Chris

You can suffer many type 1 concussions heading the ball, even though your forehead is protected by your skull - the brain still moves, and it's that constant movement which causes a lot of damage. There needs to be more studies with lighter balls, which I am sure is happening, but the data really does need to be collected. Data has shown that footballers are at a high risk of brain related injuries, including dementia. This is the documentary, which I mentioned.

@Piethagoram I met his family and daughter at the unveiling of the Jimmy and Jack statue, she also thanked me and Joe for writing about their work and honouring Jeff. They have dedicated a lot of their lives to research and bringing awareness, something Joe Kinnear's daughter could contribute if she wants to help other people in the future - not just footballers. @Wheelbarrow repair man I nearly wrote about the NFL, who in the past dismissed studies and failed to acknowledge the severity of brain injuries. I can understand why they have had class actions brought against them but football, there's little known and the major research that has been conducted is mostly through ex-players families such as Jeff Astle. I know, Alan Shearer did a documentary which was well worth watching. There's also professional wrestling, where the WWE (formerly WWF have been taken to court over brain injuries, especially after the Chris Benoit incident) but that was a tragic event and suing them in hindsight for not knowing, it rubs me the wrong way. The family of Jeff Astle is deeply committed to making sure that no one else has to go through what they went through. Their efforts have helped to re-design footballs, brought changes such as not to head the ball in training and even removing it from kids games as mentioned by @Fan of Big Tone.

I honestly can't see any teams coming in for Connell Rawlinson and Aiden Stone, not even if they are transfer-listed for free. There might have been interest already, we won't know, but I think those two would be best trying to mutually agree release terms with. Connell Rawlinson is a great guy. I have a lot of respect for him and many memories, but we can't keep players for sentimental reasons - not at this level. I also feel somewhat sorry for Aiden Stone, he tried and seems to lack confidence, but I just don't see anyone in League Two wanting him. I think he should consider dropping to the National League North/South. Will Randall should attract some form of interest, even if it's just from within the National League. There's a player in him, but it hasn't worked, and I don't think he integrated himself well into our squad. He always comes across as a loner, that might be his personality but when I have encountered him - including when I gave him a print I did of him, he sort of seemed rude and uninterested in anything but himself. He could be shy, but hasn't left a good impression on the field or off it.

His performance for Crawley Town last season and the goal which he scored at Meadow Lane, it was him at his best. I still feel a bit of resentment for the way he acted once he knew he wasn't going to be offered a deal by Notts. Good player, especially at this level and should do really well for Hartlepool United. He was in and out of our squad during his final season, and personally I think he gave up. I hope he serves Hartlepool well because I have a lot of respect for the club.

Hello, @Up the Maggies. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham! I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community. It's really nice to have you with us. COYP!

For free? I don't blame him. I hope Chesterfield didn't take him out of their own budget. ???? I would dislike Notts doing a similar thing, even if it was an ex-well known Premier League keeper, it could be Joe Hart for all I care - it's not something I think makes financial sense. If they have done it to stop him going on trials elsewhere, or just to make sure he signs for them then it's even weirder.

Matty Virtue was linked to Wrexham, his time at Notts pretty much fell under the radar, but he seemed promising enough. I'm surprised Lincoln City didn't snap him up because they seemed to rate him during his loan spell. Things may have changed, with other doors opening up, but I wish Matty all the best with Fleetwood.

I haven't heard from him for some time, I have been wondering myself. I'll speak to @super_ram because I know they have communicated on here, I hope he's okay.

This might seem controversial, but I don't like when people decide to sue for retrospective issues, especially when nobody made them do what ultimately is the thing they are suing for. If they want to spread awareness, there are far better ways because it just comes across as wanting money. Making a difference isn't believable either, because all you are doing is lining your pockets. Dementia is a horrible, horrible illness, and it's hard seeing a loved one go through it, but you can only make changes now to help the future. If the grief is making them lash out, that's different entirely, but I still think it's wrong. Joe Kinnear managed teams when I was younger. He really deserves to be remembered for the right reasons.

It depends on who else is available, but I will add that Tom Crawford had some magical moments with us and during a time when others lack his spirit. Tom would do a decent job in the defensive duties, but he's better at the attacking side IMO. I would happily welcome him back, if the club deemed him as someone that fits us. He did very well for Hartlepool, I felt surprised when I learned that they had released him. Notts could do far worse, so it will be interesting but in terms of what Tom Crawford would bring to us. I think he's good enough and would fit various roles we might require. However, he wouldn't be guaranteed to start and that for me, means we need to find players who would make a strong contest for this. I feel Crawford might get overlooked in this scenario, but I do rate him as a player.

Tomorrow the excuses need to be put aside, and the team must put on a strong performance. Unless this is all a ruse by Gareth Southgate to control who we might get in the knock-out stages and for teams to think we will be push overs. It seems unlikely, but I just want to see England put in the effort. I'll be watching the game with @super_ram and @super_pie. A change of scenery and some more company might make it easier to watch. ????

What's the point in him going? Chesterfield are a bit weird with their recruitment of keepers.

I think @GrannyPie and @super_ram mentioned this to me, but I can't really stand Alan Carr. I didn't know his father was a manager until he started doing promotional appearances for the show. I'm not sure if it would be my thing, as the clips I have seen - I didn't find it to be all that interesting.

It really does look beautiful! Our ground staff have done an amazing job, but I am thankful that the club have invested in undersoil heating. Meadow Lane's ability to stay abreast of the latest advancements in the modern era is absolutely crucial. Not that I would have thought in a million years, that we would be getting it in League Two. seeing the pitch look so stunning, it makes part of that match day experience and no other League Two team will come close to us in terms of pitch quality. It makes me feel a lot more sorry for Bradford City; I wonder if they have managed to move from the seaside (sandy pitch) themselves? ????

I couldn't name a single jockey these days, but there's one thing for sure! We won't forget Hayley Turner from this point on.

I point his move to the German league as part of the reason why he's been disappointing: he really doesn't have to do much or move at all. This said, it's not like he's been getting any support. We really haven't been very attacking minded, so that puts some perspective, but I just don't think he should be dropping back. At times, I see no reason but for the majority of the game, well its negative and players know that if they try to get the ball forward there won't be anyone there. All the comments directed to Harry Kane, and the England team, have been fair and justified in my opinion. That said, I am still hoping that we can pick up in terms of performance and just put all this behind us. It's just a distraction and something that makes for talking points, but it's not helpful for the players (to be making excuses).

The biggest plus about Scotland is about how passionate and supportive their fans are, as for the team, not a great performance during the tournament. I am not surprised they've been sent home, because this is their first major tournament for years. They have some good players, but personally I didn't think a second they would be able to progress. They need to put effort into challenging for the World Cup, perhaps get David Moyes as the manager.

It is a lifeline, but not for every club. It offers the majority of teams financial stability, with the modern game the way it is - it isn't uncommon for owners to sell up (or try) leaving the club in difficult circumstances. In our own case, without the payments to ourselves, our first season in the National League could have been much harder. The funds helped the club operate between Alan Hardy's exit and the arrival of the Reedtz brothers who acted quickly, but the parachute payments meant we were able to do stuff before. Against his credit, Neal Ardley worked tirelessly to keep Notts in a good position, and it's something that tends to be overlooked due to him being the manager who unfortunately was at the helm when we got relegated. Alan Hardy took Notts down, him, along with Kevin Nolan and Harry 'useless' Kewell. Clubs need to take into consideration what their finances might look like without the parachute payments, making sure players wages are affordable. Yet, a lot rely on being able to afford their talent. In some cases, players would want to move on due to a large drop in wages. Other than them wanting to return to their previous playing level, due to chasing the international dream, better wages etc. Numerous teams have been saved from administration due to the induction of the parachute payments, which was part of their intended design. However, I believe it's three more times likely that teams who receive them end up being promoted back the following season. We don't know how this number would change if abolished, nor how many teams may find themselves in Bury's situation. Personally, I think football should be fairer, but the removal of it could cause further implications to our game.

I was talking to my dad about it this past Monday, it wasn't looking good for him. The most recent pictures, you could see he's taken a decline, but I hope he recovers further. It's not nice seeing someone's face go like that and very rarely do you see them put the weight back on at that age. He's a good pundit, and I have been told in the past he was a very good footballer, but he was well before my time. I do miss watching him on Match of the Day, mind. He was one of them you may not agree with, but you could see his reasoning and generally he just seemed to love football. Whereas the standard these days it's much poorer, despite the better pay.

Aye, we do but we tend to fetch bits and bobs from local stores. I'm becoming a grumpy old sod, before the age of 40. Man I feel much older now.

I went to Lidl earlier with Kate. It was nice walking there as we went through a park nearby but coming back... Let's just say my body makes me feel far older than I am. I'm amazed by how little space people give you these days whilst shopping. I had an elderly man practically using me as support as he passed. I wouldn't mind if it didn't limit where I could move myself. I can't say, I really enjoy going places where you don't have a level of personal space. People expect you to disappear, when they take literally all the area by positioning their trolley sideways and then have the audacity to then walk straight towards you - as if you have to move for them. Right now, I am having to relax due to back pain. Tomorrow, I don't believe I have any plans but will most likely go see @super_ram at some point. Either tomorrow or Sunday. PS. No wonder people prefer online shopping these days.

We're very predictable, lack confidence and any sort of energy to make runs which splits the opposition wide open. At one point, we were trying to put longer passes through, but in the process they were rushed and resulted in being intercepted. I think the biggest issue is the way the players knock the ball around, they stay very close to each other and when pressed you have limited options where to pass the ball. I have said it in other discussions, England needs to play further up and wider. They need to take on players and not be afraid of losing the ball, to some extent it's like watching Notts during the periods we lacked creativity going forward. The players need to focus, Gareth Southgate must make changes for the next game.

Yes, and no. The players just aren't performing and that's something which Gareth Southgate needs to reflect on for our next match. I do think there's room for tweaks to the tactics, perhaps the formation needs altering as Harry Kane as a solo striker really does isolate him. Jude Bellingham does well to play off him, but I think we could afford to play two strikers at the cost of maybe one of the defensive midfielders. Alexander Trent Arnold in the centre of midfield doesn't work, I get the thought behind it but for me, he can be afforded to be replaced by someone else. Despite our defence being the weakest point of the squad, I don't think they have done all that badly. I believe that we tend to panic and become careless when passing the ball. Alan Shearer made a lot of good remarks about how England play (or how we should). The defence needs to push further up, to make the midfield wider and to actually give us some bodies up front to attack when chances to create something happen. There should be more urgency to pass the ball into space, however, the players seem to pass in to danger instead. I do think we need to avoid being so narrow, it makes us very compact and easy to push back. This doesn't take anything from Denmark's performance; they were great at controlling this. However, we are very easy to press back.

Mike Edwards - 'Steady Eddie' Lee Hughes - 'Hughesy' Kyle Cameron - 'Cammo' Cal Roberts - 'Geordie Messi' Alan Judge - 'Judgey' and 'Irish Messi' Bartoz Bialkowski - 'The Bartman' Dean Yates - 'Yatesy' Adam Chicksen - 'Chicks' Macaulay Langstaff - 'Macca' and 'Non-League Haaland' If I took some time, I could probably add to this. ???? Great idea! @Wheelbarrow repair man

I will be looking out for it. The moment it's shipped, I will send you a text to let you know it's on the way. ????