Chris

Since coming to Meadow Lane two years ago, Ronan Murray has quickly established himself as one of Notts County’s first-choice players. The young Irishman originally signed to the club on a short-term contract as one of four successful trialists in 2013, but he went on to play a key role in helping the Magpies avoid relegation from League One with nine goals in 16 starts. Of course, there was the odd setback, most notably the red card on the quarter-hour mark of that Peterborough United game, but the mark of a true professional is learning from your mistakes and proving doubters wrong – and Murray did just that. Pride of Nottingham has spoken to the 23-year-old hotshot about Notts County’s season. What have you made of the game so far? Well I think we've played well, I think Paddy McCourt's done well for us, he's really been our best player. He looks bright, so hopefully he will continue in the second half and keep giving the ball to him basically. What time do you think the full score will be? Well hopefully we can get back into it, hopefully the gaffer can give them a good talking too and they'll come out flying in the second half really. As I say keep giving the ball to Paddy and Jam on the right and hopefully they can make things happen. Hopefully Bajner and big Garry up there and can do the business in the box. So, hopefully we can come back from this and we need it, we need it at home – like seven in the last eight are obviously not good enough so, we need to get the fans our side here. Have you been enjoying your time at Notts? Yeah, yeah, I'm loving it. Loving it really, this season hasn't really set off for me but hopefully I will have a good end to it. Is there any news on your injury? Yeah I just had a scan on it yesterday it, on my groin, so hopefully the results come back all clear and then I can crack on with training. There's just a few questions over it, scan is clear I can take it from there. Meet the Fans [special] - Meet Ronan Murray Watch the Video [center]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFO4jiObYpQ Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Ronan Murray for taking the time to speak to us, we wish him all the very best with his injury and hope that he finds his form again soon. You Pies!! Last Match Report - Meet the PoN - Q/A with Premiership Scout

Saturday 28th of February, The Magpies will host 12th place Port Vale. Notts County will be able to feature two new wingers in the form of Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Paddy McCourt, as they look to get back on track in the 2014/2015 season – The visitors may have to rethink their plans. Port Vale have won only two of their last six games, having lost three and only drawn once, all is now to plan for within this League One fixture. The Match Officials for the game against Port Vale will be Darren Drysdale, with his two assistants Matthew Buonassisi and Nick Hobbis. The fourth official will be Ian Rathbone. Match Officials Referee; Darren Drysdale From – Lincolnshire His matches involving Notts County and Port Vale in the last four seasons; League One – Saturday 19th November 2011 – Huddersfield Town 2 Notts County 1 – 3 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card League Two – Saturday 18th February 2012 – Port Vale 2 Gillingham 1 – 2 Yellow Cards League Two – Saturday 5th May 2012 – Port Vale 3 Oxford United – 5 Yellow Cards League One – Tuesday 2nd October 2012 – Notts County 1 Stevenage 2 – 2 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card F.A Cup – Saturday 1st December 2012 – Rotherham United 1 Notts County 1 – 2 Yellow Cards JPT – Tuesday 4th December 2012 – Port Vale 0 Bradford City 2 – 4 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 12th April 2014 – Notts County 4 Port Vale 2 – 1 Yellow Cards Run down of his last four games this season; League Two – Saturday 10th January 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Oxford United 0 – 5 Yellow Cards Championship – Tuesday 27th January 2015 – Rotherham United 4 Bolton Wanderers 2 – 2 Yellow Cards League One – Saturday 21st February 2015 – Sheffield United 2 Coventry City 2 – 6 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card. League One – Tuesday 24th February 2015 – Preston North End 1 Walsall 0 – No Cards In his last four games 13 yellow cards have been shown and only a single red card. So far this season in a total of 20 games he has shown 67 yellow cards and 6 red cards. That's roughly 3.3 yellow cards per game. Assistant Referee; Matthew Buonassisi From – Northamptonshire Last 3 officiated games; Tuesday 10th February 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Portsmouth 0 Saturday 14th February 2015 – Southend United 1 Accrington Stanley 2 Saturday 21st February 2015 – Northampton Town 3 York City 0 Assistant Referee; Nick Hobbis From – West Midlands Last 3 officiated games; Saturday 24th January 2015 – Northampton Town 3 Newport County 0 Saturday 7th February 2015 – Swindon Town 2 Barnsley 0 Tuesday 10th February 2015 – Chesterfield 0 Preston North End 2 Fourth Official; Ian Rathbone From – Northamptonshire Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time. Match Thread - Q/A with Premiership Scout - Scouting Report

Port Vale head to Meadow Lane on the 28th of February. Notts County will have to be steady within their approach against the Valiants, as the visiting side are in decent form and have the ability to punish any side within League One with their clever brand of football. The visitors currently sit 12th and are currently only 3 points away from the play-offs. They have won two of their last six games, drawing 1 and losing three. There is no doubt that they will be seeing this as a must win game. Run down of their last six games. Saturday 24th January – Port Vale 0 Crewe Alexandra 1 Saturday 31st January – Barnsley 2 Port Vale 1 Saturday 7th February – Port Vale 2 Bradford 2 Tuesday 10th February – Bristol City 3 Port Vale 1 Saturday 14th February – Walsall 0 Port Vale 1 Saturday 21st February – Port Vale 3 Doncaster Rovers 0 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Tom Pope 10, Ben Williamson 10, Mark Marshall 5 and Michael Brown 5. Persistent Foulers; Chris Lines 1 Red Card and 2 Yellow Cards, Michael O'Connor 8 Yellow Cards, Carl Dickinson 8 Yellow Cards and Richard Duffy 6 Yellow Cards. The Key Players. Tom Pope, Ben Williamson, Michael Brown, Michael O'Connor and Richard Duffy. Tom Pope is the traditional centre forward who likes to stay close to the defenders, he has the ability to draw away from play and put himself inside space, making himself available to tuck a shot into the back of the net. His strike partner Ben Williamson offers Port Vale steady pace and a great eye for goal. Where the two Michael's Brown and O'Connor are generally always behind the Vale's advancing play, both also have an eye for goal but also can pick out the right pass, as they push forward and into space. They're two players who require being marked as they are the creative force within the majority of their play going forward. Richard Duffy is the player who's been there and done that, he gives Port Vale experience and leadership from the back. He also shares the ability to score from set pieces or from distance. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Port Vale look to defend within their own half, where they like to stay close to the advancing player. They will generally pull numbers behind them in both their attacks and defending. When it comes to attacking their opposition, they play safe and build slowly by passing closely until they see space opening up which allows for them to try something different. They're well organized and like to break their opposition down by using the flanks, set pieces and by running into the centre of the park. Their main strengths are the support which their squad offer to each other, they always have someone in support of advancing players and they use their set pieces very well. Another clear to see strength is confidence, nobody seems short of this. Confidence seems to be a big part of the football that they play, nobody seems afraid to take on players or to try a shot. In their recent game against Doncaster Rovers this is clear to see. With regards to weaknesses Port Vale's main concerns lie within aerial threats, they seem very open and vulnerable from both deep dropping crosses, long distance shots or free kicks. Concentration by more than one defender seems to switch off when they're under extensive pressure. If teams put them under pressure throughout the game and not just brief spells (they cope with this), then they do make mistakes. This will allow our better players such as Liam Noble, Garry Thompson and even perhaps Bálint Bajner to come into the game. Match Thread - Q/A with Premiership Scout - League One Preview

Pride of Nottingham had the opportunity to do a questions and answer session with a Premier League scout, so we put the questions to the floor of our community. Many fans decided to take part in the feature by submitting several questions, as a general insight this feature is very exciting to cover. It is one I am most proud of, along with the times we have spoken to our chairman Ray Trew. We have more of Q/A's and exciting features in the pipeline, over the years we have been around PoN's made sure to deliver the best quality and content to the screen of the fans of Notts County. It's an absolute privilege to be able to do this feature, I think you will all find it very insight as we don't just discuss Notts here on PoN. We discuss and cover general football too, our resident fans being a highlight of this. To expand through the Q/A please use the pagination in order to read all the questions, thanks for reading. Northants Pie; What are the benefits and the downsides to the current academy system within the uk? The benefits of the current Academy system are debatable in my opinion. It is good that clubs are properly scrutinised and regulated but it has produced a generation of young footballers who have had everything done for them from A to Z and they then find it difficult to cope once they are released and have to enter the real world. Northants Pie; What do you believe are the main reasons for the grass roots game failing in the way it is? I could go on for ages about the faults allied to grassroots football. In my view a lot of the problems arise with over-competitive parents running teams who take themselves too seriously. The great majority of them have never kicked a ball in their lives previously but try to compensate by living their dreams out in their kids. For example I recently saw a photograph of a local under 9's parks team where one of the parents described himself as "Technical Director". Northants Pie; Will the EPPP have as big of a detrimental effect as first thought on the lower league teams and if so what should be done to equalise this effect? EPPP is another factor where it would take me too long to give a chapter and verse summary, briefly it has given the so-called bigger clubs carte blanche to hoover up all the talent without paying significant degrees of compensation to smaller clubs like Notts, for example. However I understand that this is currently under review following many complaints from smaller clubs. My other big comment about EPPP is that it has produced armies of people filling out forms, drawing graphs on charts and producing other data which in my view is useless. Does it produce more goals or does it ensure that a side concede less. No definitely not. Upthepies; What is your process like for finding suitable players for the club you work for? Do you travel much, focus on age ranges? With my current club my brief is to concentrate on the 14 to 18 age range with a view to finding the late developers or lads who may not have been spotted previously. With my previous club as Chief Scout I covered all aspects of scouting duties, not only identifying players but compiling reports on forthcoming opposition, eg Formation, Shape, Pattern, Strengths, Weaknesses and what they do at set pieces. With my current club I try and concentrate on geographical areas where scouts from other clubs tend not to go. Previously I went to such diverse places such as Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers and the southern end of the scale Eastbourne Borough, Gillingham and Bournemouth. Liampie; who is the best player you have scouted and have you ever had one turned down who went onto bigger and better things? Very difficult to answer your question without disclosing my current and previous club and the players concerned. One of my previous successes was recommending a player given a free transfer by a league 2 club who was then signed on my recommendation and went on to knock in 29 goals in his first season. Still waiting for another one like that!! MagpieJue; What do you look for in a good player? Is it speed, stamina, how he holds his position over 90 minutes et? Depends on what position the player performs in. However, my over-riding concern is a good first touch which is vital in any position. With attacking players it is also good movement on and off the ball, range of passing and the ability to do the simple things well. Bill Shankly once said that football is a simple game made complicated by ******* idiots. In defenders positional sense is vital, dealing with each situation on its merits and the ability to tackle without giving away silly freekicks. Pace is paramount in all outfield positions. Stamina helps of course............. no point watching a player who puts weight on during a game!! Canadian; Why do Agent's have the tag line "Leeches"? DangerousSausage; What are your experiences of agents? Simply because the majority of them take money from players and clubs having only extended themselves by making a few phone calls and then demanding what are, in some cases, exorbitant fees. All players, if they are members of the Players' Union, the PFA, can get the latter to negotiate wages etc without the necessity to involve agents. Canadian; Do you get along with Chairmen and board members? As regards Chairman and Board members I wouldn't even know who they are with my current club. I did get on quite well with the Chairman of my previous club but did fall out with him quite strongly over what I considered unfair treatment of one of his managers. Hissingdwarf; How far does the trust relationship with the manager go? Do you regularly suggest players and get regularly dismissed or do a majority of your suggestions get looked at seriously? Hissingdwarf ; Do you follow a manager around, again building the trust relationship up, or are you a club man (or woman?) eg like assistants often leave when the manager gets the boot! There has to be mutual trust between the Manager and his Chief Scout. the Manager is the final arbiter on whether a certain player should be signed. It is equally important taht a scout should say why a player should not be signed. Eg. Dubious habits away from the field as well as a lack ability on it. I was lucky to work with some decent people who valued my opinions. This didn't always lead to a certain player being signed of course because like I said previously the Manager has all sorts of things to consider such as budget, effect on current team members etc. Many scouts do follow managers around. I didn't despite having the opportunity to do so once or twice. Notts-Joe; What's differences have you have witnessed over years, anything you wished was still simple, less demanding or would like to bring back? The main differences latterly are the advent of the computer and the large amount of extra paperwork it engenders. many good scouts have packed up in the last 2/3 years because of this. In cases with many clubs it has become a tick-box world. I recently got hold of a scouting report form from a very well known premiership club and I have never read so much garbage in all my life. Nowhere on the form did it pose the question "Can he play". Far too many foreign players in the English game. The national side will never reach the heights whilst English lads are being denied the opportunities to shine due to the over influx of foreign players. In Scotland at least there is a conscious effort being made to remedy this. Dripsey3; Do you scout outside the UK? Do certain players miss out because clubs feel they can't deal with the physical nature of the English game and the number of games that are played here? No I never have scouted outside of the UK. In all countries these days there is a demand for players to have good degrees of fitness so I wouldn't subscribe to the view that the majority of them find it difficult to adjust to the English game. There is now an emphasis on correct diets, resting periods etc. worldwide. Maybe some find it difficult to adjust to the climate....!! The frantic pace of the game nowadays does promote the question as to why so many games are played and then have to be supplemented by play-offs. Your legendary manager Jimmy Sirrel never agreed with play-offs and nor do I. Liampie; What is the difference between scouting for a premiership team compared to one within the football leagues? do you have to do things differently, if so what is that? Very difficult at first to reconcile the standards of players by a premiership club and those needed by League 1 & League 2 clubs. It is a matter of setting sights higher...eg detecting players whose football brains work quicker and thereby read situations better, whether attacking or defending. Dana Shoup; From Lower League Scouts, I've heard its endless and hard on family and friends. At the Premiership Level, do you feel the same way, I'd feel like at that level, I'd enjoy it because maybe i'd have more help and finances to get around and about? Whats the life like? Dana Shoup; Also as a person who feels like on and off the field, i'm a very quick read of a player and their style. How much time do you truly need to feel like you have scouted a player well? I'd assume coaches, board, and everyone has different things they are looking for on a player personally. What do you look for in a player? Attitude on and off the field? Quick Learner? Ability to turn from offense to defense quickly? Obviously at lower levels money is not readily available to facilitate travel, overnight accommodation etc, but in fairness I must say that on the two occasions visits to Scotland meant overnight stays my previous club did not jib about paying the expenses for such..... subject of course to not booking in at the most expensive hotel etc. So far with my present club this sort of occasion hasn't arisen. As regards what I look for in a player see my earlier comments to Magpie Jue. However it is a hard slog where finances and assistance are at a premium and it hasn't helped with the additional paperwork now generally required. For example doing up a report on the forthcoming opposition nearly always takes around 3-4 hours on a Sunday morning and needs hard concentration to ensure that nothing is missed. As regards looking at a player I would normally do this 3 or 4 times in order to gain a true reflection. I always watch a player both home & away. There are occasions of course where time does not permit this, particularly where a rival club may also be showing an interest in the player concerned. Blackville; What sort of age do you look at or most common age group? At present I am generally concerned with looking at the 14 to 18 age groups in order to find the late developer or lads who may have been previously overlooked. I try and follow up all tips but one can only be in one place at once. Often I have found referees to be a good source of information. Tonyhatley; Have you ever seen a kid kicking a ball in a park or on the street and notified a club of his potential? I did once when I was managing at a non-league level. The lad concerned went on to score 34 goals in one season at a reasonable non-league level. However, such cases are corn in Egypt!! Tonyhateley; Who is the most famous player you have recommended to a club? Obviously I cant answer this due t reasons of confidentiality and protocol. But there have been two or three. Super Ram; Do you pretend to be watching a different player to the one you are really interested in to put other scouts off the scent? DangerousSausage; I sometimes read about all the scouts that turn up to watch a player, and imagine them all sat in a line with notebooks. Do scouts sit together and compare notes, or is it a more cloak and daggers business where you try to avoid being spotted? To answer both of you.. Sometimes but most scouts are no fools. It is 5 to 4 on that an accumulation of scouts at a particular game means that they are all looking at the same player. There is generally a good camaraderie amongst scouts and a willingness to share information. There is a general misconception that just because we work for different clubs we don't talk to one another!! Adelaidepie; If you see two players that look like having equal ability and talent and potential do you have to take into account which country they come from? In this i mean if for example one is from America and one from New Zealand, wold you judge them differently or the same? I assume that sometimes this can / could be taking into account? No, there is no discrimination in respect of what you ask. However, the chances of this occurring are completely unlikely Adelaidpie; Is there a country which may have produced some good players in the past but not in large qualities, say Australia, but you feel they maybe on the verge of producing a few better talented players now or soon? This country maybe showing a little more potential for example say Australia. Australia has produced players like Craig Johnson and Harry Kewell but maybe haven't produced players at this level since. Whilst Australia and New Zealand are making steady progress in respect of the world stage. The nation coming up on the rails is India which is making strenuous efforts to become a world football power. I would reckon that in a few years time they will be a nation which will need to be heeded. Some businessmen are putting considerable amounts of money into club promotion and betterment. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank all the community members who took to asking questions and the scout for taking the time to do this feature with us. Be sure to leave a comment below! You Pies!!