Chris

We'll have to enjoy his time here, much like we did with Macaulay Langstaff. He's been a brilliant signing, and even though I still feel he looks less like a striker and more like an attacking midfielder. His attributes that allow him to retain the ball, as if it's glued to his foot until he shoots, and his relentless battling when he is pressed by multiple opposition players only to walk away with the ball, are great skills to have. Re-watch the goal he scored against Bromley, where Kelle Roos assisted him. That was one of the purest goals we have scored; it reminded me of how Enzio Boldewijn would have a burst of brilliance. Yet Dennis has a much higher quality about himself, and his confidence seems unmatched.

I almost threw a tantrum, and would have stopped playing had I not guessed right when I did. This can be a very frustrating game to play! 😉 Wordle 1,546 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

As @theAnticlough mentioned, I don't think it would be a bad decision to allow Jodi some time to breathe and to try to use him as a super-sub once Gillingham begins to tire. The issue with having more than 3 subs is that teams tend to replace those who are not making an impact or who need to come off because they are tired. It can be a little less effective to bring someone on from off the bench aimed to bring a spark, so I would hope that Notts could make the most of the Matthew Dennis and Alassana Jatta duo. I might be more inclined to suggest leaving Barry Cotter on the bench, for a similar reason as Jodi. If we brought both of them on around the same time and they had started brightly before, it might make Gillingham rethink things. Going there can be tough; they are a good football side and won't be afraid to pressure Notts at the cost of committing their players forward. I think they will play quite deep in their defensive play, but much higher when they attack, and if we allow them to push us back. It could be a strong battle for both midfields. I am not sure what to predict, because both us and them make it hard to predict how it might unfold. It should be an entertaining game, even if it's just from a neutral fan's perspective.

Swansea will get more higher-profile people into these types of roles, and as for him coming back to Notts, I tend to say it's nothing but a coincidence. It's quite a stark contrast that people are extremely unhappy with Roberto Gagliardi, but he had one transfer window and had only been at the club for 5 months. Compared to Richard Montaque, who near his departure had a portion of criticism, he actually did a decent job. We'll never know what players are available, who realistically would join, and how much in wages we can afford to pay. Just like when a club signs a player fans would like to have at Notts, it doesn't mean we can afford them or that they would be a team player. Some players want to be guaranteed minutes; others want bonuses or add-ons, etc. I am not defending Gagliardi; I don't think he really won anyone over, but it seems unlikely that Montague will be coming back here.

@allardyces tash, I love reading your blogs. I love the splash of wit and contrasting remarks that you make. I can tell you spend time trying to be different, but also to be interesting; you balance it very well. The addition of a poll is a touch of class.

Not to be taken in the wrong context, but I don't think any supporter should hold any role close to their club where decisions could be based more on their heart than head. I also, wouldn't want to work in football. I would probably fall asleep during discussions, not because of how long or boring they might be but my time of doing anything like this has long past. Notts has a lot of collective minds, that are able to spot talent and if any wish to get involved in football, I would hope they find a path in via another clubs door because I would fear they might lose their passion for Notts if they were directly involved. I have done work in football, taking photographys for local non-league teams and had a stint where I help one with his online presence. I much enjoyed them, then anything of the fan meetings or other involvements close to Notts that I have had.

I think it's a bit strange that it's happened all of a sudden without any form of unrest being reported. I know the club is quite good at keeping things internal, but I wouldn't have expected this decision. What makes it weirder for me is that Roberto has worked under the Reedtz before, so what has changed? It feels somewhat like when Tom Weal was surprisingly replaced, and fans like @Piethagoram speculated it might have been down to Aidan Stone being recommended as our first team keeper. I honestly don't know what to make of it, if the club has decided it's not working, or if Roberto expressed this. It doesn't really matter, but things like this play straight into the hands of the rumour mill.

I'm quite happy being where I am; there's room to climb, and provided I keep hitting the average points needed, I should be fine. I feel sorry for my better half; normally she's pretty good at this. Relegation must be avoided, @cheeky~k8, what happened to wanting to beat Super?

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

@Wheelbarrow repair man: I think the correct story is that you were mistaken for Richard Stilgoe. @NottsCountyKev, carefully looking at the options, I think meeting Alan Shearer is more likely than the others. My five facts: 1) I once entered a pancake-making contest at a 5-star restaurant that I worked at and beat qualified chefs with my mix. 2) When my school was closing down, I did an interview for ITV Central News where I said that the school needed saving. 3) I took a penalty kick in the 90s at a home game and scored against Notts' reserve keeper. 4) My school selected me to take part in a local football competition at Harvey Hadden, where I was the top scorer for the team. 5) Two ex-Forest players once tried to talk me into signing a contract with their youth team after I was scouted at a school game.

I thought this might be interesting if we named one player who retired early that you would have loved to see play for Notts County. It doesn't have to be realistic, but I would prefer you to name players who are either British or have played in English football. Otherwise, we could name any silly player from overseas that doesn't quite land with others in the community. My pick would be David Bentley. Long-standing PON members will know that I grew up supporting both Notts and Arsenal. I used to pay a lot of attention to the academy players, as I would write to Arsenal amongst other clubs (Notts never once wrote back), but I would be sent signatures and updates on Arsenal. When Bentley was breaking into first-team football, I was delighted when he signed for Blackburn Rovers, who at that point kept pushing for regular European football. For me, it meant being able to see him play more through live games and Match of the Day. His ability was brilliant to watch; he read the game very well, and his style was very much like David Beckham's not an imitation of him, but almost exactly like him. I do think Bentley had his own game mind. He retired at the age of 29 due to injuries, and if Notts could ever have gotten the most out of someone. As they have with Jodi Jones, for example, it would have been a dream come true to have seen David Bentley wear a Notts shirt. What a dream this was to see!

Ha! The location if you caught it, would also be another identifier because it wasn't where I live. Quite funny how people thought it was me, even people who know and are aware I am from Aspley.

Port Vale surprises me, but it wasn't that long ago, at least to me, that they were in the old First Division after the formation of the Premier League. They used to be a club like Tranmere Rovers, that would be in the 2nd and 3rd tiers. Back when Wigan were starting to grow in size and Sheffield United always seemed to be on the verge of promotion to the Premier League, alongside Wolves but struggling to make their size count. So, it's good to see that our years floating in the 4th tier haven't stopped us from achieving something exclusive like this, which really is a good record to have. Vale fans might not be happy to share it, mind.

Here's another tale of mine, but this time a rather funnier encounter. My friend and his partner, who Notts refer to as Martin and Patrina. 😅 They kindly allowed me to join them, and this is the reason I managed to get back on the road to support Notts. On the way to Tranmere Rovers, we pulled into a service station. Mark (Martin, as Notts insists), myself, and Jake were all wearing this season's home shirt. The doors to the service station were at an angle, which meant having to walk around, and as we did, a coach pulled up with a large number of Manchester United fans. I instantly noticed a lot of angry, throwing faces directed towards us, and thinking quickly in my head, I said, "Nobody mention Grimsby Town," followed by, "We're Notts County fans." This cracked up several of the United fans, who surprisingly had a good sense of humour. A woman replied, "Don't worry, even you could probably beat us." There's a lot of laughing, and then another United fan goes, "Don't worry, lad. We are friendly," and another said, "Who do you have today?" then added, "You're in the wrong part of England if it's Grimsby Town." I replied: "Tranmere Rovers, we are looking for our first win on the road." They all laughed and joked, "You know how we feel now." 🤣🤣

Big shock a few games ago when everyone near me thought I had won £100. I swear, it was announced as £200, though the amount in the entries put up on the OS says £100. I thought it said the same this past week when I heard a familiar name that had reached out to me via email. I tried to join Lifeline back in the day, but I found myself unable, as the limit was in place and no waiting list was available. 😔 I do think it's a very important part of the community around Notts, and those 2,500 fans are amazing people who offer a lot of security and improvements when it comes to it. I also think Lynn Lawson does a great job managing it; if anyone has ever been to a Lifeline event, you will have seen this with your own eyes. It's such an important part of our club's DNA.

A good April's fools has gone out of the window. I didn't look much into it, just clicked the link but it appears they have signed Joe Wright from Barnet.

Hello, @Graham. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham! I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County comminity. I appreciate the article you have submitted for us, I will check that out momentirly and get back to you as to why I can publish it. The strangest thing happened at the Fleetwood game, I was talking to another contributor about your email and then Notts announced the LifeLine winners. I intended to congratulate you on your win! Many fans thought I had won in the 51st week but that's just my namesake doubleganger! It's great to have you here.

There are little things which Martin Paterson says at times that are starting to trigger me a little; I thought he was very harsh after the Tranmere Rovers win with regard to our defence. That win was a crucial away one on the road, and his inexperience as a head coach does show at times. I have nothing against him speaking his mind however he wants, but I do think there's an element of trying too hard to win over supporters who will be the first to turn against him the moment our form dips or changes for the worst. I feel he needs to be a little more balanced and neutral; by all means, single out moments, but the win against Fleetwood has been our best 90 minutes. Comparing it to passages of play against Newport just baffled me, because that's one game, and the only one where I felt we did play well beyond 60 minutes. We deserved more from the game, but I don't think we have had another one like that. We have been very poor at home; I have much more enjoyed watching us play away from home because we seem less nervous about making mistakes. Games like Barrow are where you want the head coach to say the performance isn't acceptable, take his portion of the blame, and demand better. Making an example when the performances are getting better is quite a risky move, and I hope that Paterson can keep things up because the signs are finally encouraging, but all it takes is one negative remark to hit the camp's confidence and knock things back. There are things that I liked that he said, but more that made me nervous about his approach to answering. I don't think we should be letting him do most of the talking, because he's not Luke Williams. It's not all that interesting, and he's playing with fire when he speaks of more negatives than positives at a time you would be wanting to call for more optimism. My closing point would be: "because I have an honesty with my players and the supporters at the moment". 🤦🏻‍♂️

Best game ever! 🤣😇 It just so happens my go-to first word came good, which led me to try my second guess to cover other letters. Then BINGO. 😁m Wordle 1,542 3/6 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟨🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yeah, it seems with v5 it became a setting in the ACP. I have enabled it for mobiles, and guests.

Poor Dorking, a friend told me this before Notts kicked off against Fleetwood. I was led to believe the fan was asked to play from the stands, but this doesn't seem to be the case, and I ask myself, why not just go out and sign a proper keeper? Even if it was someone young who had been released from a league club. It's great for the fan, but nothing more than a publicity stunt otherwise. I respect his comments about wanting to keep a clean sheet, but the "riding the bike" comment is a very humorous quip. If he concedes a hatful of goals, the opposition is going to have their fun taunting him even more, knowing this. I can see a meme coming!!

Today, I have so far caught up with several topics I have missed and made sure I have replied, too. Soon I'll digest what Martin Paterson said after the Fleetwood Town win and publish that, as I take a look at other things I might be able to plug across social media. Nothing all that exciting, but it is what it is.

I was told sand was put down to help get the game on; I thought it might have impacted the performance or made the pitch difficult to play on, but it seemed to have no effect. The pitch didn't look great, with it, but at least it allowed the game to be played. I am not really a fan of seeing the starting XI warm up in the absence of the bench, and even uninvolved players. But the fitness levels do appear to be improving, and more of the squad are benefiting from this as it isn't taking their focus when they tire out. They kept going against Fleetwood, and I think Ollie Norburn has benefited from this. With him returning to a higher level of fitness, I believe he will start to make more of an impact, and I loved seeing him go in with his tackles more confidently.

Part of it, I believe, is other leagues have started to replicate how La Liga would bank on its marketable names that featured in the league; PSG have made a habit of signing big names as a means to milk the money a player like Lee Kang-in. It's also a side effect of La Liga clubs overspending and now having to cut back as a means of continuing to operate. It's also not very exciting as it once was. Spanish football is more technical and can be boring because teams just try to out-muscle each other in this department. The amount of hoofball games I have seen over the years where it's the smaller teams that tend to use traditional wingers to break through defenses with pace.

It is believed that multiple people used the name "Robin Hood" as a means to rob the rich in woodlands across the East Midlands and Yorkshire. There are documents identifying that this could be the case, "Robehod" and "Rabunhod," sort of like a common name given to a highwayman or bandit. Different regions have played a big role in telling, adapting, and spreading the story. The early tales and ballads originated in Barnsdale, in Yorkshire. Over time, it is said that these people became somewhat political figures, each using the lure as a means to rebel against the unjust living conditions and as a symbol of resistance against the kingdom's ruling. The story of Robin Hood as a single person is almost comparable to the tales of King Arthur. A mythical archetype is a cool story, but it's hard to say what is really true since so much has been lost over time. While King Arthur seems to be a mixture of tales of kings from Europe, his legend is primarily rooted in post-Roman British history and mythology, shaped by figures such as Ambrosius Aurelianus and Riothamus, and later embellished by medieval writers across Britain and France. There are some pretty convincing documents that suggest Robin Hood might have actually been more than just one person. Some people think there could have been multiple people called Robin Hood, maybe even to help cover up when the main Robin got captured. That's part of why this idea sticks around. There is a record in 1637 that mentions Loxley Firth as being a cottage, the place where Robin Hood was born; it is believed to be one of the earliest claims, and this is why Robin of Loxley is believed to be the real person who inspired the tales.