theAnticlough

My most played this week is this one...best song to come out of Nottingham IMHO

Italy v Brazil 1982 came up in conversation today - I realised I still haven't gotten over it!

After a quick look through, the one that stands out for me is Swinkels - looked excellent for Chesterfield The AM options are mainly investments for the future, rather than anyone who can take and keep a first-team shirt straight aight away. With Tangan, Luker, Iorpenda and Hall all gone I'm expecting big things for the AM position. As it stands (early days) a front three of Roberts/Grant/Jatta would have us relegated - not because they're aren't good, but susceptibility to injury, and low production in Grant's case. We need a splash. Might we be able to get someone like Chis Willock from Cardiff? I think we need someone with that kind of profile.

Thanks for posting. I'll have fun with that - shopping for our most needed position, which is another AM

Well, the challenge is right there ahead of him @Chris and he'll get another crack at the championship soon enough. Oxford struggled, but switching from Des Buckingham to Gary Rowett was bad news for Ruben. Two goals in the play-off final gives him a platform, and it's a bigger club with a better chance of establishing themselves. He must have a very high level of motivation, and I think it's going to stick this time. He'll have improved since he was with us and that elite, specialist talent of his doesn't grow on trees. 54 goals (from midfield!) and god knows how many assists, (plus those many 'hockey assists' when he's the one to put the likes of Nemane thru to cross) in just 3 seasons, and he missed almost half of the first one due to Ardley. He was an absolute machine of goal contributions for us. And 3 Wembley final wins in 4 years! 4 goals, 2 assists (at least)...an amazing record (Grant can't hold a candle to him IMO) There used a to be discussions on what level he could reach. Well he already played Championship under Buckingham, and he's back there again. I think you have to say that's the level he reached.

I think so @Robbie. I think Pato was as desperate as the fans for production from AM All he asks is that we defend as a team, like his comments on JJ in a post-final interview. Ruben's reputation is cemented as a player who works hard and gets stuck in defensively, rare for a flair player. Cal will have do to that side of the game too....or see the minutes reduce. Whether Cal starts, or it's still Grant, the other starter will have attributes that complement them hopefully. I'll think we sign a couple as we still need to replace Iorpenda, Luker and Hall.

I think that was more of a case of needs must, plus SM being quirky with his inverted habit Rod kept saying in interviews that centre was his position but he's happy to help the team (from RCB). It's amazes me how horrible he looked at RCB compared to how magnificently he played in the centre. I don't think that was just position. SM's game plans and schemes could make players look bad (Matty Palmer is another example) Ruben would've walked straight into the troublesome AM slots, no? A Championship level player with an elite talent like his (creative passing) would have won us autos I think (if he was fit) but he's out of our league now. Maybe one day we'll see him back. With his vision, he'd certainly still be able to entertain aged 35.

Our place in that is definitely going to change next season. We'll push up to 65% maybe (if results are OK) and hopefully only about 7000 seats (seats are for banners anyway, in my house I've followed Notts' example and stopped the family using the chairs and sofas - I cover them with stuff I want to promote)

Great times Who else can we mention? French, Hemmings, Cooper, Johnson. Sobers seems like another age though, the only footage seems to be in black and white!

I was as into cricket as much as football as a youth. I was regularly at Trent Bridge for Hadlee, Rice & Randall and played a tonne myself. I've followed the NBA for years now. I'm struggling though with 8 champions in 8 years. It's too hard to stay at the top in that competition. Tomorrow night sees Game 3 of the finals. The 7' 5'' alien Wemby goes into Madison Square Garden 0-2 down. It's going to be funny seeing midgets like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Timothy Chalomet etc shouting trash at somebody who looks twice their height. If it gets to 1-2, it'll get interesting.

Me too, but I have a slight doubt because there might be another Notts County out there. By that I mean a club deep into analytics and on the look out for value in young, injured players. In one of his interviews MP said that Macari was underrated. My hunch is that won't be by the data. I'd expect him to show very highly in the analytics as one of the best players in L2 last year. Number of passes, completed passes, ball control, interceptions etc. (I just looked at Opta and Bedeau had the most completed passes in L2. I'd be pretty sure that Macari's per game stats were higher) So there'd be a pull factor from other teams and also a push factor for Macari himself, who now has a top player to dislodge in his position. Gibbons would have the main counting stats for goals/assists, plus intangibles that got him into the team of the year, but I doubt he's a better pure footballer than Macari. I hope Macari stays but I wouldn't be totally surprised if a club with resources (P'boro, Salford), that could absorb his injury situation, makes him an offer and the player agrees.

I think so @Robbie, whenever a contract expires the player belongs to all 92 clubs as much as they do Notts. Personally, I think they'll both sign. But to go straight on holiday, and let the agent see what's on the market seems fair to me. How would it work from Notts' side? You can't bang the table and say sign now or else. But there has to be some kind of deadline for the sake of planning.

Body weight a struggle shared by probably a billion across the world. The challenge is normal @Chris Yeah the pop has to go (one of my things was ‘no carbonated drinks’ and I haven’t had one (apart from my exception of a coke for a bad hangover ) for over 10 years now. I’m out now I’ll post more over the next few days

Thanks for the heads up, I'm glad I've always avoided sites like that, plus facebook, X, instagram etc. On the subject itself, to use the words of someone headed for jail soon (hopefully) I'm intensely relaxed about any speculation on our Head Coach. He's obviously done tremendously for us, but I'll be honest, I'm uncomfortable seeing him described as 'manager', the James Gibbons interview included. I want the Bros model, and favoured club structure, to be respected, (it's brought us a double promotion) and I want the Head Coach to stay in his lane. I think the closest thing to 'manager' at the club is the Director of Football. Montague has given us Rodrigues, Roberts, Jones, Crowley, Bostock, Nemane, Jatta, Palmer, Langstaff, Scott, Baldwin, Cameron, Wootton, McDonand, Bedeau, Platt, Robertson etc. etc. That's a hell of a lot of good players, nearly all of which are operating at Level 1 or higher, but recruited at a lower level. It's a bloody tremendous record. On the coaches front he's recruited 4 since we got rid of the inherited Ardley. Two left to jump up 2 divisions. Even the dodgy hire doesn't look so bad now that Maynard proved himself again at York. Coaches come and coaches go, the important thing is that the operating model continues. Pato has had a fantastic first year, I hope he stays years to be the one to push us on, but I won't be fretting about whether he stays or not.

I'll take this to be the side on Match Day 1 as it stands so far - so minus the injured and the unsigned (e.g. McDonald) ......................Belshaw ...........Gibbons...Ness..Bedeau Tsaroulla..Sanders..Robertson...Jones ...........Roberts......Grant ...................Jatta