Chris

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!

Tonight Notts will meet the very top of League Two, as we prepare to take on Leyton Orient. They've started the 2013/14 season very well, the spirit with their play is positive and they've enjoyed successive victories over some very decent sides. Leyton Orient are undefeated, impressively they've scored a total of 16 goals so far in only 6 games and have only seen 4 goals put past them. Ex Notts County manager Russell Slade will no doubt be fairly confident ahead of our clash, so it's down to the Notts coaches & players to perform on the pitch in order to halt their progress. Alan Sheehan's made comments to local media about the players owing a big performance, it's got to be asked when does the talk finish and the performances start but on paper we are a very capable League One club. Notts will be required to hold their heads high and take the game steady, it would be nice to see an improved performance after the recent weeks and Chris Kiwomya will no doubt be looking into turning the season around as quickly as possible, as a loss would result in the worst start to a Notts season for sometime. Russell Slade's commented that “You look at Notts County on paper and they will improve sooner rather than later.” - We need to transfer this onto the pitch with a good level of performance's, even if we lose every so often. Chris Kiwomya's promised changes and even went on record to saying we will see a couple of players on the bench, so the lineup could be anyone's guess. The only known injury (unless I've missed some) is to Haydn Hollis – Although I wonder if Liddle will return back to centre back, although personally I would hope he could remain in midfield and given a role where he's dictating the passing. My Prediction – 2-1 to Leyton Orient. COYP! By Notts-Joe

Notts County come into the game having held their heads high at Anfield having battled for 4-2 defeat in the second half of extra time, having ended the game at 2-2. Rotherham United played on the 28th and enjoyed a game against Aston Villa, where they lost 3-0. The Millers have gotten off well so far in the season and Notts are still looking for their first home with of the season. We here at Pride of Nottingham have taken the time to speak with Miller fan "Ian" and we've asked him a series of 12th questions - Let's get behind the lads on Saturday! COYP!! Firstly, could you tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself, such as how long you've been a fan for? My name is Ian & live in Rotherham & have been a fan for 42 years. Last year we met in the cup and you not only managed to get a replay but you brought the game to us at Meadow Lane and played very well. What was your view on this game? Last years cup replay was one of our performances of the season & we really did "play you off the park" as it were, I hope for more of the same this weekend. Can you please tell us about your expectations for the new season and how you felt your pre-season went? I'm not like some Millers fans who are half expecting to run straight through League One & get to the Championship in one go, but it is our long term aim. Mid Table. Pre-season was good for us, unbeaten on a three game mini scottish tour, then victory v Bolton in our first home friendly, but then home defeats to three Championship clubs, all narrow ones, 2-3 v Middlesbrough, 0-1 v Huddersfield, & 2-3 again v Barnsley, but good experience v Championship opposition!! Rotherham have a fairly capable side – Have you made any new additions to your squad since our last meeting and how are they settling in? The squad is OK with competition in most areas. Since last year we've brought in several players, most notably Matt Tubbs from AFC Bournemouth, also, Milsom & Tidser in Midfield, ex Carlisle keeper Collin, right back Brindley, last season at Chesterfield, striker Hylton from Aldershot & Worrall, the ex Bury winger who has been the most impressive of the newbies so far, but they all need time to bed in. The starting line ups so far has mainly been the side that got us promotion. Four games in, although early days you're showing some very promising signs. Can you give us a basic run down of your last four games? Last 4 games, OK Right; 10th Aug PNE H 0-0 Tight game with defences on top, could have nicked it but overall fair result 17th Aug Crawley A 2-1 win Should have been more, more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. 24th Aug Shrews H 2-2 Outplayed for large parts of the game by a surprisingly good Shrews side, lucky to get a point!! 28th Aug Villa A 0-3 Comfortably beaten by a Villa side that obviously is taking the Capital One Cup seriously as they played virtually their entire 1st team, but not disgraced, & like Notts at Anfield, will have learned an awful lot from the experience. On Tuesday we faced Liverpool in the Capital One Cup, where we lost 4-2 after ending 90's all square. Did you watch the game on Sky? Didn't watch the Anfield game as i'm a footy anorak & was at Derby v Brentford!!! Who do you think will be your highest goal scorer and which three opposition players do you think will contend for the highest goal scorer overall? Hard to tell who'll be our top scorer as we seem to get just as many goals from midfield compared to the strikers. High hopes though for Kieran Agard in the scorers stakes, along with Lee Frecklington. League 1 as a whole, I can see Griffiths at Wolves & Sheff Utds new signing Jose Baxter scoring loads!! We have a fair few injuries/concerns at the moment – Do you look into opposition sides prior to games and do you feel it could be an area the Millers could benefit from? I'm sure Mr Evans has done his homework on the Pies & is aware of their collective strengths & weaknesses. What formation and line up do you see being used by Steve Evans on Saturday? I think we'll pack the midfield (thats where our strengths are) & go for a 4-5-1 formation leaving Alex Revell as a lone striker with players like Agard & Pringle in support. Can you tell us which players you feel will pose a threat to Notts County? Watch out for our midfield three of Ben Pringle, Lee Frecklington & Michael O'Connor, if you can nullify their threat you've got a real chance. Which Notts County players are you most wary about and how would you try to cancel out their game? The only Notts player that concerns me is Arquin as he scored an absolute screamer in the first Cup tie at NYS last season & he scored at Anfield didn't he? On the 28th Rotherham lost to Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup, Did you enjoy the clash and how important is the cup games this season? The Villa tie was a great experience for the players & supporters & we enjoyed it despite the result. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Ian for taking the time to answer our questions, I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to him as he has since joined us as Bradthemiller! Nice to have another opposition fan in our midst