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? 😀