samwatto2008

Fan Introduction Name: Ed Gorton Age: 18 How long have you supported Macclesfield? I have supported Macc for 11 years now. My first game was actually at Meadow Lane in 2007. If I remember correctly we won 1-0. Are you a season ticket holder? I am. Favorite Player: Would have to be Danny Whitaker. Simply a club legend. How do you think Macclesfield have done so far this season in terms of form and expectations for the season? So far this season our performances have been very poor, and we’ve been resorting to long-ball football. We’ve picked up a bit in the last couple of games, managing to get two draws against two very decent sides. In terms of expectations, we were expected to struggle but none of us thought it would’ve been this bad. If we still had Askey, then it probably would be a whole different story. The most worrying thing is that the players that have come in aren’t better than the ones who stayed on from last season (apart from the two goalkeepers), but Yates kept starting the ones he’d signed. Did you feel hard done by when John Askey left you in the summer for Shrewsbury Town? I was gutted when John left, but he fully deserves his chance to manage at a higher level. However, it appeared that John wanted to stay at Macc, but there are strong rumors that the Owner and Chairman forced him out (they really didn’t get along well and rarely contacted each other). The fans are really unhappy about this and a majority want both the chairman and owner out. With the style of football that John had us playing, I really don’t think we’d be struggling in the league, and he always knew a good player when he saw one. Can you describe what it was like getting promoted back to the Football League last year? Getting promoted last season was incredible and meant an awful lot to every Silkmen fan. The fact that we did it against the odds made it even sweeter. It’s also so much nicer going on away days to places I’ve actually heard of before. And finally, the money that promotion bought in was huge for the club, as for the last few years we’ve been cash-strapped. Who is the biggest threat when going forward and why? Going forward we have a front three of Marsh, Wilson and Blissett. Blissett works tirelessly and wins a lot in the air. Wilson’s runs in behind are a big threat and Marsh is a very creative player. If I had to pick one I’d go for Blissett due to his work-rate. What did you think of the appointment of Mark Yates from Solihull Moors after keeping them up last year in the National League? At first, I thought Yates was a decent appointment. He operated on a tight budget at Solihull and completely turned their season round. He’s taken Cheltenham to two play-off finals and has Football League experience. However, I haven’t been impressed by his style of football at all and some of the players he’s bought in haven’t been great. I really hope he can turn it round for us. As an opposition fan, which player are you most worried about facing from Notts County? I would say Kristian Dennis. He played for us a few years ago and scored goals for fun. He’s a real threat in the box. Also, Elliott Hewitt and Shaun Brisley, both came through our youth team and turned into very good players. Finally, what will be your score prediction for this game along with the goal scorers? I’ll be optimistic and go for a 2-1 Silkmen win, with Blissett and Wilson scoring. Dennis to score for County. Final comments from Sam and Chris Both Sam and Chris would like to thank Ed for one of the best interviews we have had so far this season. It’s interesting about his comments made on manager Mark Yates and Kristian Dennis and how he thinks he will be the danger man for us. Finally, Sam predicts a 4-1 away win to Notts with Hemmings, Boldewjin and Dennis to score. Chris predicts a 2-2 draw with Hemmings and Hewitt to get their names on the scoresheet. Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Match Highlights from Tuesday nights clash against Crawley Town where Notts dispatched them easily with a comfortable 3-1 win.

Harry Kewell's interview post-Crawley. He says he is happy with the performance overall and the desire of the players.

Glad to see him get on the score sheet. He is brilliant competition for both wingers and he is a dangerous impact substitution to be made to kill teams off and play on the counter.

Fan Introduction Name: Aidan Parfitt Age: 19 How long have you supported Crawley? I’ve been a supporter of Crawley for 14 years now Are you a season ticket holder? Yes, been a season ticket holder for most of the 14 years Favourite Player: Bondz N’Gala How do you think Crawley have done so far this season in terms of form and expectations for the season? I’d say at this stage of the season our form has been very inconsistent but in terms of expectation I’d say we are about where we would want to be in the league. Is there any current bad blood between your club and Notts County? Or were you happy with the income received from the likes of Kewell, Feeney and Boldewjin? I wouldn’t say there is bad blood between supporters or the clubs, but I think there is bad blood between Crawley, Kewell and Feeney, the income from all of their fees has helped us out massively and Meant we can bring in players like Morais and Ollie Palmer, Crawley fans have nothing but love for Enzio and most fans understand why he did the move to Notts. Who has been your star player this season so far? Star player has to be Ollie Palmer scored 6 goals already and without him scoring I don’t think anyone else would. What are your thoughts on the Rob Milsom situation? As we have him on an initial loan deal with a view to be permanent. Bypassing the fact, the transfer window shut early. You can have Milsom he played 3 games for Crawley and looked very poor, if he was till at Crawley let’s put it like this I’d happily drive him back to Notts if he wanted to go. Are you happy to see the back of Harry Kewell? If so… Why? Personally, I’m happy to see the back of him, he just ruined the style of football Crawley have always played, we just kept passing around at the back and making silly mistakes, I never liked his arrogance either but guess you can’t help that with some people. As an opposition fan, which player are you most worried about facing from Notts County? Got to be Enzio, always fear playing former players, not worried about Evina at all and Milsom I won’t realise he’s on the pitch, but we know what Enzio can do so got to be him. Finally, what will be your score prediction for this game along with the goal scorers? Notts 1-2 Crawley, I reckon Enzio will score your goal and Palmer and Morais will score our goals. Final Comments from Sam and Chris Both Sam and Chris would like to think Aidan for his time and effort to complete this interview for our Pride of Nottingham members to read. It really is good to see what the opposition fans are thinking ahead of the league clash on Tuesday night, comments made about Kewell were very interesting. Finally, Sam thinks it will be a 1-1 draw with Boldewjin scoring against his former club. While Chris predicts a 1-0 to Notts with the RB Tootle scoring the only goal In the game. Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Fan introduction Name: Adam Kay Age: 26 How long have you supported Crewe? 19 years Are you a season ticket holder? Yes, since the 1999/2000 season. Favorite Player: George Ray How do you think Crewe have done so far this season in terms of form and expectations for the season? After our spectacular 6-0 start, things have only gone downhill and fast. After 5 games we were miraculously in minus goal difference. Although we have managed a few clean sheets, we have also failed to score in a significant amount of games and that needs to drastically improve if we are to look up rather than down. I expect us to finish around the lower mid table mark based on what I have seen so far this season. Which player left in the summer who you think could have been needed this season? We had a relatively quiet summer which seen us release 2 first team players and both were unsurprising. Who has been your star player this season so far? For me, Ryan Wintle has been our best player this season, purely based on the fact he consistently gives a decent showing and sits in front of the defence protecting the back four. When George Cooper left for Peterborough did you miss him at all? Did he have a massive impact on your squad or were you glad to cash in on an academy product? To be honest, not as much as first thought. He was our main creator especially from set pieces but he was directly replaced with another academy graduate in Charlie Kirk who has improved a lot over the last 12 months, so the impact has been minimal. Perry Ng has always been highly rated of in League Two? What do you think are his prospects? He’s a very versatile player and can play in a number of positions across the defence or even in centre midfield. I think he could go up the football league ladder sooner rather than later if he continues to show improvement and consistency. As an opposition fan, which player are you most worried about facing from Notts County? I would say David Vaughan, he’s one of our own academy players so we know all about his abilities and was playing championship football across the Trent as recently as last year. Finally, what will be your score prediction for this game along with the goalscorers? 0-0 Both teams are desperate for points, Crewe mainly to show a response to losing the local derby against Port Vale last weekend and being thumped by a Man City academy 11 in the week. Notts on the other hand haven’t won all season and will be going all out to change that and impress the new boss. Final comments from Sam and Chris I think Crewe will be a physical side that will bring both a mix of youth and experience. However, I think this is where we pick up our first win, I’m going to say a 4-0 win to Notts, Stead and Hemmings both getting a brace. Chris, meanwhile, feels Notts could capitalise on a poor Crewe defence but with a much closer score line of 3-1, Stead, Dennis and Thomas to score. Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

In this featured article I am going to provide some information on the youth setup here at Notts County. I am then going to offer my opinions on If I think it is good enough and compare it to a few different academies in the EFL. I think for such a big club in the lower leagues it’s an important factor within a football club to have a solid base in the academy stages of football. On August 20th this year it was announced that Steve Chettle would be responsible for managing the club’s development side competing in the Central League North Division along with any cup matches that would be played. So far, we have played Wigan Athletic and Port Vale. We drew 1-1 with Wigan and lost 5-3 to a Port Vale side with the likes of Idris Kanu and David Worrall in it. Although it has not been the best of starts it’s important to remember that teams can field first team players in this competition. For a number of years now academy products have struggled to break through into the first team. This season it was portrayed by ex-manager Kevin Nolan and Alan Hardy that youth was a big focus point this season, especially with the signings of Noor Husin from Crystal Palace in January and the latest arrivals of Will Patching from Manchester City and Tom Crawford from National League South side Chester. The following is a list of all players within the registered first team that are 21 or under: Max Culverwell, Pierce Bird (19), Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain (20), Declan Dunn, Noor Husin (21), Will Patching (19), Tom Crawford (19), Samuel Osbourne (19), Alex Howes (18) and Remaye Campbell (17). Previously Notts have been accused have not been focusing on the academy and youth with the past departures of Curtis Thompson, Haydn Hollis, Jordon Richards and Dongda He. It is frustrating to see that we let players like this go for free transfers or released and then replace them with more players that need the same development. Nowadays young players need to be nurtured and guided into the first team. The prime example of a quality youth system would be Exeter City. They have made millions from slowly developing players like Ethan Ampadu who now starts for Wales, as well as Ollie Watkins who left for Brentford for a reported 1.75 million. Ampadu’s fee was to be settled by tribunal but later reported to be around the 1.25 million mark. Ampadu was at the Exeter City academy for 10 years while Ollie Watkins was there from the age of 9 being there for 10 years before moving into the first team. Exeter City have made their mark on the youth system and prove to be leading the way for fees received for youth players and what they have achieved is truly remarkable. I think it is important for Notts County to learn from teams like Exeter and nurture players from the ages of 9/10 so when they do turn 18/19 they can become league players or be sold onto big teams like Watkins and Ampadu for massive figures which can pay for facilities and transfers in the future. This season Notts have bought young players and chucked them straight into the development side which I can understand as they need developing but I disagree with paying fees for players that are young as it completely bypasses the whole grass roots stage of Notts County Football Club from the ages of 12 onwards. What is the motivation for players like Alex Howes who was on the brink of first team football at one stage now being pushed back into the U21’s just for paid transfers such as Patching and Crawford to take his place. I think this is where were going wrong and instead of developing players properly and with the right coaching we just seem to bypass the grass roots stage and just buy young players with the hope of them being ready in a year. I am sorry, but I just don’t think academy football works like that. Chettle now has a project on his hands and talking in terms of youth players I think he should deal with what he has got and nurture and develop these players into League proven players so that Notts can be a stepping stone for players such as Osbourne, Patching and Husin and then do what Exeter have done and receive huge sums of money which at our level could make or break a club quite literally. It disappointed me when we let Dongda He go because I can only feel that Hardy was desperate for the cash at the time, I believe he was offered a pro contract behind the scenes as he was breaking into the first team. Dongda He could have been our first million-pound player but instead we cashed in early and just let him go. At the age of 19 I feel strongly about the youth system at Notts as I can’t understand the sort of pressure that young players face in the modern football game as at the age most of them are it can quite easily send them down two career paths, one in football or one not in football. It’s only a matter of time before the likes of Osbourne, Campbell and Bird are picked up by teams in higher leagues for buttons. I would like to ask the members of Pride of Nottingham to discuss this further as I think it is a topic within the football club which is shadowed by the performances of the first team. Let me know your thoughts and hopefully we can create a good discussion on such an important topic. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Fan Introduction Name: Matt Age: 15 How long have you supported Northampton Town? Ever since I had my first season ticket at 7-8 years of age. Are you a season ticket holder? Yes Favorite Player: John Joe O’Toole How do you think Northampton have done so far this season in terms of form and expectations for the season? In terms of results, way below expectations as we haven’t been as good at finishing teams off to get the 3 points, overall the quality of football has been good, but we haven’t been able to wrap up wins and we’ve been punished on several occasions for not doing so. Which player left in the summer who you think could have been needed this season? Personally, I think the loss of goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell to Bradford is a big loss as the fans loved him and when he left to go to Bradford he was in brilliant form for us. In my opinion he could have been key to a promotion push this season. Notts County are looking at getting a sponsored stadium name. How do you feel about Sixfields becoming the PTS Academy stadium? Is it welcomed at the club or looked down on? Personally, I hate it. I think most of the fans do. Sixfields is the name of the retail park so to have it as our stadium name made perfect sense. If you have sponsored stadium name, the name has to work for example Stoke and the Bet365 stadium. For me, the PTS Academy Stadium doesn’t roll off the tongue well and it will always be Sixfields in my eyes. Who is the biggest threat when going forward and why? Kevin Van Veen and JJ O’Toole are threats when they play off one another. Van Veen is a proven league one striker and we are lucky to have him in league two and he could be vital this season for us if he can grab 20 plus goals. How would you sum up last season where you were relegated from League One? What went wrong? Last season Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was in charge (for the majority) and fans blamed not only a poor style of play but most of all the lack of passion is believed to be one of the main reasons we faced the drop. We had quite a few on loan last year meaning that Northampton wasn’t their main club relegation didn’t really bother them as their parent clubs were at a higher level. Players such as David Buchanan, JJ O’Toole and Ash Taylor were just a few who showed some fighting spirit to stay up. 8 of the 11 last year didn’t seem to bother. As an opposition fan, which player are you most worried about facing from Notts County? Jon Stead and Kane Hemmings are the Notts County danger men up top with both being well established EFL players. I look forward to seeing how they get on against the likes of Taylor and Pierre at the back and see if they know the formula for getting past them. Finally, what will be your score prediction for this game along with the goal scorers? The Cobblers desperately need a home win, so I’ll go for a nervy 2-1 Northampton win. Van Veen and Crooks for the Town and Hemmings for County. Final Comments from Sam and Chris Sam and Chris would like to thank Matt who has taken the time to answer a few of our questions in detail for our Pride of Nottingham members to read. It is interesting to see what an opposition fan thinks about Notts County and current issues going on surrounding their club. Finally, Sam’s score prediction for this weekend is a hopeful 3-1 away win with Alessandra and Hemmings being the scorers. Meanwhile Chris thinks the score will be exactly the same 3-1 in Notts favour, Stead, Boldewijn and Ward to score. Share your thoughts about this article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Notts County will face Stevenage FC on Saturday for the first time this season at Meadow Lane. Notts County’s recent form over 5 games (LLLLL) sees them at the bottom of the table with just 1 point from the opening day against Colchester. Meanwhile, Stevenage sit in a comfortable 11th with their recent form being (WDLLW). With inconsistent results, Stevenage will be looking to capitalize and be taking all three points at Meadow Lane from a run down Notts County side. So far Stevenage have scored 7 goals conceding just 6 times in 7 games. With Notts scoring 7 goals and conceding an eye watering 21 goals in just 7 games. A win for Stevenage could see them move up to as high as 3rd place with results going their way. However, a win for Notts would move them up to 22nd providing results go their way. Other fixtures to keep an eye on Mansfield vs Exeter City Crawley Town vs Morecambe Macclesfield Town vs Lincoln City Newport County vs Yeovil Town Sam’s prediction I think it will be a tough game with spirits still low in the camp. We have to turn this form around sooner or later or were going to have a right mess on our hands. With three games coming up that are all winnable, the rest of the month sees us face the likes of Crewe and Northampton, so this really is 9 points we have to fight for. We need to start with a win here. Im favoring a draw at 2-2 but my heart wants me to say a 2-1 win to Notts with Stevenage scoring first. Scorers being Hemmings and Brisely. We must defend corners and set pieces better. A clean sheet would do nicely too if we can manage that, but I think that’s asking for too much. SkyBet odds Notts County 7/5 – Draw 12/5 – Stevenage 19/10 (Fav) Key men Alex Revell – Revell has scored two times so far this season but also racking up 2 assists. This tells me that he will be a handful for our defense as his instinct is not only to shoot but to find that final ball to get the team the three points. Stevenage have a habit of scoring late on and Revell will be the man to help drive the team across the line. Enzio Boldewjin – The quick pacey winger will be a match for the Stevenage full backs, especially if he keeps swapping wings. His trickery and ability to cut inside and gets shots off from inside and outside the area should worry the Stevenage defense. Final thoughts Stevenage have a habit of scoring late so we must not switch off in the second half and take our foot off the gas. They have a strong defense with some good prospects and experience in there. Paul Farman, Scott Cuthbert, Luther Wildin all apart of the back 4 that Stevenage operate. Notts County must find the weak points within their side and break them down quickly, apply quick pressure and press the ball high but remain vigilant to counter attacks from the likes of Danny Newton, Jimmy Ball and Alex Revell. Share your thoughts about this preview on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Opposition View: Stevenage This week we have interviews from two Stevenage fans who will both be apart of this week's Pride of Nottingham’s Opposition View Series. Fan Introduction Name: Greg Kett Age: 28 How long have you supported Stevenage? I’ve supported Stevenage for 23 years. Are you a season ticket holder? No Favorite Player: Ronnie Henry Name: George Age: 16 How long have you supported Stevenage? 12 years. Are you a season ticket holder? Yes, I am a season ticket holder. Favorite Player: Alex Revell How do you think Stevenage have done so far in the new 2018/19 campaign? Greg: Solid start to the season in my opinion but defeats to Yeovil and Cambridge left us with a lot of work to do. It’s been a squad overhaul in the summer, so the players will need some time to gel. I would expect to see some more inconsistent performances over the next couple of months. George: They haven’t been the best so far. However, we can’t complain because we’ve only lost twice, and I think the players just need to settle down into the Stevenage setup. How big of a loss was Matt Godden in the summer transfer window? Greg: A loss for sure but the arrival of Alex Revell last January and Danny Newton has softened the blow a little. He’s a big goal threat (Godden) so would be a miss for any team but most fans were expecting and were preparing for his departure in the summer. George: The loss of Matt Godden wasn’t a big loss in my opinion. We have Newton and Revell who score goals a lot. Godden’s final season wasn’t as good as his previous seasons. If we had lost him at the end of 16/17 it would have been a massive loss. Looking at the table now and how you have been playing, what would be your ideal finish this season? Greg: Currently 11th in the table, and I predicted 12th. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a late play off push but wouldn’t say I would have expected come the start of the season. George: Looking at how we have been playing I think we’ll be lucky to get 10th but we’re only a month into the season so hopefully we’ll make the play offs. Who has been your shining new transfer so far? Greg: Jimmy Ball has been pretty good, and Luther Wildin also has begun life at Stevenage well. Both Conference North players last season and showing great potential. George: Our shining transfer so far has probably been the arrival of James Ball. So far, he’s played really well with convincing displays. Were you ever worried about the arrival of Dino Maamria with his lack of League management history? Greg: Not really. Look at the Cowley’s and what they have done at Lincoln. They have built their way up through the lower leagues and at this level experience is not a must. If Dino gets the best out of this group of players, then he’ll succeed here at Stevenage. George: I wasn’t worried about Dino’s arrival because he’s been here before. He’s brought in some good signings so far, they just need time to settle in. As an opposition fan, which player are you most worried about facing from Notts County? Greg: Jon Stead is usually a handful when we play you and Vaughan in the middle adds more experience to a strong side. George: Not really sure about the player Im worried about facing from Notts County but I would probably have to say Kane Hemmings after having a decent season with Mansfield last year. Finally, what will be your score prediction for this game along with the goal scorers? Greg: 1-0 Boro. Ben Kennedy to score. George: 3-0 Stevenage with Revell, Ball and Kennedy to score. Final Comments from Sam and Chris Both Sam and Chris would like to thank Greg and George for their responses for the interview ahead of Saturdays clash against Stevenage. Stevenage will be looking to install some consistency in their results with a win last week. Final prediction from Sam is a 2-1 win to Notts with Hemmings and Boldewjin being the scorers, while Chris’s prediction being all square with a 0-0 draw. Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.