with regard to that. The bookmark app, which allowed members to safely store content for future reference, will return momentarily. As should the surveillance system for when discussions need to be moderated to avoid things escalating to a point that they shouldn't. Guest limits across the site will be something I hope will return, but I have no ETA on that. I believe limiting guests and encouraging people to register and join in will only benefit the site, and while I will try to make sure guests can gain value from visiting, I would like to give them more reasons to join and become involved. My focus on newsletters was disrupted due to the sudden announcement that v5 was in beta. While I have tried to send bulk messages from the site, I don't think it warrants the effort. Instead, I will be focusing on the list where members have already approved my sending them the newsletter. At a point, I will make sure a subscription widget is added to encourage more to get involved, but when people join a site, they don't always want to receive emails or notifications, which is a shame because it brings them the community aspects, but it's also understandable that people would not want them. Major news will still go out as per normal, but I will be focusing more on a newsletter and encouraging fans to follow areas of the site in order to get email updates. The latest discussion widget from the old site, unfortunately the dev that had been working on its return isn't able to code right now, therefore I have asked another dev to take it on. There's no ETA on this, but it is of the highest priority. Aside from this, there are little things and some new features that I want to add in time. They are as follows: A proper league system. Additional ways of showing upcoming games, fixtures, and results. Squad page, which is more detailed than what I have created. History and stats. Prediction League system. Enhanced member profile picture gallery (upgraded from previous versions). The PONcast player, featuring the inaugural Notts podcast, will make its comeback at a later date. A member page that displays the total content reach, along with historical records on specific dates, featuring additional statistics for members. I would like to thank all the newcomers, returning, and regular members for their support. It is appreciated, and no effort goes unnoticed by me. I couldn't sing our community's praises any more. Thank you, Chris

It's interesting, as I remember reading about it on the official site and a different post other than the one headlined "Pre-season update ℹ️" of Nick Tsaroulla training. So, did I dream this, or has the club actually removed updates??? I can't say I am overly bothered, but it wouldn't be the first time the club has had a knee-jerk reaction to negative updates and the loss of a player, resulting in a media PR tidy up.

The loss of Alex Bass has created a new, more urgent focus for the club because Bass gave us confidence in his all-round abilities as a keeper. I haven't felt as calm or as assured that our keeper could make those defining saves to keep out the opposition as I have with him. The thing about strikers is I believe we need more than two; ideally, we would have four, ensuring they can get game time in different positions. Notts players have a good style, which has a high creation chance, and although last season we did struggle to score at times. I do feel confident in our ability to feed a striker and allow them to grow with confidence; for example, Kyle Wootton learned a lot from coming to us. This experience has given him a platform to go on. Whereas we once struggled with strikers, it now seems like we could put any hard-working striker with a good finishing ability in this position, and he would get goals. Macaulay Langstaff, Alassanna Jatta and David McGoldrick thrive within this type of setup, and their quality always stood out when in form. Sign a solid keeper that will impress and make us forget about the disappointment of Alex Bass moving on; it would allow us to remember his time as an excellent signing. Rather than wishing we had never sold him. Good keepers are out there, but again, just like with management, I think experience is key. Bass's time at AFC Wimbledon showed his quality, and there will be others waiting for that opportunity to be a team's regular starting goalkeeper. An attacking midfielder of proven class, hard-working, and with the potential to score, would be nice. Signings could easily boost morale in the fan base, as could a good start to the season. Excellent blog!

Wait and see, I never report on speculation because often the stories can't be believed, and you just end up spreading rumours. The only exception is discussing them, although in this case I am unsure where the original source got its information. I only learned about this myself from a chat, where someone said that he would be signing tomorrow. I guess we will have to wait and see, though researching it, it sounds like Blackburn Rovers have shown interest in him in the past.

Nottinghamshire LiveSchmeichel on 'mad' season of Munto, Eriksson and private...'Things were happening and I was like 'wow these guys are serious''@Piethagoram: This is a good watch. High PerformanceKASPER SCHMEICHEL — High PerformanceKasper Schmeichel is a Premier League winner with Leicester City, a club where he’s been the No.1 goalkeeper throughout the entirety of his time at King Power Stadium, where he’s also lifted Champi...

Manchester City never received a penny for the transfer fee; they didn't ask for it in the end. Kasper has also been vocal about how he effectively joined on a free transfer. I had the opportunity to serve Russell King several times at my workplace, where he frequently claimed to be of royal descent or at least connected to royalty. He had this fancy gold walking cane that had what looked like rubies and diamonds all over it. He would slam it down as you approached with food, then two big body guards would take the food off you. You weren't treated very friendly, but Sven was always a true gent. Meeting him in person, and the way he would approach me every time he came to dine, changed my thoughts on how the media perceived him.

When I went to Morecambe last season, their ground and facilities impressed me. It's a shame that they are going through so much financial difficulties; hopefully, they find a way to move forward, but I fear without heavy restructuring now, it might lessen the interest from potential buyers. I do hope they manage to find a solution.

After being impressed with how Walsall did last season and how we have a good connection with Stoke City. I would have been tempted to enquire about bringing Tommy Simkin in on loan as a temporary replacement for Alex Bass. I would love for us to go in for a young keeper like Simkin, but I think Stoke will value him at a fee where we might want to invest further throughout the squad. The main areas for me would be the keeper situation and an attacking midfielder. I can understand the calls for Will Jarvis to play in that role, but I also see how immense he can be playing out wide and cutting in. That seems very natural to him, to want to take players on and work his way into striking range. Jodi Jones and Will Jarvis out wide could make life difficult for the opposition, but until Jodi gets his confidence, I think we should allow him to be a super-sub. Maybe we do need to look at someone who can play as an AM/ST.

Notts had sent through a discount letter, which I used to encourage @GrannyPie and @super_ram to come. We went in the MLSB, which back then reminded me of a very run-down bar you might find at Skegness in the early 90s. It was horrible; the floor was sticky, and the lemonade was awful. Prior to this, I would just go into the ground, but with it being a family occasion, we wanted to have a drink beforehand. I can remember a loudmouth bragging and shouting with his group of friends about how we were going to sign David Beckham. 😂🫣 "We're richer than Manchester City and Chelsea combined." To which I spoke to my family about how scared I was that this would change the club for the worse. I worried the family feel would disappear and more fans who only cared about winning would take over. Due to Notts frequenting where I worked, I managed to stay up-to-date a lot better than most. 🤫 I remember breaking the Sol Campbell signing and being called a liar, and then once it was confirmed, I kept getting people asking me for information. I probably shouldn't have, in hindsight, mentioned Sol, as it could have put my job security in danger, but I was quite pleased that the club was looking to improve. It's due to Sol I knew something wasn't right, and all the antics with Russell King trying to pretend to be more regal than he was, with fake security protection and the bills that weren't paid by him but put on the club's account. I do hope Mr. Hart never saw the light of day with regard to that money.

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have both shown interest in him, as did AFC Wimbledon prior to them, and it seems like he could be a brilliant keeper in the making. I wish him every chance of enjoying success for us. Everything I am seeing suggests he's "naturally gifted." League Two, as our next first team's number one, could see him flourish with an understudy.

It's a good draw; personally, I am not the biggest fan of how Wigan Athletic have conducted themselves since their Premier League days, but they are a big club. It's going to be a challenge; I just hope they don't play us off the park like Peterborough United did last season and that we can finish the game somewhat respectfully. Whilst there's every chance we could progress, I think it's unlikely at the moment. This and the FA Cup can be a welcome distraction from the league in terms of the stress and grind of promotion. Winning games, especially forming a cup run, can really be a positive thing for a team at our level.

I have started preparing for the season, doing various graphics and starting to obtain the badges, which have changed. Also, I have been writing and playing around with a schedule. Cheeky helped me to be organised for the first part of last season, then I fell out of it, but this time around I am sticking to following it. The server is all updated; everything with regard to that is done as part of my weekly and daily maintenance. My room is quite breezy, but I have noticed the heat has certainly upped since earlier. Between 9-ish and 2-ish it was just really nice, but it's becoming toasty now. I don't plan on doing anything outside, just resting up, but I would like to get around to seeing my dad. Probably Wednesday, as I will need Jake to agree to go with me.

Just as it felt when we signed Alex Bass, Matty Platt and Jacob Bedeau. Losing any of these ahead of a new campaign would feel like it risks the chance of promotion, especially without signing replacements beforehand. Losing Bass today really hits me hard. You build from the back, and the keeper is such an important part. Right now, I am unsure whether we are strong enough to make the playoffs, but we do have plenty of time to correct this.

It's a very surprising decision; I don't think £300,000 would tempt me in the club's position. I think Alex Bass is more worth retaining because of just how good he is and how good he will be in his prime. Double the speculated amount, and maybe, but announcing a keeper that hasn't really got the experience just adds to the disappointment. I am sure Harry Griffiths has potential and would be perfect as an understudy to someone more experienced. I just feel this adds to the frustration that is felt around our fan base and how disappointing it feels to lose such a good player. I can fully accept that we are in no position to reject good offers, but this just puts further focus on our recruitment, insofar as the outgoings don't really give confidence in the standard of the incomings. Notts needs to replace Bass very wisely; the money gained must be spent on signing good players who bring us the quality we need. @gtownjohnno, we need to replace Alex Bass properly; this fee needs to be used to bring in those key players that Notts still need, because only good arrivals from here on will encourage fans. This is very concerning, considering just how well Bass played for us.

Now there's a forgotten ex-player; if I remember rightly, Blackburn Rovers signed Keith Andrews. Which elevated him as a player, though with their decline, I never really kept track of him. My brother has always had a soft spot for Rovers, so there was a period when I did keep an interest in them. Andrews has long fallen off my radar, but I think he could be good if given the chance. (get through tough times, get the chance to learn, and get better).

Yesterday, I had the first walk with my brother since the day @GrannyPie sadly passed. It's been something we have tried to do, but things never seem to have planned out. For me, the walks are vital in keeping my legs functioning, therefore enabling me to walk. It was really nice to get out; the weather wasn't too hot, but I did feel like drinking a lot more than normal. We met up in the car park, then went for a walk around the lake while playing Pokémon Go. We tended to meet for community days with the game, as it gave us something extra to do while walking and talking. It was the 2025 Pokémon Go Fest, so there was a lot more activity with the game. My niece, Luna, is walking a lot more, but my brother also took a trike, which we pushed her around in at times. There was a football club doing running drills, and a physio whom we tried to learn who it was, as they seemed to be training like a professional club. Their training gear was also made by Nike, and they didn't seem very amateur at all to me. They must have run past us at least three times as we walked around the lake. I think I overdid it just a little, as once I came home, I just wanted to sit and eventually started getting bad back pain. Which led to me being absent for the rest of the day, as I became sleepy and slept it off. Today has been quite nice, though my legs and back continue to hurt. I have been resting up and just relaxing. @cheeky~k8 has cheered me up a lot, something which I appreciate because I feel down when I can't do what I normally want to do.

I think the club is very much focused on becoming sustainable and trying to manage when progress is being made without having to further invest money. This could explain why we aren't going for the obvious free agents, which would bring quality. There's this feeling that this season is more about us building upon the squad from last year and doing it in a way where we might be able to spend more at the crucial point in the January transfer window. Notts does seem to manage the playing budget well, without going all MK Dons with wages and signing in a hope to force promotion. There are so many 'new' things about which we are unsure, and naturally this is going to lead to concerns. I think once the season does start, it might become clearer, and we could feel like there is hope. Burton were in a self-destruct mode with how terrible their campaign had become last season; Martin Paterson arguing with their fans seems quite common when teams are struggling, and it's something he needs to learn to avoid. Young coaches will have this, but at the same time I know some of the issues Burton fans were blowing off about were really just them having a classic football meltdown. I have no knowledge of what our wage budget would look like, or if it's improved from when we were speculated to have a mid-table budget, but good players do come with a price and usually with extra demands. I wonder if we look more closely at players who have potential but are happier to be a squad player than instantly demanding first-team football? Obviously, we all would like signings which we see as "starting XI," but that can cause issues within the camp; it presents a balance for game time and with what squad we have, and the players already wanting minutes. In which areas can we truly sign someone who can be guaranteed to start? We still have time to make some solid signings, and I really hope we don't splash cash on signing a backup keeper with potential, as I feel this can be more easily solved. I would much rather see us bring in a quality attacking midfielder, though it does seem like Conor Grant is favoured for this role. Arrivals of players who have a record with scoring would be far better than players who assist or are key in creating chances, as we are good enough at doing so. We need people who show a burst of quality that can make things different. I don't believe Will Jarvis is the type of signing we would ever have made at the start of the season, and better players tend to become more available in January.

You would be surprised by how many people try to do things like this; it's not uncommon for dining restaurants or hotels to be contacted by sellers of all sorts, from meat to wine. I am surprised he managed to fool enough to make such a huge profit, and it will impact real small businesses wanting to gain trust, so there is that, but at least he got caught. There's a pretty well-known hustle where people buy cheap wine and try to sell that off as fine wine. Some in the catering trade go as far as to sell fine wine when it is actually cheap wine. Paris cafés caught cheating tour...Paris cafés caught cheating tourists with cheap wineRestaurants and bistros in the French capital are serving lower-quality wine by the glass while charging for premium labels, an investigation has found

Great choice for him! His way of playing football should fit just right. I kept an eye on Oxford United forums, and he didn't seem to be all that highly rated, though stepping up from the National League, I would say he didn't do all that badly. I had heard rumours he was set for release by them, so I am not surprised to see him leave for an undisclosed fee. There was a slight hope he might come back to us if he hadn't attracted interest. He could have been ideal with David McGoldrick parting, but I wish him well with his pretty big move.