Chris

It's going to be tight as the remaining games come, I just hope we can bounce back from Grimsby and avoid allowing it to linger. This focus needs to be on picking up as many wins away from home as possible, because I do think our home form has been very good this campaign at least off the top of my head. I was in The Nest yesterday, and I felt disappointed witnessing our fan base cheering for Cambridge when they scored, and then again for MK Dons. It made no sense, and as much as I hate team franchises, a draw was always the better outcome for us. Teams just like us will be scrambling to get the wins they need, and that builds for an exciting end to the competition. For us, we should expect more dips and highs in the rollercoaster because football is never plainsailing. I actually think, or at least hope we'll be stronger for the defeat against Grimsby and that we will unite as the matches become harder to squeeze those points. I would actually call for fans who attend and watch/look out for fixtures at home to spread encouragement.

Take away the disappointment of losing, and to such a close rival. It seemed always likely, at least to me, that the game would be decided by a single goal. I also felt especially in the first half, that we would have loved a squad which competed as Notts did in the first half previous seasons as we have been a team that tends to go into these games rather flat and empty. Notts did very well to win the ball back, Grimsby at times only did enough to prevent us causing them trouble and I wasn't all that impressed except for how they worked the ball when attacking. They have a fast thought process which opened a lot of space, which did take them time to achieve and defensively we coped for the majority. I think what took the game out of our control is the sending off, I won't debate that because it happened so fast and I am yet to re-see it. The decision to take off both wing backs in Nick Tsaroulla, Jodi Jones and Lewis Macari. I actually would have preferred to keep both Tsaroulla and Macari on. Whilst the referee was fine in the first half, he did quickly start to lose the second half. No matter what is done, I do not like seeing our players lash out, and it's not the first time this season Matthew Dennis has been lucky not to have been red carded himself. Why do some of our players fall for these mind games, where the opposition wants to look like the innocent party? Where does physically pushing a player to the ground warrant smart play in football? The defeat is disappointing but the performance was better for such an occasion considering previous encounters too.

I am not saying people are wrong, but I am surprised nobody has voted for Nick Tsaroulla until I have. I thought he was by far the best attacking player, and defensively strong. It was apprant just how much we missed him after making him off; I felt even Lewis Macari had one of his better games. It's a shame that I feel the narrow defeat seems to overlook matters, as it was one of those games that seemed a single goal would decide it. Unfortunately, the only player higher up the pitch other than Tsaroulla I can praise is Scott Robertson. I think he was very much stuck in and worked hard, but I praise the team for collectively winning the ball back, especially in the first half.

It was my highlight of the day, especially after the disappointing defeat at Meadow Lane but I can shrug that off. My friend dropped me off at my dad's after the game, and I managed to beat my better half/our children. Jake didn't go to the game due to having uni assighments, but he did go to see @super_ram. Kate whipped up a Victoria sponge and dusted it with icing sugar, making the derby logo pop out - just the ram, of course! Presents given, and some nice quality time with him and we had a good laugh.

I've always enjoyed watching James Belshaw perform when we have played him, and I do think he's a good keeper but I thought this wouldn't be the answer to our problems at first. I do feel for Kelle Roos, though he's just too erratic. I don't want to sound harsh, but did lose points due to this and there's light and day difference between him in the net and Belshaw who has given back the defence its confidence I believe. Notts fans have wanted him for years now, and we have had windows and chances where it could have been a realistic move. The reason I felt unsure, is mostly due to the fact that his age and the fact that usually these types of signing tend to fall flat on their face. I do love the story, from youth team to senior career throughout the Non League and becoming a Football League keeper, to join his boyhood club. It's a grat story, and my concerns have already been settled so I am delighted don't get me wrong. I think the biggest aspect is even at his age, he can be a mentor to the two younger keepers aslong said the goalkeeper coach and Sam Slocombe, but he might be happy to be cover if we do look for a more long term option. He's good enough to start, and that presents a chance for real compeition which in the keeper department usually means a team is doing well if they don't get replaced.

I think this is going to prove to be one of the desive games which will reveal if we are a playoff contender or automatic promotion, but at the same time the result really could swing either way. I mean more about how the group of players we have handle the situation, if we can control the game and play with confidence. Grimsby won't be a pushover, and I do expect them to make things difficult. Thier attacking threat is more of a concern, than how they defend and I can see that there's areas where we can exploit to get in behind them. Yet, it would be encouraging to see a strong performance after how we dominated Tranmere Rovers. Gaining confidence in that manner, is something professional footballers thrive on and instead of daunting or being natural about an upcoming game, it can give players something to drive forward. I really hope the conditions do not play an impact, and that Grimsby look to play football. They can be a very good passing team, that aren't fixated on structure and can be robust when trying to break teams down.

I don't want to give the wrong idea, or be taken out of context, but the most asked question I find being asked by fellow supporters on match days is why Luke Browne was signed (since he arrived it must have been said like 200 times by different people). Whilst, I have no idea and wouldn't be privy to the club's recruitment policy. I think it's more to balance the injuries, as we have seen Matty Platt, Rod McDonald, Lucas Ness and Lewis Macari out for spells. Sonny Aljofree was recalled by Manchester United, not for the reason of injury but because he wasn't getting the game time they wanted. Notts really did need to sign someone for cover. Without the signing, we'd have four centre backs according to the club's site and I can't think of anyone missed. I don't know Luke Browne, I haven't heard of him before but I have faith that he would be capable of covering if needed and I welcome the signing because the defence is the area that we need to keep numbers in case of injuries or suspensions as we are blessed elsewhere.

Ollie Norburn has been immense in the home games I have seen, and at first I wasn't sure why people were ranting and raving about him - mostly because I felt others had played better but the last 3 games especially he has been exceptional. Some of his passes and tackles have proven to be very important and I do like his grit with leaving a little something on the opposition. He's not dirty, but gives what he gets back. Tranmere had a difficult time trying to bully him, as he just shrugged off some of their antics. Unlike Scott Robertson, who would become inflamed when pushed, elbowed or tackled. Haha I love the difference!

I'd be all for this, but it could turn out JJ in the AMC position. I do wish we had persisted with it a bit more mind, it's easy to revert when things aren't quite going right but had it been given more time (much like managers who aren't afford time to make changes) the pay off could be massive. That said, I do think the current system is better but with JJ aging, I would certainly like to see the option kept open because it would protect him from injury.

I would still have him in the team, because there's no doubt what quality he brings, but I look back at the Barrow away game and others where he just wasn't performing well. It might seem harsh to single him out, as Matt Platt had the same issues at the start of the season and I feel he's come back from his injury quite strong. I'm a big fan of Rod McDonald, who looked highly capable of securing that middle centre back posiiton. Though I do feel Jacob Bedeau has struggled a lot this season, sometimes I thought it was more the mental side of the game as he seemed not as focused but this just highlights why it's important for him to be playing so well. He's superb at darting forward, and it's not often that he doesn't make up for mistakes, so I do have a lot of praise for him Oh, for sure. I think our defenders fit the system well and we have options to rotate players. Such as Lewis Macari, who is excellent going forward, but sometimes questionable in his defending. I see Nick Tsaroulla having to fall back a lot because he's out of position, but he's a great asset. Between Beadeau, Platt and Macari we have players who can deal with the opposition when the team performs well. Even on an iffy day, they are all capable of protecting us but alongside James Belshaw we just look far more controlled and less pressured from our own passing. We tended to cause more problems for ourselves, so you can see how each player massively impacts a performance. Speaking of Tsaroulla, now that Martin Paterson has him regularly playing in the starting XI. I find him to be proving why he's such a coup in terms of last season's signings and I really wonder why Stuart Maynard didn't play him more when fit. It might suggest that Paterson has a clear understanding of the impact the wider players have and how rotation between the insane amount of depth we have had in this area has led to inconsistancies on the pitch at times. It's good to have players fighting for the shirt, but we have had so many wide players that it's difficult for playing time. We might look at Barry Cotter and wonder why he didn't walk into the team more frequently, as I do with Will Jarvis and these types of players departing sometimes causes pause for thought but I still feel we have quality in abundance out wide.

@Piethagoram: I have been meaning to give this a watch, it seems it's no longer on the BBC Iplayer but I intend to find it. Once I manage to give it a watch, I'll give my thoughts on it etc.

It almost feels like I am tempting fate, but today I would say I am quite content with how I feel (pain wise). I did my daily exercises which include some high step ups, which I do feel help my balance and what not. Keeping my joints strong, is a good feeling when they dislocate so easily, but I worry more about my better half in this relation more than I do myself, I can manage it. Still waiting for my appointment, since the last time I went after my physio wanted the GP to push for a full scan of my body. That stuff aside, I have made progress with returning deactivated resources due to a previous issue with pages not loading. I get that some might seem 'flashy' or unnessiary, but I like many of the live features because they are useful when replying to an active discussion. It can hold the engagement and create some excellent discussions back and forth. After working on the server management side, such as updates and making sure there's no issues. I finished off and upgraded an app I built to show a success message when content is posted. Members can test this and see it in action if they wished, I didn't choose to have it enabled by default because I felt its more a personal choice but in the last update I did add the ability to make it device specific - well actually, I used the bug that made this occur and fixed the device logic so it's cross compataible meaning it can be optional for devices or global throughout a members use. https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/settings/links/

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