Chris

His debut I thought he did well, a little slow coming on and he appears to have a different approach to watching things unfold. At times his reading of the game seemed questionable, but once became comfortable he did impress. Even this past Saturday, I thought he did well with his cameo. His reaction to the tug on him, matched the reaction of the Tranmere Rovers player - a very puzzled look of disbelief. What was the opposition player thinking? 😂

I think Bromley will fall into the playoffs, it's easy for me to say this knowing that their form is two wins and 3 draws in the last five. Yet, I have this horrible feeling that Cambridge United will overtake them, only for MK Dons to steal it with a handful of remaining games. Realistically, I think there's only five teams now competing for the League Two title and one is us. Notts are in a good position to push forward, the table could easily change and I do feel somewhat like I am overlooking Crewe Alexandra. I just feel them and Chesterfield are fighting now for the playoffs. I can't see Salford City making the automatics, and I think they will struggle to make the playoffs. How the league is unfolding is adding to the match day experience, because we have our eyes on our own results but we are glued to a dozen or so other teams that are giving it their all too.

It looked to be an interesting call by Martin Paterson to change the starting lineup, but I did feel going into the game he would try to freshen things up but I didn't expect Matthew Dennis to be rested. The result is a credit to the squad's depth, and will hopefully put an end to the "weaker than last season's squad" because we are more a team now than we have ever been since the 09-10 season. I felt Tranmere's biggest issue was playing Charlie Whitaker as some sort of target man, he tried and I thought he did well in spells but the mistakes he made came from a lack of support rather than ability. Defensively, they crumbled and the second goal really sunk them. I critised their keeper a lot during the game, but his defence was extremely bad. I don't think the thuggish antics they tried pulling off worked and I do think previous seasons we would have handled this situation differently. Tom Iorpenda played very well, him and Scott Robertson really allowed us to get into Tranmere and they struggled to cope with Iorpenda's desire to get the ball into attacking positions. Jodi Jones seemed to have a fairly quiet game. I don't know if it was designed on purpose because of Tranmere being physical but seeing him crop up with a goal felt pleasing. It wasn't the typical JJ performance, and I am not suggesting he played bad but he was quiet compared to what we know he can be. Notts displayed impressive defensive skills, and I attribute Jacob Bedeau's surge in confidence to the outstanding performance of James Belshaw. This might seem like I am discrediting Bedeau, but he looked a far different player when we had Kelle Roos, and nothing like he did in his first season where he was easily one of the best performers throughout the season. At times during this campaign he has seemed lost, lacking confidence and struggling for consistancy. Also, being given the captaincy in Matt Palmer's absence may play a part in it as it reinforces his value to our team.

Dropping down seems to have given him the confidence he lost, which is excellent. I hope he's mentally okay now, it's a difficult thing to overcome or even manage but the fact he's doing well is a good sign. I hope he continues to enjoy his career.

Don't drink it all at once when it is ready. 😂 I am glad you are okay. It sounds very scary to be woken up in the middle of the night and to learn that there's a fire. It's good to know that everyone was safe, these things can quickly lose control, so thankful it wasn't the case. I hope you get good news once the test comes back. 🤞🙏 Today's been a good day for myself, virtually little 'bad' pain but my hands still feel it. Every time I type, it's like a screw is being driven into my finger tips. I assure you, I'm not exaggerating. Usually my knuckles are what hurt the most, as is the cracking my waists do far too frequently. But more of the positive side of things, I have done a lot of catching up server side. This has been maintained during my absence, but sometimes it has been a few days between. I did some new exercises that a friend has encouraged me to do, based on my knees and aimed at ruducing my weight. I regularly try, but I wasn't feeling tired after them today. I am mindful not to overdo things, I know my body quite well. Despite the rainy day, it's been slinging it down where I am. It's been a much better day, and I am hopeful tomorrow will be too. I hope everyone who reads this is well, I have missed you all.

I thought he had been recalled by them before the January transfer window, so I was surprised to see this. I was gutted more to see Will Jarvis go, I can't comment on attitudes but both Cotter and Jarvis looked great signings even if one was on loan.

Are you sure? Reason I ask is I watched a documentary about the foundation of the Premier League and it showed as the narriator was talking about letters sent in to the committee, which showed one from Derek Pavis. The documentary went on to mention how it stung us, among clubs like Luton Town and Oldham Athletic. This is something I have asked people involved in the history of the club to do, and I once spoke to Michael (Pavis) who expressed he wished we hadn't voted in favour. I thought Jack had left Notts by the time the voting took place? Dunnett was Chairman of Notts County from 1967, financing the club's regular annual losses by making interest free loans from his company, Park Street Securities. The Club paid a low rent to their landlords who were Nottingham Council. Dunnett inaugurated a fundraising scheme "life line" in 1986. Then in 1987, he stood down as Director and sold all his shares to Derek Pavis, completely severing his connection with the club.

I stand correct about the fourth tier, but one of Derek Pavis’ biggest mistakes was voting in favour of the formation of the Premier League to branch out from the Football League. I respect that he rebuilt Meadow Lane and had the ambition to see it used on the international stage, but we sold far too many good assets. Assets that lacked genuine talent or managers who weren't afforded the necessary time to thrive. If my maths is correct, prior to the foundation of the Premier League we had spent 32 seasons in the First Division, 37 in what would now be the Championship, 35 in League One, and 21 in League Two (the fourth tier). Although, a very big factor is just how much Sky and the redistribution of funds has played a role in how a team progresses.

Notts has spent more of its years in the lowest two tiers, and I don't share any of that entitlement some fans express about us being a "Championship" just because we were part of the foundation of the professional game, or that we are lucky to have a stadium like Meadow Lane. The potential of Notts has always been big, which is where I think some of the misbeliefs come from. It's like the expectations that we should be walking League Two, when we have only been a stable club since the Reedtz took us over. I don't knock ambition, or the thought that we should be a Championship team, but I question the merit of some based on expectations rather than realistic logic. Just to be clear, I am refering to fans who would answer "just because", or use weak points as to where the club should be." Yet, none of us truly know the path size for the club and I think realistically in five years we will be in League One. For us to become any higher, it's going to take a hell of a lot, and I want nothing more than for us to be playing Championship football but the jouney is going to be difficult. Could we be in the Championship in five years? Yes, but my point is more based on the club structure and current size in comparison to our history.

I thought it was a very organised and excellent team performance, where everyone who played put a shift in and nothing was lacking, however Tom Iorpenda I thought was excellent. Winning the ball back, pressing forward and taking on players skillfully - it was a real joy to watch him. Much of the control gained by us and the tempo towards securing the victory came from Iorpenda's drive. Tranmere played very poorly, and I heard some comments during and after the game suggesting we only won because of that. Even from our own fans, some suggested we were poor ourselves and "boring" in the first half. The second goal killed the game, the third spiralled Tranmere into chaos and we thrived playing excellent passing football.

It would really signify issues at West Ham had they bought Traore from us. Part of me hopes he can come in and start to show signs of improvements, but that is very slim now. I accepted awhile ago that he seems destined to be a flop, but I hope we can get some of the transfer fee back that we paid without him going on a free.

I tried to explain the situation I find myself in, which I have hidden behind the spoiler below. I will try to get on a bit more even if it's hardly noticable but I can't make promises. I have spent the majority of today fast asleep, again explained below. It's good to see the community holding the torch, I know it's gone quiet but there is a lot of quality from what I have seen in my fleeting visit.

Portsmouth 1-2 Blackburn Rovers Wrexham 0-1 Watford Burton Albion 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers Peterborough United 1-1 Northampton Town Stockport County 3-0 Stevenage Cheltenham Town 0-1 Harrogate Town Chesterfield 2-2 Barnet Crawley Town 0-1 Oldham Athletic Joker

Leyton Orient 2-2 Luton Town Lincoln City 1-2 Barnsley Northampton Town 0-1 Huddersfield Town Stevenage 1-3 Cardiff City Barrow 0-1 Tranmere Rovers Cambridge United 0-2 Chesterfield Fleetwood Town 0-0 Salford City Harrogate Town 1-0 Accrington Stanley Joker

Millwall 1-2 Southampton West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Swansea City Burton Albion 0-0 Leyton Orient Huddersfield Town 3-1 AFC Wimbledon Chesterfield 1-0 Swindon Town Walsall 2-0 Bromley Joker Forest Green Rovers 0-1 Southend United Yeovil Town 3-1 Boston United

Derby County 1-0 Watford Ipswich Town 2-1 Wrexham Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Bradford City Mansfield Town 1-1 Huddersfield Town Crawley Town 1-0 Accrington Stanley Joker Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Chesterfield Eastleigh 0-1 Hartlepool United Morecambe 0-0 Yeovil Town

Ideally, we would be getting youngsters involved in first team football earlier, but I suppose that relies on interest and people actively trying to network our young talent. It's a good move for both; any exposure early on is an insight. I hope they come back and are able to see what their careers might hold, even if it does end up away from us.

In 2014, Kwesi Appiah arrived on loan from Crystal Palace, a promising talent who came from the Non-League only to end up playing back in the Non-League, mostly due to his lack of application. A very, very talented player, but stubborn as a striker and never pushed his true potential. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwesi_Appiah

My focus is turning to the engagement side; things have gone too quiet, and I don't like it, but I am not worried. I know that when content goes out, that is a big attraction, and I noticed a nice submission, which I am going to push today. That said, I will be sending out weekly newsletters as I am in the process of building the template. It will be good to have that communication out there, but it won't be all links and hoping people click to read; I will be sharing my thoughts and having guests join in. It should be something members enjoy and, in time, look forward to reading. So, despite things being fairly quiet, I am making the best of the situation. My keyboard is so far behaving, but there are a few broken buttons, and I am not sure why. I have looked; it seems they have died at the keyboard level. My youngest daughter is currently referring to me as the "wind," as we fell out over her stabbing me with her hands in my neck and pretending to cut my head off. 🤣 It's a Henry VIII thing. She'll come round in time, but it does hurt when she catches me where my neck skin is very flexible.

I am not worried that they beat Walsall, 2-0, despite them having been away at the Bescot Stadium. It was a good result for them, and I am sure that they will be one of the better teams we will have faced so far at Meadow Lane, but our atmosphere can be a lot more impressive. We are in good form at home, and all it takes is one of the chances to kick-start us, so I am hopeful we will be direct and straight to the offensive in order to put the U's on the back foot. This might sound controversial, but we are not the same without Matt Palmer, whereas people tend to go on about Jodi Jones, who is a brilliant player when he is playing well and focused. However, we have learned to cope without him, and this isn't something we have shown many signs of with regard to Matt Palmer. Ollie Norburn is okay, but he hasn't established himself yet; however, he can do well. Tom Iorpenda is a decent talent and can unlock play, but neither of those are what Palmer brings. He's calm, focused, and, most of all, great at setting the temp. With him in the team and us playing well, we can control and dictate play, whereas without him we tend to struggle. I think the game will be close, but I am thinking we will pick up the points. My prediction would be 2-1.

Introducing PON's Lightweight Fluid theme. This is designed to help members, with the navigation moving from the top to the left side. The theme will see some tweaks to improve the UI as we go along, but I am pleased to say all members have the option to choose it. With the side navigation, it gives a clearer look into the pages that the Pride of Nottingham has to offer. To accompany the alternative means of finding content, such as our dashboard, topicfeed, all activity, and various content streams, which you can even customise to your desire. The community index page becomes a beautiful, fluid design, which brings all the content into a single location. Much like the dashboard, items are spotlighted and featured, but in the right sidebar, you have the power to toggle off various forums. This means you can personalise your experience and focus on what really gets you communicating. However, I strongly encourage members to browse and go outside of their habits; please don't cut off a section, never to read the topics inside, because you never know what they might miss. We are a community that thrives when people feel at home to share things, and despite us being a Notts County fan site, we are foremost a community. How do you use the fluid theme? Scroll to the bottom, look for "Theme" in the footer, and press it. Now, please get posting. I mean, enjoy!

The issue is that it's becoming almost as fictional as "Catch Me If You Can" and the whole Frank Abagnale, Jr, story. I watched Panorama ages ago where they tracked down Russell King, but most of the stories on Munto are becoming quite fictional, and people are taking liberties to embellish what actually happened. I can't say Sky's is, but this is my general thought.

It was a very frustrating game, but that said, I don't think either team played badly. Harrogate might have been fortunate to capitalise on some horrific defending, and to concede from trying to defend is both ironic for us and a highlight of just how much more aware we should be in key stages of games. You can say it was a fluke deflection, or just that Notts were unlucky, but who was paying attention? Kelle Roos couldn't do much more, considering it put Harrogate clean through, and all this, "Alex Bass" would have saved it. I am sorry, we need to move on and accept Roos is a totally different keeper. Notts had chances to win the game, and I won't mention the number of appeals for a penalty. I think Tyrese Hall had a good effort and should have done better in the first half, but shot straight at James Belshaw. We had 13 shots; only 3 of those were on target, and maybe on a different day we would have scored more, but we have to make the chances count for something. Harrogate wasn't all that great defensively; their time-wasting antics were as blatant as day is long. Even Belshaw became a wind-up merchant, but that will be overlooked because he supports Notts.

It's hard to imagine Notts without Scott Robertson in the team, since he joined he really has become a permanent fixture in the squad, and although he has had spells out of the squad through injury and occasionally being rested or dropped. There is no denying how important it is to get a player like him committed to the club for a longer period of time. Obviously, it doesn't mean he will see out the contract as a Notts player, but it shows the importance the club sees in him to extend the deal beyond a year or two. The deal will give Robertson peace of mind and allow him to focus on his football.

I think we may see Macaulay Langstaff back at Notts, but I think he will still have a few seasons trying to establish himself at Championship/League One level. It might be worth it for him to find the right League One team to achieve this, as gaining promotion with a team would make it easier for him to settle back into the challenge of playing at his highest level. However, I don't think Peterborough United are the right team. I don't think Luke Williams will have it all that easy, and his position may quickly come under fire. Swansea fans didn't really rate him, and when this type of success comes from a manager who only has experience with a team like us, well, it quickly becomes a case of "he's not good enough." I wish Williams well; Peterborough are massively underachieving, but they have some major issues which are embedded deep within the team. I don't think Williams will be able to do it alone; he will need the fans support too.