Chris

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

This is a pretty special opposition view for us here at Pride of Nottingham. It's certainly not your typical one and although this is no doubt one of my personal favourites, I comment unbiased on how welcoming the responses. I've taken the time to speak with Matt who is currently based in Swansea, he's taken the time to answer our questions for us all to read. Liverpool will no doubt come into the game openly confident - Notts will have to play makeup with a fair portion of our fans but this is a game where they can show us fans what the shirt really means to them. Come On You Pies! Firstly, could you tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself, such as how long you've been a fan for? I'm Matt originally from Southport (a seaside town with little of note), I've lived in Bournemouth, St ives and currently reside in the Premiership City of Swansea. I grew up in a none football household in a town around 20 miles from Liverpool and in those type of families you just fall into football, I remember watching England beat San Marino 7-1 (They needed a clear 7 goals to go through and conceded after 10 seconds) and I think I just generally fell in love with heartbreak, I liked Liverpool as it was local enough and my friends on the whole generally supported them, plus the other two Everton and Manchester United had both been teams of my brother in his ever changing youth, so naturally sibling rivalry takes hold. So far Liverpool have won their opening two games in the Premership, do you feel confident that you can overcome the recent League Cup form? Losing to Swansea was not the worst result I have witnessed as a fan, and we won it the year before, if you mean general cup runs of recent years then yes, I think Brendan may treat them with a little more respect this season (well I hope so), I think it's a chance for him to get his hands on some silverware and so I think yes we should be though we should always be aware of opposition from the lower leagues. We lost on Saturday to a late goal at home to Stevenage, who your rivals Everton also face in the same competition. How much would like to see Stevenage win them? I'm a Liverpool fan, the only reason I would like to see Everton lose is it is less competition if we were to progress and that goes for several other teams, never been the biggest fan of this "anti rival" nastiness that seems to be all over football, a fan of a different club is not scum, he is a fan of football, that is a positive (It's very unique but I guess that relates back to my upbringing). How are Liverpool fans adjusting to life with Rodger Red Hat? I think for the majority of Liverpool fans (Though I can't speak for all) we are warming to him, I was a massive fan due to what I saw here in Swansea (Have friends who were able to get me tickets so enjoyed a lot of his first season in the premiership and also some of the promotion push). Others have had to warm to him but yeah he has got this team playing some brilliant football especially in the second half of last season, he had the hardest act to follow so in doing so he has had to work extra hard but on the whole he is a likeable bloke with ideas and the right philosophy he will hopefully go far. Your currently being linked to Derby County young marvel Will Hughes – How do you feel about this and would you sign him if it were possible? Will Hughes from what I know and have seen and watched is one of the most exciting prospects so yes of course it would be great but I do feel we need more "now" signings as our youth system looks full of exciting talent. What are your hopes and aspires for the rest of your season? Cup runs and a push for fourth, significant improvement on last season though would do, I think a cup win may help Brendan a lot. What are match days like for you, do you travel home and away? Can you give our fans a typical insight to a Liverpool fans day? I usually only go to home matches, I enjoy going back north, I tend to travel up on a morning if it is a saturday or if it is an lunchtime or sunday match will stay over with my brother. I don't get to go to as many Liverpool matches as I want usually around 5 or 6 a season. My typical day would be lots of travel, a pint or two in one of the many locals near Anfield and hopefully an enjoyable 3 points, Stoke was far from enjoyable but probably the most tense and excited anfield had been in a number of years especially with the penalty save at the end. Do you have any recollections of seeing Notts County play? If so could you please share your memory of this. Only on Television sadly, I do like to watch alot of football and so was generally excited about the first game of the season which saw the young Liverpool product Conor Coady get a few minutes for Sheffield United, I felt you were unlucky by going down to 10 and kept the game quite tight, I expect you will be a tough opposition for us. What formation and line-up do you think Brandon Rodgers will choose, do you feel he might field some reserves and rest some first team players? I think he is more than likely to stick to the formation that has been put out in recent games which is a 4-2-3-1 I would expect him to rest a number of the first team but not as many as some expect, I reckon Sturridge, Toure, Agger, Johnson, Enrique and Aspas will all be missing. Who do you see as being your main threats towards our defence? I expect Ibe and Sterling to both play and have both looked good at premier league level, I also expect Borini to finally chip in with a decent finish or two. Sterling though will be key though as he is forever improving. Do you know much about Notts County – If so, who do you see being a game changer for us? I don't sorry but I expect your entire team to up for this, a trip to Anfield is always special. Can you please tell us about Liverpool, Anfield and anything you feel that will be interesting for our travelling fans. The people are really friendly it is one of the things you'll take away from your visit, also the food outlets across from the ground serve some really excellent grub, I couldn't recommend one as I'm a fan of most of them. Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Matt for taking the time to answer our questions, we appreciate his responses and it's refreshing to read. I really enjoyed his views on rival clubs and couldn't help but feel the game would better if more fans were the same (excluding a bit of banter of course).

Pride of Nottingham brings you action shots from the game against Stevenage at Meadow Lane last Saturday. Stevenage managed to score right in the final minutes, taking all 3 points with them in the process. The lads will need to pick them up for tomorrows game and inspire the fans! You can see all the photos from Saturday's match day provided by Oskar Papierz - Mobile users please see the link below which will take you to our gallery - 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.

We see the return of the PoN on One! In this edition we see a little twist as we turn it into a special feature for our Capital One cup tie against Liverpool. I've taken the time to ask two American based fans questions ahead of the tie, whilst throwing in the traditional quiz at the end. We will be following up with an Opposition View tomorrow but if you ever wondered how fans from another country get around timezones etc. We have this covered in this addition! I very much hope you'll enjoy reading this, as it's a feature which brings fans together in a good way. Keep tuned for more news, reports, articles and of course features such as this. Firstly, could you tell prideofnottingham.co.uk a little about yourself, such as how long you've been a fan for? Liverpool - Mike; My name is Mike Creuzer, and I've been an EPL fan since I was about 11 give or take, and I'm 22 now so half my life! My brother and I would watch the games when we were younger. Notts County - Dana; Well Firstly: My name is Dana Shoup. I was born in Ketchikan Alaska, been playing soccer/football my whole life, i'm 29, spent some time in England going to Harlaxton University just outside Grantham. We did a tour of the grounds of Notts County and it was 2003 when Notts was really close to dissolution and literally fans were knitting scarves just to make some extra money for the club. I absolutely fell in love with the notts family after that and I have one of those hand knit scarves proudly up on my wall right now. I did what I could as a broke college student to help. and I've been a big fan since. Become a lot more involved in the last few years though. What's it like being a fan of an English club in America – For example do you find it difficult keeping tabs on the games? Liverpool - Mike; Here in the States, American football is the primary sport and to get soccer/world football, let alone EPL, you have to pay for special channels. We used to pay for it until it was too expensive. Since then, I stream online or catch the game at a local bar. It is very very difficult to stay on par, but I do what I can to catch the noteworthy matches. Notts County - Dana; It's Hard to be a fan so far away, especially cause every game you want to be at Meadow Lane chanting with the rest, but thank the internet and things like Twitter and Facebook to really keep close on games and how all the fans are feeling, being able to talk with players, owners, board members, it really has let me become more involved and I'm thrilled about it. Biggest problem really is being able to watch the games, obviously with Notts being lower in the divisions, i'm stuck with watching a lot of Premier games. And at least if I can't buy season tickets, there's options like sponsering players or Lifeline to help out from afar. Can you please tell us what you know about the opposition your team faces and how you feel the Capital One Cup game will go? Liverpool - Mike; I know very little about Notts other than they are a very old and well respected club. Probably not wise to say to Notts fans but I'm not too worried. Liverpool have won this cup more than anyone else, so they clearly understand what needs to be done. We have a young side but a strong one. We do have some issues we need to clean up in the back, though, so it'll be interesting to see how things play out. Notts County - Dana; I know Liverpool enough to know they didnt have the best year last year, they have quite the Biter on their team, Gerrard who they have had forever has been amazing for them. Just like how I love Notts being the oldest club in the world, I have a love for players that stay with their club for a long time as well. Obviously Liverpool wont start their best squad, I hope we can take advantage of that, maybe knock in a few quickly and maybe knock them up a bit to take away their confidence, if they can do that, we can pull it off! Who's your current favourite player and why? Liverpool - Mike; Gerrard. He has always been a solid presence of fortitude not just as Liverpool's skipper but for England as well. Got a fantastic boot on him and I certainly hope he has many more years left in him. Carra retiring was tough, he was a close second. Notts County - Dana; Favorite Player.... I was a massive fan of Bart and Spiess last year, just love the amount of wonderful saves they have done for us. Bart has taken some knocks but he just keeps being an amazing player/goalkeeper for us. And because he has, He has really made it to where I think we can win against anyone. I've seen undefeated teams lose to a team that shot just one shot while that undefeated team shot 30 plus times and their goalkeeper saved some 20 shots. I just really appreciate what goalkeepers do out there. Its the one position I just have no ability to play. Lastly – What were your reaction to the cup draw and what are your expectations for the season? Liverpool - Mike; I'm looking forward to catching a good number of these games. Bristol City/Crystal Palace, Doncaster Rovers/Leeds, and of course Liverpool/Notts. As for the season as a whole, really interested to see what's going to happen with some of these transfers. Looking forward to watching a great season! Notts County - Dana; Reaction to the cup draw... I mean I'm all about moving on in the cup so I would have liked to see maybe an easier opponent, but I would say getting a bigger club early, they may be more relaxed, not far enough in the cup yet to be really determined or in better form so its a stronger possibility that we can pull of a stunner and of course more money for the club is always a benefit in my mind. I'd love to see us pull off a run like Bradford City. and Expectations, every year from the start til the end, I'm hoping and shooting for promotion, I know we lost some key players, but I will back Notts no matter what and believe we can pull off anything. Cause it comes down to 90+ minutes and honestly anything can happen. I had a scoring drought one soccer season and suddenly one game I had 4 goals and 3 assists, I couldnt do anything wrong and it was against a good team. You just never know. -Quiz- Q1) In which year did Anfield open and what is the current capacity of the stadium? (closet to both figures will get the full points) Liverpool - Mike; 1884, and I have no idea but I'd guess at maybe a bit over 40,000 Notts County - Dana; 1884 and 45,525 Q2) What was the score the last time Notts played Liverpool at Anfield? Liverpool - Mike; I have absolutely no idea. Notts County - Dana; 4-0 Liverpool in 1991-1992 Season Q3) Have Everton ever ground shared with Liverpool – Yes or No? Liverpool - Mike; Oh I doubt that very much, too tough a rivalry for that. Notts County - Dana; No, I think Everton moved to Goodison Park and then Liverpool was formed and took over Anfield after Everton left. So they didnt share grounds at the same time. Ha I think I'm guessing this right. Q4) Who were Liverpool's highest goalscorers last season and also who were Notts County's? Liverpool - Mike; Suarez had 10 or 11 and Gerrard had 5. I've only ever watched a few Notts games, we rarely get any Championship or L1 here. Notts County - Dana; Suarez, Sturridge, Gerrard and JCR, Judgey, Arquin, and Bishop Q5) Steve Finnan had a successful career with both clubs – How much did Notts County sign him for and how much was he later sold for. Please combine your two answers and let us know the figure roughly? Liverpool - Mike; Finnan was on the 2005 CL side, but I don't know how much he was purchased for or sold for. Don't be too tough on me fellas. I cant name every player or every game final, and I can hardly say I know a lot about the history of Liverpool or any other club. But I will say that football in the UK is the best sport in the world. The passion from the fans, the skill from the players, the intensity of the matches, all make me love every minute. Thanks for the opportunity to talk with you, got one hell of a community here! Notts County - Dana; 300,000 and sold for 600,000 for Notts, So made a good 300k off of him, not too bad Final Score Mike - 2 Dana - 4 Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Mike and Dana for taking part in this feature, it's something we hope to do more often, so if you're interested in taking part please contact me.

On the 4th of February 2013, on the back of the dismissal of then manager Keith Curle. Pride of Nottingham took to asking questions ahead of our opposition view, a feature where we collect the views of fans from other League One teams. We spoke to a Boro fan called 'Chris' and he provided us with his thoughts ahead of game and we decided to take time out and catch up with Chris, has he made some interesting comments regarding his clubs progress. So although we have already done our main opposition view - you might find it insightful to see how he feels now. Last season you finished 18th, when we approached you last time you mentioned "As I've said I'm predicting a lower mid-table finish for us" How content were you with this finish? Not happy. I didn't expect us to continue our brilliant form for the entire season, but the way in which we collapsed under Smith after the new year was extremely demoralising. You also mentioned that none of your players posed a threat to us last season, how have things changed and did you have promising signs pre-season? We've shipped out some of the players who seemed to put too little effort in, and brought in players who perhaps don't have the same level of natural ability but will give everything for the cause. Player to watch now would, in my opinion, be Darius Charles - whether he plays left back, centre back, or up front! After 3 opening games, it's a little too early to see the bigger picture but how do you feel about the start to the 2013/14 campaign? There are promising signs, but we need to start picking the points up sooner rather than later. What did you make of the appointment of Graham Westley? I was happy with it. Didn't understand the anger when he left, Preston being the massive club they are. After a torrid time under Smith we needn't somebody who would get the most out of our limited resources. What formation do you see Westley choosing, along with the starting 11 players? Previously he's generally stuck with 4-4-2, occasionally with a 4-5-1 away from home. Favoured line-up possibly being: Day; Wedgbury, Jones, Ashton (Captain Fantastic), Hartley; Morais, Dunne, Tansey, Freeman; López, Charles How do you see this season going and where do you see Stevenage finishing? Probably about the same as last season, but with hopeful signs for next season and a squad that the manager gets the most out of! I'll say 17th. If you found this to be interesting, why not have a read of the Opposition View from last season. Last Seasons Opposition View - Read Here This Seasons Opposition View - Read Here Pride of Nottingham would like to thank you for taking the time to read this update, we hope you find these to be interesting and we would like to throw our appreciation to Chris for providing us once again with his views.