CliftonMagpie

Craig Westcarr is another player who has worn the shirt for both sides. He’s often overlooked, but he was much better than some fans give him credit for. He had a real eye for goal and knew how to find the net. His finishing was sharp, and he made a big impact when he was in form. Growing up, he was one of my favourites. There was something about the way he played that stuck with me, confident, direct, and always willing to have a go.

I’m not fully convinced Martin Paterson believes no players will leave. We have to deal with what happens, and he’s right to say we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. If he can guide the team to more steady performances, we should be fine. That would give us a chance to move up the table. A slow start isn’t always a bad thing if it leads to better form later, but we need to take each match as it comes. Paterson’s interviews are fine, but his long answers sometimes mean fewer questions get asked. It would be good to hear more variety in what’s covered.

A solid result in the end, though the defending was shaky at times. We looked brightest in the first half, but the goal came from what looked like a clear push on Tom Iorpenda. That moment unsettled us, and we didn’t deal with it well. Credit to the team for improving after the break. It was good to see Alassana Jatta back in the starting line-up. Hopefully the injury is behind him now and he can build some momentum. He adds something different up front and looks keen to make an impact. He and Matthew Dennis seem to work well together. They’ve both got pace, which defenders don’t enjoy facing. If they keep linking up, they could become a real threat.

I’ve gone for Matt Palmer. He was in control from start to finish and kept things ticking nicely. His passing helped set the pace and got us moving forward with purpose. He also worked hard off the ball. I noticed him winning it back plenty of times and doing his bit defensively. He looked sharp in both directions. I watched the full match back on video, so my vote’s based on that. I wasn’t there in person, but Palmer stood out clearly.

Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Norwich City Watford 0-0 Southampton Barnsley 2-1 Huddersfield Town Wigan Athletic 2-0 Stockport County Joker Barnet 1-1 Colchester United Bromley 2-1 Harrogate Town Hartlepool United 2-1 Boreham Wood Morecambe 2-2 Woking

I’d say it’s more about his wages than his age. He might be seen as too expensive for us. It’s one of those things where we see other teams doing well after taking a chance on a certain player. They go for it, and sometimes it pays off. Meanwhile, we try to be clever with who we offer bigger wages to. Players like David McGoldrick are seen as worth it, while others aren’t. Then when we are trying to save money, we won't renew their deal with an amount that suites both parties. With Didzy, it was almost like here you go, that's our offer, take it or leave it.

I liked how Ollie answered the questions. He came across really well and seems like one of the most interesting players I’ve heard speak. He’s thoughtful and honest, which makes him stand out. The video on the official site is a great look into who he is. As a press conference before the Tranmere match, it gives fans something to think about and shows a bit more of his personality. Since coming back from injury, he hasn’t looked too bad at all. You can tell he’s working his way back to full fitness and starting to get up to speed again.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Notitngham @SoccerLord. If I occasionally refer to you as FootballLord or just lord, it's only because I tend to say it instead of soccer. You will fit in and make PON your home if you get familiar with the site. All the best.

Haha… Year of the Whores, celebrated worldwide! 😂😂😂 You’ve got to switch the subtitles on during the Notts interviews. Alassana Jatta becomes Alister Gatta. Brilliant.

I do think the club should be open and honest when they can. I’m not saying they need to put out statements all the time, but they should make sure fans aren’t being misled. There was a time when players would be punished for faking injuries, now it feels like they and their agents hold all the power. The situation with Alassana Jatta seems pretty straightforward. He doesn’t look injured to me. When I broke my leg, I couldn’t wait to kick a ball again. I haven’t played properly since, but I’ve had a kickabout. I can’t imagine missing five games, only for a sore back to stop me from putting last season’s red card behind me, especially with transfer talk flying around.

Tranmere are one of those sides you can never quite predict. They look decent on paper but often play poorly. You think we’ll walk all over them, and then they make us fight just to scrape a point. There’s no guarantee we’ll start well or even look convincing enough to deserve anything, especially with all the changes going on. I’d love to think we could win, or at least nick a draw, but I believe Rovers will give us more trouble than we’ll give them. Still, I’m hoping Conor Grant, Jodi Jones, Matt Palmer and the rest step up, because we’ve got a squad that can give the travelling fans something to cheer about.

I appreciate the concern, mate. I'm still finding my feet, literally but I’ll feel more like myself soon. It’s all new to me, and most of my focus is on finding the right job. I’ll be back watching Notts away before long, so no need to worry about that.

Rest in peace, Steve Thompson. May you sleep peacefully, and may your memory live on through the clubs you played for and the fans who remember you.

Norwich City 1-0 Middlesbrough Sheffield United 1-1 Millwall Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Lincoln City Joker Mansfield Town 2-0 Leyton Orient Fleetwood Town 2-1 Oldham Athletic Gillingham 1-2 Crewe Alexandra Halifax Town 3-0 Forest Green Rovers Sutton United 1-1 Scunthorpe United

It was a good response after the Barrow game, and a solid win at Meadow Lane. There’s still plenty we can improve on. Performances from Notts have often been like this, either a strong first half or a better second. Yesterday felt more balanced, with a good spell across most of the match. I think the passing will get sharper with more games and training. I’m not too worried, but we’ll need to raise our level against stronger or better organised teams. No offence to Shrewsbury Town, but they were poor. They had a few decent moments, but their defending was all over the place.

I voted for Nick Tsaroulla. I always make sure to think about my choice and vote before reading what others have said. It speaks volumes that he’s picked up so many votes and positive comments. It also shows he’s put in the work during his time out, keeping fit and staying ready to step back in.

The Reedtz brothers seem to be thinking long-term. Our coaching team is already bigger than most in League Two, just like it was in the National League. That means more wages, but I think it’s a good sign. They’re also working on the infrastructure now, which should help us stay on track when we do go up. I see it as a chance to build and invest early, rather than fall behind by only focusing on the pitch and signings. A balanced approach should lead to more steady success. If we don’t have the right setup, we’ll end up stuck between spending on players or improving the club’s facilities to boost its reputation and quality. Doing both at League One level might work, but I can’t see it being enough in the Championship if we only invest in the squad.

I don’t mind the weather at the moment. It’s much cooler than those heatwaves we had, and now and then the sun does show itself. I applied for a new job today. My last one let me go after I went over their limit for time off. I’m not too fussed, work is work, and I just want to get back into a normal routine. I feel a lot better mentally, though I still have days where I question things.

Huddersfield Town 3-1 Doncaster Rovers Luton Town 1-2 Wigan Athletic Stockport County 1-2 Bradford City Colchester United 0-1 Cambridge United Joker Gillingham 0-0 Chesterfield Harrogate Town 2-0 Barrow Altrincham 1-2 Hartlepool United Woking 3-1 Wealdstone

Preston North End 2-1 Leicester City Swansea City 1-2 Sheffield United Leyton Orient 1-1 Stockport County Reading 3-1 AFC Wimbledon Joker Barnet 0-2 Walsall Tranmere Rovers 2-2 Gillingham Aldershot 3-0 Boston United Hartlepool United 2-1 Braintree Town

I wish Riley Reynolds all the best with his loan move. He should be able to build on last season and really push on from here. I don’t mind that he’s going back to Kidderminster. They clearly rate him and are helping us out by giving him some first team experience. As for the club possibly selling him, I don’t think it’s very likely. I believe Reynolds and James Sanderson are both being prepared for the first team, as long as we’ve got a head coach who’s willing to give them a chance.

I wouldn’t change anything myself, but I think it’s great that you can. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it. The popup message isn’t as annoying as the one on the official site. It’s a good way to make sure people read important content. With how many members have seen it by now, I thought more would have interacted with it. Hopefully lots of people will like having control over how the content on PON is displayed.

How different would it be if we had someone who could let Matthew Dennis play off them? I think sometimes we need to be more attacking, drop the single striker, and go with two up front, even if one of them has the freedom we often see from Jodi Jones. We didn’t create many chances, and our passing wasn’t great. We kept putting ourselves in areas where we’d either lose the ball to a throw-in or get crowded out by Salford players. There were a lot of new faces, and I don’t think they’ve quite settled yet. But I hope the spark we saw near the end can be built on in future games. Notts really needs to think about whether we’ve got someone who can lead the line on their own while Alassana Jatta is out.

Keanan Bennetts gets my vote. I thought he did alright in the first half. His defending isn’t the best, and that’s something that could be improved in training. But going forward, he looked sharp. We need to make sure there are options in the box when we break forward, but I felt Bennetts did very well overall.

Jacob Bedeau and Matty Platt are clearly in the mix for team selection, but I thought Sonny Aljofree was the standout. Platt made some key tackles, and while his yellow card came from a poor challenge, he did his job. Bedeau looked off at times and a bit clumsy. He can be brilliant, or he can be shaky and yesterday he was shaky. Defensively, we let Salford take control even though we had the ball. The midfield needs to pick it up and show more urgency going forward. We weren’t sharp when it came to countering, and I hope Martin Paterson sees that we need to bring more energy.