Ohh Tommy Johnson

@RobbieI totally agree. I expect they will just get a fine anyway.... but can you imagine Cammel Laird 1907 or Holker Old Boys turning up at the Emirates? That would be so funny!!

Another thing.. are we likely to see Cedwyn Scott back this weekend? We could suddenly have a stronger bench - McGoldrick, Bostock / O'Brian, Scott (although I wouldn't expect a lot from him to begin with). That could be quite important going into the last few games.

I think Maynard has had a difficult job. The team he came into was riding high, but stuttering. and he followed a very popular head coach. There were (are) clear problems which he identified early one, however how do you change that? . Then what do you do, leave things as is and hope that we outscore the opposition? Whilst that had been successful at the start of the season it was less reliable. Injuries have curtailed rotation options so some players have been showing signs of fatigue. Finally, the side has been so drilled in one approach makes any change risky. If the change had happened at the end of the season, then I think a lot of the tinkering would have happened in pre-season matches, but he has had to do it during the season, and I think to take it on has been quite a brave thing to do. I hope that the upward turn we have seen over the last few matches continues at home and Maynard is successful.

I see their defence is 'you can't charge us as we aren't in the PL', and their defence against producing a business plan (it may have been something else, but that isn't important) is that they were in the PL last season. I think they will be starting off next year with a points deficit assuming they get promoted, and then may be in problems with the EFL when they inevitably get relegated again. The rules do need changing, but that doesn't excuse flouting those that exist currently. Change the rules, don't break them.

I understand that it has been laid over a concrete bed, not immediately below the surface, but close enough to mean it won't drain. The cost to remediate it is prohibitive, so they (and everyone else) will be living with it for a few seasons yet.

I wonder if Jatta also helps our defence in many ways. We play around the back a lot, and I think a number of errors come from not wanting to put it into row Z, or getting it down field to relieve pressure, and so choosing the wrong option from time to time. With Jatta we have that, so the defence can now get rid quickly and that will eliminate the opportunities for errors. The team have been drilled very hard over the last 18 months in possession at all costs football, and overall it has been successful, but increasingly predictable and easy to counter. I think SM is a little more pragmatic, and in time will help us progress. With a win on Saturday we may be seeing the turning of the corner. I really hope so as I am beginning to think there is a decent Head Coach in SM (if we are patient).

Keep last nights side. If Scott / McGoldrick / Chicksen are fit then put them on the bench. Last night's team picks itself really...unless there were any knocks.

Let’s hope we can get another early in the second half to settle the nerves.

@Robbie I agree the rules are hugely unfair... but they weren't hidden or brought in at the last minute. Luton have stuck to them (being in the same situation as Forest) and may get relegated, whilst Forest who broke the rules may have stayed up by virtue of breaking them. If you agree to play be the rules, you should stick to them. At least if they stay up they will have done so by accepting their punishment (although I think it will be halved to 2points which is hardly a disincentive). All that said, the rules do need changing though to something that truly levels the filed and protects clubs from certain owners... I think the Government sees some votes in there, hence the sudden speed that they are moving, This has been on the cards for years, but nothing done. Still, any move to a better place is welcome. Man City should be relegated out of the League structure and into oblivion, if those charges are proved. 115 violations is really extracting the urine. They should have every trophy they won during the period in question removed too. Failure to do so will destroy the integrity of the competition in the same way that Saracen's cheating ruined the Rugby Premiership, but Man City will be given a £100 fine and be allowed to carry on, they know it, we know it and so does everybody else. Newcastle will be watching closely and working out if they can flout the rules too.

I agree that the system needs to change otherwise the same 6 teams will swap places season on season. The thing is the top 7 or 8 teams don't care are and increasingly unlikely to get involved in relegations and therefore care even less. They are more worried about not being competitive in Europe, so will oppose anything that impacts that. This is where the new regulator may make a difference, however, from what I have seen today, it is unlikely. It seems one of their remits is to support the competitiveness of the PL. In rugby some teams chose not to go for promotion, I can see that happening in football unless the rules are changed. The PL in rugby has overseen the demise of 3 clubs this year, and quite probably more over the summer, I would hope football won't make the same mistake, but with such high stakes I can't see that happening. The advantage is that the EFL is a vibrant competition in itself, whereas the Championship in Rugby isn't, On our neighbours predicament; I have no sympathy at all. They knew the rules and broke them. If you were a Luton fan and they got relegated whilst sticking to the rules, you would be pretty hacked off. Getting promoted with loan players was always going to be a risk as replacing them was bound to lead to this situation. A better run club wouldn't have had those issues.

I think I would much prefer a late 1 - 0 win or an absolute hammering 3- 0 or 4-0. A clean sheet would do wonders for morale and a late winner would prove that they can paly for 90 minutes - I get the feeling that they struggle for more than an hour.

Soooooo... what do people think??? I think he will go more or less with the team that played against Crawley, although Chicksen went down with the same illness as Crowley had last Tuesday, so may not be available and Jatta may have a tweak (if I understood the post match interview). I think the best we can manage is: Slocombe Macari Cameron Chicksen (or Warner if ill) Robertson (wasn't his a 1 match ban? If not then Bostock) O'Brian Nemane Jones Crowley Jatta (if fit) or Austin Langstaff Subs: Bostock, Austin, Ashby-Hammond, Warner(?), Randall, Colkett, Rawlinson, (McGoldrick, Gill or Sanderson depending on who is ill / suspended) I would be tempted to give Langstaff a break and play Jatta on his own up front, but I don't think he will do that and I can see Jatta on the bench again if he has a slight knock (much to the dismay of many), We need to stop dropping off when we score, if we could get 2 or 3 up then I think we would see a different Notts towards the back end of games. We seem to become a bag of nerves in the second half as we try to hang on to a lead.

It was also the middle of summer and a lot of players could simply have been away. I can see why they didn’t go for wholesale changes. Stability and just one or two changes a season has served us well up to this point. I think we needed a leader at the back, uncompromising on the opposition and those around him. Someone who sets high standards and demands it of those around him. I think we may have seen a different outcome with even just one more defender in that mould. Right now I think a lack of confidence along with some players being on their last legs is a huge part of the issue. We haven’t been able to rest players or take them out of the firing line which can’t help, and right now they must be wondering where the next point is coming from. I don’t think many of them will have experienced Meadow Lane at its toxic worst, but judging from Tuesday night, I don’t think they will have to wait long. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of our fans squaring up to another for a fight.

I think I would do something similar. You could feel the tension increasing on Tuesday, the longer it stayed 1-0. If Langstaff had scored one of his chances that a couple of months ago he would have buried, or we had made our periods of dominance pay then I think we would have kept a clean sheet. I also think SM is lacking in his own confidence. He should resist the temptation to chop and change as much. My team would be Slocombe, Macari, Baldwin if fit, Cameron or Chicksen, midfield of JoB and Bostock, Nemane and Jones, forwards Langstaff and Jatta ( but I would allow them to be a bit fluid) with Crowley just behind. Bench Colkett, Austin, Ashby-Hammond, Didzy, Saunders, Chicksen / Rawlinson, TAR. An alternative would be to go 4 at the back Macari, Cameron, Baldwin, Chicksen, JoB, Austin, Nemane, Crowley, Jones with Langstaff up front with Jatta on the bench. We need to get the game won as early as possible and not drop the intensity off if we score like we did Tuesday. 2 or 3 up and I bet defending becomes a whole lot easier.

Wordle 961 4/6* ????⬜⬜⬜???? ⬜⬜???????????? ????⬜????????⬜ ????????????????????

I keep doing this; making a swap, realising it was an error and then swapping the letters back again. That cost me 2 stars today. #waffle745 2/5 ???????????????????? ????⭐????⬜???? ???????????????????? ????⬜????⭐???? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 6 wafflegame.net

Nice one. I scraped in again today. I think I need a rethink on tactics - swapping one letter at a time leaves little room for error. #waffle742 0/5 ???????????????????? ????⬜????⬜???? ???????????????????? ????⬜????⬜???? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 5 wafflegame.net

Wordle 958 4/6* ⬜⬜⬜???????? ????????????????⬜ ⬜???????????????? ???????????????????? A tricky one today!

Wordle 957 6/6* ⬜????⬜⬜???? ⬜????????⬜???? ????????⬜⬜???? ????????⬜⬜???? ????????⬜⬜???? ????????????????????

#waffle741 0/5 ???????????????????? ????⬜????⬜???? ???????????????????? ????⬜????⬜???? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 4 wafflegame.net Squeaked in after a couple of silly moves.

I'm not sure Luke Williams will have much of a say, but I reckon the line up will be something like: Stone Warner Baldwin Cameron Nemane Jones Robertson Bostock Crowley McGoldrick Langstaff Bench Loan Goalkeeper (I have a mental block on his name) Brindley / Macari (if fit) JoB, Austin / Randall /TAR (3 of depending on Jones' fitness) Sanderson It almost picks itself at the moment. If Jones is injured, then Austin for Jones, if jones is fit then TAR drops out. It is going to be a tough old match, even with Mansfield suffering with suspensions and injuries. A draw would be a good result.

#waffle740 4/5 ???????????????????? ????⭐????⭐???? ???????????????????? ????⭐????⭐???? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 3 wafflegame.net

Bad start, but got there in the end... Wordle 956 5/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜????⬜ ????????????⬜???? ????????????????????

We were right behind the goal. There were a couple of deflections (I thought) and they fell nicely for Barrow, but had there not been those deflections I don't think they would have scored. We didn't transition quickly enough, though, once Bostock had lost the ball which made things difficult. I thought Stone had a good game.

Where do Nottingham play these days? I saw them at Ireland Ave (Rob Andrew was playing for Nottingham in those days) and Meadow Lane, but I don't know what happened then as I moved away and ended up traipsing over to Wycombe and the Coventry to watch Wasps. We used to have epic weekends in those days - Notts on Saturday afternoon, Panthers Saturday evening and then Wasps on the way home on Sunday!