TheSkipper

I have been a member since January 2017, so 8 years now. The community has always been welcoming, supportive, and focused on healthy discussion. In my early teens, I decided I would like to write about sports. I have found PON to be very influential in my development, and I look back on my university years, seeing this site thrive. People might not always agree, but we need to remember that we want the best for each other and not at the expense of the site itself. I am passionate about the community, just as much as I am about writing.

Notts has to put Saturday's frustration aside and go for the win against Carlisle. They are still in a very vulnerable place, but I think they will sort it out in time, which will make them try harder. Passing back should not come at the cost of going forward. We are sometimes too comfortable passing the ball around, which gives the opposition chances. If Carlisle park the bus, we need to break it down and show we have the quality to win these games. If we can score a couple of goals early, I would feel comfortable going into the second half, allowing Carlisle to play more, as we could force them to attack and then kill the game off. Losing Matt Palmer is a big problem, as we sometimes lack a forward mindset. David McGoldrick is one of the few players who tries to bring the ball forward when teams are defensive. Bromley went from chasing everything to standing off and becoming very organised when they realised we would pass the ball back if we couldn't create space ahead. We need to show teams we can overcome this, especially at home.

Stuart Maynard's biggest downfall is not knowing how to make in-game changes to put Notts on the front foot. He's slow at adapting, and sometimes it gets too late to get anything from games. We can dominate teams at home, but when they change things, we fall off. Even though we get good results, it sometimes costs us points. He needs to be braver at times, and at other times he needs to take off players who aren't performing well enough. If a player continues to struggle after 45 minutes, and other teams exploit this, it makes no sense to hang on and avoid making changes. Football is about taking your chances. We focus too much on control. Possession isn't always the best tactic; creating and scoring chances is.

I'm not sure why we didn't recall him. Maybe the option wasn't available, and Dagenham & Redbridge decided to end his loan on their own. Hopefully, he'll play again once he's fully fit. He's very fast, and if he scores goals like he did in the National League, he'll be a threat in League Two. Having someone who's not afraid to shoot from a distance will be a great addition next to David McGoldrick. It's good to have him back.

I don't think you offer contracts like this if you believe you will face demotion or other penalties that could affect your income. I think he is aiming to become the world's highest transfer because players like him want to win leagues. Seeing a club fall into chaos is usually the first step that makes them want to leave. Could it be that Man City hopes a huge transfer fee will help them recover some of their overspending? It's a huge contract, and I'm not entirely sure if it's good for football.

Our form before the transfer window opened had been better, but Accrington are a difficult team, and their position in the league means nothing on the day. They will make Wham Stadium a tough place to visit. Even if, on paper, we should win or are going in as the favourites, there are more unknowns added to the game. I am looking forward to watching the game. It's not the best stadium in League Two, but I do like the atmosphere we can create there. I hope we don't just throw in new signings, or Jodi Jones and Curtis Edwards, but put out a team that is balanced. I am sure Stuart Maynard will see the risk of throwing players in, especially when they are new. Is anyone else going to the Wham/Crown Stadium? I hope Alassana Jatta is going to cause a storm.

Burnley 4-1 Watford QPR 1-2 Preston North End Blackpool 0-0 Stevenage Northampton Town 0-1 Charlton Athletic Chesterfield 3-1 AFC Wimbledon Morecambe 0-1 Bromley Hartlepool United 1-0 Yeovil Town Wealdstone 1-3 Dagenham & Redbridge Joker

Luton Town 1-1 Swansea City Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Oxford United Joker Blackpool 1-3 Rotherham United Cambridge United 0-1 Shrewsbury Town Crawley Town 0-1 Stevenage Gillingham 3-0 Salford City Harrogate Town 1-1 AFC Wimbledon Newport County 0-0 Carlisle United

Hello, @Jatta1999. Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. It would be super to learn more about you, but until then I do hope you settle in.

It's great to see such an engaging set of achievements introduced. The range of badges covers so many areas of interest and engagement, from Loyal Fan to Matchday Hero. This thoughtful addition encourages members to diversify their activities and contribute in various ways. The new ranks, such as legend and hall of fame, bring a competitive spirit that's bound to invigorate the community. Plus, having automatic badges for daily logins or milestones ensures recognition isn't missed for those small, yet significant, contributions. This update has added a fresh dynamic to the community experience, making every interaction more rewarding.

Hello, Jonathan Raimondi.It's good to see you have joined us here on the Pride of Nottingham. We are a friendly group of fans, you will feel at home discussing Notts amongst us.

Well done to George Abbott, he did put in a fine performance against a very good Posh team.

Facing a home team with a quality level significantly above ours made it a challenging match. Despite the initial goal from Peterborough that could have easily shattered our morale, I'm proud of how Notts fought back and took the lead. It's clear that we lost, and the changes to the team didn’t quite pan out as hoped, but the effort from all the players was commendable. Every player contributed to the performance, and they deserve recognition for their hard work. It's important to highlight the positives rather than focus on the negatives. While we didn’t win, the team showed resilience and determination that we can build on.

Happy Birthday, Neil Warnock! Notts County will forever be better off for the success he brought to us.

I felt torn between George Abbott and Nick Tsaroulla, though I ended up voting for the player I felt most deserved my vote.

Jacob Bedeau got my vote. I thought he was classy and did very well. I don't think we would have performed so well without him, yes we made mistakes but considering the calibre of Peterborough United you would expect that. Big shoutout to George Abbott for his impressive performance this season! I'm proud we have him on loan.

It was a difficult match, against a home team who has a large amount of quality above our level within it. I am proud of how Notts played and led the game, coming back after the opener from Peterborough could have easily destroyed our morale and made things difficult to go on from there. Yes, we lost and changes to the team didn't help matters but again, we did well and all the players put in effort. They deserve the credit which went into the performance, so no negatives from me.

It's uninspiring and lacks ambition from the outside, but who knows? He could be a good coach, and make an excellent manager in time. With an appointment like this, you really have to back them through the difficult spells and just hope it pays off in the long term. Leicester City fans might be concerned about relegation, and I am not exactly sure how they help them to avoid that, but I think it's a matter of time. Manchester United seem to have wanted to push him out the door, so it makes you wonder, and I am aware that they are trying to reduce what salaries they are spending, but this seems off to me.

It's a good game to be playing, the insight to see how we have come since the pre-season. I know those games mean little, and it's all about fitness, but it does give some indication. We have a good side, and it will be good to see how we compare against a top League One team. Peterborough United might be the favourites, but in cup games you can't underestimate anyone and I think to a certain degree the pressure will be on them being at home. Our crowd going and making the usual noise will be of great encouragement, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how the game does unfold. I place my trust in Stuart Maynard!

Hello, @Peter Speers. It's good to be welcoming you to the Pride of Nottingham. We are a very friendly community and I hope you will be a part of it.

Manchester City aren't undefeatable. They are a great league team, but even with all their spending, they struggle in Europe and that's their true measure. I think a lot of English clubs are figuring them out and have game plans that allow them to be more expressive and restrict what City can do. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more going on behind the scenes, but I haven't heard anything. Not even rumours, which I would imagine there would be.

David McGoldrick deserves to see out his career earning as many minutes on the pitch and as much game time as possible. I hope he retires with us and doesn't decide to drop further down the leagues. It would be great to see him end on such a high.

Notts can do themselves proud, but it's nice just to be in the 2nd round of the FA Cup. I would love to see us beat Peterborough. Some fans want us to field a much weaker team, but I believe they lack faith in the squad's ability to maintain league form. Why can't we do well in the cup, field a strong squad with a little rotation, and not avoid problems for the league? If anything, we are in a good position with returning players. Beating the Posh could be a huge lift which could carry into the league.

I think there's room for rotation among the striker department. Jatta is an excellent player, but sometimes he's better coming off the bench on rare occasions. He would make my first team if I wrote it down on paper. Scott Robertson could easily come into the team, allowing us to play Matt Palmer further up and still leave room for George Abbott. What strikes me is the amount of room for rotation. Plus, if we sign quality players in January, we should be onto a winner.

When you've been around for so long, defeats are going to rack up. It's even more true when you support a club that has stayed in the 4th tier of English football and bounced up and back from divisions. I don't see the number of defeats as a negative. Sure, it would be nicer if they were wins, but then Notts as we know now wouldn't be seen as special as it is.