Chris

I am so pleased for Jodi Jones, he deserves this 100%. It's by far a positive message considering our current form and the rough patches we have had. The fact that we can rely on Jodi to make things happen, we are incredibly fortunate enough to have him. He's a classy player, especially on the ball.

My immediate response to yesterday's performance in the form of a tweet. The opening of the game was good, Notts looked bright and eager to start it off well. There was something positive about how direct our play unfolded, the way we kept calm even when we had to come back. I think it always looked likely that we would score the first goal. The run by Jodi Jones to make the space, to which Dan Crowley perfectly struck the ball - it was a superb goal. From there, our problems began. Gillingham instantly didn't sit on the score and wanted to get back into the game. That level of desire from Gillingham was impressive. Notts are very standoffish when it comes to defending. Nobody were marking the cross from Gillingham which led to their leveller. I felt at the time that Jodi Jones needed to be a bit braver with trying to win the ball, however, I also believe that Macaulay Langstaff should have tried to fill the space in front, instead of thinking to cover Jodi. It's one of those situations where you would ideally see that someone more defensive would see that space and attempt to plug the gap. John Bostock was watching the space but the ground he covered would have been more vulnerable had he moved. The cross was very good, the defence should have handled it better, but there was an element of misfortune. There was little Aidan Stone could have done and the comments I heard during the game directed to him, it added to the frustration. From there, Gillingham surged off the back of the confidence gained from the goal, and you could see how they wanted more - whilst Notts just stepped back. Notts' defence was very weak with Gillingham's second goal. Again, we didn't show any spatial awareness and nobody attempted to cut out the cross. There's been an element of this for a while now, we simply ride our luck and the way the ball comes in there's just not enough pressure from a defensive point of view. We can't just stick a foot out, the danger of giving a penalty away is quite high but no attempts to block the ball? It's obvious we are once again ball watching. Kyle Cameron could have got a little tighter to the player that flicked the ball on for the goal, that may have made a difference. Yet, you could make the point that Aden Baldwin just watched the ball pass him by. Look, we see things differently from the stands and to the players it happens so fast - whilst we need to be better. I accept that these issues will occur; my point in commenting is to discuss and bring awareness to them. Unfortunately, again Jodi just isn't watching his man and reacts a little slow to the threat. I have made the point recently that I wished to see more from him in regard to his defending, we are blessed by his ability but as the last hope in our defence his positioning, marking and reaction should have been better. Our whole defending should have been better, so it's not just one plater - it's collectively, but it comes from being aware of the threat and how the play is opening up before us. We concede goals, there's 'major issues', if we narrowly lose praise is given to how things have improved 'defensively'. Simply, right now it's very early days and I would agree that our issues were set in well before Stuart Maynard arrived. I really hope fans can give him the time needed to get grips, quite a lot expressed to me that they feel he's out of his depth and I personally think it's too early to point the finger there. I think calls for making changes are deserved; if this is formation based or tactical, so be it. I do feel like our game management needs to be picked up, with our squad working harder. Another point I read yesterday, is how losing Luke Williams may impact our mentality but if this is the case, we need to put it aside and move on. I wasn't impressed with David McGoldrick, Notts seems afraid to take him off, but he was appearing at least to me to be very tired, but his home performances haven't been great as of late, and maybe he would benefit from a bit of a rest? Dan Crowley and Jodi Jones were very good, by far our best threats going forward. We need to get Macaulay Langstaff more into the game, the guy doesn't stop running and my earlier point about his defending, it's good he's trying to cover, but I still think we need him further up the pitch. If we give him instructions to go back, then he's responsible for defending, ideally someone else would be doing this, but I feel currently there's little play to get him involved. I was wrong about Aaron Nemane, he was poor and his crossing a lot of the time was just smashed in hope of causing trouble. I don't think he was the only one, a lot of our crossing was wasted. Jaden Warner wasn't an issue for me, yes he made one slip, but that's because of the rain. The ball bounced a bit weirdly, and it just seemed to slip. I think in the first half he looked far better than he did in the second. By that point, Notts were struggling to make simple passes and that's pressure. Gillingham stuck to a game plan, adapted to their setback and responded exactly how I wished Notts would. Defensively, they grew in the game and did very well. Around the 70th minute mark, Notts started to get into the game and a goal at this point could have rescued a point. I didn't feel if this did happen that we could go on to win, but I did feel like we might be able to get a third. Gillingham were unlucky not to have got a 4th, the moment when the ball went from post to post was a very nerving moment even at 3-1. I'm afraid despite the pressure from us to try to get something, we just lacked any real quality to get the goals required. My final point, yes, the game was very disappointing and difficult to watch. We are in this together, whilst I may have my personal views on performances and what went wrong, I won't tweet this to the players because it's counterproductive. I would hope if any of them read this post, they would see I am trying to be fair. We lost, we moved onto the next game. It's very cliché, and I repeat it, but I feel it's very true in this situation. Stuart Maynard's first win should restore some of the confidence in the camp, but working on the mistakes made by poor defensive decisions and position would be a starting point. We are better off no matter where we finish this season, I have faith we can learn from this and pick up within time but as fans we need to be a little patient.

Unless Aaron Nemane is injured, I honestly can't see him being dropped. His size makes it difficult to work to his ability when you play teams like Mansfield, they will simply mark you out of the game and make it difficult in many other ways. I don't see Gillingham falling into this category; in fact, I believe they would be the prime example of where Nemane should be most effective. It's all about how he makes the space to run at the opposition, but I can see them finding it hard. I would like to see Notts showing more urgency to get forward, to make the space required for other players to contribute their ability. We are a little afraid to take on players, also, I think it extends to drawing fouls. We never seem to make the most of yellow cards being issued. I believe the squad will stay the same as the one from Mansfield. We need to show more creativity to mix the channels and attack through the middle, there are ways we can draw Macaulay Langstaff into the game without making him work tirelessly in order to just get a touch. We have players who Gillingham will want to mark, this should open space. Notts needs to start moving the ball into areas where we can play simple one touch football, then release the ball as the play opens up. Gillingham aren't pushovers, but I think we have the ability to maintain them. Aden Baldwin and Jaden Warner will be interesting to see how they continue their form together. Also, I really hope we can see Kyle Cameron at his best - I would love to see him get on the scoresheet and show improvements. He's a good skipper, who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and we just need to see him a bit of form.

Watching YouTube, a video from 'Magpie Goals' came on, and it was highlights from the 1994 game against us and Nottingham Forest. It mentioned how we had signed a player (Colin Foster) unfamiliar to me on an extended loan for another month from West Ham. He was described as 'a tower of strength in the magpies defence'. The loan move suggested that we were trying to raise funds to sign him permanently for around £175,000. I assume we didn't manage to raise the funds? I'm not sure if Mick Walker lasted much longer beyond this point - not without fact checking. So, as a talking point - what memories do you have of this? Did you think Notts should have signed Foster? I am very interested to read everyone's thoughts, as I recall how important this season were for us, but I would have been too young to know all the inner stuff a regular attending fan would know. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Foster

I said at the time that the loss of Matt Palmer impacted our form and how his absence would be a big task to find cover. I thought Dan Gosling may have fitted in nicely, but he was largely disappointing. Scott Robertson seems to be improving, but it's more about how we adjust tactics or give individual player instructions during games, as we won't find another Palmer. Certainly not someone who can be simply replaced in a like-for-like manner. Also, I think it's worth noting that the amount of bad injures would have played a part because they all seemed to come at points where our momentum was picking up. I am sure lessons can be learnt from this, but it's not all about recruitment - it's about understanding the squad at your disposal and how someone else can come in, bringing their own game in a way that compliments everyone else.

@liampie I can't confirm if the login issue has been resolved. Microsoft thankfully has now delisted our server to email their addresses, so fans with hotmail, live, msn and outlook etc should finally start getting their notifications. * Issue with the randomly floating mobile navigation - is still under investigation, but has potentially been resolved. * the oopps something has gone wrong error when logging in may still occur. I'll be having a look at the dashboard's latest discussions block next. (As mentioned by Robbie) - I think the clog to narrow down the content is also broken.

Norwich City 2-0 Coventry City Swansea City 1-1 Plymouth Argyle Burton Albion 1-2 Lincoln City Exeter City 0-0 Bristol Rovers Crawley Town 2-0 Morecambe Joker Sutton United 0-1 Doncaster Rovers Halifax Town 2-0 Aldershot Solihull Moors 3-1 Altrincham

This is potentially fixed, although it's not been able to be produced. A tweak to force the menu to stay at the bottom has been added. Don't worry about it now, but browse for a week or so after you return from your holiday - then let me know.

Will they thrash us? Can we win? Or will it be a stalemate and boring? Part of me feels that we could do well and take the points, though I am mindful of the comments about Mansfield dropping points and that makes me anxious that it will lift them even more for the local derby. They are in a position where maintaining their good form is very important, we are desperately needing to pick up our away form and having lost to them at home - the pressure swings back to us. Notts needs to start the game off positively, keep it calm at the back and protect our goal. If we can maintain the ball, we need to make sure that at times we break up our focus on how we do attack. If we rely solely on the flanks, Mansfield should suss us out and that won't benefit us. Yes, we have quality, and it can change games, and I am not doubting it's an important area to exploit, but it should restrict us from working the central areas. This is the best area to feed Macaulay Langstaff the ball. Our best form came when Dan Crowley and Matt Palmer would take the edge of the five yard box, with passes which overlapped and in the cases when space didn't open up, we would play it out wide splitting the defence but importantly making space to move into. Honestly, part of our current issues is how predictable and unimaginative we are when it comes to creating chances. If we can make use of the middle of the park, I would fair our chances much higher against Mansfield. I think they'll be thinking it's won before kick off, so we need to match their mentality and just be brave.

Couldn't you have sneaked me inside your luggage? It looks lovely and warm there. I hope Mrs T is relaxing and enjoying being there; it's a well deserved break. Besides, @Fan of Big Tone you still need to be waiting on your other half. What's the point of being on holiday, if the man servant isn't working too? Enjoy it, because I am sure a lot of us here are envious.

I'm not knocking older football, but it was a totally different game back then. The 3rd goal, with the keeper spilling the ball, shows how quick you have to be to pounce on a chance. Some other points here would be good to see again in modern football. Players wouldn't get this much space though in a competitive game today.

It still doesn't look the safest of places even back then. This picture is truly fascinating, as it captures a place that I am quite familiar with, yet showcases a view unlike anything I have ever seen before. I recently found pictures of my former Senior School that was knocked down after I had left it and some members of that group shared photos of the area. Such as Aspley, Broxtowe and Beachdale.

From the goal clip he looks capable, but if he's from a club connected to our owners - we haven't really won a race. It would always most likely favour us unless a club that were able to offer more swooped in for him. I can imagine we can pay better wages than most that would be looking at signing him, this is provided it's true that we are even in talks with him. Plus the English leagues are somewhere players can get noticed and climb a little easier than elsewhere, so I think that aspects work in our favour. I'm not against this, I do think we need a bit of options in this department.

Jack Peart was a solid player for Notts County. His commitment to the game was notable. He was skilled on the field and was a team player, which made him an important part of the team. His contribution to the team has left a mark in the club’s history.

Hear me out here, please. I feel like Barrow was a lost opportunity to kick-start Stuart Maynard's managerial time at Notts. I wished the players had at times thought to attack through the centre of the park and attempt to involve Macaulay Langstaff more. I don't think we tried to make the most of the fouls and cards that Barrow collected; this could have made them press less or fearful of getting a card. It's a good point, but in terms of play-offs it does feel like 3 points dropped. No, Notts won't win every game and that is just football, but I do think a draw makes it somewhat more of a pressure to get a win next. Mansfield's going to be a test which we will need to be more creative. We can't have a high percentage of the ball and not know what to do with it, so if we can get a result against them, it would be a fantastic outcome. However, a defeat will add more pressure. Gillingham, Newport and Crewe on paper are games we should be doing well in. Wrexham is made more difficult due to our rivalry and currently, I don't think our form or confidence would result in us picking anything up there. Going on the worst case scenario, 6 points might be all we pick up, 7 if we manage to see out one of the tougher games. There's no reason why we could get between 9-10, but it's a very tough tim, and it won't be easy. Stuart Maynard has the potential to get more of an insight into the squad and therefore improve things, but as he says it's not going to be instant. It's more about the team playing to their potential and working out the opposition.

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I'd like to highlight the benefits of following certain sections of the Pride of Nottingham website. This is a simple way to stay updated on content that interests you, while also keeping track of your favourite parts and members of our site. It requires a bit of time, but it's definitely worth it, and I'd appreciate it if members could spare a moment to do this. Our community is expanding every month, and everyone has their own preferred method. However, this underused feature makes it easier to stay engaged. You can even opt to receive grouped email notifications instead of individual ones. Please take a moment to read the below post, as I will list some important areas.

Absolutely, @Ohh Tommy Johnson. There was a difference in the first half; it's just how Barrow came flying out at us that made things difficult to begin with. Once we calmed down, defensively we were a lot better. I think Aidan Stone deserve a lot of credit for us taking a point, they could have easily scored more than one with the chances they had - despite the better defending. Aden Baldwin I thought was very good, @super_pie said he would have been his Man of the Match.

This is a great piece of our history caught on video. I also didn't know that we were one of the first clubs to have female fans present, it seems strange to hear that, but it does show how times were different.

I watched this earlier, and thought you did a very good job with it. It's slightly a shame that you were not in the KOP end. I would have liked to see if you had captured some of the incidents where Barrow's Luca Stephenson was attempting to obstruct Aidan Stone in our goal. As I mentioned, Barrow came out strong and determined. It impressed me, and naturally it takes Notts time to adjust to this. I think we are too used to playing a possession based game, that when teams are direct like Barrow it stuns us until we get the rhythm going. I would have liked to see us try to get through the centre of the pitch, instead of relying so much on the flanks, but I think Barrow would be happier about the result.

At least they didn't rob them of this right. I will look into the Twitter account you mentioned Robbie. I have seen YouTube videos where they talk about victims and their backgrounds, some including having found existing family members. I wished I remembered what the channel was called. I don't usually sub to channels but it's moments like this when you regret it.

@Ohh Tommy Johnson at the time it slowed down for me, it looked like they were very lucky to be in the right place - just as the ball came across. I don't think Aidan Stone could have done much about it. Defensively, I do think we should have been a bit more alert, but it was a good move by Barrow. If this was against Barrow, they would have had more structure to deal with the threat. We don't seem to get tight and organised at the back. We can't say it wasn't good play from Barrow, but it is one of those unfortunate things where we were simply caught off guard.

Our history is fascinating. I read about this in the late 90s. My grandad bought me a book from ASDA about the history of Notts. This was one of the snippets which I remember reading.