Chris

My friend managed to secure tickets for the Wimbledon trip, and despite it being in London. Jake is coming! Very early start planned, but I am excited. I have been focusing on reaching out via emails today and yesterday. Along with sorting out other behind-the-scenes things, so that things are a lot more smoother once the season has finalised. Yesterday was our 19th wedding anniversary with my amazing soulmate @cheeky~k8. Thursday, Jake turns 19 and Sunday is a day I am hoping to spend at least some of the time at Wilford Hill and @super_ram. May is a busy point for us.

Aye, I know he made contact with the ball. I do feel for Jatta, he was clearly distraught and emotional. There's always the chance for things like this to happen, and there really wasn't any need for the Dons' player to pretend he had been caught. It must be frustrating for Jatta, as he will miss the away leg, and that for us as a club could prove crucial. He'll come back stronger, and he'll learn from the experience. I am sure we'll see him again for us next season, the incident might deter some of the clubs watching him from bidding to see how he reacts. Or, he could be sold, but I don't think it's likely, personally.

Whilst I don't particularly like either team, it would still be quite the experience to watch this game at either of the teams home grounds. Nou Camp for me, would be quite breathtaking, especially if the weather was super nice. I really like that joke about the French Ninja Turtle! It's pretty funny!

I think it's very clear, the AFC Wimbledon player dived and simulated his injury just to deceive the official. No contact at all, Jatta's trailing left foot could not have caused any injury. Still very damning, how much pace he had behind his challenge, and that's what makes it scary. We would hate this to have been Jodi Jones, or even just one of our players. Here are some more telling images: (Jacob Bedeau giving his thoughts after comments were made towards him).

How does a referee or assistant miss shirt pulls like this? Jatta's shirt looks like it's being pulled off, a shocking miss which, if correctly noticed. Could have changed the outcome, though I don't think appealing Jatta's card makes sense because it was a straight red. Notts should, however, write to the FA highlighting the poor officiating in the hope that consistency is noticed. As you can see, Jatta made contact with the ball. The direction of the ball shows this, however, it does also reveal how dangerous the lunge was. Jatta firmly makes contact with the ball, again, we can't understate how dangerous this could have been. However, the still does show the Wimbledon player making the decision to jump. His foot isn't on or near the ball, it's starting to rise to avoid the collision. The first picture shows the Wimbledon player looking at the ground. He then decides to act as if he's been shot. The second picture shows him making the decision to simulate contact in the hope of further persuading the official. This shows him still in the air, trying to choose which of his legs hurt. All indications show that it's his left leg, as he appears to be on the verge of holding it. It was his right leg which jumped, that was the closest further evidencing the simulation. This angle looks bad, and it is, but it shows that it would be the right leg which, if it made contact, would have caused any injury. These further show that Jatta didn't make contact with the Wimbledon player, despite the dangerous lunge. And what do we see here, he's clutching the wrong leg. Though, look at Jatta he's annoyed and it shows that he's aware of the acting going on. At this point, either Matt Palmer or another individual should have positioned themselves to prevent Jatta from being confrontational. Yes, his actions are his own, but someone should have taken Rod McDonald's approach sooner. This shows the moment after Jatta sort of shocked the Wimbledon players heads in annoyance, something which he shouldn't have done, but again it's the heat of the moment. He's clearly lost his head, and poor decisions follow. No excuses, the decision was right but their player made a total meal of it. 3-4 Wimbledon players approached the referee straight after, I am unsure if one of them were the captain but I don't think any one can defend the danger of Jatta tackle.

Yesterday's biggest talking point is perhaps the red card and actions in the aftermath reaction by Alassana Jatta. There's zero defence for the lung, even if he did win the ball. Two-footed challenges, with studs showing and from behind, is incredibly dangerous. A red card is the outcome for it, but it was all in the heat of the moment. I don't think Stuart Maynard should have mentioned the shirt pulling, as the way he framed it, it was as if it caused him to lunge for the ball. Jatta just lost his head in the heat of the occasion. What I noticed was the sudden confrontation of Wimbledon players speaking to the referee, and interfering with his decision. Jatta never made contact with the Wimbledon player, but he still went down as if he had been shot. Rich from Chud Photography mentioned to me that he thought the Dons player landed awkwardly. I wasn't sure, and I still don't think he had anything wrong with him. It was clear Jatta should be given a red for the challenge. However, the AFC Wimbledon players tried to cause a melee. They attempted to provoke several of our players, including Jatta. All with the intent that they knew cards could go flying from the official. At the very least, the player who simulated the foul should have been given a yellow card for diving. Although I believe it should have been red, as he clearly deliberately tried to fool the referee into thinking contact had been made. Now, this won't change the outcome, but it is worth seeing people's talking points. The referee made the right call to red card Jatta, how he left the field was a clear sign that he had lost his head and these things happen. What makes it worse is how some of the AFC Wimbledon slyly lash out at Jatta. Some of the comments clearly were made to provoke him, but others made comments to the likes of Jodi Jones and Jacob Bedaeu in hope of gaining a response. Rod McDonald deserves a lot of credit for taking Jatta away from the situation; his judgement was right. Jatta was fouled, leading to the incident which saw him see red, but several cards should have been issued to Wimbledon players. The referee was largely inconsistent with both teams, but the second half did see a lot of antics from Wimbledon to sway things in their favour. Unfortunately, I come back to Stuart Maynard, who could have better protected his players. I am not a Maynard out, however, changes were needed going into the second half. I believe Jatta should have been one of the earlier subs, with Will Jarvis coming on earlier. I would have pushed David McGoldrick up top. There were signs that the importance of the occasion was frustrating Jatta, and his performance wasn't that great that we had to keep him on the field. This might seem harsh, but I honestly feel Maynard bottles his changes and waits far too long for any of them to really make an impact.

Unfortunately, he lunged with both feet and with studs showing. A tackle from behind like that warrants an automatic red card. However, he didn't make any contact with the AFC Wimbledon player. He dived, and from what I've seen, he should be up for an Oscar soon. The moment he knew that Jatta was in trouble. He stopped pathetically rolling around and acting like he'd been shot. Naturally, the ref didn't stop Wimbledon players approaching him for a decision from him, causing a bit of a melee which could have escalated matters. The Wimbledon player should have been sent off for simulation, but again, at the very least a yellow card. I don't know why the referee allowed some of the dangerous challenges from their players. They wiped Jodi Jones out twice, which deserved punishment, and there was a terribly late tackle on Will Jarvis which could have ended his career had it injured him. I spoke to Jatta after the game and told him these things happen and not to beat himself up. Along with other supportive comments, as he did look very emotional. Unfortunately, having heard Stuart Maynard's response to this incident, I don't think it helps his argument. It was a mistake, no contact was made, but the lung was dangerous. It was in the heat of the moment, Jatta will be back, and this will be just something to learn from.

C'mon folks, please vote for your Man of the Match. The lads need to fuel the defeat, to push them in the away leg and use our support to further encourage this. It's not over until the final whistle, so cast your votes. Mine goes to David McGoldrick, but I thought George Abbott was equally as good at winning the ball back. We are seeing a lot more fiery response from Abbott, and again, I thought he could have been carded due to building frustration. Luckily, it didn't happen, but it does spoil his performance.

I feel a lot less confident and more nervous with the game being at home first. It makes you wonder how the players feel, and if their nerves will be kicking in before or approaching the kick-off. Along with what they do to keep focused, and allow the pressure to be treated like it was a regular game. Personally, I see the game as being similar to Doncaster in terms of expectations and importance. Whilst we could have finished 3rd then, if the results went our way, it seemed extremely unlikely. AFC Wimbledon have started poorly in the past, and become much better over time, and I would hope Notts approaches the game with the mindset that the first 10 minutes isn't crucial to be on the front foot. But understanding quickly as to how they will be playing, and adapting to taking control would be encouraging. Performance-wise, I would hope for more consistent displays and less worry over making longer passes. Wimbledon might want the majority of the game to be played in the air from our perspective, so I think we do need to stamp that out and move it efficiently along the ground. I wouldn't start Jodi Jones, I would have him on the bench. I do hope David McGoldrick comes in, and I wouldn't be against Will Jarvis starting or perhaps Conor Grant starting out wide. Though it seems more likely that Sam Austin will be making a return to the starting XI. Defensively, we have to take the pressure off Alex Bass, protect him, and avoid rushing decisions. Ideally, we'll show a good level of movement and desire for wanting the ball. I hope it's not scrappy, and that we can be creative, but the focus will be on how the officials control the match, along with how it's allowed to flow. We have had poor officiating, but it's the same across the league and we need to do our part as a club to overcome that. Otherwise, it becomes a distraction and excuse. A crucial first game, which even finishing 0-0 would make the away leg very nerve-wracking. The unpredictability of the playoffs renders regular league performance largely irrelevant. It's more important that we truly desire this victory more than anything.

I've had a bit more of a productive week, but it has seen me have far less time online than I would have liked. Partly due to finishing portraits of all the new signings, which meant re-doing Jacob Bedeau, to which I made a mistake with the initial version. No, I didn't misspell his name. I hadn't rendered him well. I don't like leaving players out. Bedeau did look at me after Doncaster as if to say, "Where is mine?" As I gave a copy to Robertson, Edwards and Grant and asked them to sign a few for me. It could be me overthinking, but I am aware that some of the players look forward to them. One player actually heaped praise on their print, as Grant signed the few copies I asked him to pen. I managed to get to see @super_ram, with @super_pie joining me. That is the highlight, as I really enjoyed catching up in person. I finished Bedaeu, Whitaker, Jarvis, Ness, McDonald and Traore by late Wednesday. My focus then moved to doing a special one for those who have subscribed to the site, something which has kept the lights on and made things a lot less stressful for me. I had hoped to do that all by Thursday, as it doesn't include full bodies, which is very time-consuming, but I had to finish it off Friday. Then, I went to get them printed with @super_pie. Not a joyful trip, due to pain, but I enjoyed the bonding time with Jake. I did feel very guilty that it took a few hours to get back home, with a wasted trip to the Sports Direct store as I want to pick up a new cap. It wasn't all art, though. I have been working on things related to PON, trying to come up with a better way to organise my time and prep for next season. Along with the Pride of Nottingham awards, which one of the Facebook group team members convinced me to delay due to the aftermath of losing to the league champions.

Doncaster Rovers wanted Notts to look for passes which they could intercept, and it forced Notts to either play long balls or passes which wasn't direct. Whilst they looked dangerous, and perhaps the most organised I have seen by a visiting team at Meadow Lane. I thought even though the start was prone to more mistakes, the pressure came from Doncaster. All this talk of Notts looking uninterested, it's that element of not understanding how football is played to some degree. Creatively, it could have been a totally different game, and I personally think defensively lead to the issues which favoured Doncaster. Alex Bass had limitations on where to put the ball, due to how much we were being pressed by them. Defensively, we didn't want the ball for very long, and that led to poor decisions. Even George Abbott lost the ball countless times, even after winning it back, and I still can't see how he's being rated insanely high compared to other players. Kellan Gordon has the ability to put in fantastic crosses, balls which Notts must learn to be able to attack, but at the same time he's one of the most frustrating players in the squad. I don't doubt that Gordon has the ability to be more consistent and a very important player, but when he limits his runs. Walks the ball out for a throw-in, and doesn't really take on players as he clearly can. It just becomes apparent that he's not pushing himself enough. It's the opposite with Jodi Jones, he wasn't very good in the first half, but you have to be constructive and fair. Otherwise, when he plays brilliantly and you jump on the Jodi bandwagon, you seem only interested in when things are going well. He's not ready to be starting games, he's clearly worried and intimidated about suffering another injury. Could he be braver? I don't think many in his exact situation would do any better. He clearly has a love for the game, and football is his livelihood. The fact he has come back from so many setbacks, that has to be taken into consideration. I felt he did much better in the second half, but it's a mistake to be starting him. Stuart Maynard and Jodi probably had a discussion, where both are wanting the best outcome, but if Jodi can't play like the final 20 minutes of the Doncaster game against AFC Wimbledon, we should leave him to be an impact sub. I wouldn't be surprised if he took his performance personally, and how does a player come back from that? It's hard, unless people are understanding, and the manager gives the player a bit more time. Rod McDonald did very well defensively, I think Matty Platt and Jacob Bedeau both struggled but they tried. It wasn't the best performance by them, but it stems from Doncaster's approach. We can call the performance rubbish, but Notts were beaten by the better team who were more organised and had the momentum of winning the title. Had the game been played under different circumstances, and earlier in the season, I think it would have played out differently. I was at their home leg, and I didn't see the same team. I thought they were poor, and not much improved from last season. A season where their fans wanted the manager out, and they looked to have financial issues. How much rosier do we have it now under the Reedtz? Alassana Jatta was unlike himself, probably the most underperforming player on the pitch, and it wasn't due to a lack of creativity. He just seemed very off, and considering it's the end of the season, performances can dip. This is why Stuart Maynard, and the players themselves, need to call for more focus. Conor Grant and Charlie Whitaker found it challenging to cope with Doncaster's aggressive tactics, particularly their tendency to pull shirts. They were both fouled several times, but no excuses, they could have done better. I personally thought Whitaker looked to be the more productive of the two. I am surprised by some of the reactions to Matt Palmer, he seemed the most consistent player on the pitch and very forward-thinking. His performance still stands out as one of the more consistent in my memory. For context, Palmer had a 76% pass rate and Abbott only had 40%. The second highest in our team, with Platt being the highest at 78%. Whilst passing isn't the main thing, it does usually give an indication on who performed more consistently throughout a game, and considering Bedeau was the third highest with 43%, it does say something. The issue with Platt, we play the ball out from the back and he could have defended better in key moments. Also, it's worth noting that although Doncaster were very good. Their own passing accuracy wasn't remotely good. It would suggest they had the better approach to tactics, and created chances which they were able to finish.

This is actually a very fair comment, although sad, it is very true. Fans told me that they were happy we started at home, and it could be a good thing, but we do play with a higher level of freedom away from home. Both home and away we can be very hit and miss, I think I would feel more confident to have started away from Meadow Lane. I think a positive start to the playoffs could have brought momentum. Whereas the pressure is on us with being at home. AFC Wimbledon are also a very decent team, that have enjoyed success even after needing to come back into games at the Lane. Despite all this, and the fact that the club remained in the automatic places for so long. We have made a significant achievement this season, and it does still feel like we are moving forward under the Reedtz. At no point in my lifetime did it previously feel genuine that the club has a true potential to push for a higher level of football.

I'm pleased for whoever won, and you are right, we all see things differently at times. I thought if Will Jarvis had longer on the pitch, he would have warranted more praise in this, and in the short time he was on, I thought he did much better than most of the squad. Unfortunately, Notts fell into Doncaster's game plan in the first half, which was aimed at making us stray passes and lose the ball. I thought George Abbott did okay, but he did lose the ball a lot. I mean, I can remember him winning the ball well, and from nothing, but then passing upfield straight to a Doncaster player. It was just an off day in terms of the players shining with their quality, as a team they did okay and were much better in the second half. Notts greatly felt the absence of David McGoldrick, as his presence and leadership elevate the entire team's performance and motivation.

I thought the team just didn't have many players performing at their best, but I am surprised by George Abbott being voted for as I felt Matt Palmer put so much into the game. Whereas Abbott wasn't bad, but he was guilty of giving the ball away easily. He had moments where he could have been carded, again I noticed his fiery side, and one day he will see red for it. Kellan Gordon made an effort, yet the results were undeniably disappointing. Alasanna Jatta wasn't in the game at all. Jodi Jones seemed scared of the ball, which is understandable, but this is exactly why I feel he's not match ready. As a sub, it's different, but starting it really wasn't working. Defensively, we weren't at our best. No defender has earned my vote. Charlie Whitaker put a lot of effort in but wasn't able to do much. I don't think it was a case of being bothered, Doncaster were much more physical and very aggressive from the kick-off. Notts didn't man up to them, in fact it played to their game plan and we played poor passes which normally wouldn't have been attempted. Resulting in many stray passes, but I still don't believe Abbott was at his best or performed well enough. That's just my opinion.