Sheffield Pie

Keep going Notts let's give that goal difference a boost.

Come on Notts please don't concede just before (or just after) half time. Get to 60 minutes then bring in Ndlovu and Luker. Get out of this division so we don't have to play Salford again, surely that's motiviation enough.

I've been dreading this for the reason @menzinho has said. Robinson is the archetype of the lower league manager who's not exactly Pep but somehow manages to get one over Notts and make us question our transfer policy, data model, 'identity' etc. I'd take a draw as well - it would be progress, even if it means us temporarily being pegged back slightly in the promotion race. Team wise we don't know who's fit but 8 or 9 pick themselves so it's just a case of whether to use the other few places to add bite or skill. I just hope we don't cave in early on. Best way to achieve that might be to beef things up a bit (Browne?) and maybe keep Bennetts or even JJ fresh for the second half.

Bedeau was more combative today, great interception for the second goal as well. He's the senior defender now so deserves a lot of the credit for the clean sheet. Bennetts put in a good shift as well, nearly had his ankle broken. He's a better pick than Dennis now who's become pretty anonymous.

Doing OK, conditions not the best. Jatta possibly offside for the goal? But very well worked. Would like JJ to get into the game more. Really should win from here.

We should create chances with that team. Can we take them? I'm sticking my Tangen to get his first prediction, bound to be right eventually.

We lack an actual functioning captain - someone who is an automatic pick, is vocal and leads by example in terms of play and discipline. I know they won't take it off Palmer but just thinking aloud, who could theyt turn to - Belshaw? Iorpenda?

The most impressive thing about their run is only conceding two goals in the last nine games. On the other hand in that run they've played some basket cases like Crawley, Gillingham and Tranmere. The Accrington and Cheltenham managers in their post match interviews both used the phrase 'a game too many' to excuse getting thrashed by us. Hoping the Oldham manager will also trot that one out just after 10pm tomorrow. Come on Notts.

Sounds like a cracking game. So glad they turned on the style in front of the home fans. Steve Cotterill fuming! Respect him a lot but he could've given Notts more credit.

MK won last night. It's looking tough now, need to go on an incredible run. This is the problem - every year promotion places are generally filled up by teams that have thrown money at it maybe shouldn;t have been relegated the year before and that bounce straight back come out of nowhere thanks to a good coach and everything just clicks Which doesn't actually leave much room for just plain 'good' teams. I'm still hopeful for auto or play-offs but we could be stuck in this division for a few years yet unless everything really comes together like it did under LW.

Another epic fail I'm afraid. Big Saturday crowd, TV, local derby, any one of those is usually enough for a let down. Let's hope the play-offs this year are scheduled for a Monday morning, behind closed doors, during a TV technicians' strike.

Jatta makes the bench! Consipracy theories officially retired.

This season when we've had 10k+ crowds we've only won 3 out of 7. All three times that we've not scored have been in front of 10k plus crowds. The Cambridge win is the one big plus. When we've had a smaller crowd we've won 8 out of 11. That includes all of our evening kick-offs. So a big crowd expected, Saturday afternoon, time to step up.

The bookies have it as a five horse race (Salford, the sixth favourites, are a long shot at 8/1). Converting the odds, they give Bromley an 83% chance, MK 75%, Cambridge 67%, Notts 56%, Swindon 23%. I still don't rate Swindon. Our game at Cambridge is massive, win there and we're in the driving seat. Bromley have lost the knack of nicking a win. It's 100% there for the taking, we just have to play to our potential in the kind of games where we tend not to turn up - the Chesterfield and Salford games being the ones that worry me the most.

Putting a curse on it but ... after the earlier result, if Notts win by 2 goals today we go second I think?

Our odds at the bookies have come in a lot, about evens now and I'm pretty sure you could get 5/1 after our last bad run. We're 7/1 for the title, tempting ...

Yes they said they were keeping in touch with him, but it's getting pretty late in the season now to make a difference. I think in terms of success or failure, the owners would want 16 signings to include at least 1 that ends up going for a decent fee. Not much scope left for that, Dennis maybe.

Another 2025 signing out the door. Including loans out that's: Johnson, Miller, Whitaker, Jarvis, Traore, Roos, Cotter, Aljofree, Luker Still with us: Hall, Dennis, Norburn, Bennetts, Kouhyar, Griffiths, Iorpenda

Stlll in a different time zone entirely so really disappinting to wake up to this. Could still turn out to be a great season but our defeats have been really lame, complete no-shows for the most part. MP says every game is tough and that's kind of true but let's not forget this is the 4th tier - teams in the bottom half are the dregs of the football league. We should have enough to overcome them. I think back to the Allardyce championship season - a team of solid pros and we basically got promoted by doing the double over all the teams in the bottom half.

Yes JJ!

Hoping JJ can rescue this for us. Something out of nothing, maybe a free kick or penalty.

Come on Notts we can do this!! Need to take our chances because Bromley sure take theirs. On holiday in Vietnam, keep the updates comng please.

Such a strong, mature squad now. Usually in any squad there are a few weak links where you're thinking they should be loaned out or released. Getting ahead of myself now, but if we got promoted, it's difficult to think who the lcub would ship out to make room for some L1 level signings.

I've voted for L1 because of the owners' focus on sustainability. If we get to L1 they'll want us to find our feet, build up attendances and commerical revenues even more (maybe redevelop the ground?), and put tgoether a better squad without just splashing the cash. Then push on to the championship when we're ready. They're the opposite of the instant success buying attentions seekers who own some clubs. Hopefully Forest will be in L1 as well at that point, saddled with massive debts and heavy points deductions.

Who do we think it comes down to for automatic promotion? I reckon it's 3 from the current top 5. Salford haven't quite got what it takes I don't think, very one dimensional. Walsall are bottling it. I can't see anyone else making a charge that would catch us up - it's probably going to take far more than 78 points this season. Colchester looked most likely at one point but not now. That means we need to finish higher than 2 from Bromley, Swindon, MK and Cambridge. We're way better than Swindon. MK are underperforming given their squad. Cambridge I'm not sure about - if Saturday turns out to be more than a blip for them, so much the better.