Robbie

Really liked your replies @theMagpies & @Benji They mirror my sentiments too. The recruiters at Notts have to be given a big thumbs up too, for the players they have recruited over the last 12 months. They've played a blinder.

A recurring theme with our new players is the passion and love they have for this club and Dan is no different. Ten goals from Dan playing from midfield halfway through the season is a good number. Ruben is Ruben but Dan has filled his shoes very well since he came into the side. May Dan's good form continue because he plays an important roll in our side.

I agree with the sentiments on this thread. We are blessed to have the skills and experience of John Bostock at Notts. He still has the skill well above league 2 level.

We all know what Adam is capable of and he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to score goals. Now that we are in league 2 everyone has had to step up to the higher level. It will remain to be seen if Adam will be able to force himself into the starting 11 on a regular basis in 2024.

I praise Junior for his team ethic and commitment. He will be an excellent squad player for us and he has a continuing opportunity to force himself into the starting line up.

I agree @Sir Magpie It will be fascinating tracking his development at the club. Lewis as loads of potential, and I believe he will soon cement his place in the side.

The recruitment of loanees has proved successful for Notts. Take Jorge Grant. Jorge played a season and a half for Notts from the 2017 to May 2018 appearing for Notts 62 times & scoring 21 goals. In his first spell he scored 6 goals and helped save us from relegation. In season 2017/18 his goals helped us to the play offs with a fifth place finish. The most recent successful loanee story is Jodi Jones who came from Oxford U & played 16 times in our promotion year and scored the winning goal in the playoff to get us to the final. In May 23 Jodi signed permanently on a 2 year contract with Notts, and he's now a regular in our team helping us to push for promotion to league 1 & already has 4 goals to his name this term. And we will never forget the heroics of Archie Mair, another loanee from Norwich City, in the play off final, saving two Chesterfield penalties in the shootout that proved absolutely vital. I believe Notts should continue with this policy of recruiting players on loan. It is a good way to assess a player for a possible transfer while he is also doing a job for us. If it doesn't work out the loanee just returns to his club. This fits very nicely into Notts current 'sustainability' financial policy. Thoughts?

I believe this article carries very heartening news for all Notts fans. To see the club in a position to support a possible rise to the Championship demonstrates that the sustainability model in place is working. It will be interesting to see if this model will take us further than the Championship. We have witnessed the seemingly limitless funds of the rich clubs being splashed out on the best players to achieve success. It may mean that Notts will look to continue with their shrewd recruitment policy which again has proved very successful, such as recruiting out of contract players & using the loan system to our advantage. If a big offer came in for one of our best players, would Notts reject it? Well have to wait & see. We at Notts known how things turn out when clubs spend beyond their means, so this is very positive news today.

Great stuff @ARLukomski you captured the atmosphere so well.Vlogs such as yours are so important for Notts fans who cannot get to away matches.

@ARLukomski Being a newbie, I've just come across your excellent vlog of the big day in May. It brought back so many great memories of that momentus day. The feeling that we all experience when our side is promoted never changes down the ages. From 1971 to 2023 the elation is exactly the same. The only change of course is that we can share these feelings & experiences by all this new technology. Hope we can experience the same at this season's end.

Thanks for another great read. Well done. I've enjoyed reading all of these articles. Would be great to have more articles about our players of the past via Notts Alumni.

A lovely tribute Joe. RIP Richard.

Great thread regarding Matt Palmer and I agree with what has been said We are now at the back end of December as I write this, and unfortunately, we've lost Matt to injury. Matt has been missed since he became injured & his continued absence only demonstrates how valuable he is too us. It will be hard to replace him with someone of similar stature.

This is a brilliant write up regarding Jodi by Les Bradd. I don't think I can add much more to what has already been said, by every contributor on this very good thread. What I will add is my hope that Jodi remains injury free & just carries on playing how he is playing, because he's becoming a key player for us.

Good points there @Fozzy i agree with you

Agree. Seating was an afterthought in those days. I remember the seats weren't seats but benches. Bucket seats were few and far between.

Some of the largest and lowest attendances at the old ground since 1925 https://carouseldrivefootballs.on.drv.tw/utm/maggies10.html?20231226H:~19250701

@liampie The old ground was past it's best, the meadow lane end terrace was damaged in some areas, the county road side upper tier was made of wood, the Cop was massive. When we scored, fans in the County Road side would stamp their feet and the wood made such a racket. Repairs were carried out on the terracing but the wooden stand would never have passed after the Bradford City fire. The stadium was capable if holding about 35,000 even at that time. I remember the game at home to Scunthorpe in 1971 when we won the league, it was teaming down with rain, but there were over 16,500 in that ground.

When Didzy is on song we are really rolling.

I believe a priority is getting goalkeeping cover, An experienced centre back, & a defensive midfielder who are all experienced to League 1 level. I think we are okay in the attacking areas They should be fit enough to get straight into the team if required. A goalkeeper that commands is area, deal with crosses, & can distribute well. The Central defender should be tall, good in the air & mobile. The defensive midfielder who can run forever, doesn't mind getting stuck in & can inspire the rest of the team. I don't have anyone in mind, maybe members will know who can fit the bill.

Macca back to doing what he does.

@Piethagoram what a record breaking year we have witnessed. I thought I had seen it all, over the last 53 years or more. Notts are making more history and how.

Good article on Luke Rodgers. We had a great squad which won the league. If things had been different he, like many others in that squad, would have stayed and who knows where we had been now?

I'm sure Luke will get us through this rough patch and get us in a position to challenge for automatic promotion. I'm sure at the beginning of the season we would have settled for where we are now. A few good wins into the new year will be back on track.