Tom Walters

Euro 2016 has, to some extent, proved a welcome distraction from the ongoing circus at Notts County. However, with the recent appointment of John Sheridan, I am quietly optimistic for the new season and what it might bring. Sheridan has undoubted experience at galvanizing teams - whether bringing sides from the brink of relegation, guiding them to promotion or offering them a shot at the play-offs. In my opinion, especially after the kick in the teeth of losing Mark Cooper, Sheridan is the perfect tonic to bring the fans on side and give us a real chance of building a winning formula for next season. His first signing, Adam Collin, is a real coup for the club – Sheridan is already proving he can attract top players to a side in League Two which has an ownership uncertainty hovering over its head and, is coming off the back of a very disappointing campaign. Other names bandied around such as Jonathan Forte, Alex Rodman and Jordan Bowery are good players to be associated with – so the calibre of player coming into the club should hopefully continue to be of a high standard. So, taking the new manager and his plans for the club on the field next season into account – I’m very hopeful. The only cloud hovering over the club at the moment as far as I’m concerned is the situation off the field. Ray Trew has stated that if no deal is struck by the end of June for the sale of the club, then he will continue to take charge and plan ahead for the coming season. That’s all well and good, but it’s a sticky situation for Ray should he stay. Fans are now aware that he wants out – the club is on the market, and he’s not held back with his thoughts and feelings. A lot of burnt bridges will need to be rebuilt between Ray and the fans if he stays. Sheridan might be able to unite the players with the fans with talk of a promotion chase, but Ray will undoubtedly have much more work to do in order to win over a significant number of fans next season. Don’t get me wrong, I do not condone the abuse received by Ray and Aileen Trew last season by a small minority of supporters, but I am concerned about the frosty atmosphere between the fans and the powers that be – should they stay. For me, Ray will need to prove his loyalty to Notts next season if he doesn’t complete a sale. How he goes about this is his own prerogative. Financial backing of the manager is a must, as too is an attempt to smooth over the cracks with the fans. He must issue a statement to the fans, with some sort of apology and a rallying cry about us all being ultimately on the same side and in need of pulling in the same direction. The lack of communication from him in recent weeks and months hasn’t helped his cause – so this might go some way to galvanizing the fans and the club for the new campaign. Nothing is beyond repair, but the way the situation is handled will be the deciding factor for all involved. Over to you Ray… Have your say on this article below - don't forget to visit the Pride of Nottingham community to discuss the latest matters surrounding the club.

Unsurprisingly, following Notts County’s 5-0 drubbing by Mansfield Town at Field Mill, Mark Cooper’s post match interviews displayed a man who was perplexed by what he had just seen. He wasn’t the only one. The only consolation for Notts at this moment in time is that results are not crucial, with league safety assured. But, as any die-hard football fan will tell you, a local derby is a different beast entirely, whether you have something to play for or like Notts, you’re simply filling your games quota. Passion, commitment and determination are essential ingredients for any team. And pride – a word that seemed to escape Notts for 90 minutes at Field Mill, is the CRUCIAL thing you simply have to play for. Fans expect it and needless to say, the manager expects it. We saw nothing in the way of playing for pride out there on Saturday. It was an abject performance, which left me itching to put on my boots and get out there myself. I’m not claiming to be better than a pro footballer, but what I lack in quality I would make up for in passion and that’s all the fans ask for when players cross the white line come 3pm (or 1pm in this case). I genuinely felt sorry for the fans that made the journey on Saturday and paid good money to watch it. I tuned in on the radio, and that was bad enough. On my twitter feed on Saturday I quoted Mark Cooper several times following his post-match interview, a couple of which spoke volumes to me. The first was “some questions were answered to me today” – clearly gathering a sense of the fighters in his squad and a list of players he wants to keep for next season. The second quote I loved was “do you want me to sugar coat the fact we just got beat 5-0 in a local derby? I’m not going to do it”. That’s a man who clearly won’t make excuses for poor performances, and it’s refreshing to see in the Notts dugout. Cooper has some serious evaluating to do ahead of next season should he keep the job permanently. In my opinion, he should stay. Moniz and Fullarton have already had the sack this season – granted they split opinion in a lot of ways, but the players must take some responsibility for their departures. If they were to cost Mark Cooper his job then I’ll be gutted. Cooper needs the chance to build his own squad over the summer and start a-fresh. He has huge potential as well as a hunger and desire that would make him a success story at Notts with the right budget behind him - we’re not even talking millions either. The fans have been asking for a manager who’s honest, passionate and doesn’t pull punches for some time, and now they have it. Now it’s time to let him build a squad that does the same on the pitch. I hope the potential new owners are taking note. What do you think about the points raised by Tom? Have your say below. Don't forget to join the discussions within our community forum.

My first tweet following the news of Ricardo Moniz’s sacking was along the lines of the managerial merry-go-round still turning at Notts. Sadly on this occasion, I do agree with the decision to make a change and I think the timing is perfect. I wasn’t in favour of Shaun Derry’s departure, partly because of the man himself but mainly because of the timing of his sacking. Despite the fact he had been at the helm while we dropped like a stone towards the relegation zone of League 1, I always felt he was probably the one man who would be able to get us out of it. Also, the timing of his dismissal left little time for a new manager to save us from the drop – reinforcing to me that we should simply have stuck rather than twisted during such a crucial time. My last article back in November called for calm and for fans to back the manager and hope that our position in January showed improvement – sadly this never materialized and despite backing what Moniz was trying to achieve, even I couldn’t back him any further. Our defence has leaked goals at an alarming rate and the potential of the squad has not been utilized at all. With the squad we have, we should at least be sniffing around the play-offs by now. Moniz was in favour of attacking football and that’s great when you’re in the Championship or Premier League with players who are tactically more aware, but I don’t think he ever grasped the way League 2 football is played and his stubbornness was ultimately his downfall. His lack of defensive nous was there for all to see and the way we’ve defended this season is genuinely alarming. So now the powers that be must decide on a new manager to take the helm and try to rescue our season. There are a few names I have in mind that I would welcome to the hot seat. Top of my list (but someone who I know for a fact will probably not come back), is Neil Warnock. His knowledge of the football league is vast and he’s big on discipline and organization – something we desperately need. It might be a great final hoorah for him to end his managerial career on. Second on my list is John Sheridan and out of all the names mentioned in the betting odds and in the press, he’s the one I would choose. He’s transformed Newport County despite all their issues this season in the squad with injuries and he’s proven his abilities at Chesterfield and to some extent at Plymouth. Chris Wilder would also be up there, having worked wonders at a financially stricken club like Northampton and seen success at Oxford by guiding them back into the Football League as well as stabilizing them in the football league upon their return. With Wilder the key question is, would he abandon the hard work he’s put into Northampton to get them to where they are now in order to take a gamble on achieving something at Notts – and based on our track record with managers in recent years, any man taking the job must look on it as a gamble to some extent. Let’s hope that this time we do get the right man for the job and whoever takes the position can transform our poor away form and our leaky defence. What the club needs now more than ever is stability – not a word Notts fans can say they’re all that familiar with, but one we must adopt from here on in.

In recent weeks I’ve read articles calling for calm around Notts County, with Alan Smith among a few I’ve seen stressing on the need for level heads and a sense of realism in the early stages of the season. I share the sentiments of those who haven’t lost patience with the team so far this season. I think what Notts fans need to remember is that it’s still November and nothing is cemented yet. The season has much of its course to run, so belief in what Ricardo Moniz is trying to instil into this squad must remain throughout the club and the fans at this stage. It’s an entirely new squad in essence, with new faces and mentalities thrown in the mix all at once. In all fairness, in my opinion we’re not a million miles from the finished article. The signing of Alan Sheehan on load from Bradford has, in my eyes, been one of the best bits of business this season alongside the signing of Izale McLeod. I literally punched the air in celebration when we announced the return of a player who was so significant in our great escape in May 2014. His inclusion in the back four has been a masterstroke – making us much more stubborn at the back, allowing us to build from the back and ultimately sort out the dismal away form and help build the momentum at fortress Meadow Lane. Goals haven’t flowed how we might have expected at the other end, but again, with time I believe this will simply happen. Adam Campbell is a promising prospect, full of energy and creative flair, and once we see the full return of Kyle Da Silva in the squad, defences in League 2 might just start quaking in their boots a bit more. With a couple of months gone I think Moniz now has an idea of his strongest 11 and where people fit into his philosophy. Granted, the defeat against Salford wasn’t part of the script and I can’t ignore the disappointment I felt following that performance live to the nation – for any Notts supporter it was most certainly a night to forget. However, time is a great healer in my eyes and I have no reason to doubt Ricardo’s strategy or his selection so far. He’s had to learn about this squad as quickly as anyone, having built it from the ground up over the summer. Wait until the end of January and see where we are then. It’s only at that stage that we can start to make calls on whether this team can ultimately compete at the right end of the table. With the investment and the quality, I would certainly hope so. As for the recent form, my outlook is to scrap Salford, condemn it to history and move on. At this time, more than any other stage of the season, the team need to feel that the fans are behind them. Let’s hope they can recreate the jubilant atmosphere that followed the Portsmouth victory! Onwards and upwards!

Local derbies are nothing unfamiliar for me. As a kid growing up I saw Notts County take on Mansfield countless times when we were in the old Division 2 and in League 2. My most vivid memory comes from November 2002 at Meadow Lane. In those days we were watching names such as Mark Stallard, Paul Heffernan, Darren Caskey and Kevin Nicholson take to the Meadow Lane pitch in the hope that bragging rights would be theirs. For anyone who was there on that cold November night, watching Darren Caskey curl a free-kick into the corner of the family stand net has to be one of the greatest moments Meadow Lane has ever witnessed – it’s certainly one I cherish. As a young lad of 12, it was the stuff dreams were made of when you practiced free-kicks on the school playground. These players shaped my love for the club with their drive and ambition. There wasn’t an abundance of glamour or style in our performances; it was doggid - with plenty of graft, passion and the occasional moment of magic. So in 2015 on a decidedly warmer August evening, I returned to Meadow Lane with my Dad for yet another derby with Mansfield. My expectations for this one differed – partly because I’m older, without the same childish optimism or unrealistic expectations and also, because the team taking to the field under Ricardo Moniz is of a different breed and style to the one from 2002. It’s apparent to all Notts fans that Moniz is trying to eradicate the days of long ball football and I for one am delighted with that. This new Notts team have been easier on the eye in their opening games against Stevenage and Huddersfield and have ability in abundance. One player who has caught my eye has to be Stanley Aborah, simply because he has confidence on the ball and the ability to change a game in seconds with flair and a killer pass. So, would the current crop deliver against Mansfield this time around? The simple answer was no. The feeling around Meadow Lane before kick-off was excitement and optimism and I have to credit every supporter who turned up on the night – the atmosphere was electric and Meadow Lane was bouncing. Sadly, the performance from the Notts players didn’t live up to the hype and expectation. Mansfield controlled the game from start to finish with Notts looking nervy and rusty throughout. Chances were at a premium, with tiny glimmers from Jenner and Burke but nothing to trouble Mansfield. I have to congratulate Mansfield on their approach to the match. They were sharper, quicker and in my opinion, hungrier for the three points. Every time there was a 50/50 ball, you always felt Mansfield would win it. Their goals were nothing special however and were avoidable from a Notts perspective – undone by an Chris Clements strike and a soft headed goal from a set piece late on by Tafazolli. Sadly from the stands it was the same old problems – sloppy goals conceded and not enough potency up-front – something that Moniz is only too aware of. Also, it was another poor performance at home – all too familiar from last season. One criticism I have of Moniz is his apparent reliance on 4-3-3 – it simply doesn’t work in League 2 against physical sides like Mansfield. We were outnumbered in midfield countless times which resorted to us playing long balls from back to front and surrendering possession. Had we played a simpler 4-4-2, I feel we could have competed far better than we did. I am however, confident that we have a great squad on which to build and we only need one or two more names to make it stronger. Easier said than done, but we need that 20 goal a season striker Moniz is searching for, and we need another commanding centre back. All I can hope for is that the return leg at Field Mill sees a turn in fortunes and we return to winning ways against Oxford on Tuesday. Onwards and upwards!