StarkMallard

I'd be tempted to keep him on till the end of the season just on the basis of the last two games. We've finally seen that there's a good player in there - just look at his beautifully weighted assist today. If he produces it regularly in the second half of the season, we can think about longer.

The results: Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 Derby County West Bromwich Albion 3-1 Preston North End Lincoln City 0-1 Rotherham United Northampton Town 0-0 Stevenage Barrow 2-2 Bradford City Morecambe 2-0 Tranmere Rovers Rochdale P-P Altrincham York City 1-0 Gateshead --- And the first winner of 2025 is @super_ram! @super_ram - 8 @Fan of Big Tone - 6 @ARLukomski - 5 @cheeky~k8, @menzinho, @nottsnutter - 4 @4everapie, @william1984 - 3 @Dan, @DangerousSausage, @gtownjohnno, @Robbie - 2 @magpiejue - 1 @Megan_Elizax - nul points --- Overall, @ARLukomski moves up into second while @super_ram stretches his lead: --- Our next round is on Saturday (4 January), so the fixtures are online now - good luck!

It feels very harsh given how good we were in the first half. Walsall's second came in a phase in which we seemed to have weathered the storm and were starting to reassert control, and of courser there was the contentious linesman's flag at the end. But those are the fine lines of a promotion race. "If onlys" don'T win you any points. Crowley's howlers show why he never made it at the very top level, but his return to the side has galvanised us and is a big reason why we started today in an automatic spot. You're not going to find the complete player in League Two; the key is to manage your players' weaknesses effectively. Now we need to pick ourselves up again and prove that today's result was a blip. With half the season goe, we're on course for 74 points - 80 points puts us in with a good chance of automatic promotion. We're not that far off.

Germany's ritual is to watch this in the minutes leading up to midnight. Enjoy!

Slow and steady wins the race @Fan of Big Tone. (Unless you happen to be playing in a wide position for Notts County, in which case please be fast.) Mine is to quit doomscrolling. I like to keep an eye on the news and social media, but in the last year or so I've found myself mindlessly scrolling through complete garbage and getting involved in discussions under clickbait articles. It just gets me agitated. In 2025 I will stop and pick up a book instead. This will be easier said than done in a year in which a new US administration promises endless "entertainment" on my news app of choice, but it has to be done!

I haven't heard it on the Darmstadt grapevine but I wouldn't be surprised as he needs regular games. He's also been conspicuously missing from the squad recently. However, I'd expect us to sign at least one striker before he's allowed to go. It would be a shame to lose another of our promotion heroes, but a move might be best for both sides. The jury's still out as to whether he's really up to League Two, but he's definitely worth a punt from Carlisle's point of view.

Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Derby County West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Preston North End (joker) Lincoln City 2-0 Rotherham United Northampton Town 0-2 Stevenage Barrow 1-2 Bradford City Morecambe 0-1 Tranmere Rovers Rochdale 2-0 Altrincham York City 3-1 Gateshead

Our three wins on the bounce and the return of some of our most important players set us up beautifully for this. But as the only side in League Two to have shown any real consistency, Walsall have to be favourites for this. Hope we can channel the underdog spirit and keep the run going!

I can blame them, that's absolutely outrageous. There's no excuse for charging under 10s 25 pounds to stand at all, it's pure greed at the expense of their own fans.

Get your new year off to a cracking start with some prediction league points. Go on, treat yourself. The fixtures kick off at 3pm on new year's day, and don't forget your joker! Sheffield Wednesday v Derby County West Bromwich Albion v Preston North End Lincoln City v Rotherham United Northampton Town v Stevenage Barrow v Bradford City Morecambe v Tranmere Rovers Rochdale v Altrincham York City v Gateshead

The results: Coventry City 0-0 Millwall Oxford United 2-0 Plymouth Argyle Bolton Wanderers 3-0 Lincoln City Reading 2-1 Mansfield Town Stevenage 3-0 Bristol Rovers Bradford City 2-1 Chesterfield Grimsby Town 3-0 Port Vale Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Barrow --- And this round's winner is... me! Come on you lot, put some effort it. An honourable mention goes to @nottsnutter, who comes second on alphabetical order. @DangerousSausage, @nottsnutter - 11 @super_ram - 10 @gtownjohnno, @menzinho - 9 @ARLukomski - 7 @Dan, @Megan_Elizax, @Robbie, @william1984 - 5 @Fan of Big Tone - 4 @4everapie - 3 @magpiejue - 2 --- A very good week for @super_ram, who opens up an eight-point lead at the top, and for @menzinho and @gtownjohnno, who move back up the table. --- The next fixtures are on new year's day, so they're online already if you fancy making your predictions. Thanks for playing!

What a rollercoaster! A great fightback and a thrilling match that wasn't over until Jatta scored that breakaway goal in stoppage time. Top marks to the manager for making some brave calls, and top marks to the players for having the versatility and sheer will to win to make those calls pay off. For the first time in a long time we went into the match with a strong bench. We didn't even need to call on Jones, but I think it gave everyone a lift knowing we have something in reserve. And I wasn't expecting to see Martin at all, let alone see him put in such an accomplished performance. I only hope the injuries aren't too bad. So this puts us second. I wasn't expecting to finish the year in an automatic promotion spot either. All the same, we're only a point clear of seventh, so we need to build on it.

This was the first ever inter-club football match and it's a bit of a shame we don't make more of it. Darrin Foss writes a lot about this period in his book Notts County FC and the Birth of Modenr Football. Highly recommended. They were a regular feature on our fixture list until the 1880s, by which time Notts and other clubs (allegedly) had professional footballers on their books while Sheffield remained staunchly amateur. As a result, Sheffield fell behind and were drubbed in the teams' last meetings. It would be great to revive this fixture as a pre-season friendly. With them planning to open their new stadium next season, it could be the perfect time.

Coventry City 2-1 Millwall Oxford United 2-0 Plymouth Argyle (joker) Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Lincoln City Reading 2-1 Mansfield Town Stevenage 2-0 Bristol Rovers Bradford City 1-1 Chesterfield Grimsby Town 2-0 Port Vale Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Barrow

Your Boxing Day scores: Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Sunderland Bristol City 1-0 Luton Town Huddersfield Town 1-0 Stockport County Rotherham United 0-1 Wigan Athletic Carlisle United 0-1 Morecambe Walsall 2-0 Doncaster Rovers Altrincham 0-0 Halifax Town Maidenhead United 3-1 Wealdstone --- Congrats to this round's winner @Dan! @Dan - 11 @Robbie - 8 @4everapie, @menzinho, @super_ram - 7 @ARLukomski - 6 @magpiejue, @Megan_Elizax, @william1984 - 5 @nottsnutter - 4 @DangerousSausage - 3 @cheeky~k8, @gtownjohnno - 2 @Fan of Big Tone - nul points --- After 22 rounds, there is no change in the top six, with @super_ram still leading. @Dan leaps up into seventh: --- Our next fixtures are online already and will be played on Sunday 29 December. See you all over there!

FYI, I'll post the scores for this one tonight once I've counted them.

Since the festive season is all about football, there is more football coming on Sunday. It also marks the halfway point of the prediction league this season. As always, I've picked matches that kick off at 3pm, and you have a joker each! Coventry City v Millwall Oxford United v Plymouth Argyle Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City Reading v Mansfield Town Stevenage v Bristol Rovers Bradford City v Chesterfield Grimsby Town v Port Vale Tranmere Rovers v Barrow

Firstly, they're not the Dons. The Dons nickname was given to Wimbledon due to a nearby college. It has nothing to do with the Buckinghamshire entity that stole Wimbledon's League place, no matter what they write on their badge. It's interesting to note that the home team had a fancy dress party today, with many of the alleged 7500 home fans coming dressed as black seats. It was a great performance. I missed a chunk of the first half, but from what I saw we were largely in control but maybe a bit too risk-averse to get anything telling on goal. When one of our players won the ball deep in the opposition's half, they looked up to see very few orange shirts in the vicinity. That changed in the second half - we played with intensity high up the pitch and the home team couldn't catch a breath (a five-minute wobble aside). We scored our second at just the right time, and from then on the result was never in doubt. Bass was the calm, reliable presence in goal we've been missing for so long; Abbott oozed class and thoroughly deserved his goal; Crowley was Crowley. The result puts a bit of distance between us and the teams below, but League Two is so tight this season that anyone in the top half can legitimately dream of automatic promotion, and that includes us.

Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Sunderland Bristol City 0-1 Luton Town Huddersfield Town 2-0 Stockport County (joker) Rotherham United 1-1 Wigan Athletic Carlisle United 0-0 Morecambe Walsall 3-1 Doncaster Rovers Altrincham 1-0 Halifax Town Maidenhead United 0-1 Wealdstone

If you can take time out from inserting seasonal cakes and chocolates into your face, we have more prediction league fixtures for you. They all kick off at 3pm on Boxing Day and, as a special present, you get one joker. Have fun and good luck! Blackburn Rovers v Sunderland Bristol City v Luton Town Huddersfield Town v Stockport County Rotherham United v Wigan Athletic Carlisle United v Morecambe Walsall v Doncaster Rovers Altrincham v Halifax Town Maidenhead United v Wealdstone

Our jolly Christmas scores: Burnley 2-1 Watford QPR 2-1 Preston North End Blackpool 0-0 Stevenage Northampton Town 0-5 Charlton Athletic Chesterfield 1-0 AFC Wimbledon Morecambe 0-2 Bromley Hartlepool United 2-1 Yeovil Town Wealdstone 3-0 Dagenham & Redbridge --- Strutting around at the top of this round's standings like conquering gladiators are meeeeee and @4everapie with 12 magnificant points! --- Overall, @super_ram has overtaken @Robbie again and will spend Christmas in top spot. Meanwhile, yours truly is now in a Champions League place and @Megan_Elizax has moved into the top five. --- There is of course football on Boxing Day, so expect the prediction league fixtures to be posted at some time today. Thanks for playing and making this a bumper Christmas round, and hopefully I'll see you there!

It's a bit of a risk, but he'll have made a calculated gamble that it'll be a wake-up call and they'll respond well. A manager needs to have a certain amount of capital to play that card though - I doubt he'd have done it if he was unsure of his backing from the board.

He's started 16 games and been on the bench five times, so he's very much a regular. It'll be interesting to see if the new man rates him, but if not I think he'll find a club in League One bare minimum.

A great and deserved result. More of the same please! The three-goal blast in the first half put what had been a pretty even game to bed. Bradford were more in control in the second half, but for all their huffing and puffing it was Notts who came closer to scoring again. Fistly through McGoldrick's shot - the Bradford defence just opened up beautifully for and invited the shot, I only realise afterwards that Jatta was arriving at the far post. I don't blame him for having a crack. And secondly Jatta's scuffed effort, with the backspin on the ball stopping it from crossing the line. But we were already 3-0 up by that stage. Crowley oozed quality and Austin worked incredibly hard (him winning possession led to our third goal). I don't think Abbott stood out as much purely because the rest of the team stepped up. And we definitely got the better deal from the Platt/Baldwin swap! Well no, you would have been pretending to enjoy yourself ????

This is interesting. If we're judging on the basis of honours, number one would have to be the manager who led us to FA Cup victory, the first time a second division club had ever won it. Obviously none of us were there to see it, but it's our club's only major honour and our greatest achievement. Nothing else comes close. But as @menzinho says, anyone under 40 doesn't have a lot to choose between as we've managed nothing more than two fourth division titles since 1990. If we ever manage to do a Bournemouth, maybe this list will feel a bit less historical. As for Howard Kendall - if the question is "best Notts County managers", nope! He was a big-name appointment who just ended up speeding up our tailspin towards the lower division and didn't even last the season. But if the topic was "best managers ever to have managed Notts County", you'd probably have to include him because of his achievements before he came to us. But then you'd also have to include Hans Backe and Howard Wilkinson for their title-winning exploits too.