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Everything posted by Chris
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Where are they now: Keanan Bennetts
He grew with us and became someone I felt disappointed to see leave, now I don't know if he left because he wanted first team football or if Notts made the decision. I wasn't that impressed when he played in the pre-season friendly, and defensively I had concerns, but towards the end of our campaign I would have selected him. Not only was he good on the ball, making himself a constant threat, but he improved massively with defensive work. The issue is, his starting time could be limited and with Jodi Jones and Nick Tsaroulla it's difficult compitition to be against unless he slotted in elsewhere. Personally, I thought he was far more rounded than Jodi who struggles to defend and sometimes doesn't even bother. Tough, his talent to attack is second to none.
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Hansa Rostock at Watford
Very good fans, I would love to see Notts fans in the KOP do more but I don't think we are organised enough. At the Forest Friendly, there were multiple chants at times, and we really should be on the same page so the atmosphere is spot on. I mean, I did feel impressed but hearing 2 to 3 chants at the same time, with them equally dying off, just made me wish we could be more vocal in the right direction.
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WBA Friendly
I hate the entitlement and negativity of some of our fans, especially those who demanded to see the team sheets or starting XI of both teams. It's a pre-season friendly, take the praise that our players got and turn it into excitement for the start of our League One campaign. West Brom Albion started a decent squad from what I have read, and even if they fielded youngsters some of them will be about our level or near. It's a good run out for the lads.
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Jack Evans. Another diamond in the rough??
He gives us options in the middle and out left, so that's a good thing. Blackburn Rovers have a good academy, a lot of their youngsters find success in the ELF. Evans is the type of player that just needed a chance, and I think he did that well last season for Harrogate Town. There's a reason why their fans rated him, and I hope we can see him flourish in a competitive Notts squad. We have to have players firing on all cyniders and performing well, so the options we have will benefit us.
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Where are they now : Stuart Maynard
I hope he can find a good National League club that will stick with him, there's a few good choices in there and his record for promotion is strong. I just hope he doesn't end up at a team like Yeovil Town or Forest Green Rovers. There's some good clubs like Hartlepool United that could be a good fit. With his record and what he did for York City, I can imagine a fair amount of interest will be there.
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Where are they now : Marc Bola
It's nice to see Marc Bola doing well, Watford are a decent team and I had hoped we could have signed him back when he was here on loan, then when he became a free agent. I try to keep tabs on ex players, as I do hope the ones who represent us well have a good career at whatever level they find themselves. Bola will hopefully make it to the Premier League at some stage for whatever period he can, though the Championship is still a good level to be at.
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Must be April's Fools Day
I think it's the club trying to stretch their budget by removing the man that got them back to the EFL, the reasons I believe it's money related is because I can't see why they would get rid of him amongst a time they are losing key players. You would expect them to want to stay grouped and collective, so that they have a stronger chance of fighting to stay up. There's some Notts fans who are massively harsh on Stuart Maynard, but he's good enough to keep York City up. This decision to part ways for me seems like one of those internal decisions where the board or chairman has gone against the grain and thinks of money before football.
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Football finances : MK Dons
A fair amount of MK Dons fans that I know, do not really think Dan Crowley has warranted the fee they paid but have said to me that he improved last season for them but still believe he hasn't done enough to warrant a starting position. I think we ended up doing a smart deal, as he was sulking around Notts and being sloppy on the ball. When he gave the goal away against Salford away, although I do think he was fouled. It was poor play, and he tended to repeat the same mistakes. MK Dons spending is silly for a club at their level, you can match ambition with overspending in such a wreckless way. Their recruitment seems to be to sign good players from other clubs and expect the same result insantly.
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Is this our next signing? ...edit....yes, Luka Smyth
This will be the highest level in terms of consistent quality that he has played in, but he has a promising outlook and at 22-years-old he has time to further improve. His time in the Finnish top flight will have given him a good level of experience, no doubt he will have played against some very good players but now is the time to prove that he can be a top striker. My son keeps telling me to watch a video of him on YouTube, but I haven't as of yet. I do know of him, as I recall the interest he had from other English clubs when I wrote on Football Manics. He's the signing that has me the most excited, as he seems to have all the ability that Jatta had but with more refined qualities.
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Jatta - all the best
I wish him well, myself. I don't reject ambition or the fact that players will grow and eventually want to test themselves. He might still have international ambitions which he will be running out of at 27, although nobody really can say for sure if he is good enough to break into that scene. He will however want to play at the highest possible level, and earning more will of course help him with his future. Playing time is always quite limited for professional footballers, so I hope he does well. I personally think he might struggle but the move will no doubt open other doors if this is the case. Hope he has good luck. I'm thankful to have seen his talent with us.
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Notts County v Barrow
I am not really a fan of behind closed doors games, even though I know it is usually related to teams having trialists. Additionally, low turnouts could be a factor, but pre-season is a great point to get fans interested. Pre-season matches mean very little, other than fitness and seeing how the team is adapting. Notts played well, and I have heard we may try to change our formations depending on the opposition.
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Jatta departs for Portugal
Notts clearly wanted a replacement, which shows that we won't just sell players without making sure we aren't leaving ourselves short. I wished undisclosed fees weren't a thing, as it does mess up transfer records and activity and I feel we as fans deserve to know what he went for. This said, I think he might struggle. They have a player from Benfica on loan, and aren't really expected to do all that well. I am not saying this to speak down about Jatta because he left, I think at any top flight level he would probably find it more challenging but I do wish him well. If he does well, that's great. Yet he's going to need to be more displined and return to putting effort in even when he struggles with his form. My issues are only with his agent, as I feel he was the reason behind all the antics we experienced and perhaps unsettled Jatta to the extent he wasn't always at his best with us. There were games last season where I wouldn't have had him in the XI due to his effort and form, however, we did need him and his talent could change at a single point in any game. Whilst I do wish Jatta well, I would hope he will learn from allowing some of the negative aspects of his time here to stall his career. He improved during his time here, no doubt that will be important as he moves on.
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Shepshed Dynamo vs Notts County XI
A lot of the Notts XI seem to be new academy players making their rans through our youth system, as I can only recall a handful of the names and I think the game will be important for them to re-start their focus on pushing for more development time. Certainly they shouldn't feel down about losing a pre-season friendly; it's all a part of learning.
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Weekly Chat Monday 27th July to Sunday 2nd August
Sorry if my previous post caused any confusion; I wasn't referring to PON, but all the hassle from elsewhere had emotionally hit me hard. I am feeling much better now, and I can only apologise. I am going to fix all the issues I can find today, and re-start compiling the stats for the history app which I need to re-import from my local install. Then any improvements will come off the back of carefully working on one at a time, ensuring that there's no issues on the live site. Content will be back, I am going through posts I have missed.
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Weekly Chat Monday 20th to Sunday 26th July
It's not PON related, but
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Weekly Chat Monday 20th to Sunday 26th July
I don't have it in me to deal with people who need help maintaining and fixing a site, you just get blamed for everything and made to feel unwelcome. Despite putting many hours in for free just to get the site back into a healthier state, you have to contend with nonsense from the former owner who seems to have more influence in things despite having little knowledge of this field. If he had, I wouldn't be fixing issues he created. The saddening thing is I did this all out of care, but it's me who gets hurt whilst the deluded fool who inhertited the site thnks he's in some sort of John Wayne movie. Unfortunately, it's made me realise just how much I want a quiet and peaceful life away from all this.
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Transfer rumours : Jodi Jones
Considering they are likely to end up with a points penalty for their misbehaviour, and rampant signings breaking EFL rules I highly doubt this. However, I personally think we could cope provided we reinvested in strength. Jodi Jones is a good player, but last season he blew hot and cold. I know some fans who thought he only turned up the final at Wembley last season, which is harsh, but he was lagrely inconsistent. I would rather have him, but at the same time I don't think he's always someone valid to start every game based on performances. I love Jodi, he's very loyal and his leaving I think would be more Notts moving on than him. He didn't want to leave Coventry, and lives in the area so moving might prove to be a dealbreaker.
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Rumour mill : Leon Chambers-Parillon
If there's anything in this, I wouldn't be bothered either way. I like that we are looking around but feel we could do with some reputable experience at this level. Obviously, he could do perfectly well but it's not a name I would be jumping for or excited about. Naturally, I would welcome him and wish him well. My biggest concern is that he might be someone who doesn't push to start games.
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Weekly Chat Monday 20th to Sunday 26th July
@Michael D Pie.: I will do, I am hoping he's just done a Tone and gone on holiday. Somewhere nice and pleasent hopefully, but if it's for different reasons I just hope he's okay and knows that we are all thinking of him. @Fan of Big Tone: Sorry to read about this, you know my feelings with regards to health and what comes first. I hope you are better soon, I really do. Eyes are a scary part when they misbehave, and I would threaten to whack them with Granny's walking sticks but I think that will make the problem worse. Please don't stress about PON, you are an XI member and will be back to full fitness hopefully soon.
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Rest in Peace, Kevin Keegan
I just learned that Kevin Keegan has passed away aged 75, such saddening news. There are three things that come to mind when I think of him, his comments about loving seeing Newcastle United outdo Manchester United, his time as the England manager and clips I have seen of him playing over the years. BBC SportKevin Keegan obituary: Gifted, charismatic and passionate...The positivity and vibrancy Kevin Keegan brought made him a cherished figure within the game, writes chief football writer Phil McNulty.
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Welcome Paul Reaney
Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Paul Reaney. I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County Community. Feel free to share some information about yourself, the years you have followed Notts and I look forward to seeing your posts.
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Rumour mill : Isaac Hutchinson
I don't know, I tend to reserve my opinion on signings rather than rumours but this would be an interesting signing. Isaac Hutchinson is a good player, has impressed previously and I think he would be a good fit. He has a strong physical presence, is good at holding the ball, and knows how to move into open space. We'll have to see if anything comes from it.
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Weekly Chat Monday 20th to Sunday 26th July
I am going to see Super at some stage today, just waiting to have something to eat and for Jake to be ready. Still coding, but also paying attention to the content. Saturday was really nice to see so many regular faces, even better that I spent it with Super, both Marks, Katrina and Jake. A lot that spoke to me, left me feeling very thankful and I realised how much some that are outside of the community think about my father. Asking me how he's doing, saying how nice it is to see him at games etc. I only loosely told him, but it was a bit of a surprise as it does show how much he's fondly thought of within the community. On that note, I am a little concerned about @theAnticlough. I reached out via personal message. I might try a direct email but I do wish that he's okay. Sometimes I get the feeling people assume it's due to the site, but it's human nature to become concerned about people and I get this from my mum. Provided he's well, that's all what matters to me. Likewise for others who I haven't seen for awhile, it's a community afterall.
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New home kit
Quite a few who spoke to me on Saturday said that they either hated it or strongly disliked it. I don't think it's remotely as bad as the pin stripe shirt. The comments about the limitations of colours, if true, would mean every club would struggle to design shirts season after season. Black and white is no different; there's plenty of ways you can mix things up. We seem to add little bits of yellow, to totally ghost it and this is the only area I think could have improved it. Little trimmings can add quality to the concept, but I don't think the shirt really is all that bad. It seems to be a common thing after promption that the shirts are disliked.
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Notts v Florist friendly 18th July
It's hard to feel impressed by how Forest performed, and I don't buy the excuse that this was their first game after a week of training. They are professionals playing against a team well beneath them and we have played other teams in the past such as Stoke and Leicester City who had their own issues but still looked quality compared to a side that failed to do so many basics. I almost feel harsh on the Notts point as I think we defended quite well. Jacob Bedeau seemed to struggle at points. I didn't like seeing him running around trying to grab any shirt he could reach when there was no reason for it. Second half we were much better but Aden Flint is awful. Why are we trialing a defender that is 37, loses the ball because he tries to attack and forgets he's actually the middle centre back? I thought he was awful. Yes, I don't like him but I am being as honest as I can be. Flint has always been an idiot when he has played against us, such a troulecauser and provocative. He's similar to Nathan Tyson joining Derby County after his celebration in front of the rams fans to rattle them. We have two decent prospects at youth level, one who is being tacked by Championship clubs. Give them the chance, not someone who couldn't settle or make a difference with Walsall. Postive note, many of our youngsters did quite well and I felt very encouraged. Even Jake now believes Riley Reynolds should be given a chance and spoke very highly of number 16, who we believe was Harrison Hazard.