Chris

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

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

Today, I took the 79 bus with Kate to Arnold, traveling from our neighborhood through Bulwell, Rise Park, Top Valley, and more. God, the bus was hot... 🫠 Very glad to be home and out of the heat; thankfully, I don't feel tired or have any bad pains.

I believe the original was written 12 years ago; I made a better slider for the video. I always hoped to get various people around Notts, such as Colin Slater and so on, to speak parts. That dream never really worked out, and I was promised it would be played before a game via the audio system in the ground. It's probably a good thing that never happened, either. @Michael D Pie.: It's great to see another poet in our ranks; the first site I created was about poetry and art. I used to enjoy writing song lyrics when I was 14–16; I was never the best, but it helped me improve my poetry.

It's something that has been needed for years now; it's taken a while for football to operate within an acceptable loss, and even then, you can accumulate a considerable amount of debt over many seasons, which in the long term, doesn't offer much stability. I really hope this decision goes a long way towards securing football clubs futures and ultimately lessens the chance of historical debts becoming a problem for clubs moving forward. This won't be a quick fix, but it will be part of the solution if they handle it well and get the right regulators in.

Kim has a very good heart, hidden inside one of the best characters you could ever wish to meet. Her battle with cancer has been nothing short of heroic, and the determination she has shown is inspiring. There's a side to her you don't often see at games, and while I might not be the closest person to her, I am very thankful for the kindness she not only showed me over the years but also showed my son, Jake. We used to travel via Iris's and Malc's coach, and you will see the family feel that those fans have amongst themselves; it's very much unmatched, but Kim is a big part of bringing people together. This last picture was taken at Swindon Town away. After losing, Jake hoped he could get some of the players signatures. Kim made it her personal mission to make it happen, captured by @Dan. Kim encouraged the then-manager, Chris Kiwomya, to get all the players to sign his shirt. It was a very special moment, and just one of the many things that Kim does for those she cares about.

Have a great time, I will try to keep an eye out for your pictures on here and x/BlueSky. 🖤🤍

@piedestrian, agents only assist with the paperwork and helping to get the information which the club might need; Notts would have to hold a special licence. Similar to sponsoring a player for their work permit, it's probably more complicated than it appears. Jatta would have had to use the license/sponsorship from Notts to get the visa approved, but it would have been primarily the club's responsibility. Providing Jatta filled in the information and applied, it is in the club's hands after that. It's highly likely there were complications, which might have been due to us being in the fourth tier of English football. Unless there's more to it, Jatta made a mistake, or the club applied too late.

I feel in a very good place right now, busier than ever, and I do feel I am neglecting to find the time to respond to some of the conversations I have going. I do hope most understand that I balance my free time with many other things, such as a friend who had reached out to me about being diagnosed with cancer again, and I pledged to support them by donating things to help raise funds. I just haven't found the time; I'm really bad with these things. I won't sugarcoat stuff; I'll always be honest about it. I do need to do better with important things I allow to slip from my mind. Earlier, I drafted a news piece about my friend; I hope to help promote their GoFundMe page. I've reached out to an ex-player, asking if they would provide a motivational message, which I will include if they are able to assist. with it. I did go to the cinema on Monday, with @cheeky~k8. She wanted to watch Stitch, and we ended up with the whole cinema to ourselves. It was a great break out from reality. I'm also getting a fair amount of messages asking about my dad, which I have passed onto it. Don't worry, he's fine. He's just without acccess to PON currently, but he will be soon back.

Recent Topics & Posts has returned; click which you would prefer to see. I have already added this to a few crucial areas, such as the community index, the front site, and within articles. 👍🏻 Be sure to browse around the site and explore as we continue to add new features and see old ones return as upgrades. Very soon, we'll see the latest discussion widget, which is currently a basic feed, replaced by a far better widget. I sincerely appreciate your support and dedication to helping me make PON the best it can be.

I think this is more to do with our level, rather than someone dropping the ball. It wouldn't happen to a Championship team; it's just a trip in pre-season to Germany, and it's not like we're aiming to sell Alassana Jatta to one of the teams we're playing. It's a bit silly, if you ask me, that a player couldn't be granted a visa to play in some pre-season friendlies. If the club did make a mistake, then it would be very disappointing, but I am more inclined to say it's part of the issue of having overseas, non-EU players. Please ensure that this doesn't become political; let's keep it focused on Jatta and his absence.

Is currently listening to: Jimmy Nail - "Ain't No Doubt". 🎶🎵 I haven't heard this for years, but it does capture the late 80s and 90s. I always thought that, for an actor who looked like Tony Adams, he had a decent singing voice. Now that I have stumbled onto this song, I am finding it hard not to have it on repeat. I'm almost replicating the Super Bowl Shuffle when I get up. 😂

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.