Chris

It's nice to see Marc Bola doing well, Watford are a decent team and I had hoped we could have signed him back when he was here on loan, then when he became a free agent. I try to keep tabs on ex players, as I do hope the ones who represent us well have a good career at whatever level they find themselves. Bola will hopefully make it to the Premier League at some stage for whatever period he can, though the Championship is still a good level to be at.

I think it's the club trying to stretch their budget by removing the man that got them back to the EFL, the reasons I believe it's money related is because I can't see why they would get rid of him amongst a time they are losing key players. You would expect them to want to stay grouped and collective, so that they have a stronger chance of fighting to stay up. There's some Notts fans who are massively harsh on Stuart Maynard, but he's good enough to keep York City up. This decision to part ways for me seems like one of those internal decisions where the board or chairman has gone against the grain and thinks of money before football.

A fair amount of MK Dons fans that I know, do not really think Dan Crowley has warranted the fee they paid but have said to me that he improved last season for them but still believe he hasn't done enough to warrant a starting position. I think we ended up doing a smart deal, as he was sulking around Notts and being sloppy on the ball. When he gave the goal away against Salford away, although I do think he was fouled. It was poor play, and he tended to repeat the same mistakes. MK Dons spending is silly for a club at their level, you can match ambition with overspending in such a wreckless way. Their recruitment seems to be to sign good players from other clubs and expect the same result insantly.

This will be the highest level in terms of consistent quality that he has played in, but he has a promising outlook and at 22-years-old he has time to further improve. His time in the Finnish top flight will have given him a good level of experience, no doubt he will have played against some very good players but now is the time to prove that he can be a top striker. My son keeps telling me to watch a video of him on YouTube, but I haven't as of yet. I do know of him, as I recall the interest he had from other English clubs when I wrote on Football Manics. He's the signing that has me the most excited, as he seems to have all the ability that Jatta had but with more refined qualities.

I wish him well, myself. I don't reject ambition or the fact that players will grow and eventually want to test themselves. He might still have international ambitions which he will be running out of at 27, although nobody really can say for sure if he is good enough to break into that scene. He will however want to play at the highest possible level, and earning more will of course help him with his future. Playing time is always quite limited for professional footballers, so I hope he does well. I personally think he might struggle but the move will no doubt open other doors if this is the case. Hope he has good luck. I'm thankful to have seen his talent with us.

I am not really a fan of behind closed doors games, even though I know it is usually related to teams having trialists. Additionally, low turnouts could be a factor, but pre-season is a great point to get fans interested. Pre-season matches mean very little, other than fitness and seeing how the team is adapting. Notts played well, and I have heard we may try to change our formations depending on the opposition.

Notts clearly wanted a replacement, which shows that we won't just sell players without making sure we aren't leaving ourselves short. I wished undisclosed fees weren't a thing, as it does mess up transfer records and activity and I feel we as fans deserve to know what he went for. This said, I think he might struggle. They have a player from Benfica on loan, and aren't really expected to do all that well. I am not saying this to speak down about Jatta because he left, I think at any top flight level he would probably find it more challenging but I do wish him well. If he does well, that's great. Yet he's going to need to be more displined and return to putting effort in even when he struggles with his form. My issues are only with his agent, as I feel he was the reason behind all the antics we experienced and perhaps unsettled Jatta to the extent he wasn't always at his best with us. There were games last season where I wouldn't have had him in the XI due to his effort and form, however, we did need him and his talent could change at a single point in any game. Whilst I do wish Jatta well, I would hope he will learn from allowing some of the negative aspects of his time here to stall his career. He improved during his time here, no doubt that will be important as he moves on.

A lot of the Notts XI seem to be new academy players making their rans through our youth system, as I can only recall a handful of the names and I think the game will be important for them to re-start their focus on pushing for more development time. Certainly they shouldn't feel down about losing a pre-season friendly; it's all a part of learning.

Sorry if my previous post caused any confusion; I wasn't referring to PON, but all the hassle from elsewhere had emotionally hit me hard. I am feeling much better now, and I can only apologise. I am going to fix all the issues I can find today, and re-start compiling the stats for the history app which I need to re-import from my local install. Then any improvements will come off the back of carefully working on one at a time, ensuring that there's no issues on the live site. Content will be back, I am going through posts I have missed.

It's not PON related, but

I don't have it in me to deal with people who need help maintaining and fixing a site, you just get blamed for everything and made to feel unwelcome. Despite putting many hours in for free just to get the site back into a healthier state, you have to contend with nonsense from the former owner who seems to have more influence in things despite having little knowledge of this field. If he had, I wouldn't be fixing issues he created. The saddening thing is I did this all out of care, but it's me who gets hurt whilst the deluded fool who inhertited the site thnks he's in some sort of John Wayne movie. Unfortunately, it's made me realise just how much I want a quiet and peaceful life away from all this.

Considering they are likely to end up with a points penalty for their misbehaviour, and rampant signings breaking EFL rules I highly doubt this. However, I personally think we could cope provided we reinvested in strength. Jodi Jones is a good player, but last season he blew hot and cold. I know some fans who thought he only turned up the final at Wembley last season, which is harsh, but he was lagrely inconsistent. I would rather have him, but at the same time I don't think he's always someone valid to start every game based on performances. I love Jodi, he's very loyal and his leaving I think would be more Notts moving on than him. He didn't want to leave Coventry, and lives in the area so moving might prove to be a dealbreaker.

If there's anything in this, I wouldn't be bothered either way. I like that we are looking around but feel we could do with some reputable experience at this level. Obviously, he could do perfectly well but it's not a name I would be jumping for or excited about. Naturally, I would welcome him and wish him well. My biggest concern is that he might be someone who doesn't push to start games.

@Michael D Pie.: I will do, I am hoping he's just done a Tone and gone on holiday. Somewhere nice and pleasent hopefully, but if it's for different reasons I just hope he's okay and knows that we are all thinking of him. @Fan of Big Tone: Sorry to read about this, you know my feelings with regards to health and what comes first. I hope you are better soon, I really do. Eyes are a scary part when they misbehave, and I would threaten to whack them with Granny's walking sticks but I think that will make the problem worse. Please don't stress about PON, you are an XI member and will be back to full fitness hopefully soon.

I just learned that Kevin Keegan has passed away aged 75, such saddening news. There are three things that come to mind when I think of him, his comments about loving seeing Newcastle United outdo Manchester United, his time as the England manager and clips I have seen of him playing over the years. BBC SportKevin Keegan obituary: Gifted, charismatic and passionate...The positivity and vibrancy Kevin Keegan brought made him a cherished figure within the game, writes chief football writer Phil McNulty.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Paul Reaney. I hope you enjoy being part of our Notts County Community. Feel free to share some information about yourself, the years you have followed Notts and I look forward to seeing your posts.

I don't know, I tend to reserve my opinion on signings rather than rumours but this would be an interesting signing. Isaac Hutchinson is a good player, has impressed previously and I think he would be a good fit. He has a strong physical presence, is good at holding the ball, and knows how to move into open space. We'll have to see if anything comes from it.

I am going to see Super at some stage today, just waiting to have something to eat and for Jake to be ready. Still coding, but also paying attention to the content. Saturday was really nice to see so many regular faces, even better that I spent it with Super, both Marks, Katrina and Jake. A lot that spoke to me, left me feeling very thankful and I realised how much some that are outside of the community think about my father. Asking me how he's doing, saying how nice it is to see him at games etc. I only loosely told him, but it was a bit of a surprise as it does show how much he's fondly thought of within the community. On that note, I am a little concerned about @theAnticlough. I reached out via personal message. I might try a direct email but I do wish that he's okay. Sometimes I get the feeling people assume it's due to the site, but it's human nature to become concerned about people and I get this from my mum. Provided he's well, that's all what matters to me. Likewise for others who I haven't seen for awhile, it's a community afterall.

Quite a few who spoke to me on Saturday said that they either hated it or strongly disliked it. I don't think it's remotely as bad as the pin stripe shirt. The comments about the limitations of colours, if true, would mean every club would struggle to design shirts season after season. Black and white is no different; there's plenty of ways you can mix things up. We seem to add little bits of yellow, to totally ghost it and this is the only area I think could have improved it. Little trimmings can add quality to the concept, but I don't think the shirt really is all that bad. It seems to be a common thing after promption that the shirts are disliked.

It's hard to feel impressed by how Forest performed, and I don't buy the excuse that this was their first game after a week of training. They are professionals playing against a team well beneath them and we have played other teams in the past such as Stoke and Leicester City who had their own issues but still looked quality compared to a side that failed to do so many basics. I almost feel harsh on the Notts point as I think we defended quite well. Jacob Bedeau seemed to struggle at points. I didn't like seeing him running around trying to grab any shirt he could reach when there was no reason for it. Second half we were much better but Aden Flint is awful. Why are we trialing a defender that is 37, loses the ball because he tries to attack and forgets he's actually the middle centre back? I thought he was awful. Yes, I don't like him but I am being as honest as I can be. Flint has always been an idiot when he has played against us, such a troulecauser and provocative. He's similar to Nathan Tyson joining Derby County after his celebration in front of the rams fans to rattle them. We have two decent prospects at youth level, one who is being tacked by Championship clubs. Give them the chance, not someone who couldn't settle or make a difference with Walsall. Postive note, many of our youngsters did quite well and I felt very encouraged. Even Jake now believes Riley Reynolds should be given a chance and spoke very highly of number 16, who we believe was Harrison Hazard.

At least you were witness to one of the best finals, and our greatest achievement. When I was 14, David Beckham got sent off for tripping Diego Simeone. Then the "Golden Generation" that let us all down, at least we are doing better even when we are not exactly brilliant. I am also sick of all this complaining about Jordan Pickford, he kept us well within touch of staying in the game making several very good saves. Their winning goal, defensively we just closed down and whilst his positioning was the best. Jude Bellingham should have done better for the first, and then the whole defence except for Djed Spence should have been more swithced on.

I like it but I am not so keen on the back, as picky as it sounds I just feel the upper white parts make it look unpleasing to me. However, I am not the one who has to look at it and with numbers/naming on it then it wouldn't be so bad. It's brilliant to see Lifeline on the back too. The front reminds me of a past shirt, maybe from the 70s or 80s but off the top of my head I cannot think of which.

I don't think Notts would accept a bid of £500.000, only to make a little profit on him. I am sure there will be clubs interested in paying more. I also think the Reedtz might not want to see him competing against their own Danish club. Personally, I can see the club holding onto him until January. We have a tendency of reaching agreements with players, that once we can replace them the club will accept incoming bids that reach the evaluation we place on him. We have this every season since regaining promotion to League Two, and whilst I do feel Alassana Jatta does want to move on. I think, at last I hope he will see that we are in a position where he could attract bigger interest if we prove he's ready for League One or higher.

23, still room to improve and fits what we need in cover in the centre back positions. Fingers crossed, it's not a false rumour and is true. I know the account is usually crediable but there's always a chance something can change or it's just wrong. I am not saying it is, because I think it would be a good signing.

I don't blame Thomas Tuchel for going defensive; the majority of decisions during the tournement worked but I do think it was a mistake because it just invited Argentina to attack. The moment we scored, Argentina took control of the game, and it became more about weathering the storm than winning concincingly. In the first half, I thought England were doing well. I liked how Jordan Pickford kept asking the referee for a hydration break to slow down the many attacks at the appropriate times. Argentina were very physical and quite dirty, without Messi they wouldn't have been as much of a threat but I am not one of those who will cry about how they got away with things. Just like Norwegian fans, you can analyse every minute and moan about how we were robbed. However, the referee made the decisions that were out of our control. Defensively, we haven't been good but I won't do a Micah Richards and contridict myself. There have been very good parts, but ultimately England hasn't been the best. I don't think critism of the manager is all that fair, you either attack and risk conceding or you try to protect the back and he decided to go defensive for a reason. Argentina made good tactical changes, knew what was needed to get back into the game. I think Jordan Pickford is still one of the very best keepers in the world and was unlucky. I do think their winning goal should have seen us get a free kick, but like I said, we wasn't good enough and I won't cry about it. What I will say, and I am not being bitter when I say this but the antics which Argentina gets away with needs to be investigated, the unsportsmanship type behaviour and the polically motivated nonsense goes against FIFA's own policies. Also, there's zero room for racism in football and they are one of the worst for this behaviour. PS. Those England fans leading into the game who tried to make it about the Forkland Island are just as much in the wrong, as is saying certain Argentinian players should have their visa revoked (allow them to see what comes their way from playing week in and out).