theAnticlough

Can't stop listening to this New Order masterpiece this week - Vanishing Point ch?v=ZonOHDWn1Dc&list=RDZonOHDWn1Dc&start_radio=1 Sad song, but what an ending ''My life ain't no holiday I've been through the point of no return I've seen what the man can do I've seen all the hate of a woman too And they gave him away Like in 'Whistle Down The Wind' By the look on his face He never gave in''

'Looking for a penalty' is a very misleading phrase. Of course the attacking team is looking for penalties - goals or fouls made against them Why not run at players? Unless they tackle you cleanly, you either beat them or win a free kick. Get into the penalty box, and the reward is a penalty. For sure, by the laws of the game one of the incentives of getting the ball in the box is to win a penalty. Maybe one of the main things Tsaroulla had in his mind was to win a penalty. I hope it was. That's the way it should be and there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is with officials being more reluctant to call fouls in the penalty area than out of it.

The main angle replayed on Saturday, Stall's reaction, all kind of supported the ref This is pretty conclusive though... I don't care if Nick's left foot, in that last step, moved to the left ever so slightly. Players have got the right to step on whatever piece of open turf they like. The rules of the game don't dictate where a player can and cannot step. If it's open and you're there first, an opponent shouldn't be kicking and tripping you. Another example of Refs favouring defences to give themselves an easy life. Needs sorting out.

Yeah, ideally we make life difficult for them, closing down and giving them little space or time on the ball. Grant, for one, should spend a hour doing exactly that, and then let someone like Luker loose when there's more space and tiredness around. The rest of the first half can be spent in our possession. We have to be positive but careful with the ball at the same time. The game changes though as soon as you go 1 behind. I don't believe you can keep to the same game plan then. Time passes quickly in football and you need every minute to try to level it up. I don't know if the pros see it that way though

Interesting that @liampie and @Sheffield Pie both hone in on midfield as key Sunday is a different kind of game...only half a game really. For once, I'd take the first quarter of the game (45mins) to be uneventful. We need a more solid backline than at Oldham and Cambridge, and a midfield that can assert some control over the game.... Robbo is a good player, but one of many at Notts who can be slow starters in games (Robbo, Bedeau, Jones, Tsaroulla, Jatta). We can't afford to be erratic in the first 15mins. So despite the duplication and the poor record at Oldham/Cambridge I'll probably go for the extra steadiness and control of Palmer and Norburn for the first quarter of this tie at least. I'm certain Robbo will feature in other 75% of the tie. This depends on Palmer being at 100% though, so he'll have 8 days to improve on what we saw v Gas

Word of warning before you read on - I'm at the pessimistic stage MP must have nagging doubts and fears like us. Because this is pretty much the same team that went away to Oldham and lost 3-0. And went away to Cambridge and lost 4-0. And now another high stakes away game at tough L2 opponent. Catch us on a bad day and we're proven to be fragile. In both previous cases our backline was Macari-Ness-Bedeau and the midfield pairing Norburn-Palmer. Can McDonald make a difference to avoid disaster in the first-half on Sunday? More positively than that....maybe it's fated to go to Penos again (hope the lads get enough practice in). We don't have Archie Mair....but doesn't it seem destined for James Belshaw to be facing pens, and either in tears, or going nuts in front of the Kop a week on Friday?

Thanks so much Stark 'dangerous' Mallard, duck for running this league. Eider won if it wasn't for those pesky kids... It's a difficult business predicting the games you choose....going down a slate of eight games and getting 1pt or even 'nul' points! My achilles heel is predicting losses for clubs and teams I dislike Anyway, thanks for the season long fun.

Ask me again after the Chesterfield game... I love Meadow Lane, but football is about getting people through the turnstiles - advertising banners don't enjoy the game so much and don't join in with the singing and cheering.

Pretty damning and depressing looking at that - but we were badly hit by injuries and suspensions, seems we could ill-afford that to happen. Still, all is not lost. All to play for. The 3 promoted teams all deserved it more. Then again, smalls margins. A goal for us instead of Barnet and we're up. That was the game IMO and felt it at the time.

I'll agree with the sponsors today and say Tsaroulla. MP has a selection headache ahead of Chesterfield. Attacking midfield as per usual, but now central I think. Of the central midfielders on show today, I thought the best was Norburn (unusual for me). Palmer was especially shaky. What to do? Jones had a very good first half. Ness continues to impress.

Yeah it was alright from that angle @Robbie Epic two leg battle coming up. Great rivalry we have with them from all the massive games in recent years. We've won the last two play-off encounters against them. Let's make it a hat-trick

Love this game. Gas leaving forwards up all the time means the game is really stretched and we don't get the usual sight of our defenders having most of the ball. With so much space, this should be the perfect game for Iorpenda running from deep. Would another booking mean Tsaroulla banned for a play-off 1st leg? I know he needs the pitch time, but let's bring on Kouhyar to be safe. As it stands, one goal for Crewe, any deflection or fluke of any kind, and we're up!

Yes, that is a surprise. I've been calling for Iorpenda to play midfield for most of the season, but I didn't expect it now. Kouhyar over Bennetts on the bench. I'm OK with that. Let's see how Luker and Grant do putting in their claims to start AM in the play-offs.

Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Luton Leyton Orient 2-1 Burton Albion Joker P'boro 2-2 Doncaster Rovers Reading 1-1 Blackpool Barrow 1-2 Newport County Cheltenham 1-2 Colchester Gillingham 1-2 Shrewsbury Swindon 2-3 Chesterfield

Yes, this York City season is a tremendous achievement and it proves he has abilities. So you're right @Robbie, but I just can't do the revisionism on how I feel about his Notts era......especially at this time as we're probably about to go into play-off games, ones in which we'll have to show some passion and competitiveness. So, I'm with Delicious Baguette on this I'd have him back before Burchnall, how about that? 😀

Happy May Day and Bank Holiday weekend everybody It's good to read thru this thread for all the honestly written personal commentaries and supportive interactions... Best wishes to all in their personal challenges and battles for better health. Not that much to report myself... the groin/hip area strain has been slowly improving. I think it's one of those RSI things that are far easier to pick when you reach a certain age...we have to watch more that we don't sit, stand or sleep too long in certain positions or go about activities in the wrong way, for too long. Easier said than done, I know. Match day tomorrow. Hopefully that'll add to really positive May Bank Holiday for all.

I like that team. I forgot to include Robertson in my list of players that need game time. It seems awkward timing for him, trying to hit top form 90mins away from a play-off campaign. We have many players that usually take a while to hit their stride. Luker and Iorpenda though, behind Jatta, is at last a reasonable solution to the season-long No.10 problem. Not necessarily goals and assists, but a physical and athletic challenge for the opposition.

What would your starting line-up be? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be? It'll be a similar team to the one at Colchester. Ness will come in of course. Many players need at least 65mins to build up their form and match sharpness - Ness, McDonald, Palmer, Jones, Tsaroulla, Luker, Jatta. Scoreline could be anything - it's a weird end-of-season scenario. I think i just want to see players in form and us play good stuff. 6%, or whatever it is, is too much of a long shot to pin any hopes on.

Oh my, that would take me back - I was up in that corner for the top flight in the early 80s and the years before and after that too

Totally agree @Robbie It takes very little to click that icon, but it tips the hat to the poster who has made the effort. I'm sure it's always noticed and appreciated. Conversely, no issues with those that don't. I'm too busy reading and thinking about the content to care about who's responded and who hasn't. The feature was on Mad for a few years and I seem to recall the site being more acrimonious and less fun before it was introduced and then again when it was removed.

I actually got these calculations wrong. Those %s work out to a 4.5% chance. And if you bump Crewe up to 20% you can get to 6%! So let's say they're 16 balls in the bag and one has Notts' name on it. This is heading in the right direction for me!

Macari goes thru to summer 2027 I think. Having 2 first choice defenders out for most/a lot of next season already seems like quite a handicap. What are the precedents for a player like Platt? Do clubs always or usually extend them - partly due to maintaining a positive reputation with potential signings and agents etc? Or are there cases of players like Platty being released as they go thru their rehab? Was his injury a full-on achilles tear so minimum 9 months?

I'll chip in as soon as the season's decided @NCFCGuy If one of those out-of-contract players hits a late winner in the play-off final to become a Notts legend then they're definitely on my retained list But the Platt/Macari situations probably means fewer gambles, more sure-things.

Well said. Combining that list with losing Montague for the best part of a year, spanning two seasons....the way it ended with SM, the time under Gagliardi....probably all really set us back. I think most fans get this. I don't get too angry or depressed after bad results. I've always enjoyed the whole project under the Bros. It's the clamour to throw the baby out with the bathwater that wears on me a bit.

It's all academic anyway, we're already up - the league still has a to give us the 12pts for the conversions scored by Bennetts and Jodi from our last 4 free kicks