menzinho

Coventry City 2-0 Bristol City Luton Town 1-0 Preston North End 🤡 Crawley Town 1-0 Burton Albion Mansfield Town 1-3 Wycombe Wanderers Reading 2-1 Stockport County Grimsby Town 1-2 Chesterfield Swindon Town 1-1 Barrow Eastleigh 2-1 Altrincham Forest Green Rovers 2-2 Rochdale Halifax Town v Dagenham & Redbridge

We certainly have the options in terms of who replaces Crowley for this game. Edwards and Grant seem the more obvious choices but who knows, if Evans or Whitaker have really impressed in training they could go straight in. We are not short of attacking options now which is a good thing. I think Jodi will start too and I'd keep him out wide for now, it's were he preforms best in my opinion. Accrington are down the bottom for a reason, we've certainly got the quality to beat them. Not sure why our record there of late is so bad though, last 5 visits over the years have all been winless. It's not like it's an intimidating place to go, hopefully we can put that right on Saturday!

Very good, I guess they were going to show it before the Grimsby game on Sky. I think they film some training sessions in house as well now, just so they can review it and see how to improve. I'm sure they've mentioned they use the drone for this too. There's also a training video on the club website from earlier this week too, a chance to look at some of the new signings in action. I noticed Jevani Brown was missing from it though 🤔

I have no insider knowledge but given how they are currently trying to sign a load of new players as well it suggests to me something like a possible transfer ban and fine as the more likely worst case scenario from the current case. Their lawyers will know the most likely outcome and will have been advising them. No way they tie Haaland down if they think they are playing in the National League next season… I just can’t see them getting kicked out of the league anyway, City would fight the verdict, it would go back to court the whole thing would just drag on for years.

It is definitely a blow to lose Crowley but I don't think it will totally derail our season as we still have a lot of very talented players at the club. Grant and Edwards are the obvious choices to come straight in, but from what I've seen in their limited appearances neither really play in the same way. Edwards looks to be all action, possibly doing more off the ball than on it and Grant is a touch more subtle, he tends to be more about the flicks and link-up than constantly wanting to get on the ball and dictate the play. I would say Didzy is probably the most similar player, in terms of technical ability and how he likes to involve himself in the build up always looking to get on the ball. If we want a like for like replacement, I think he can take that role. In Whitaker and Jarvis we have two new players who could potentially ease those worries too, but as they haven't played for us yet their current quality and how impactful they can be is unknown. I guess the club are hoping one (or both) of them can have a major impact though and we'll soon find out just how good they are. Then you have to say Jodi has seemingly timed his return from injury rather perfectly, he's going to probably thrive off being one of our key players again and should provide plenty of goals and assists. We're also a lot more solid at the back this season so that has taken the burden off needing to score 3/4 goals to win a match. In a way, you could argue losing Bass in goal would've been more detrimental to our season.

Gutted and disappointed, it’s a real shame how this has unfolded as we’ve strengthened MK massively and that’s a big no-no for me. Clearly they’ve spent silly money to get him so at least we are gaining something out of it. No-one knows how much he (or his agent) pushed for the move but if he genuinely can’t see out 6 months more with us than it’s for the best he goes. He was hardly trapped here though, and that’s why I’m disappointed. Is 20 more games in a team where he gets a lot of freedom and that plays to his strengths really that awful? After this season he would’ve had the pick of League 1 clubs if he wanted to go. Notts have given him a massive platform to shine after his career tailed off. I find it a slight stain on his character that he couldn’t stick around. He’s gone there for the money which I get but also, Dan, you could’ve done so much better. On a purely football basis, when you look at how we performed against MK, how can you say they are more likely to get promoted than us? I’ve got no issue when players like Ruben and Macca move up the leagues, they deserve and earnt that chance but to just bail half-way through the season to join a team in the same league, I don’t get it. For one of Jarvis or Whitaker to step up and perform as well as Crowley is a big ask, there’s a touch more pressure on them now. I hope come the end of the season we can look back at this moment and it not be a defining one.

There's zero chance any of the teams in the Welsh League win it so it's pointless for them. It would only benefit those 4 teams playing in England and that doesn't seem fair to me. Why do all of a sudden these 4 teams get a chance to play in Europe? If they want to play in Europe than they can do it like everyone else by either; winning a domestic cup or finishing between 1st-7th/8th in the Premier League. Equally, I guess they could always switch leagues and win the JD Sports Cymru Premier 😈

Again, sadly I think there’s something it in. Just surprised it’s MK… He should be stepping up to League 1 in all honesty after us. They must be paying him loads, it’s the only reason I can think he’d go there. Really hope it doesn’t happen but given we’ve just signed two attacking midfielders; it feels rather ominous.

His stats from his time playing in the Premier 2 or whatever it's called are very impressive. Again, he's clearly technically very good but he's never played proper league football before. I can see it going two ways; he'll get into the first team and just excel like Abbott or he'll be like Patching when we were his first club post academy football and he'll struggle. Finger crossed it's the first way! I hope the 6-month contract doesn’t come back to haunt us though. If it doesn’t work out it’s ok but then why would you sign someone if you’re so unsure? He’s clearly talented so my worry would be if he does really well, he’ll alert all the clubs above us and will be able to move pretty easily…

Pete O’Rourke was the only journalist with info about Langstaff to Millwall in the summer, which made me doubt it, but that turned out to all be true. I think there must be something in it and it turns out Charlie is following a number of Notts players on Instagram, bit random otherwise ain’t it?

Is he the tallest player in the squad at 6 ft 5”?! There’s a good little interview on the club website as well, very humble not talking himself up either saying that he’s come here to develop. He’ll get a chance to play with the injuries so I hope he does well.

I don’t have any tattoos I don’t mind them, very much each to their own. That said I do think I massive tattoos/lots of them usually look ridiculous. I'm with you though @Fan of Big Tone I just know in say 10/20 years time my opinion of what I like is likely to have changed so getting something permanent on my skin just doesn’t appeal to me. When I went on holiday, parentless with some friends for the first time, we all thought it would be a good idea to get a tattoo at about 1 in the morning, as you do... Luckily one of my friends had a touch too much to drink so I was able to volunteer myself to take him back to our room! Those that remained went ahead and all regret it to this day. Some of them have been edited or lasered off. I’m glad I never got one.

Pretty sure Richard Butcher got into double figures and was our top scorer that season too. I can still vividly remember the goal he scored against Wycombe to secure our safety in League 2 in our last home game of that season.

Blackpool 1-0 Cambridge United Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Huddersfield Town ???? AFC Wimbledon 3-2 Cheltenham Town Gillingham 1-1 Fleetwood Town Swindon Town 1-2 Crewe Alexandra Boston United 1-0 Ebbsfleet United Oldham Athletic 3-1 Eastleigh Southend United 1-2 Halifax Town

It’s looking like it should be ok, according to weather report it hit the dizzy heights of 3° today and it’s only dropping to 0°/1° overnight so the frost covers should have done their job. That said I still hope a ref is down there early tomorrow just to double check, the club doesn't get to make the call sadly and it’s not fair or right that games get called off so late. But all signs point towards it going ahead and it should be an entertaining match, maybe they’ll prove me wrong but I find it perplexing how Grimsby are only 3 points behind us in the table. Yes, they’ve won a game more but they’ve also lost 12! That’s 6 more than us! They’ve never found any real consistency and if we win tomorrow, it would make it 3 losses on the trot for them. Their defence still isn’t great and last season we scored 4 goals by just crossing it to the back post, I feel given how he likes to drift to the back post Jatta could have a very productive time of it tomorrow. I would also be very tempted to start Jodi too as he assisted 4 goals there last season and played well very well against them earlier this season!

I hope they've got the frost covers on!

Just hand Celtic the title and be done with it! ???? I don't know how fans of the poorer teams in the Scottish Prem cope, the jump in quality between them and Celtic (and Rangers) is ridiculous.

I was so looking forward to a Palmer-Robertson pairing this season, just not going to happen is it... Got to make sure we keep Abbott until the end of the season now. I think with Hinchy and Edwards back we should be ok in midfield but if we add another I won’t argue. I think another CB is more of a priority, Cundy playing for a number of games would worry me. Shame for Ness but that’s some hamstring tear if it’s keeping him out until May!

It was mentioned last season that our record against the better teams in League 2, top 10/play-offs and automatics was pretty bad. And so far, this season we haven’t exactly been able to buck that trend. Overall, right now – ‘cos the top 10 is very changeable at the moment – our record is: Played 10, Won 3, Drawn 2, Lost 5. I guess more telling is that against the teams in the play-offs and automatics we’ve only won 1 match (1-0 against Wimbledon) the rest have been all be losses and a draw. From the teams in 11th and below, we’ve only lost 1 game though, winning 8 times and drawing 5. So can we get promoted with such a poor record against the better teams or is it something we really need to try and improve? Maybe, just beating the poorer teams will be enough given how close the league is this season, but that doesn’t exactly bode well for life in League 1, where all the teams will be better…

Possibly, I think Jarvis and Jones as wingbacks at the same time would be a touch overkill though as both are wingers really. I can see him being used more in one of the three attacking roles. In the little interview with Stuart Maynard he says Jarvis can play through the middle off a striker and also as a No.9. I’m not sure I see Martin as wingback long-term either though, I think potentially against the better teams, when he has to defend more it won’t suit him at all. That would mean potentially we’d have Didzy, Crowley, Grant, Edwards, Martin and now Jarvis all vying for spots behind the striker. I do think the addition of Jarvis makes it harder for Martin to get into the team.

Can't say I know a lot about him but the write up is very encouraging. He did really well at Shelbourne so he got recalled, but couldn't then get into Hull's first team by all accounts. Be a lot easier for him at League 2 level now though, so that's quite exciting. All in all, he looks to be a really good signing.

It’s sad from a nostalgic point of view as Palmer, Austin and JJ are the last men standing from our promotion team. That team is like a distant memory now! But from a footballing point of view, it’s probably the right decision. He’s still unproven at this level, and we’ll never know if he’s properly over his injury. It can take years to get back to feeling your best for some players. No idea how he’ll do at Carlisle, but it won’t be easy as they are a poor team. He's had a rough year so I wish him all the best and hope a move closer to home makes him happier.

On the vid above it looks like the defender heads in it for Didzy's first. ???? Don't show it to whoever clarifies the goal tallies! It was a good way to round off the hectic Christmas fixtures, 12 points from 15 is great. I think our quality just shone through, as man for man we were just better then them and that's credit to our players. Swindon did try to press us but they lacked the energy and conviction. And when they did have the ball they just never had the ability to control the ball like we did. Even though we weren't at our best we still passed it through the lines really well at times and created some really good chances. Second half, not sure how we didn't add a third, but we kept switched on and didn't let Swindon get one back which is just as good.

Is Jacob Bedeau viewing this page and voting now, cos almost always when I’ve looked the past few MoTM Topics, he’s got a solemn vote! Sorry if your reading Mr Bedeau but Didzy, for like 70 minutes, was just sublime. Austin probably the closest to taking it off him, he had a very impressive game.

Stepping outside when it's -2 at 7:30am to defrost the car has, very quickly, become my least favourite part of the day! Got to be done though, my dad's got a screen cover that is supposed to combat the frost so I'm going to pick it up off him over the weekend. Even though it was a short week I'm glad it's Friday, I had a bit more time off than usual so getting back into the normal routine has been a struggle! Not much planned for the weekend for me, just meeting some friends for a curry on the Saturday evening. I'm not able to get to Notts for the Swindon match but hopeful of catching it on the TV. I used to have a neighbour who kept bits of her Christmas decs up until about March! She was a older lady living alone but she said that her lights and sparkly decs shining made the dark evenings feel a bit brighter, quite sweet really.