upthepies

Hello, @James Macdonald. Welcome to PON. I hope you find the site useful and join in when you can. Be sure to bookmark the site.

Sitting outside in the shade with some music on and a cold beer in hand doesn’t sound like a bad plan at all. It’s a good way to escape the heat indoors. When the house feels like a slow cooker, it makes sense to find some fresh air and take it easy somewhere cooler.

It’s not the news we were hoping for, but there are still good goalkeepers out there. As long as the club is ready to spend and invest in the position like we did with Alex Bass, we should be alright. Wish him all the best at Posh.

I’ve not heard anything about the safe standing being finished. You’d expect the club to have announced it by now, especially with a new season coming up. I’m interested to see what it looks like and whether fans take to it as much as the club seems to expect.

Morecambe need to sort this out if they want to make progress as a club. It’s holding them back on the pitch, and they got away with it a bit last season.

@Fan of Big Tone, several PON members clubbed together to buy you a new virtual seat for when you return to sitting on the site all day. Happy Birthday to you!!

Neil Warnock would be a great help to Notts in any role. He could give advice and keep an eye on the academy, helping to prepare young players for the first team. His experience and support would be valuable, especially in guiding and motivating others. He’s a strong personality and would be a good person to have around the club. If he could act as a link between the youth setup and the senior squad, sharing his knowledge along the way, I think it would only make Notts stronger.

The front of my house is kept blacked out, while the windows and door at the back stay open until about half past ten. This helps a lot of the heat escape. There’s a tower fan in my room, another in the living room, and one more placed on the stairs. The fan in the living room gets turned off when it’s time to sleep. The one in the hallway is set on a timer. It switches on when the temperature reaches a certain level after midday.

If he does well, we’ll be happily surprised. But if he struggles to keep up with our level, at least his contract isn’t as long as some of the signings we’ve made before. Will Randall arrived with a fair bit of excitement, and that didn’t work out. Sometimes the ones who come in quietly and go under the radar turn out to be solid squad players.

It’s hardest when the heat messes with your sleep. One bad night and the next day feels twice as hard. The heat feels like it’s never-ending. We’ve just got to ride it out and do what we can to stay cool.

This makes more sense than Luke Williams coming back. I think some fans got caught up in the idea of him returning, which clouded what was actually likely. We need to back whoever gets the job, even if it’s not who people expected. That Danish coach does seem a strong shout.

Hello, welcome to the PON community. I hope you settle in and find the site useful @Alan Underwood.

Hello, welcome to the PON community @STAT. I hope you settle in and find the site useful.

Hello @Oliver Reedtz, welcome to the PON community. I hope you settle in and find the site useful.

Hello, welcome to the PON community. I hope you settle in and find the site useful @battman.

Gold might not be used in everyday trade anymore, but in a crisis, it’s one of the few things people still trust. That alone gives it lasting value.

There’s always an exception. Jimmy had been with us through an incredible journey, and moving to Sheffield United was a great opportunity for him. It’s a bit different with Williams. Jimmy Sirrel’s return made much more sense to me. He had secured promotion multiple times, knew the club inside out, and understood the staff and young players. There will only ever be one Jimmy, but if Williams came back and got us promoted, it would be something special to witness.

Is that Abbott, our George Abbott? I’ll have to look up the team selection, but I’d be very impressed if it is him. It could be the beginning of promising signs for the future, I would hope. Zech Abbott from our neighbours, Forest. His wiki doesn’t mention if he’s a local lad, so unless that’s the case, I’m not too interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Abbott

Bringing Luke Williams back to boost sales and reunite the fans sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. He left at the worst possible time and moved to Swansea, which made sense for him, but it didn’t help us. If this is the reason for the delay, then trying to please the fans almost always leads to failure. If Williams is reappointed, I hope I’m wrong, but this has been tried many times before. The best choice for the club would be to bring in someone with a fresh approach, focused on getting the most out of the squad.

Ollie Norburn brings a wealth of experience from the lower leagues, and that kind of know-how is invaluable. He’s not the type to grab headlines with flashy play, but his ability to organise, communicate, and add resilience to the team will make a real difference. Success isn’t just about skill, it’s about mentality, and he’s got the leadership qualities that can shape a winning side. His time under quality managers and his stint in the Championship have only strengthened his understanding of the game, and that influence will naturally spread throughout the squad. If his calf holds up and he gets a solid pre-season under his belt, he could be a key factor in making the team more structured and composed heading into the new campaign.

Norburn is a seasoned pro who’s seen it all in the lower leagues, and that sort of experience can’t be overstated. He won’t be the flashiest player, but he’ll organise, communicate, and make us harder to break down. It's not just about ability; mentality wins matches too. Also worth noting he’s worked under good managers and played at Championship level, that experience filters down to the rest of the squad. As long as the calf heals up well, this could be a really positive turning point for us going into the new season.

Goalkeepers don’t count, @Sheffield Pie, so there’s not much space for many new arrivals. It’s best to focus on players who can help us score goals. I think Conor Grant should have a stronger season now that he’s settled, but signing an attacking midfielder feels essential.

Three key areas for me would be an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, a reliable backup keeper, and a defender or defensive midfielder who can cover both positions well. If only we could find a player like Gary Liddle, that would tick all the boxes.

Notts might be waiting on other clubs or simply sorting things out themselves. The news shouldn’t be far off now, and once we know who it is, we might wonder what all the fuss was about. I don’t believe Luke Williams will return, and I don’t think it will be another unknown manager.

I love this exchange and the sarcasm. It makes you wonder if the fans who question the Reedtz ambition have actually noticed any of the good they have done for the club or if they were even around when we were finishing in the lower half of League Two.