Chris

Harry Isted had a great game, one of his best performances by all accounts. It was also good to see Tom Crawford working his magic; he really should be back in League Two. Not the straightforward game, but credit to the home team more than ourselves; winning on penalties is great, but their performance warranted the result for me.

I don't think the assistants would have been able to see it, but it's clear that the referee wanted the game to continue, and it is at his discretion as to what happens. For the earlier part of the fog, the players would have had a much better visual sight of the play than those in the stands or at home. Had a yellow or orange ball been used, that would have helped, though I think we can count ourselves lucky that it was allowed to be played on. We'd have been lost without the fog, I think, in my opinion. Calling the game off wouldn't have been helpful for us either, despite how dangerous the situation had become. I have been at games where it snowed, and they weren’t called off far worse than this. Mind, I did have flashes of Mansfield at home some years ago with Adam Collin in goal that did get postponed.

He works hard and has played well for us when he's come on this season during games that have been difficult. Two home games stand out as good performances by him, with the departing player not always having given their best. That said, I think we have signed players who will be ahead of him, and when we did play him I did wonder if he was being given the nod because of how long he had been with us. I wish him well, as I do think that at this level we need players who can score and not just work hard. We have quite a few workhorses, so the wider areas just need that little bit extra quality.

Just a note: the fog is thick, but the players will be able to see better than the cameras capture. That said, I still don't understand why the officials haven't switched to an orange ball. Nothing can disguise how poor we have been at the back; we can't defend those key moments, and when a good save fails to retain the ball, we are punished. Altrinham have done very well so far; good performance by them.

Prior to my break and absence from games due to that, I didn't think Notts played to Daniel Kanu's strengths. I don't think, as an lone striker, it gets the best out of him, so I would find it difficult to select him in our traditional starting formation based on that. On paper, statistically our strongest team would be different from what I would personally choose. Statistically the strongest XI: GK James Belshaw RWB Nick Tsaroulla RCB James Gibbons CB Lucas Ness LCB Jacob Bedeau LWB Ishé Samuels-Smith RM Callum Roberts CM Rory Finneran CM Scott Robertson LM Ollie Cooper ST Daniel Kanu However, I think Ishé Samuels-Smith, Scott Robertson and Daniel Kanu would be replaced in my personal choice. Rosaire Longelo, Jack Evans, and Luka Smyth would come in. I think a fit Emile Acquah could make a strong contention, with Danny Kanu being an option if we were to play two up top. Matt Palmer and Max Sanders are additional optional choices for Jack Evans. I am a big admirer of what Palmer brings; he's becoming underrated by areas of our support, but Evans gives us a bit more defensive cover. Which is exactly what Sanders offers, but I do like the options Martin Patterson has, and he's far more knowledgeable than I am.

We're going to buy a new one; an electrician friend has suggested this would be easier, considering how old his current one is and the likelihood that it's the heating element. Nobody seems to want to touch them, so the best option is to find a new one. I went round earlier today to see him and passed on everyone's comments to him. Jake came with me, and we bought him fishcakes, chips and peas, which he seemed to enjoy. Jake had the same as me; I had a cheeseburger with chips. We both hope you are doing better, Tone. Super did ask me about your eye. When he behaves, he can be quite himself, but it's getting him to listen. 😁😂

Shall we all club together? I think a castle could do us quite nicely. It beats PON towers! Who wants to live in a tower when you can live in a castle?

My first teacher, Mrs Green, was elderly. I had her for about a week or two, and then one day we were told she had died. I remember feeling saddened because, in that small time, she made a big impression; she would read stories before school ended, and it wasn't always picture books but stories that made you think. They had issues replacing her, and we were made to sit watching films on tapes for a couple of days. I can remember feeling more confused and hurt. One of them became a favourite of mine, "The Land Before Time." It was a bit messed up, because Littlefoot’s mum dies in, and I can remember balling my eyes out. I can't imagine a worse thing to show a group of young, impressionable children straight out of nursery. Though it does make me think of Mrs Green and how she came across as a grandmother to us, even in such a short space of time. Sadly, I found every teacher, until I moved, to be ignorant. I have enjoyed reading people's accounts of their school days, even if some of you don't have fond memories, they are part of what made you who you are today.

There were a lot of people performing surprising roles during the Second World War. All deserve to be remembered, and the stories are fascinating. Horrible to read that she was killed by someone she knew, but it is a great story.

A lot of brave souls, who deserve to be remembered and lost to time. It reminds me of a film I came across on YouTube, starring Kirsten Dunst in which she goes back in time and lives through the events of being captured and held by the Nazi troops. I find these well-replicated films hard to watch and deeply upsetting. The time travel might be a 'Hollywood spin' but the story behind it is one that a lot of younger people today should watch. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179148/

I think the standard of players we have is the main takeaway, as we have had them before, but usually some are on loan and others not quite established themselves as regular starters. It's great to see Nick Tsaroulla for example, getting the call-ups he deserves, as he should have been playing for Cyprus well before signing for us. Also, I know Daniel Kanu and Rory Finneran are loanees, but again the standard they represent is a factor of their quality. Darius Lipsiuc has been a superb addition to our squad; on paper some might have thought he would be overlooked, but in any case he's proving that he's a talented player with a bright future.

I've had three really, really good teachers. Mr Jackson (yr 6), Mr Sheriff and Mr Thomas (senior school). I owe a lot to Mr Jackson; he taught me to read, write, tell the time, and do maths. In year six, I caught up with most of my classmates, whereas prior to moving schools I struggled and the teachers just never bothered with me. Mr Sheriff, I actually tracked it down on Facebook. He's a Lincoln City fan, and used to joke about them to me since he knew i supported Notts. Then Lincoln wasn't really a good team, nor were we, but at least we had our history. They've done well to turn what I would consider to be a small club into what they are now. It's very saddening with the passing of Patrick Stewart, but he did send a very important message. Good teachers don't earn enough in my eyes, but what makes them exceptional isn't the money they get paid but finding a common ground to inspire those they teach. Mr Thomas wasn't the best teacher; his subject was history, but he was funny. He was chilled, and more importantly he did remind us that history is a more important subject than we would give it credit for. I loved history, so for me it was one of my favourite subjects, but any other teacher would have found the class difficult to deal with.

Jacob Bedeau from the games I have seen up to October, hadn't done enough and had many very poor games to the point where I felt he would be dropped. I had mentioned his errors, but did notice people saying he isn't good enough afterward. I think he's certainly good enough for this level, but his game has changed this season and he's been less attack-minded than in League Two. Ollie Cooper and Nick Tsaroulla have been absolute class. Lucas Ness has also grown into the role and does deserve to be in the running based on his performances so far. Cal Roberts, for me, has proven he's just a talented footballer, but I am not surprised that we allowed Jodi Jones to go (well, I was at the time but solely due to the circumstances), as I said at the time we signed him; both would have been a luxury, but I believe we have kept the right player. I would have loved to see Jodi remain, but having two wingers with their injury records seemed a risk to me. Cal has proven to me that he's much stronger, and has made a good start to this season for us. Against some teams, he has been by far our best player. Roberts, Ness and Cooper for me are in the main running, with Tsaroulla not far behind. Best signing for me has to be Rory Finneran even if it is a loan signing, which may surprise people based on my comments about Roberts, but Rory Finneran looks like a real gem on the way up.

I suggested this to Cheeky when pre-warnings came up about the super El Niño, that we stocked up and made sure we were prepared during our family’s break as nobody can predict what it's going to be like. I don't want to get political, but with Russia and its rebuilding military, we do need to be prepared. We are quite well stocked, but I wish things would just suddenly become “good” again. I'm still feeling rough, but I finished some projects, which gives me more spare time. I wished I could shake off this bug, because I would like to be able to spend more time with Super. Although last week I did visit him for three days in a row, I wished it were for better reasons than wanting to spend time together. Still no news on the fire front; having spoken to an electrician friend, he suggested maybe looking for a new one. We're still looking to get it serviced, but it seems nobody wants to work on them, and it's likely got a fault anyway. We need to ensure it's resolved before the cold really sets in. I provided Super with a brief update on everyone and had a good laugh. I wished he could see how much everyone cares, because he still plays it down.

I think we are doing just fine; obviously we had a high spell and then a low due to a run of defeats, but it just shows how anyone at this level can win on the day. Only a few teams we have played looked too strong for us, Huddersfield being the very best for me. We have had some setbacks with losing key players, and those coming in will always need time to adapt or settle. The recruitment, I think, has done a good job of bridging the gap between being competitive at this level and being able to cope when teams truly have us under the cosh. I do agree that it is likely we will see movement in the outgoings come January, but I would hope Notts doesn't do anything too extreme. Defensively, I have noticed improvements, but we need to avoid forcing players into certain roles just to fit in a returning player. Lucas Ness, for me, should be the main central defender. He's shown a true level of class and growth in his own ability, becoming a key figure and putting Rod McDoanld into the middle from what i have seen wasn't a smart decisin. While I haven't seen a game for a while, I am pleased with the comments about Jacob Bedeau improvement. He's clearly a thinker and someone who focuses a lot on the performance as it unfolds, and I think sometimes this can be his downfall. Maybe some of his weaker games have been down to his own pressure? There aren’t many players I wouldn't be happy to consider starting, and I think a January move for a striker who can poach and make a real nuisance of himself would make a real difference. It might be pressure from others, as I think when we have been poor it largely comes from the absence of this position. Rotation can be useful, but when injuries hit our attacking area we do become lost. There are actually more positive signs I feel, as Notts can clearly compete with teams, and if the right decisions are made in-game there is always the chance of a win or draw against the very best. I am hopeful we can recruit another goalkeeper; I love James Belshaw but at times he is responsible for points being dropped. I am not singling Belshaw out because I want him replaced; I just feel real competition will bring the best out of him. If there's a game where a keeper could make a difference, at least we have that option. I want to note that there are also times Belshaw has saved us, so I am not suggesting he isn’t good enough. But there's only so much time he will be at his best, and I think sometimes against times it already does show. He's a true professional and fan favourite but we must look at where we can become stronger in order to improve.