Chris

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.

I don't really know, but I would hope we avoid going back to Luke Williams. As I have said previously, he's not a defensively-minded coach and we need someone who can bring stability at the back with a strong focus on good attacking football. The mould of Ian Burchnall and Luke Williams has seen us improve, and appointing a lower-tier coach who has done well in non-league with Stuart Maynard was a gamble that could have paid off. Maynard isn't the worst, and wouldn't be by far. He was just average, but with a level of potential that we didn't really get to see ourselves. I can see him going back to the non-league. Which is an area I would hope the Notts board avoids too. No unknowns, returns or lower league managers. Someone with EFL experience and is a strong tactical coach. Whoever it ends up being, we will probably see some flaws, but the chance of getting more out of the squad is there.

Honestly, I am surprised given how much backing they have given previous managers during spells, but then, I see that the club are showing intent and are saying they want promotion. I do think more fans vocally wanted him gone, and with a torn fan base, it's hard to build optimism ahead of a new campaign. I also believe this explains why the club extended the season ticket renewal deadline, as quite a few fans (probably more than a few) told me they wouldn't if he remained as our head coach. People do vote with their feet, but I think the focus should be on "ambition" and "promotion". I accept the decision, but I feel sorry for Stuart Maynard because there was a level of fans who just wouldn't accept him. It seemed like when we were top of the league, that minority would go silent or just be negative for the sake of it. Obviously, I am not branding everyone with this brush, but on social media there are the usual suspects. Yet the moment we did lose, it was just unbearable with the calling for his sacking. This doesn't breed confidence, and is counterproductive. The likelihood of someone succeeding when a minority starts to grow, it's just not going to happen. Maynard was not without his imperfections. I found his lineups at times annoying and his in-game tactics weren't the best, but I can accept he's adjusting to league football. There's a level of flexibility you give, in the hope that in time a manager learns. His subs tended to always be too late, so I certainly can see why the club has made this decision, but it still doesn't take away any surprise. The board needs to really think carefully, because I don't think it would be wise to bring back Luke Williams, and I also believe that the next manager needs to be a leader, someone who has achieved promotion in the football league or has shown they are capable of promotion. I really do hope we avoid bringing in another unknown manager, because our squad needs experience from the top. I wish Stuart Maynard all the best. I wished it had worked out because it would be better for us fans. However, the signs of improvement were little. I still would have given him longer personally, but now is a good point to bring in someone that can get the most out of the squad.

Luke Williams isn't the answer, with all respect and appreciation for what he did. He's far too attacking-minded. Stuart Maynard isn't perfect, but if he gets a stronger squad and manages to figure out the best starting lineup/when to make changes, I think he would be fine. Williams decision to move made sense, but he left us at the worst time and is at fault for the slump we experienced. The move made sense from his personal perspective. I doubt he could have turned our season around, and he probably knew we were overachieving somewhat. The magic created from promotion could have worked, but in truth it seemed to be fizzling out. I also strongly believe that Williams wouldn't have done any better this season. I think the defensive improvements would have been more focused in midfield and up top. That's my opinion, this romance with him returning I won't buy into. Stuart Maynard is our head coach. Yes, he is frustrating, but most managers/coaches are. I don't hold him responsible for not achieving promotion, nor do I blame the players. I think whilst we could have gone up, we simply weren't quite ready. It's life as a football club, I am afraid, but at least we have good owners now who are trying and a squad which does care about the future. 👍

It's not as major as some fans are overreacting, you have to put perspective on things, and at the end of the day we simply weren't good enough. I thought Notts were, but I can admit when I am wrong. Be to fair to the players, they have come on leaps and bounds. They must be thinking to themselves, what if? The thing is, promotion could come at a cost, when we're not ready. It's time to build and complete for automatics. As for the game, Notts started well but collapsed when AFC Wimbledon scored. I didn't see it coming. Notts looked very likely to score first and then deflated once the Dons scored. The game completely changed after that, Notts struggled to pass and never really got their flow back completely in the first half. I don't know why we didn't start Will Jarvis, Sam Austin tried and I respect him but his performance was poor. He had no chemistry with Jacob Bedeau, and it showed. Jodi Jones again looked frustrated with himself, but he was a bright spark. That could have worked, he might not be at his best, but there wasn't a lack of effort. Without Alex Bass, we would have lost this game 3-0 quite easily. He performed two amazing saves. I was disappointed that Stuart Maynard didn't implement wise changes earlier. The ones he made did give us something going forward, but there wasn't much time to change the outcome. It looked very unlikely we would even score when they came on, but Will Jarvis did very well. He provided the two best crosses of the game, and nobody attacked them! I thought we were class, constant signing and really, regardless of the doom and gloom. We do have hope for next season, provided we continue with the right recruitment and try our hardest to be a title contender.

I believe we should retain Conor Grant, while I'm uncertain about Curtis Edwards. The rest I agree with. I don't agree with the comments about Matt Palmer, but someone more suitable to command and organise the squad would be wise. Palmer has been decent all season, and isn't a bad captain, but he's not a strong leader. Leadership like David McGoldrick shines, but he has experience and is a strong leader. The signings we make need to add more leadership to our group. Quality, experience and strong leadership.

Imagine if we did play Junior Morias and he did well, it would fuel further disappointment as to why we have never given him much of a chance. Training doesn't count, most players perform equally in the drills, and against our players isn't the biggest reveal of a player's ability. His pace could be very vital, especially to make Wimbledon less hands-on and scare them into making challenges. We have to use the home game as fuel to push ourselves, provide a strong group, and just go for it. I really want us to get one up over Johnnie Jackson, he barely did anything for us and didn't like that he wasn't walking straight into our team. Very disrespectful towards our club, which most fans don't seem to care about. Jake Reeves faced boos and was labelled a County reject. However, he made it very clear he signed a one-year deal and wanted to play league football. There's no comparison to Reeves, he served us during his time and wasn't all that bad. Because we won the league, Jackson is oddly remembered with false praise despite doing all he could to walk out of our club. Long before Munto was even known to be false, he disrespected Nottingham, or club, and didn't want to fight for his place. I wished more knew, but booing players IMO tends to encourage them to be at their best. I just want us to beat Wimbledon and Jackson. To show Notts should be taken more seriously. It's going to be difficult, missing Alasana Jatta and David McGoldrick are major blows. It could work to our advantage if they start counting their chickens and feel the 1-0 lead is enough. I mean, they looked like they were settling for a point before they scored. We have the ability to control the narrative and outcome, we just need to convert chances and work hard to create them. I expect it to be very cagey at the beginning, but I hope we grow into the game and I'll be doing all I can to create a positive atmosphere. We need to sing loudly and be proud, no matter what happens on the pitch. Our backing and encouragement comes from how vocal we can be. COYP!!

I think Millwall was never the right fit for Macaulay Langstaff, I said it at the time, and their squad doesn't suit his style of play. The spell in the Championship shouldn't really impact his career options, some other Championship teams might still be interested. I am hearing that Portsmouth are amongst one of the clubs sending scouts out to watch him. A better suite for Macca would be Coventry City or Derby County. At least in the Championship, as both those teams have good midfields and room for a striker who will be given time to play. That said, I think it's more than likely he will remain playing second fiddle in Millwall's team. The start of their season wasn't all that good, and even whilst signing Macca they were linked with Mihailo Ivanović who made a significant impact upon his signing. Millwall are a bit top-heavy with forwards now, so I can only see them allowing Langstaff to go out on loan or sell him if the fee is bigger than they paid, which realistically doesn't seem likely. His stock value has fallen, his time in the Championship is being considered a flop, so it's important that he takes what chance he gets or looks for an alternative move. Though his wages are allegedly around £12k, so a loan could be tricky because it will limit a lot of League One teams who are not sure he can repeat his magic here at Notts.

He's going to get at least the offer, but I really hope the injury doesn't make him consider retirement. To be honest, I get the feeling he will extend his stay if we remain in League Two, whereas League One and the injury might put doubts in his mind where the scenario of him agreeing to a new deal might be less likely. This season he has been amazing. His first year was good at the start and very lacklustre, but you can see how better players around him help.

Jatta suspended and David McGoldrick out, we really need to dig deep to advance further. Wimbledon away is quite doable if we can fill in the issue with who starts as the striker, but it's not without its challenge. How unfortunate for Didzy to miss these important games, I hope he's okay and wish him a speedy recovery. I'm looking forward to that one-year deal being officially announced.

My friend managed to secure tickets for the Wimbledon trip, and despite it being in London. Jake is coming! Very early start planned, but I am excited. I have been focusing on reaching out via emails today and yesterday. Along with sorting out other behind-the-scenes things, so that things are a lot more smoother once the season has finalised. Yesterday was our 19th wedding anniversary with my amazing soulmate @cheeky~k8. Thursday, Jake turns 19 and Sunday is a day I am hoping to spend at least some of the time at Wilford Hill and @super_ram. May is a busy point for us.

Aye, I know he made contact with the ball. I do feel for Jatta, he was clearly distraught and emotional. There's always the chance for things like this to happen, and there really wasn't any need for the Dons' player to pretend he had been caught. It must be frustrating for Jatta, as he will miss the away leg, and that for us as a club could prove crucial. He'll come back stronger, and he'll learn from the experience. I am sure we'll see him again for us next season, the incident might deter some of the clubs watching him from bidding to see how he reacts. Or, he could be sold, but I don't think it's likely, personally.

Whilst I don't particularly like either team, it would still be quite the experience to watch this game at either of the teams home grounds. Nou Camp for me, would be quite breathtaking, especially if the weather was super nice. I really like that joke about the French Ninja Turtle! It's pretty funny! 🤪