Chris

Perhaps not the most glamours cup tie for either side, although it's a chance for Notts to progress whilst we see if we have learnt anything from last season. Colin Coopers as made comments about Notts being able to cause an upset, with Shaun Derry's first game in charge. With Hartlepool being an in-form League Two side, it might suggest that the upset could be the other way around as Notts are currently rooted to the bottom of the League One table. The players will most likely want to impress the new coaching team, so playing a club such as Hartlepool will be a good test none the less. Hartlepool – Play somewhat patiently, they build and attack keeping the football flowing. Luke James is currently the pools highest goal scorer with 7 goals to his name. Jonathan Franks, Anthony Sweeney and James Poole are players Notts will need to watch carefully. Jack Compton returns for Hartlepool having served a three match suspension, whilst Christian Burgess will be forced to miss the game due to picking up five yellow cards. Notts – Are currently somewhat injury hit at the moment. Haydn Hollis, Enoch Showunmi, Alan Sheehan, Mustapha Dumbuya and David Bell are doubtful to feature. Marcus Haber is unavailable to play, with Danny Haynes starting his suspension after being sent off last Saturday against Coventry City. Gary Liddle returns to his former club, where he spent many years. If Notts are to proceed to the next round of the FA Cup, we will be required to be disciplined and focused throughout the game. Shaun Derry is eager to see Notts remain in the hat, just as much as Hartlepool's manager Colin Cooper. Hartlepool are favourites with odds around 5/4 for a home win, Notts come in around 2/1 and for a draw it's 12/5. Come On You Pies!!

A decent performance away at Carlise which narrowly ended in defeat, saw Notts County's attention switch back to Meadow Lane. On a day expected to see a return of many fans, it was vital that the players and even coaching staff got the tactics spot on. In a crowd of over 6k Notts played Crewe Alexandra in a game which saw four goals for the home side! A very impressive display and a sign of things are starting to improve for us as a struggling side. Here are the action shots kindly taken by and granted permission by B&0 Press Photo! We hope you enjoy them - You Pies! Mobile Users please visit | Gallery. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Oskar Papierz for allowing us use of his images, we wish him all the best his photography. Here's his Facebook page and Website.

Carlisle seem a little inconstant at the moment, similar to Tranmere they can score but they have issues at the back which is for Notts to expose on Saturday. Nobody can questions them as a football outfit, as they have beaten Sheffield United already and a lose to Port Vale, just shows the level of inconstancy. Notts on the other hand are looking up at them literally and on the back of one impressive display, isn't enough to say this game will be easy. We've taken the time to speak to two Carlisle United fans, they've kindly answered our questions which you can read below. Firstly, could you please tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about youself such as how long you've been a Carlisle fan? Josie; I am a 57year old disabled single parent with three grown up girls and now have four grandchildren as of 12th September when my youngest granddaughter was born. I have been a supporter of Carlisle United since 1974 and a season ticket holder for the last four or five years. I think this is my sixth season as a season ticket holder. Before that I used to just go to as many games as I could. Now it is unusual for me to miss a home game. As my health is not brilliant I haven't made it to any away games this season but last season we did get to some. Before that we made most of the away games within a two to three hour coach trip. Jack; I am 16, my names Jack and I have been a Carlisle fan for quite a while now, since I was about 6. What is your opinion on your current managerial situation? Josie; I'll give you the printable version. I liked Greg Abbot as a person and as a manager. However, for some reason he was not able to get the players to play to their potential for almost a year now. After year on year success we hit the doldrums. A change won't necessarily help us much, but heads as they say needed to roll. I hope we don't get the caretaker manager given the job full time as Kav has no managerial experience and at this stage in the season with the results the way they have been for the last year we really need someone with a proven track record. Jack; I was a big fan of Greg Abbott, but with the start we have had and the disappointment of last season it was probably the correct decision. I am also pleased that the board have given Graham Kavanagh a chance, I and many others did think it would be a case of same old same old, but he has proven he is man a man with his own ideas. Favourite to get the job full-time. What are your expectations for this season in cups as well as in the league? Josie; I think we will perhaps do better in the league than in the cups.. which isn't saying much. I would like to see us finish about 18th in the table if we can manage it. Consolidate. Jack; We've had decent cup runs in past seasons, two Wembley finals in the JPT and hosting Spurs and Brunton Park last season. I would hope that this year we reach the 3rd round of the FA Cup, that's the one competition that we never seem to progress in. The JPT I would like to think we could go all the way again. League? 12th-14th. Can you tell us a bit about your squad including the latest signings? Josie; Because we have loan players coming in and out all the time it's a bit confusing right now. Our mainstay in the back four, Danny Livesey, has been out with injury and we miss him badly, not just for his bravery (he puts his head where a lot of players wouldn't even dare put their feet!) but for his wealth of experience in the game and the present team. Sean O'Hanlon has become a good partner for him but is only recently back from injury himself. Townsend looks tidy, and experienced, and I hope he stays as he is due to finish his loan period after the Notts game. Midfield we really struggle but hopefully our recently promoted youth player Brad Potts can stay there instead of having to stand in at right back, as he is more useful in midfield. Berrett had a shocker of a last season but seems to finally have returned to a bit of form. On his day he's brilliant but he has had too many bad days lately. Thirwell is a very experienced player and will more than likely command the midfield. Not sure who Kav will put in because we have some injuries in a thin squad. I am sure if he is able to play, Miller will start, but he's a bit doubtful for the Notts game. Amoo is beginning to settle and seems a really good all rounder. He's had five goals in all games so far which is a good record in a bad season. Matt Robson is quick and clever and can score given the tiniest of chances. However, he sometimes gets played out of position when we are short in the back four so I'm not sure how much he will be able to do on Saturday. Jack; We have used 28 players so far this season (Inc Unused subs) the highest figure in league one. It's been hard to track who's in and who's out. Two loanees who have come in and made a real difference are Left-back Conor Townsend (Hull) & Troy Archibald-Henville (Swindon), for the first time in a long time it looks like a settled back line (For now). What formation do you expect Carlisle to start with and how do you see the game progressing? Josie; Kav is an unknown quantity as manager still so I'm not sure whether he will go for 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 or even 4-5-1 with Miller up front on his own. I hope if he goes for 4-5-1 he has Robson and Amoo wide midfield to service crosses in for Miller. Berret, Potts and possibly Noble in the midfield to hold up the ball and the back four would be possibly Livesey (if fit) Townsend O'Hanlon and I would love to say Chantler but he's also an injured player right now. Our squad is THIN!±!!! Jack; I'd expect us to line up with a 4-5-1 formation. Lee Miller, who I'm sure all Notts fans will remember, will lead the line providing he has recovered from a knock he picked up at Stevenage. I think we'll win the game, but it will be a tight affair...2-1 Carlisle. What have been your best and worst experiences as a Carlisle fan? Josie; Best is a toss up between winning the old Division One in 1974, the Johnstons Paint Trophy Win over Brentford, or taking Leeds to penalties and beating them in the same northern final of the JPTrophy. Worst... one very embarrassing game last season that I have expunged from my memory except for the fact that for the first time in my time with Carlisle I felt nobody was even TRYING to win the game I didn't want to talk about the match afterward it was so awful. Jack; My best experiences supporting Carlisle has to be the 1-0 V Brentford at Wembley. Nothing better than seeing your team win at the national stadium. Other than that, going to the Brittania Stadium and seeing Carlisle win in the Conference play-off final was one my earliest memories, and one that will stick me for years to come. Worst memory, League One semi-final V Leeds. I still remember that night, sitting in my room as a 10 year with 5live on the radio shedding a tear or two when Jonathan Howson scored in the 90th minute to give them the 3-2 win on aggregate. If you could sign any player from the Football League who would you choose and why? Josie; I would love to see Danny Graham or Rory Delap come back to Carlisle because they were such popular players during their time at Carlisle and they have gone on to bigger and better things, but for a new face... possibly Jack Wilshire because I think he has incredible potential in all areas of the pitch and on his day can be as good as anyone. Jack; Tough question. Grant Holt I would love to see in a Carlisle shirt, he loves the club. Which Notts players (if any) do you see causing you problems (in all areas of the pitch)? Josie; At the moment, I would say your back four are our major hurdle as it doesn't matter how well we defend, if we can't SCORE we won't win!!! We haven't been able to finish games off if we go ahead. apart from the last two that is. Jack; I follow a few Notts fans on twitter and the seem impressed with McGregor & Grealish, both players on loan I believe. Danny Haynes will also be another one to watch. Which players do you see causing Notts problems? Josie; Amoo and Robson, if both are fit and start the game. Possibly Gillespie Jack; David Amoo, our leading scorer this season and he has been a pleasure to watch. I was rather sceptical at first, with both Tranmere and Preston fans saying he was frankly garbage but he has been anything but that since arriving. Matty Robson on the left has 2 goals in his last 2 games. Lee Miller (if fit) will put himself about and hopefully add to his tally of 1 goal this season. Notts have not had the best of starts to this season, what do you think of our prospects? Josie; I don't judge a season by a few games. Carlisle seems to make a habit of giving themselves an uphill battle by losing quite a few at the beginning and then struggling to climb over the hurdles they have set themselves I am sure Notts will finish near the middle of the table. I hope we can as well. Jack; Really hard to say, Notts will be fine. I was surprised to hear about Zoko getting the boot, he was excellent up here and many of us would like to see him back. Mid-table obscurity for Carlisle & Notts I reckon. Who do you consider to be your main rivals/ Can you tell us about your ground and the surrounding area? Josie; Traditionally Preston NE is our derby match, but I think any team that keeps clear of injury and can spend a bob or two will be a problem for us this season. We are spread very thin in many areas unfortunately. Jack; We don't really have a rival to be honest, not at professional level anyhow. Preston & Leeds are games we all look forward to. Brunton Park is the largest football stadium in England which isn't all seated. Brunton Parks sits relatively close to the train station with the city centre not far away at all. Finally have you ever been to Meadow Lane? Josie; No that is one ground I haven't yet managed to get to.. but health permitting.. who knows??? Jack; Sadly, I have never visited Meadow Lane. Pride of Nottingham would firstly like to thank Super Ram for lending a hand and choosing the set questions, we would also like to thank both Josie and Jack for taking the time to answer them - We wish Carlisle the best for the season but obviously after Saturday.

Notts County achieved their first win of the season against Tranmere Rovers at Meadow Lane last Saturday. The game wasn't what fans was expecting, although for sure it is what they want to see on a weekly basis. Tranmere Rovers went into the game with their own inconsistency, although no doubt they have the ability to punish sides going forward. Pride of Nottingham is delighted to share with you these action shots, we thank Oskar and B&O Press Photo. Hopefully we will see the found confidence go into the game against Carlisle United - Which might see us finally move further up. Mobile Users please visit | Gallery Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Oskar Papierz for allowing us use of his images, we wish him all the best his photography. Here's his Facebook page and Website.

I felt after last season we had turned a corner, I have to admit that Chris Kiwomya's appointment was disappointing – I had hoped we would go for experience but none the less I am willing to back any manager, just like I would regardless whoever played for Notts County. The early signs seemed promising, I eagerly awaited the final game and I have to say when it came – I felt saddened as you can imagine but the prospect of a brighter season soon followed. Now, Chris might not be setting the world alight last season but I felt it could improve with his own players signed. At a glance he's done pretty well with regards to signings – Danny Haynes could very well be a gem but I think we need to find a style which suites him. Players such as Yoann Arquin and Enoch Showunmi came back with a spring in their steps and certainly it seemed like we had a new strike force. The disappointing side for me was the fact we didn't make our back a little bulkier early on, for me this was a weak area. Though the majority wanted another striker and the midfield improving, one of which we are currently not really progressing in. It's hard to single out Chris Kiwomya – Can it all be his fault? I wouldn't say so, however for me the majority of things are for him to handle and fix. Isn't this what a manager is for? For me we could be doing far better, even with Chris who's learning on the job. It's hard to explain where exactly I think things could be improved but I am going to try. I'm sure he feels exactly the same way, as he's plotting his next decisions and tactics. Firstly – I would try to find a routine and a formation which the players can become used too. I think 4-4-2 might be old fashioned but there's not much wrong with that, it's certainly far better than using Curle's previous formations – The now famous alone forward and of course 3 at the back.. Yawn.... We surely have a first 11 – Those who don't perform well in one game, shouldn't be dropped in the next – The only way I would drop a player is if he shows the same during training or he's been consistently poor. I'd pick the brighter players and tinker with finding ways of motivating the players who are currently not giving exactly 100%. Yet – with a squad like ours we can't always afford to be choosy and so sometimes old fashioned management can come in handy in these situations. Being honest and open – prevents ill-feelings if handled correctly and hard work cannot be a bad thing. If we insist on playing on the floor, we need to focus on this during training. There's no reason why we can't play pretty football but it's how it's applied from the back, which allows it to be successful going forward. Watching Notts sometimes reminds me of stacking domino’s and then allowing 'em to fall, we go forward and make good progress, only to knock the ball back and have to start all over again. Thing's like this is where Chris needs to stamp his authority, it's easy to blame him and the players but a manager who tries hard, often isn't a manager who fails and I honestly feel he's scared of repercussions at times. In games like MK Don's, there's easy way's to break up the play and hold pressure. The inability to mark/defend only allows teams to punish us and for me you cannot blame the players fully here, the watchful eye of the manager should be the person whom attempts to fix things. I feel we have a lack of inspiring players, vocal and aware.. True leaders who understand how to change games but this doesn't mean we can,t make the most of players like Fotheringham or Liddle – Who'd both be decent vice captains. The answers to our misfortunes are how we prepare – Morale can be low, players confidence not very high but if you sit on this the situation grows and becomes worse. It's clear the players need to learn to work together, each strength and weakness needs to be learned in order to aid and prevent mistakes. We should be seeing more partnerships, especially down the flanks and if things were able to click we might see more chances falling to our forwards, I sometimes wish they'd gamble more but you can't expect them to score if the service is poor or below par. It's bordering on the final roll of the dice for Chris in the eyes of many fans and if the board want to show encouragement to the manager – they'll need to make sure he actually keeps at addressing the problems as we haven't seen any real “fixes”. Of course it takes time for players to get used to each other, hence why I believe we need to start with simple steps. The training sessions should be where we try to mix things, encourage creativity and hopefully we can see some of it applied on the field. When games aren't going our way – It needs addressing, even if it's only 3 minutes in!