Chris

Yes, my grandfather Ray took me and my brother @william1984. I think this is the game where we caught a supporter's coach opposite my uncle's arcade near Bobbers Mill Bridge.

Hello, @DublinPie. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, I am very pleased to see you. The site can be overwhelming for some, and I don't know if people think asking for help puts people out or if they feel self-concious about not knowing. There's no need, we simply want fans to feel at home when browsing the site. I will try to get updated guides on the site to replace when is now pre-dated, sorry @True Magpie. But please do ask if you are unsure about something, we can throw things at you and it might not be all that useful. My starting tip would be to make the most of one of these pages. Dashboard: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/dashboard/ I created the dashboard because I felt PON needed a central hub, so the page has everything in one place. It's not there to discourage members from browsing the site, but more of quick glance. Topicfeed: https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/topicfeed/ This is very useful if you want to get stuck in to posting, you can read, react and comment on discussions from this single page without ever needing to come off it. Please do reach out if you have any questions, even if you ask here. I believe that's a fan called Brian, mate. He doesn't live in Ireland now, but does have DublinPie on his shirt.

Look and @Fan of Big Tone and @Robbie doing it in three, who copied who? 😉 Wordle 1,531 6/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟩 ⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟨🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 From the 3rd guess, I thought I had the word. Imagine the final guess, I couldn't incorrectly get it wrong. Playing Wordle feels just like following Notts – it's equally frustrating!

It's the way of professional football clubs, unfortunately. To play the devil's advocate, even if the club came out being open as to what was going on (they actually might be, for all we know now), some fans will still make up their own minds, and rumours will just change based on facts, and half-truths can be more dangerous. I think clubs tend to try to get all their facts and play along with things whilst trying to keep things in-house. If we think back to Stanley Aborah, his absence from the team was a really dark moment and very depressing because Notts looked very poor under Jamie Fullarton. Alsorts was going round the rumour mill, and for some time Aborah was frozen out of the squad. His reaching out to speak to the BBC Sport team meant that the truth had to be clear. It dismissed the false rumours about him refusing to play and highlighted how the club wanted him gone for whatever reason. Switching back to Alassana Jatta, I think at first you have to address the rumours of the bids. Use the local media for this case; make it known what is what. Some might say the club's refusing £700,000 and £900,000 offers might mean the club just doesn't want to sell him, but the club needs to be practical. The initial rejection of Jatta's bid was acknowledged in a statement on the OS. If a player wants to go, get the highest fee possible and make it known what figure you are looking for; otherwise, you'll miss out. I have been saying to fans that the clubs need to be transparent, especially to season-ticket holders. A fan asked me at Alfreton about various things relating to the media team's lack of updates and transfer business. Notts can't just make willy-nilly statements and hope fans quieten down, but when things reach the point of a player saying he has a 'back spasm' it's for the local media to unearth the truth. Then Notts just needs to be open; it just creates a circus, and whilst it might be 'PR' management, it's very much at the cost of genuine fans not knowing what is going on with their club.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @danielpie1862! It's great to have you amongst us, I do hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @timperkins. Do you happen to be related to Tony? I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County fan site.

Sell and reinvest into the squad, but not just with signing strikers and a possible keeper. Use some of the money to offer new deals to the existing players who are of value and importance to our development. We always seem quite sluggish to handle contracts unless they can be used to lift morale or continue the excitement, such as when Notts announced Macaulay Langstaff's 5-year deal. We should never leave it until the end of the season to offer renewals, but in some cases players may wish to wait, and that is fine. I just feel when you have a striker like Jatta amidst rumours, and talk of his head being turned. It makes me question whether he thinks the club is moving forward, as I felt similarly after digesting David McGoldrick's departure. Fans are going to be annoyed if Jatta leaves, but reinvesting it and getting what is needed right could help us retain the players who are fighting to get us up the league. In turn, this builds confidence within the fanbase.

Recently, a server update caused some issues for the site. You might have noticed last Thursday we had some issues with errors; this is because Redis (a cache system) failed, and there were a number of issues preventing me from being able to fix it. Temporarily, I switched to a file-based cache while I investigated the issue. Yesterday, a friend took the time to look into this issue with me, and he fixed the issue caused by the server's packet updates. I didn't mention anything until now, as I wanted to wait for it to be confirmed as fixed, and usually giving it several hours will allow you to see everything is playing nicely again. So, Redis is now enabled, and the performance should be back to normal. Have fun posting and making content! 😁

What about one of your other grandchildren? I know the sentiment about passing things down in line, but your son will be living on with his siblings children. Repurposing items like jewelry or ornaments can be quite challenging. I hope you can find somewhere within your family, that they can be passed down too.

@Piethagoram, I always tried to comment and support them in the past, the thing is it's quite hard at times. You might be drawn to watching the player, whereas I might see something else and not find suggestions to be very good personally. I also didn't like disagreeing, as often I would pass based on what I would see but you clearly have an eye for it. There have been times when I've noted good players, but with the posts not happening, I tend to discard them. If you did put a scouting dossier post, I would chip in when I feel I can write something of value. I wouldn't take any disinterest from few responses, it's difficult but you may prompt others like @menzinho to add their thoughts. Not everyone feels comfortable judging players based on a game(s), but that does invalidate your effort. I have always enjoyed them too.

Well, we are not MK Dons are we? They spent £800,000 alegedly to sign Ex-Notts loanee Aaron Collins. South Wales ArgusLeague Two spending gulf laid bare as County's rivals spl...Former Newport County striker Aaron Collins has returned to League Two after Milton Keynes flexed their financial muscles to pay a reported…During the AH years, we almost signed him permanently, instead of him moving to Morecambe but he was deemed not good enough. He's a decent striker, not always prolific but he has had a good record with his previous two teams. I wouldn't send what MK Dons did to sign him mind, as it is a waste of money. We could do a lot more with the money, than a single luxary purchase.

It's a sign of old age, I am told, when you start thinking back on how your local area has changed over the years, especially from what you remember it being like as a child. You don't have to name the area our street names. If you wish, be vague about names, etc, especially if you still live in or around the same area and wish to remain anonymous. I thought about starting this two weeks ago, after I overheard a conversation between a mother around 50 to 60 and her daughter, who I would say was in her late 20s. My earliest memory of the area is from back when my parents lived down a cul-de-sac. I remember the majority of neighbours being friendly enough, and my brother and I would usually play in the front garden, usually with his Ghostbuster backpack water pistol, with which I tended to spray some of the neighbours for fun. I remember visiting the doctor, and how my grandfather would drive us there and back. On occasion, Granny Pie (my mum) would walk to various nearby shops, and even at the age of, say, 7, I knew the majority of the shops very well. After my parents bought their home together, I lived 5 minutes from a row of shops. It used to start with a church of some form, a chemist, an optician's a cob/cake shop, an old DIY store, a large convenience store, and another that was owned by a husband and wife. I don't really remember her very well; she could be nice but tended to complain a lot about the customers. His name was Reg; again, he was mostly fine. In the front of their shop, they used to have all sorts of toys on display for sale, and as a child, I liked window-shopping. Saving up for something tends to be good fun. By the side of Reg's shop, there was a PVC door which looked like it would take you to an apartment but was actually the local hairdresser's. That's where I would have my hair cut until I was about 14 years old; she sold the space and moved away to retire. Long-standing members might recall a story where she shaved all of my hair off. Granny Pie wasn't happy, and I actually took the blame for that even though I said my usual, which "wasn't a skinhead." 😂 Down the road there was a newspaper shop; I used to cycle my bike there at times to check if they had certain sticker packs in stock, when Reg would only order a box once a month. Further down was a larger row of shops. Starting at the very end, I recall a very small frozen food ship, which is now a "bring-your-own-wine" restaurant. To be fair, it has been for most of my life. Across the road there was another hairdresser's where I remember the women pulling at my hair when I was very, very young and making me so irritated that I wouldn't keep still. Next to it, there's a post office that is still there. Across the road was a single newsagent, which stocked every drink imaginable, and the owner was a great guy. Unfortunately, he had a heart attack while I was working at a nearby care home. There were times he would let me get a drink even without paying if I had no money, not that I liked it, but he remembered me from my childhood and would offer very often as I walked back home. My memory is a little patchy regarding some of the shops across the road again, but I do remember a card shop which had all sorts of items. Pic'n Mix, party supplies, you name it, they probably had it. Then there was a Co-op, one of the smallest, and I never really liked it until I was a teen. Actually, before this, there's a chippy that is still there but obviously has different owners. It used to be my Grandfather Ray's favorite. I haven't been in there for years. Last time I was fetching some chips for Granny Pie, and Super was being awkward about us buying him some. 🥱 Next, there was a cake shop, which also sold cobs and freshly cut meat. It was very sad when it closed, as I had a lot of fond memories of going in, not just for a cake but because the staff were always super nice. Luckily, one of the staff members, who often spoke about wanting to train as a teacher, did manage to meet my son before it closed down. Jake would have only been a baby, and by that point it didn't sell much but cobs and cakes. A little further up, there used to be a butcher's I only recall going in there a few times with Super; I never really liked the smell. Even now, it makes me feel like going off meat. After that, there was a shoe shop, and again my earliest memory of going in was convincing my mum to buy me a Micro Machines racing car. It's run by a father and son team; I really hope the father is still alive. A few years ago, he was there, as I went there on purpose to get new keys cut. I also went to look for a belt for Super, but they sold shoes, bags, slippers, etc. Next to him, there's a barber's owned by a guy called Gaz. I used to get my hair cut by him until I was 17; I stopped going to him, but he was always very friendly. Thinking back, what is now an Asian store selling fresh fruit. There used to be a really cool shop that sold toys and things; I remember getting birthday presents from there back in the day. Much has changed; a lot for the worse. Numerous takeaway shops have emerged, yet most of them are quite mediocre. What used to be a larger Co-Op nearby is a local ASDA from hell. I think the area has massively declined; some things have improved, such as walking around, you don't stumble into so many ***kheads. You just end up living near them instead. Provided you stay to yourself, it's not an issue, but I wish my children could have grown up making more use of our garden. I used to spend a lot of time in my parents garden, playing football and other sports. Spinning myself around, hassling Super to let him allow me to help him tidy the garden. Buying Granny flowers for the front garden, not just for Mother's Day.

There's only so many loan players we can name in our match day squad and bench, so there is the risk of if our own players get injured we might get desperately close to that limit. I think the club has a tendacy of focusing on "one" player, at least in recent years and then you are surprised by the arrival more. I have no expectations of incoming players, unless Alassana Jatta does go during this transfer window. The club must be realistic and see there's no sense of riding the entire season on two options being Matthew Dennis and Mai Traore. I know, it's wishful thinking but without depth in the areas I mentioned I think we will have more of a challenge to be in for playoffs let alone promotion. In a few weeks time, we might be in a better position. Jayden Luker could emerge as an real option up front (when he recovers). It's safer if we act, rather than ignore the obvious.

I think the Forest owner might be quite difficult to work under; he seems to be a grown **s baby. The amount of clips I have seen of him looking angry at officials, storming onto the pitch and every other silly antic that he has done. It's like he thinks everyone has to answer to him and goes beyond being passionate; it looks like a mardy dictator not getting his own way. Genuine Forest fans who have no issue with Notts, I have no ill feelings toward. Those armchair, glory supporters are no better than some of the fans we have at Notts. The only difference is the colour of the shirts, but it does stem down to how well you can get on with the owner for them. I don't wish trouble for Forest; I don't really care all that much about them, but still, it's interesting. I don't go out of my way to find content about them; I don't mind bantering about the club, but again, I wish them no harm. There will be one day when their current owner's expenditure neglect will fall on the club's shoulders, and I just hope it's not a huge debt. I can acknowledge he's done a lot, but I wouldn't feel secure about the future or what would happen if he decided to pull his investment. He does seem like one of those people who will burn down what he has built out of spite and bitterness; this is my opinion, of course.

@theAnticlough, it's from the post-match interview. It's good that Martin Paterson is calling for reinforcements, but he needs to stress it more to the board and the decision-makers. We need another striker, perhaps two if Alassana Jatta does leave (it looks highly likely), and a keeper. It makes it seem, by saying it to the media in the way Paterson has done, as if he knows Notts won't recruit any further. We'll most likely sign a centre back and two midfielders. Believing that the midfield just needs more quality or something different, when in fact we need a goalkeeper who can compete with Kelle Roos, and two strikers to give us further options up top.

I think part of the problem is the lack of clear objectives that has seen us go from a mission the club is fully behind to something which is a goal, but nobody dared mention until the club sacked Stuart Maynard for failing in the playoffs. What felt like the club had things in place after the quickness of the Reedtz taking over, and their first season beginning. Everything that took place seemed to have the same end goal, which was promotion back to League Two. Despite things slightly changing, it came across as lessons being learned and still a club moving as a platform toward the target of being an EFL team. Our first two seasons felt like this approach hadn't changed, but the refusal to acknowledge promotion as a goal and more a forbidden word just seems, in hindsight, something the club used to use to not allow fans to get carried away. I am all for taking things game by game, with the hope that promotion is the objective, but at the same time factoring in injuries, etc. The recruitment has always looked like the club's ambition is to get promotion; I think this season is the first where it hasn't quite been at the same level, but most of the signings are encouraging. The early seasons, I believe, have led the club into thinking we don't need more than two main strikers, with a third being optional from someone in the midfield. It seems like our search for a player who can score 20+ goals per season has come at the cost of realising that it's important to have firepower. Wes Thomas, Kane Hemmings, Kristian Dennis, Kyle Wootton, Nathan Tyson, Scott Wilson, and Ramaye Campbell. They were all on our books in 2019/2020. Over the following seasons, we would see this fall in numbers, and promotion usually comes to teams who have depth not just in midfield or defence, but in goal and up front. Whilst Hemmings and Dennis might not have been involved, we still had them as options at the beginning if we needed them. Some of it might be down to the budget changing and better players taking a higher percentage of the wages we can spend, but it's a dramatic turn from having options there to not having any at all. I won't count 2019, but we did have 3 experienced keepers the following season, and this is a number that has fallen. I am completely happy with two good options at number one, with a youngster filling in as third. Even at League Two level, anything more is a luxury. Having three strikers, for me, is the minimum, and I don't count Mai Traore. Where is he? I would prefer four, with someone like Traore being that final option since he can cover in midfield. These are things which I think, over time, the club has seen as a means to thin out, but it's at the cost of covering times when depth is needed. Notts has become very top-heavy in midfield this season, and whilst Notts initially said loans would be seen as a "top-up" solution, I don't mind that we have explored this, but my only concern is that the focus seems to be at the expense of the two crucial areas which have been visible for three seasons now. Goalkeepers and strikers, selling Alex Bass would always be a difficult decision and hard to truly replace. From seeing players wanting to be at the club to seeing us more as a stepping stone, I do wonder if the thought of promotion is one of the reasons some have wanted to leave. As with selling, I know it is a necessary evil and part of escaping the lower leagues. I wished Notts weren't so stubborn as to think they can use stats and data to solve everything, as it's impossible, and I wished they would see that depth means that we have options in all areas and therefore we won't have to rely on one striker. Only to see them taken off in games, replaced by someone less convincing. Strikers don't grow on trees, but we have improved massively in this area under the Reedtz and I am sure we can find capable players who can work hard without a proven record; that just needs the support and game time to get them. To sum my thoughts up, Notts are very stubborn to stay within their pre-plans. Our National League seasons have been impressive, with each campaign surpassing the achievements of the previous one. Back in the EFL, it seems less structured and more focused on wishing for the best. Rather than having a solid commitment to gaining a promotion. Whilst I do feel we have taken a significant step backwards this season, the prior two I felt the club was moving in the right direction. Martin Paterson still has time for us to improve, even if we fail to reach the playoffs. Provided we move up the table and the signs are showing improvement, I wouldn't be against him being given another full season. Provided we reflect on what it takes to move forward, and he gets the players in the right areas, it will make the difference needed to get the right results. If we are going on an American report card, I would say B-. Last season would have been a B+, and this season seems crucial in terms of making sure we don't undo any good work. Finishing anywhere below 10th would be a major disappointment to me. I would accept it, but I would hope not all lessons would be learned retrospectively, as we tend to see.

I would tell myself to take PON more seriously, but not to get caught up in politics or just people being unkind. It's best to focus on what I can offer, rather than what some minority thinks, and just try to keep the community embraced. I also make sure to stress the importance of family time and how holidays can see a relaxed approach to the site during my absence. For years, I had it drilled into me that I need to post x hour or times on social media. That I had to do this or that on the site usually came at the cost of my spending time with my family while making things work. I love PON; I have learned through my ill health that the site goes on. I know the start sounds contradictory, but I could have had this in motion in 2006 at the earliest. In 2008, it was a small forum with mostly family and friends; by 2010, it had become more, but I had Sven's encouragement ringing in my ears to take it further. I struggled with the confidence to engage with others, much less distribute flyers. My first attempt at this was back in 2013, when I found myself leaning on my children's enthusiasm for the idea. I truly appreciate the unwavering support of my family throughout this journey. But from being less serious, to way OTT, to the point where I had to do things on the dot. I know now people do understand, and even now I feel annoyed because I haven't posted much in the past few days; I haven't put x, y, or z on social media. I know there is plenty of understanding and support for what I do. This community really is everything I've ever wanted from running a site. It means a lot to me, and it has been there for me during some tough times. I know I haven't always put myself out there the way I truly am because of my mental health struggles. But honestly, I've never treated anyone as badly as some folks have treated me when they crossed the line.

I sort of expected this to be about a different county, and not related to us. I feel sorry for Kelle Roos, because he does seem like a nice guy, and there are elements of just unpleasant comments directed his way that are personal. I was speaking to a steward on Saturday who asked me what I thought about Dracula? I wasn't aware this was Roos nickname. He conducts himself with professionalism, handling any challenges that come his way, even if he doesn't instill confidence in me. While I would personally seek a more reliable option, I don't want to be unkind or disrespectful toward him. Some of the goals we have conceded, I think he should have done better; the opening goal against Newport, I believe he should have reacted quicker, but it must feel to Roos like there's a level of fans already against him in a personal way.

It looks amazing. They have done a great job with it, and whilst it's not traditional looking. It's by far one of the best rebuilds, which has some inspiration from Goodison Park. @Dan should be there, as I believe he's still Mansfield's photographer, and I can't see him passing it up. There are Notts fans going who want to tick the stadium off their "ground visits," and I hope they will be in the Everton end. Some new grounds will never compare to lost and former stadiums, but Everton have done well, IMO.

We were linked before, and the £1,000,000 fee was fluttered around, with much bigger clubs also being linked. Reading ChronicleRoss County chief warns Reading will need to 'push the bo...Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor has warned teams that they will need to 'push the boat out' to sign top scorer Ronan Hale. The Northern Ireland…Birmingham LiveChampionship clubs told to pay £1m for ex-Birmingham City...Derby County have been linked with a move for Ross County striker Ronan Hale but any club wanting to sign the former Blues trainee will have to pay upDerbyshire LiveClub chief warns Derby and rivals how much it will cost t...Latest Derby County news from DerbyshireLive brings you what is being said about a Northern Ireland international who is attracting attentionI hate to burst bubbles, but I think if it's true Championship and League One teams are interested. Anyone who has £1.000.000 or more to spend will most likely be far ahead in the pecking order to sign him, wages in terms of competition with them could blow us out of the water. I think it's the rumour mill trying to get peoples hopes up.

Is there something you wish to share with the group, Tone? Have you bought a barge for future canal holidays?? 😂 I used to walk from The Embankment bus stop, through the small housing area, and over the bridge that connects to a path that goes under two homes. One of the times, Jake, Cal, and I were walking when a bloke started shouting abuse at us. The person started throwing these pebbles at us; at first, none of us realised where the shouting was coming from. I just heard "who you looking at", "bunch of chavs". "I'll **** you up". We hadn't stopped; we didn't look back until Cal mentioned that a crazy guy was shouting at us. When I turned, that is when he started throwing pebbles at us. I asked him what the problem was, and if he wouldn't mind stopping swearing. He didn't; he went on to spout more abuse. While claiming that we had been staring into his garden from over the bridge, still being targeted, I told Cal and Jake to wait beyond the footpath, as I didn't want them to be hit or for either of them to get annoyed. Not that Jake would, but Cal certainly would have said something back if provoked enough. I asked why he was being so aggressive, and that we would have been gone now had he not acted in this manner. That we hadn't stopped and that he might have mistaken us for a different group. He continued, so I told him I couldn't be bothered trying to reason with him. Before I left, I told him that the bridge was a public right of way and, whilst I understand that it can be annoying when people look into his property, I reaffirmed that we were just walking over the bridge as we found it peaceful. This caused him to start. Acting like Hulk Hogan when he "hulked" up, he stood right at the edge of his garden, patio, or whatever. Shouting "Come on then, I'll ave ya!" and "I'll take all three of you on." My response, "You're offering to fight minors that haven't done anything wrong; you have been acting like an idiot and throwing pebbles at us." "You don't want people looking at your property?" "I would give you the advice to stay inside your home because if you act like this when you are out, people will look." He told me to **** off. I just replied, "Why would anyone want to look at your property?" "What garden?" "You have a little patio area; my bathroom is bigger." I have never seen someone cause themselves to ventilate so much.

It began with strong support for Matthew Dennis but soon shifted, drawing votes toward Matt Palmer. There was a point when there was only a 2-vote difference between the pair, but Dennis started to gain more ground as he got to 30 votes. Congratulations to Matthew Dennis; I am pleased he's earned the fans' vote and been named the Pride of Nottingham's MOTM. Thank you to all who voted; please do continue, as it's brilliant to see which players get recognised and even if your vote doesn't end up winning. You voted for the player that you felt deserved it, which is encouraging for that player.

I'm counting down the time to Tranmere away; Jake will be joining us. We went last season on the opening day, and Cal (Jake's friend) went. We haven't heard from him since he stopped going, but life moves on, and it's different without him. I started paying for Cal to attend games as a way to bring back enjoyment to Jake, who, for various reasons, wasn't as bothered back then about coming with me to games. Sunday and Monday have been very difficult for me; I came back from Notts feeling not so good. That extended into a sleepy Sunday and a lot of pain. I am hoping to get the chance to focus on the content in the forms of articles, and hopefully manage to get over to see Super. My niece's birthday was last week, and Jake has gone to see his cousins until Thursday. It's pretty quiet in the house, as the girls don't make much noise. Oh, I forgot to mention, I gave Jake my old electric guitar, which @GrannyPie bought me back when I was 16. After waiting for a new cable and a bit of tinkering with the amp, he has been practicing a lot. With headphones in, when he has managed to get them to work, the amp is very temperamental. Seven Nation Army is something he can already play quite well for someone who has never had lessons. He wants to be able to play a lot of classic rock songs. I used to be interested in writing music back in the day, which is why GP surprised me with the guitar. With work and life, I never found much time for it, but I find it very befitting to give it to Jake so that he can learn before purchasing his own.

Kairo Mitchell was awful for us, he found his feet with Rochdale, and hopefully he can continue with Yeovil, but he wasn't remotely good for us. If Junior Morias was given the time Mitchell had, he would have done far more. Enzio Boldewijn got branded "lazy," but it was a confidence thing for him. When he enjoyed his football, he was on a different level, but when the team wasn't progressing, he blamed himself. You can't put that level of blame on your own shoulders because it will affect how you perform, but at no point was it because he wasn't giving 100%. He was giving what he could; some players are like that. Form and confidence are two things that hinder natural ability and a player's prospects. Sam Austin and Cal Roberts are two who I hope get a Football League return and manage to stay once they are back; both did well for us and left memories which we, as fans, appreciate.

Fans didn't want an appointment from within, as scaremongerers lined up Joao Alves as the next head coach, even though that doesn't seem to be the case now. I am also inclined to agree with @NottsTastic, that this appointment is nothing but a gimmick for the media clout.