Chris

That game Jevani Brown won, he was incredible and by far his best performance for us. Unfortunately, it was against Alfreton Town if my memory serves me and when Matty Platt has been exceptional, he's completed against others. 😞

There was a lot of things said by David McGoldrick when he first arrived, such as wanting to retire at Notts. He also spoke about not wanting this to be a last pay day, or to become the club's highest earner. These comments wouldn't reflect well if he decides to join up with Paul Warne. His injury might have him considering retirement, which is a real possibility. He wasn't the best in his debut season, bright start but fizzled out. Actually, he became very poor and I did say at the time I would have released him. However, he was fantastic this past campaign and highlighted how good he can be with quality around him. In one hand you have all his comments, in the other you have what he's done in his short time since returning. Honestly, I didn't think we'd get more than two seasons out of him and I do wonder if injuries are this stage is taking their toll on him. However, he's not bigger than this club and all the negativity, including the Talk Sport article on this subject is the "real embarrassing" part. Every player has their price, Notts are trying to stay competitive and I don't think we could continue to allow David McGoldrick to be our highest paid player. His role in the squad could be reduced, we could see his form drop or his ability fade as aging players do, or he could have had another impactful season. I guess the balance is how much did he wants to retire at Notts, how much he really meant his comments about final pay days etc, and what exactly the Notts offer looked like. I doubt they would have offered him a lowball deal, and if that's true I can respect McGoldrick for not accepting. Yet, there's an element of what his next move might be that could bitter his return.

I hate to say it, but it might be a blessing for Aston Villa. Leicester City winning the Premier League wasn't the best outcome in the long run for the club, wage increase demands and rushing natural development undid their efforts. Whilst Villa are unlucky, at least they can continue to keep building. Teams are always in a rush for success, without thinking of the downsides which often outweigh the positives. Yes, the decision sucks but they are finally achieving and I personally would hope it continues without focusing away from the Premier League.

Humid and moggy here on the east coast, it's been nice but the heats starting to make me feel very tired. Just haven eating doesn't either, but it was the first thing of the day. We're aiming on going back on the beach, but I'm starting to think we'll be hit with rain.

With success comes higher salaries, better players means gate prices increase and it's a natural progression. A skyscraper would be a good way to look at the Premier league, but not so much the Championship. Teams can flirt between the 3 lowest professional tiers without much changing. Establishing yourself as a Championship side, and modernising at that stage can he costly. Teams that buy new stadiums, don't always get the success they in vision and then there's your Blackpool's, Portsmouth's and even rarer Bournemouth's.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was a brilliant prospect and excellent talent, a player who was a real joy to watch. When he signed for Forest, I felt disappointed but he did well in spells for them. It's a shame his career never reached the heights it perhaps should have, and even more saddening to see him fall into a life of crime. 🎶"I just don't think, I'll go to the clink. Just because I took out the backseat."🎵

Great to see that they have achieved the championship, it's another great story in football.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Robin McArthur. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

Honestly, the board would probably be advising the recruitment to focus on younger talent. We'd all love Macaulay Langstaff back, hopefully one day we will but it would be good to find someone who has pace, height, able to hold up the ball and can finish. Ideally 22-25, but strikers that are good are few and far between. Still, there's every chance we could develop or get the best out of the right talent.

Paddy Power do well with their skits, they always tend to be funny and I enjoyed Peter Crouches involvement. Peter Reid also, respect to him for mentioning the Everton draw. 🤣

I'm not sure point deductions works as a penalty, transfer embargoes and the likes tend to cause a fairer balance. Perhaps, they should sell players to cover the loss as this would significantly weaken them. Manchester City being allowed to drag theirs on, is the only exception I agree with point docking.

I wonder what Sol Campbell makes of this? Lee Grant was a good keeper, it's nice to him being given a shot at management but I often feel moves like this are setup for failure. He needs plenty of time and support, hope he does well. @super_ram

I'd love to see more youngsters pushing into the first team, Cassius Cisse does look like a great prospect but I can't help but feel Notts tends to focus more on one, at the cost of others and never push them enough to see it through. Good to see him scoring and earning some spotlight, I hope he does break into our team. Just hope it doesn't work against us.

I don't think it's a case of being more physical, but less bullied by teams who pull shirts, clatter attacking players and just use the dark arts. If we give up to much freedom to be physical, it will impact the stone of football the club currently in visions. Fans always say we need to be more physical or aggressive, but the moment players pile up suspensions, or get red carded it causes negative meltdowns. Liam Noble and Might Doyle are two prime cases, both were silly with how frequent they got red carded but it's further evidence it's not what we need. Personally, I think Notts must be braver on the ball and more focused on misleading the opposition as to who might receive the pass. Our movement isn't all that great, yes we can score so excellent team based goals but they are few and far between. If players made more effort with trying to make space and constantly move, it would open play a lot more. Whereas physical football tends to lead to unnecessary suspension. Whilst there could be room for some more physicality, my suggestion would solely be on movement, creativity and better linkup play.

I don't think he'll be coming back as a player, I think a League One team might be more inclined to offer him more suitable wages. We had this last year, when the rumour mill started suggesting he would return. One day, he might but I think we won't see him rejoin us. Two reasons, fee and salary. There's talk of David McGoldrick rejecting his deal due to bring offered lower wages. As good as he was, I hope Notts did because he came here saying it wasn't about the money and how he didn't want to be the club's highest earner. Still I don't believe either, despite knowing the offer had been made. I'm of the understanding both parties were happy. Which wouldn't leave much room for Macaulay Langstaff without him dropping wages. The £7,500 being mentioned by the FLW is from a site which guesses. He's on more than that, and at least twice what we paid Didzy last season.

Hello, @Piesofgreento the Pride of Nottingham, I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

Occasionally, it's sung but very rarely these days. There's a number of chants we should always at least chat once, Jimmy's one for example.

Greetings from the east coast, where I am currently pitched in my beach tent and relaxing with a brisk breeze. It's been very nice so far, with only Saturday experiencing early spells of rain. We are making the most of it and are all enjoying the family break. In news, @super_ram might feel disappointed to learn that Ling-a-longer Chippy at the bottom of Winthorpe Avenue is up for sale. My parents have been friends with the owner, Dave, for many years. It's a shame, as it feels like the end of an era. That said, in recent years his wife had started helping out, but she's not remotely a people person. It certainly went downhill after the premises had a fire. I've tried to catch up a few times with Dave, as I thought he would like to know about my mum, but getting past his wife's communication skills has been impossible. It's a shame, as he's a pillar of the community in that area. He's probably retiring, but I will miss the laughs. When I was younger, we used to have water pistol fights. 🤣

We don't sing "We're the Pride of, we're the Pride of Nottingham..." There's so many generic chants which does nothing. Such, Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottingham. Once that's been changed at the start of the game or before kick off, there's no real point unless the the opposition chats warrant the response. We don't really counter opposition chants either, it happens far more often away from home but virtually rare at Meadow Lane.

Match of the Day could be good, but the host needs to have played football for me. I don't think, you can connect with a pundit or general host. If he had the time, Ian Wright would be a good call, but someone younger might be a better decision. I don't watch it these days, but have seen comments on Twitter (x). What was just seen TV, these days is a bit of a joke. I would rather see much highlights, then some of the discussion segments. I wished ITV could get a shot at having their own highlight show, as in the past this made the BBC work for it.

I still hope we go for a head coach that has a good record with maintaining a decent stay at his previous trans, with a strong focus of tactics and in-game understanding. Someone not afraid to make changes early when they are needed, and ideally not Like Williams or someone unknown. Experience would get the best out of this squad, as much as I like Williams we have moved on.

The thing is, I don't deny the red card was the right call and he should have left the field without controversy. However, the referee deserves to be fined for failing to control the game and missing key decisions. Some of the AFC Wimbledon players should be investigated for their actions, but these won't happen.

There are two ways to look at it. Possession-based football as a good attacking, well-structured team, or one that uses possession as a means to maximise the amount of points picked up when their squad isn't as polished as others. Personally, there's nothing wrong with either, but you have to accept limitations and that reflects on a healthier level of expectations. To some level of degree, we suit both of these. As it's just a means of how to get the best out of the squad. Playing 'pretty' football, you need to play with the desire to run and take on players. That level of creativity is important with the overall goal of being quality, not just in control, but with how to punish teams. I think we are over halfway to achieving this, as I would like to think Jodi Jones with his confidence back and Will Jarvis coming into the XI would most certainly give us wing backs who aren't afraid to run into space. Defensively, I think we are one solid defender away from being completed at the back. I believe that Lucas Ness and Lewis Macari will effectively strengthen this area, with Rod McDonald perfectly suited for rotation. I do think Notts needs more attacking options if we are to be the complete possession-based team. The thing is, now we have sacked Stuart Maynard and said our goal is promotion, we can't really fall back on possession-based football that is aimed at making the most of a team that needs to strike when a chance comes. We need another striker, a solid attacking midfielder, and one more creative outlet in the centre of the park to go alongside Matt Palmer and Scott Robertson. Weak teams can become effective by making the most out of a system which suits the players, but comes with a lack of star power/quality. I just want to see Notts treat Meadow Lane as a place where we must win, and be competitive away from home. Yet, I am not sure "promotion" will just accept possession-based football, with a lack of quality on goal. We need to become more clinical for this to work out, with a fair level of depth. The right signings could breed confidence, as would the right head coach appointment. Pretty football is great, but you need to be creative. Players must want the ball, willing to make runs or draw players off them. I think our work ethic and stamina in games really needs to be boosted more than we need to see improvements in quality. The only exception would be clear goalscorers, as they make all the difference in football.

I would like to believe Notts allowed Charlie Whitaker to leave due to them not wanting to match potential wage demands, rather than the club believing he isn't good enough. I personally would have given him a two-year deal. He looked very promising for us, and I know he only scored a few times, but he was a creative spark. Him and Will Jarvis, I felt could be the future of Notts. The rest make a lot of sense to me. Regarding Sam Austin, I have defended him in the past, but he hasn't been the same player we know he can be this past season. Much like Adam Chicksen, there are moments of brilliance, but the overall consistency is lacking. I wouldn't have started him in our away leg against the Dons, so I think he would have been more of an impact/squad player. The fact he could fill-in in several positions, that is something, but really there are better and more consistent players. That said, Whitaker leaving seems like a loss, whereas I completely understand the retained list.

Vastly underused by us, at a point where he would have got us goals and did when he started playing. Much like Jonathan Forte, so I am pleased to see Kristian Dennis extending his style with Tranmere Rovers. In our opening game, he took quite a lot of banter and just smiled. That's something about ex-players I really respect, not taking it the wrong way or allowing it to become more hostile.