Chris

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.

Hello, @ANTHONY PERKINS. Are you Tony? Partizan Pie? You could just have the same name as someone I know, but if you are one and the same, it's nice to see you have made your way on the site. I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County community.

Good luck to Nottinghamshire; I don't really pay much attention to cricket because it's not really my sport, but I do want my county to do well. Off-topic (sorry) Josh Tongue? That's one hell of a name. 🤣

I'm trying to figure out why I am familiar with the name, but looking at the squad, I'm not so sure. It's good to see teams like these doing well; it makes a change. It's partly why I have always liked newly promoted teams from the Championship getting a run in the Premier League (Luton, Wigan, Barnsley, Bradford, etc.). I did note their keeper is their captain, something which not a lot of fans tend to favour.

Great to see these @Ash, they're very well made! @Fan of Big Tone yours is looking very smart; it draws my eyes to the text in your signature a lot more.

There are quite a lot of teams which have ex-Notts players in both camps, and on occasion, former coaching staff. I would be cheering on Yeovil more than I would York City. I have always had a soft spot for Yeovil ever since they signed Paddy Madden back when I was recommending Notts to take a look at him. One day, I might try to get to a game like this if it doesn't clash with Notts just to get more experience outside of watching Notts live.

Jack Hinchy still has potential to improve and become a good midfielder; his start at Notts was the opposite of Curtis Edwards, but their worth in our squad was different, too. Curtis Edwards always felt like he was a squad signing, but surprisingly did very well, and early on he really did impress. His desire to do well reminded me much of Jim O'Brien. Just younger, but he did arrive with a smile and some leadership values. It's a shame his injury lost that momentum, but Hinchy grew into the squad the more chances he had. I don't think he had the best of starts at Notts, nor did he become someone who looked like he could be a regular first team member. He did well enough, put in the effort, and improved. I do think with the midfield being so top heavy, we were always destined to see some movement in this area. To be honest, I thought Notts would sign a few more players in this area, despite there being zero need now. I hope Hinchy finds a good loan move, but it's difficult to see how he would fit in without significantly improving.

I had a walk with Jake today, another excuse for him to look for more of those Premier League trading cards he has started collecting. He unpacked a signed Everton player, which is hand-signed and one of x amount. He even gave me one of Ian Wright, as they are including some club legends in the series, and it's a very nice card. It's proudly in a plastic sleeve and top loader, so it's safe. I never did this when I was younger; I collected them and would look at the cards. I never really cared if they had value; I just liked having them. It presented the perfect opportunity to pay a surprise visit to Super, and we intended to be there for about an hour, but we stayed much longer as we talked about things and caught up. Leaving just in time to get something that was being cooked back at home. The positives were my legs only seldomly hurting while walking, and I don't feel too bad. A much more positive week than it had started.

He still seems to be the same old Ricardo, who loves attacking football and high intensity from the defence which leads to the need to outscore the other team. He's a purist football fan's dream, let alone natural supporters.

Fans will still complain about performances even if we win; it is a simple fact. I think playing well is important, but I can accept ugly wins. I don't think Fleetwood was a bad performance; I think it's the best we have played at Meadow Lane so far this season. We did play exceptionally well for 30 minutes, or in brief glimpses. The performance was there throughout the game, and although times were difficult to watch, it was still by far more enjoyable to watch than games I have seen where we have been very poor. There's always a fair point to take from games, even if we haven't played our best or been that exciting. Football is a game where fans should be entertained, but the main thing will always be about doing well enough to be at the right end of the league table. Another point is you have to factor in the opposition when they have done well defensively. I have been watching a lot more football lately, and the quality of defending isn't as high as people seem to think. Teams who attack tend to be exciting to watch, but the main area where teams struggle is beating good, standard keepers. There are good defenders who make mistakes; there are teams with a good set of defenders that are organised enough, and teams that struggle to create chances. There's no art in defending these days, keepers are vastly underrated, and fans are obsessed with stats to the point that it dilutes pure football. Performances, both team-based and individual, are just as important as winning. "Notts don't have to play well to win" is the wrong message; the correct message is about being resilient enough to win games when the chances are few and far between, but defensively you just have to be good. If you say we don't have to be good enough, it will lead to inconsistency and players failing to reach an acceptable performance level. Even when performance isn't great, it's good to keep in mind that Notts still managed to grab a win. But let's not forget how rough it was when the season kicked off. A lot of fans seemed to overlook the fact that we brought in 11 new players, most of whom were midfielders. That was definitely a big deal, since midfield was where Notts had the toughest time.

Back in the day, JJ (@Joe Jones) discussed this on a PONcast and asked via social media what fans thought. We got quite a lot of comments back and the majority seemed to agree that winning is the most important thing. I respect opinions, but for me I think performances are just as important as is keeping key in form because ultimately you can't rely on winning games without having something more crediable to back it up. No team has ever earned promotion from just winning alone, some have managed to secure it by getting important wins when the form or perormances haven't been that good. For me, winning games is important but form and indidual performances when they are what can be described as "match winners" or "star players" and have the ability to back those titles up with their recent displays helps a team perform much better. All it takes is for a handful of players to have an off day, and the squad will be effected. Yet, if you have 3-4 players who are on fire then your chances of deserving to win games is much higher. I can say, fans do tend to say winning is all that matters, but it doesn't stop people from scrutinising performances or still being utterly negative. I thought the first half we played acceptably against Fleetwood, but I have seen comments suggesting we were poor, and boring in that part simply because we didn't score but I think a nutural would find the game to have been exciting despite the score line and lack of quality at times.

I thought we did well against a well-organised team that liked to leave an elbow or boot in every challenge they went for. It looked like we could score, and we played like that was the mission. Instead of trying to force play, I thought Notts looked like they were working towards creating a chance, although the first half didn't work out. Fleetwood Town were far better defensively than they were attacking. They looked awful in both departments in the first half, but they did enough to keep them out. The teamwork between Alassana Jatta and Matthew Dennis looks really promising. I thought we played pretty well on the attack, and we played okay in defense today. The reason Fleetwood Town grew into the game later on was simply down to us making too many poor decisions, but that comes from pressure, and the changes made to bring on fresh legs will see it happen. Kelle Roos made some very decent saves, but was largely untroubled. Yes, he dropped the ball twice, but we need to think beyond that because of how positive the performance seemed in the grand scheme of things. The overall performance was a big step forward; we look very dangerous in attack and could have caused more problems had things fallen our way. There are areas to improve; I wouldn't take Martin Paterson's post-match comments approach. I think in games like this you need to accept and call the baseline in terms of how you want to play. I thought it was one of our better performances this season, and the reason why we didn't finish Fleetwood off more is down to them being decent enough when it mattered.

Rod McDonald for me, I thought he was class in defence and I did notice Jacob Bedeau having a bit of a go because he had to track a player who shot straight towards Kelle Roos, but all the defenders at times get caught out at least once, and they need to mop the play up as a team. McDonald looked good in the air, calm on the ball, and defensively solid against a physical team that liked to leave things on every challenge they made. My son turned to me and asked if I thought Matty Platt would come straight back into the team, and I said that I don't think he should when he's recovered from his injury. McDonald has done superbly and has taken this game time well. I thought he dealt very well with Fleetwood Town.

I hope Notts takes the game like I plan to spend the day: nice and easy. Fleetwood are a good counter-attacking team; they have previously surprised me by focusing on playing the ball on the floor. I would suspect that if they feel completely overwhelmed, this will kick in, as any club will see that Notts doesn't like it. I really hope they stick to keeping it grounded and that the game has an open-ended feel to it. Jodi Jones, for me, isn't a big loss. I hope his time representing Malta sees him come back refocused. I will be curious to see if what happened to Will Jarvis (hand, I think) will keep him out of the selection or even from appearing on the bench. We should be able to give someone else a chance to step into Jodi's shadow. Maybe someone who might see it work a bit better, as I know I said we need to give him time in his new role, but if someone else does better there, then there's no harm in reverting back to him on the wing. Just a case of how do we protect him there? But that's not a problem we face against Fleetwood.