Chris

It's a bit daft, he could have helped them bounce back. I don't see the sense in firing a manager who is good enough to see a side return or at least continue to compete at the upper end of a division they were previously dominant in. If they hope it will be enough to stay up, then they should have shown more faith in Des Buckingham. I don't think you can expect them to always have better form than they currently do, the Championship is a difficult league and even League One is becoming very competitive with teams that could easily be in the league above. I would have felt more at ease, if I were an Oxford fan knowing that we had a manager who could navigate the league below or continue to build them as an established Championship team. That's what he seemed to be doing: he has done well with making Oxford fit in amongst much bigger named teams. These days we can't really say where managers will, or won't go. A managerial job is what pays wages, and I think it's more likely with our current setup that we could attract a manager who has done well at League One level (plus in the Championship) based on the club's ambition. Although, it's beside the point currently because we have Stuart Maynard in charge. The discussion of his replacement only really comes when the club announces his departure, which despite losing my faith in Maynard I really hope he can ride out the storm.

Don't worry, @Piethagoram. I'll rescind your red card. It's not like you mentioned the person who should not be named at the recent live event.

I voted for David McGoldrick. I thought it was great to see Dan Crowley back, and he played well, but he made some key mistakes which I would put down to returning from injury. I didn't feel like he really got going, but McGoldrick looked the most lively out of all the squad. Very poor performance by the majority of the starting 11, really it would only be down to Didzy personally in my eyes.

I think it's more a Neil Harris decision to leave, rather than him being pushed by the club. Millwall are very likely to struggle more as the season progresses, Harris has done well to position them away from the drop. It wouldn't surprise me if he sits out management for a bit, then takes up a different club with more ambition. Either that, he wants to find something else to do that doesn't require so much of his time. Could be a simple case of he wants to find more time for his family. I doubt we'll ever know, unless Harris talks about it. As for Macaulay Langstaff, I would be on the phone come January to convince Millwall that allowing him to come back to Notts on loan would make a huge difference to when he returns to them. I don't think we'll be able to sign him permanently, not until his contract expires, but a loan is quite possible. With a new manager coming in, he might want to avoid having too many strikers on his book. They are still being linked to strikers, although I think they need to improve their defence personally.

@Robbie should we re-open the poll, as it's now been closed? I apologise for not giving it the promotion it deserves. I had the intention of covering the match day, but I feel like a broken record with how things have been.

Oh, sorry. ????

We started well enough against Salford, but we allowed them to pin us back and for some reason Notts started to play more long balls. I thought we wanted to keep on the floor and play pretty football? If this was the players going against the tactics, someone from the coaching team should have pointed it out that it wasn't working. Very early in the game our passing wasn't great, we gave them too much space and that forced us to start playing the wrong passes out of the back. I believe Dan Crowley was fouled for the first goal, even seeing the highlights I feel this way, and it's clear that our players stopped playing. Alex Bass didn't completely stop, but his reaction was clear that even he felt it was a foul and the referee in my opinion should have stopped the game. Later in the game, a Salford player clashed into one of ours and that broke a moment in the game where Notts looked lively. So, I don't think the decision from the officials seemed balanced. The foul on Bass, where Conor McAleny pulled his shirt and forced him to drop the ball, should have seen him punished with a yellow card. Even without the poor officiating, Notts didn't help themselves, and it was a very sluggish performance overall. The amount of times Jatta could have controlled the ball better, but his first touch or control let him down, gifting the ball back. This isn't necessarily his fault, as it should have been a clear signal not to play in this manner. Yet his pace wasn't effective either; times when he could have got the ball he made poor runs or positioned himself in a harder way to make something happen. This for me, is a form and performance issue, but I would have taken him off - keeping David McGoldrick up top. Salford weren't brilliant, but they looked good for the three goals they scored. If you play as a team, work hard and persist with positive play, then the rewards are clear. That is why Salford made the game work for them, whilst our lads were extremely poor, they resembled a team that had never played together before. This was one of the worst performances I've seen since our relegation to the National League. I'm sorry, but Stuart Maynard should have addressed the situation before we fell behind 2-0. Dan Crowley's best position is in an attacking role. Being talented isn't enough to play defensive when you have better options. George Abbott hasn't been bad lately. I thought he played well against Salford, but he's a totally different player alongside Matt Palmer in a defensive position. It doesn't stop him going forward, he can break up the play and offer solid protection for the defence. Take Crowley out of the Salford game, we would have been very limited as only David McGoldrick looked like he could make something happen. I don't think it was the wrong call to play Crowley, I think it was the incorrect call to allow the team to focus on lumping the ball to Jatta when he wasn't doing all that well. His touches and control weren't brilliant, and his performance was pretty average to that of what we know he can do. We needed pace, which was a very early sign and something I said to my friend before Salford had even scored. Josh Martin contributed positively, even though he faced many negative comments during the game. I think he performed well. To be fair, there's not been much wrong with George Abbott. We missed him against Walsall, that was very clear and prior to that he consistently stood out as one of our better players.

Just in time for the Salford game. This is why I am starting to feel Stuart Maynard isn't the right person to move us forward, if he was paying attention. The first goal Salford scored, that was the time we needed to instruct the players to approach the game differently. I am not one of those people who will boo or call for his head, I will give my support but there's one thing talking about knowing what passes to make before a game is played, and understanding how teams will press - but not adapting in-game shows a weakness. Yes, he's had injuries but Jatta never looked like he would score against Salford. David McGoldrick should have stayed on, Jatta should have been taken off. Some managers have the ability to rally weakened squads even when things are hard and I just don't see it. I want Maynard to succeed, but I don't think it's likely and my faith in turning this difficult times into a better outcome is slim. If we are aiming for promotion, by accepting that we are falling out of the playoffs - we are undoing our ambition to progress as a club. January will be a big factor in Maynard's reign, but if we don't start to pick up points then it's only going to get harder. It's a good interview, but it's talk and right now it doesn't show anything being put into practice. Even with the injuries, we should still be able to avoid some of the poor results we have had. I am concerned that we aren't making the progress we should, but I do hope we can see-out December with better form.

It was a great night. I very much enjoyed hearing him talk about his time. Including the forgotten "Pillowgate" incident where he was accused of stealing pillows. ????

I wasn't aware of Lloyd Richards, at least his name didn't jump out at me. His son did play for us, you are right about that. Jordan Richards (footballer, born 1997) - Wikipedia EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

@Robbie: Aye, I agree. Acknowledging long-time members and posters will be something that is added.

This is the first day, since the weekend, that I have actually felt okay. The coldness is making my body feel like I have been run over by a truck. All my body wants to do is sleep. It's very annoying, because I have started the previous two days feeling fine. Only to eventually feel worse and needing sleep to recover. I am hoping I will feel fine going to Salford, as my friends have already planned for it and I bought a ticket when they went on sale. I hope everyone who reads this is well, I've missed checking in. ????

If that is how it will look, then surely the only team to play in a stadium like that would be Barnet? It looks awful. Could they make it look any more like a beehive? Even inside the concept art, it looks terrible. Their current ground isn't good, and it's not really in a good location, but I don't see the sense in their plans for the new stadium.

Luton Town 0-2 Swansea City Plymouth Argyle 0-1 Oxford United Blackpool 1-1 Rotherham United Cambridge United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town Joker Crawley Town 0-0 Stevenage Gillingham 1-0 Salford City Harrogate Town 0-1 AFC Wimbledon Newport County 0-1 Carlisle United

No, I don’t have it turned on because I find it unappealing to have notifications buzzing on my phone to convey information that I could just read or view myself.I am sure some people will find it useful, but I am mindful of the panic such alerts could cause.

Great news, unfortunately I noticed it like an hour after the announcement, so I didn't cover it. It was a little difficult being at The Magpies Circle's event. Yet, it was great news and put a spring into my step. Matt Palmer is a player we can get far more out of, so I am delighted to see him sign an extension.

The Magpie's Circles: Martin Allen Unleashed was an extraordinary evening filled with excitement and energy. Martin could be a standup comedian. Now I am looking forward to Colchester! Whilst nice and warm.

I would rather any other German team, other than Bayern, win it. It's good that teams are giving them a run for their money. I haven't watched a german game for years now. I would look out for the games that BT Sports would air.

I really hope that Conor Grant proves to be a big asset for us, as I do miss seeing Aaron Nemane ripping apart teams and putting in crosses exactly like shown in the footage. I understand the decision to accept the bid; I simply hope that the fee and grant align favourably. Prior to Grants injury, I did feel like he was coming into it with his performances, and whilst he's a totally different player. I can see Grant firing in goals once he does find his feet again. I'm also glad that Arron Nemane is doing well, even though I don't like MK Dons.

Nice! It's good to see another Kopite on PON. It's really good to have you amongst us; I do hope you enjoy the site.

Facebook and BlueSKy it will be then. ????

Today, I am firmly in work mode ahead of tomorrow's game. Things are progressing very nicely, even managed to start a bit earlier than normal. I haven't really done much around the house, other than on my laptop and PON related. I'll be setting off for The Magpie Circles live podcast at some point. I'll be taking pictures of the event. I'm glad today is much better than yesterday, I had to go out when it was pouring it down and whilst the rain doesn't bother me - I am glad it's just dull today.

Happy Birthday to Shaun Derry, former player and manager of Notts County!

I think it's important to remember that we do have injuries, but a strong team can navigate that problem, and I am hoping the close-knit group will start to see that we just need to convert the chances that are created. It's a cliché, but goals change games, and we are good enough. I don't think we have been bad, certainly the performances have largely been positive. The news today of Dan Crowley being close to returning, George Abbott and Matty Platt back in contention to play against Colchester is great news. There's always valid points to be made around the club, and it's important that some perspective on the positive side is looked at. It's good that we can keep an interesting discussion focused on this point. Even with downsides, there's always something to encourage.

@Fan of Big Tone I certainly hope not! ????‍???? He should be able to give some different insights into the daily chat.