Robbie

I believe Macaulay is good enough to play championship football, I wouldn't consider letting him go for less than £4 to 5 million especially considering he has such a long contract with us. It will be interesting to see how he performs goal scoring wise, now we have a new coach who may be more cautious and Macaulay will probably get less service going forward. I think he's good enough to adapt anyway to any modified team shape, with more emphasis on shoring up our defense.

Remember they have six defenders injured and two more players will be unavailable due to red cards. Even so they will be tough, but I have a feeling we won't be playing ping pong football under Stuart. I think those days are gone hopefully. Mansfield have a strong midfield so we need to match them there and be solid in defence. A draw would do.

Agree @KB1862. Being in European Competitions gives those top clubs a big advantage to all the other clubs as far as finance is concerned, TV money, prize money, world marketing of their name and goods, that even before they get all the same by ling runs in the domestic cups. I learned on Google today that it is probable an extra place in the Champions League for the fifth placed team in the Premier league will be given in season 2024/25. (They call it a Uefa performance spot) + 6th place for Europa League and a place for the FA cup winner. Then you have another spot for the Europa Conference league too So all the rich clubs will be more or less guaranteed a European spot every year This is basically a Super League by the back door. And combined with the FFP changes, it basically cements their dominance for the foreseeable future. More info here regarding new Champions League format. https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0268-12157d69ce2d-9f011c70f6fa-1000--new-format-for-champions-league-post-2024-everything-you-ne/

A brighter day is on the way for Thursday. Hazy sunshine for most with cloud thickening later.

Winds easing during the evening. Rain clearing south, Turning drier and colder.

It appears that the UEFA FFP regulations are due to be amended further in 2024 & 2025, for rules that restrict clubs to spending a fixed percentage of their revenue per annum on wages, transfers & agent fees. This limit currently stands at 90% but will drop to 80% in 2024, before reducing further to 70% from 2025. it also appears that the FA may adopt these rules in 2025. So if clubs can spend up to 70% of their revenue to stay within the rules, this favours the big clubs much more than it does the smaller ones. The biggest clubs will be able to buy more expensive players and pay higher wages, continuing to cream off the best available. Is this REALLY FAIR? As I said before on here, I believe there should be a Cap on a fixed amount, not a percentage of revenue, because a percentage will always stop the less well off clubs from competing.

Great win for Jodie Burrage to progress to the quarter finals of WTA Linz 500.

It feels very cold out in the wind this morning in Mansfield, plenty of cloud cover with bright intervals, rain predicted to come for the northwest as we go through the day.

I believe that this match is going to be one of the most important matches of the season for Notts.If Notts can get a result here, it would be absolutely massive. The focus will be on the Notts defense, can they carry a good performance against Barrow into an immediate away match, will Stuart select Jaden in the centre of defense and will we see more tweaks to our shape and style to support our defense when we lose possession or if Mansfield break after a Notts set piece up field. If these tweaks are carried through, will it impact on our attacking threat? We are certainly going to find out in the next few games. Stuart will have to tread a fine balance to shore up our defense but not impact our attacking prowess. I believe that Stuart will select Jaden over Brindley and bolster our midfield in the central areas. He may rest Didzy on have him on the bench and select Austin, with 3 at the back, a four man midfield, with 2 wingbacks and Macaulay up front. Notts can play any system successfully whether we build from the back, go direct, or hit on the break. A more cautious approach at Mansfield could pay dividends, and we can always change things in the second half if need be. I'm going for a 1:1 draw but hoping for a 1:2 win, due to Mansfield having key players missing at this time.

Weather for Wednesday. Strong winds in Scotland, Heavy rain spreading south east from northern areas.

How can fans have confidence in VAR when for instance, the VAR rule regarding handball in the area, by a defender, between the Premier League & Uefa is different? Uefa: Any time the ball hits a defensive player on the arm it is likely to be a penalty, unless the defender’s arms are inside the “natural silhouette." (Basically, players should have their arms by their side). The exception is when the defender accidentally plays the ball against his own arm or hand. Premier League Refs will give far more leeway to defenders who inadvertently block shots or crosses with arms outside their body shape. By giving the Referees that leeway in this Country, it leaves the door open to mistakes and wrongful decisions. No wonder we have so many. We've seen handballs out of that "natural silhouette" where penalties haven't been given. In my opinion the Uefa rules should be standard here as well. (Info taken from Google)

I laughed reading this one.

A chilly evening for those under clear skies, but milder where there is cloud. Turning increasingly breezy in the northwest.

British success at the Australian Open People With Intellectual Impairments Championships & Deaf or Hard of Hearing Championships????

UK Weather for Tuesday afternoon.

I agree broadly what you are saying @KB1862 it appears that the top six have now been joined by Newcastle being the party pooper and they don't like it, but that still leaves the Premier League as 3 leagues in one, the top seven, the middle 6, and the bottom 7 that is always struggling to survive. I think a model similar to the MLS that you mentioned could be the way to go, this could equal the playing field somewhat. And, stop the parachute payments and have a similar budget cap in the Championship too, to foster equal competition in that league. But of course we know it won't happen because of the power of the clique of clubs at the very top of the game.

Forecast for Tuesday morning.

Really good article by the @TheSkipper I am excited about the future for Notts under Stuart Maynard, from the moment he was appointed from his first interview, to his first match, we have all witnessed the reason why the Reedtz brothers appointed this Head Coach. There is a real buzz around the club since the date of his appointment and his first match against Barrow demonstrated why that buzz is warranted. The match may not have been spectacular, due to Barrow's negative tactics, and Notts didn't make a good start, but in the second half we saw some of Stuart's tweaks to the fore with an improved defensive performance. We can see that Stuart is going to work to ensure that Notts are a really good all round side instead of a brilliant side going forward but poor in defending & that is giving me confidence for the remaining games. I'm looking forward to playing Mansfield after more work has been done to in tweaking our shape and way of playing.

BBC weather forecast up to Wednesday. Wednesday looking windy with gales for some.

Freak summer temperatures in the North of Scotland in Winter Talk about freak weather in the middle of winter. A new maximum of 19.9 degrees Celsius was recorded by a manual reading at Achfary in the very north of Scotland today.

@yelobeli I think we still have a good opportunity to reach the playoffs, the next four games will define our season. We will have a pretty good idea whether we will or not. Apart from Stockport, all the teams at the top, especially Mansfield, are going through a sticky patch.We have to keep an eye on the chasing pack behind us too, but there will never be a better opportunity to get a result at Mansfield, they have lots of injuries and will miss two key players due to the red cards they received on Saturday. I wouldn't rule Notts out just yet. If we get to the playoffs anything can happen. If we did go up, our owners will recruit well, so I'm confident if we did get promoted we would compete in that league. I do take your point though. Reaching 50 points will see us safe this year. If we didn't go up, the league may be a little easier next season, so whether we go up or not, it can still be positive for us.