Chris

Was the result fair? I think a draw would have been the fairer result for the two teams, however at the same time I feel Notts should have had not just the one penalty that Jon Stead scored but another for the foul on him that resulted in Jon being hurled into the advertising board. How did Notts play? Very poor, they had no real movement and only two or three players were on the same wavelength – this would always make getting a result harder. I just felt like Notts played to take the point, as they invited Macclesfield to press them and just dealt with clearing the threat. Upfront I don’t think Notts would have scored without the penalty despite Kane Hemmings wasting two perfectly good chances. Winning poor is much better than losing having played well, yet the performance was disconnected. How did Macclesfield Town play? First half I felt they were lively, it was almost like they had seen my scouting report and had decided to prove a point. They moved around well, created space but often wasted the chances they had by rushing the finishing. Ross Fitzsimons only had basic saves to make in the first half but Macclesfield did pressure Notts. Defensively, I can’t give them much credit because of how they man handled most of the Notts players and reacted like they had been bullied over simple fouls on them. It’s not hard to understand why they’re bottom of the League Two table, poor in most departments and just very scrappy football with no clear indication to any sort of proper game plan. Did our tactics work out? If Harry Kewell’s aim was to grab a win by being too defensive, I could say it did but I don’t feel either team had any sort of tactics. The decision to place Shaun Brisley in midfield was an odd one, I do feel it impacted the passing and grit from holding the midfield. Did the tactics work? We came back with all three points, I would argue no but the points at this time are what matters. How did the referee perform? Poor, he gave Notts fouls for much less than half of the challenges he missed. It really had me baffled but I do feel all the officials were poor. There was a home team advantage clear from where I watched, I do feel the referee ruined the game somewhat but again I come back to those much needed three points. He awarded the penalty after missing one, so I’ll forgive this time. Who do we play next? Bury away is the next league fixture, it should prove to be a better game for spectators to watch. A win and Notts could be only 3 points behind them, after the start to the season this campaign it seems weird to think we are pushing for 11th place and higher. How should we play them? Notts should avoid being too defensive in my opinion, I just don’t think this would give any sort of edge and I do feel it would again impact the performance. At the same time, I don’t feel attacking too much would be the wise call, so a balanced performance does seem to be the right focus. The midfield will always be the key to getting a good result and allowing them to play with confidence should be the goal. Putting aside the scrappy performance again Macclesfield, I do feel that if the midfield holds the game and dictate the play – it will allow Notts to put on a good show against Bury. More importantly I do feel a win is possible if we go out to prove a point by playing good passing football. Share your thoughts about this tactical report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County can make it three wins on the spin, and claim their first three-point haul of the season, should they be victorious at Moss Rose on Saturday when Harry Kewell's boys face struggling new boys Macclesfield Town. Pride of Nottingham's Chris has analysed the opposition and written up this in-depth scouting report with views on how best not to get stuck in a web against the Silkmen. Run-down of their last six fixtures Saturday 1st September – Crewe Alexandra 3 Macclesfield 0 Saturday 8th September – Stevenage 1 Macclesfield Town 0 Saturday 15th September – Macclesfield 1 Lincoln City 2 Saturday 22nd September – Morecambe 2 Macclesfield Town 1 Saturday 29th September – Macclesfield Town 1 Forest Green Rovers 1 Tuesday 2nd October – Newport County 3 Macclesfield Town 3 The Players – Fact Sheet Highest Goal Scorers; Michael Rose 3, Danny Whitaker 2, Jamie Grimes 2 and Koby Arthur 2. Persistent Foulers; Michael Rose 1 red card, Peter Vincenti 2 yellow card, Tyrone Marsh 2 yellow cards and Scott Wilson 2 yellow cards. The Key Players In midfield Koby Arthur can get his side going, he’s a technical midfielder who likes to use the ball and to run at the opposition. His ability to pick out a pass but also lead the midfield line is a main focus for Macclesfield Town. Up-top Tyrone Marsh, Scott Wilson and Nathan Blissett all have the ability to naturally draw players onto marking them, they can rotate much like Enzio Boldewijn and Lewis Alessandra do – which can prove tricky. Neither of the three players should be allowed any sort of room in the box, as they can excel and create chances if this happens. On the left side of defence, David Fitzpatrick is a player who likes to get forward as much as possible. His ability to attack but also defend makes him a useful opposition player to aware of, he will most likely try to float crosses and balls into the forward front line. Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses Macclesfield Town appear to invite pressure onto themselves by the way that Mark Yates has his team set up, they look a capable side but failure to mark tightly does allow for their opposition to thrive when going forward. Defensively, they seem to have no one taking responsibility for all the basic aspects of the game. There’s no one pressing, marking or trying to win the ball back from the highlights that I have seen – they seem to rely too much on their keeper to make the saves. Going forward they seem to be more focused, however many of their chances that they create seem to be down to luck or hope as opposed to having an actual creative outlet. The idea seems to be however best to get the ball in the box, where they do have players capable of punishing teams. They look particularly vulnerable from set pieces, which is something that Notts can make the most of. Macclesfield are more than capable of creating good efforts, it’s more a case of pressure and scrappy play on their part that lets them down. As a team they can score, so nobody should underestimate them but Harry Kewell’s defence should be more than capable of dealing with them. Provided they reduce the opportunity to run with the ball or strike from it from distance, it should be a fairly basic task on paper. Whereas Notts must look to get the down the flanks, using the aerial threat as a way to get chances a way and the players must be brave when it comes to showing what I would describe as Non-League defending. It’s going to be a difficult game, much of the fortune and outcome will rely on retaining the hard-working attitude we have seen as of late. I feel the game may be scrappy more than entertaining, however adapting and being prepared would favour Notts I feel. Share your thoughts about this scouting report on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Hello and welcome to episode 45 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast. In this week's episode we discuss Notts' second back-to-back victory in a 3-1 home win at Meadow Lane against Crawley Town. We talk about how Notts have improved as of late and whilst under Harry Kewell's management. In addition we speculate who may replace the suspended Rob Milsom in this weekend's fixture, along with a League Two round-up. To round up, Chris and Magic Magpie also cast their eyes on the upcoming game against Macclesfield Town. All this and more only in episode 45 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast! Share your thoughts about this podcast on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Following the 2-1 win over Crewe Alexandra at the weekend, Notts County followed it up with an even more impressive 3-1 victory over Harry Kewell's former employers Crawley Town. Kane Hemmings and Jon Stead had the Magpies two up at half-time, even though the Red Devils arguably enjoyed quite a bit of good play and had their chances. Although Rob Milsom - incidentally on loan from the opposition - was sent off 66 minutes for a late lunge, substitute Nathan Thomas added a third goal to effectively seal all three points, much to the delight of the Black & White Army. Dominic Poleon nabbed a consolation in injury-time, but the evening would belong to Kewell and his boys, who now have eight points from their last four and two wins on the spin - quite a turnaround. Pride of Nottingham was at the San Sirrel for the occasion - see if you've made it into the midweek Faces of PON! Share your thoughts about this gallery on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Hello and welcome to episode 43 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, presented by Chris and Sam. In this week's episode we discuss Notts County's 0-0 draw at the Sixfields stadium against Northampton Town. We talk about the fighting spirit shown by the Magpies in claiming just their third point of the season, plus analysis of the overall performance along with the effect on confidence in the County camp. In addition we touch upon the club's injury list, how we foresee those players doing once returning to the squad selection and talk about the likes of Elliott Hewitt, who seems a shadow of the player he was last season. Finally, we look ahead to the weekend's fixture at Meadow Lane against Crewe Alexandra. All this and more only in episode 43 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast! Share your thoughts about this week's PONcast on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.