Strands #685
“That's putting it mildly!”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵

Strands #685
“That's putting it mildly!”
🔵🔵🟡🔵
🔵🔵

Strands #685
“That's putting it mildly!”
🔵💡🔵💡
🔵🟡💡🔵
🔵

Connections
Puzzle #951
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟨🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟪🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Connections
Puzzle #951
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Connections
Puzzle #951
🟨🟩🟨🟦
🟪🟩🟨🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟦🟨
🟨🟨🟦🟨

A think it was a typical Martin Paterson performance from Notts once again, with a gritty, workmanlike, but rather scrappy performance especially in the first half.

I think there has been a difference in the way Notts play since last season. I do like the way that his side has become hard working, gritty & defensively compact, which was certainly missing under previous Head Coaches during the last few years.

I think it is alright to use the direct attacking style on some occasions, but I do think that Notts should continue with their cultured attacking style especially at home. Hopefully the new players recruited in the January window will enable that attacking style to flourish once again.

A first half to forget for both teams, you can tell they hadn't played competative football for a while.

A positive performance from Mr Belshaw bolstered us, and a great strike from Mr Jones settled us a little. Them going down to 10 men didn't help as it looked as though we thought the game won, they had different Idea's though. A 3 point gain away from home is a bonus and the start hopefully of a decent run of games. COYP

A bit of Jodi Jones magic, a goal from a corner no less.....

Beck-Ray is very very quick! Nice to have genuine pace, Chiedozie style!

Thank you @theAnticlough for your concern, I think the antibiotics are doing the trick.

@Fan of Big Tone I have a distant memory of how your son feels as I was coerced into completing the New York marathon in 2003 for charity and by hook or by crook a time of 5 hours 12 minutes was recorded and what a great sight Central Park was, little did I know there was still over a mile to go. Secondly, once again i volunteered to walk a hundred miles of the Great Wall of China, what excitement as this was the furthest I had ever travelled. But comradery and a little alcohol worked wonders until I drank from a bottle that had been urinated on by rats, resulting in dysentery and the best diet ever, a loss of 3 stone in 10 days. The rest is history, I wish your Son well.

Sounds awful @Michael D Pie. thats one diet I don’t fancy trying.

No i totally agree @Fan of Big Tone there were not any takers once advertised. Cannot imagine why? ☹️☠️

I'd say it's between two players who were terrible last time out but bounced back to their bests today.

I'll give it to Jatta over Platt. On his day, Jatta does it all, defend, hold it up, be a threat, score.

I didn’t go to Crawley but listening to the radio I heard that Belshaw made two or three excellent saves early on to keep us in the game, so my man of the match is debut boy and Notts fan James Belshaw.

#waffle1457 2/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⭐🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⭐🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🔥 streak: 76
💎 #wafflediamondteam
wafflegame.net

#waffle1457 1/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩⭐🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Two sliders today 😁

🔥 streak: 124
🌟 #wafflecenturion
wafflegame.net

#waffle1457 X/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⬜⬛
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

💔 streak: 0
wafflegame.net

Bugger,bugger,bugger!!!

Charlton 2-2 Sheffield U

Stoke City 1-0 QPR

Northampton 1-0 Wycombe

Peterborough 3 -1 Plymouth 🤡

Oldham 0-0 Cheltenham

Shrewsbury 1-1 Harrogate

Brackley 1-0 Yeovil

Wealdstone 1-1 Woking

Charlton Athletic 2-0 Sheffield United

Stoke City 2-0 QPR

Northampton Town 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers

Peterborough United 3-1 Plymouth Argyle

Oldham Athletic 2-0 Cheltenham Town (joker)

Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Harrogate Town

Brackley Town 1-0 Yeovil Town

Wealdstone 0-2 Woking

Charlton Athletic -2 v 2 Sheffield United

Stoke City -1 v 4 QPR

Northampton Town 458 v 460 Wycombe Wanderers

Peterborough United 124 v 244 Plymouth Argyle

Oldham Athletic 55 v -78 Cheltenham Town

Shrewsbury Town 0 v 0 Harrogate Town (Joker)

Brackley Town 2 v 4 Yeovil Town

Wealdstone 0 v -144 Woking

Wordle 1,673 4/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,673 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,673 4/6

🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Two important early kick off matches affecting sides that could challenge Notts at the top of League 2. Full Time.

Notts are now in third place behind Walsall & Swindon.

Bristol R 0-3 Swindon

Salford 4-3 Colchester

There were only two games possible today in League 2 due to the Weather.

MK Dons 2 - 2 Chesterfield.

Cheltenham 3 - 0 Crawley.

Chesterfield go above Notts in the table & Notts drop to 8th place out of the playoff places.

Up to date table

Saturday 17th January

Two big early matches in League two. Results.

Chesterfield 0-0 Bromley

Tranmere 1-3 Walsall

Considering that even once Gordon was fit Tsaroulla was still in favour down the right-hand side is quite telling for me.

We’ve somehow got ourselves into a scenario where all our best wing-backs are left-footed, which isn't ideal. Tsaroulla, to use the classic football cliché, has done a job playing on the right hand side but he’s much better on the left because he’s not constantly put in positions where he has to use his weaker foot. He hasn’t put a cross in with his right foot that has created a goal.

Given that Cotter is not going to be involved and with Gordon moving on we are now short of a proper right-footed wingback.

Sadly, Kell never really nailed down a place in the team - he seemed a “nearly” player to me. I expected pace, dynamism & sharpness - which he provided but only in short bursts. His crosses were inconsistent too.

I think overall, he was a slight disappointment tbh but I wish him well. Always tried and came across as a good bloke in interviews etc.

We still don't know how the new players are going to perform. They may be a success, but they may not. The club has released players that were used to the system & were up to speed with knowledge of their colleagues and how they play,

It's going to take a little time for the new players to become acclimatised & up to speed. I do hope that the supporters won't expect instant results from those new players. If it happens that will be great, but if it doesn't, I hope the fans don't get on to them, before they've even settled.

Replacing Bass with Roos was a major mistake of the summer so I'm glad we've taken steps to correct it. Roos showed some good reaction saves, but too often he didn't do the basics in commanding his area and catching and punching the ball. I hope we've now got a calm presence between the sticks, and of course I hope Roos does well in Scotland.

I do like to root for an under dog and think some of the stuff said about Roos elsewhere on the internet has been a bit unfair.

He did OK but never great with crosses and left most feeling a little uneasy, so it is for the best that he has now been replaced but I wish him the best of luck in Scotland

Going from playing Newport and Harrogate to playing against Celtic and Rangers softens the blow a bit I guess. Kilmarnock are struggling. They will probably end up in the relegation playoff spot. I don't see KR playing in the Championship in Scotland so hopefully they stay up and Roos signs permanently.

Barnsley are laughing at us at this point. Taking Didzy, loaning us Cotter and not picking up the phone when we'd like to return him without a receipt.

I think Cotter's loan to us was supposed to be a precursor to a permanent move, like Jones a few years ago. Barnsley didn't loan him to us for him to regain his confidence or pick up experience, as far as they're concerned he's gone and he's not their problem.

This puts him in a tricky spot as we're so overloaded with wing backs he probably won't get a look in, yet we can hardly loan him out ourselves. For the sake of BC and his career I hope Barnsley do pick up the phone and find him a club where he'll actually play before his contract expires in the summer.

On 15/01/2026 at 17:58, menzinho said:

Here's a couple more rumours that I've heard/read. One is that Gordon could potentially go back to Crawley. I wouldn't be that surprised considering they've already signed former players like Orsi and Lolos, it's like their strategy is now to just get all their players who got them promoted back.

Traore to be loaned out to the League of Ireland and Sligo Rovers is the team he could join. He's not getting a look in here so it would make sense.

I think Traore should definitely be loaned out or sold, he doesn't really get a game and when he does, causes no impact.

Welcome! Sounds a promising signing to me - maybe someone who can play behind the striker(s). A Hall replacement?

It also looks like a return to the policy of signing promising young players on their way up.

He's an aggressive fast in your face type of player, hope Notts don't coach this out of him, he needs the ball and just go at players.

Pleased with this, he clearly backs himself to be able to make the step up to League 2, I really hope he's great for us. He's been listed on our website as an attacker which hopefully means he's not going to play at wing-back and suffer the same fate as Jarvis.

1 hour ago, DangerousSausage said:

In that case there'd be nobody there 😅

I must have misheard Crawley then. But it did sound like he was expecting to play.

Yes I thought it sounded as if he was brought in as No. 1, so I expect him to go straight into the team. Roos makes too many mistakes for my liking, Belshaw would be wasted on the bench.

https://x.com/jbelly31/status/2011524847160213994?s=61

I love this.

It’s obviously tough trying to recruit a first-choice goalie in January, unless you are willing to spend silly money which we know we don’t do. I am happy enough with Belshaw, purely on the basis that he’s better than Roos.

It's a stretch now mathematically. Four points is easy to claw back when you're at the bottom, but at the top, over only half a season, you need a fantastic run of form. You can't afford a bad month. Yes, Bradford did it last year so there's hope, but we don't quite have the players, the ruthlessness, or the luck with injuries. And the first two signings in this window have been 'ones for the future'.

We're now 7/1 at the bookies i.e. a 12.5% chance.

More realistic to hope MP can find the right formula in time to put up a good fight in the play-offs.

I tend to agree with @Sheffield Pie with his summing up of Notts's chances of automatic promotion. A couple of good additional signings might give an opportunity of making the playoffs at least.

There are up to 16 teams above and below Notts that will be challenging for either a automatic promotion place or a place in the playoffs. Half a dozen of those teams could go on a decent run. One of those teams has to be Notts which at the moment is a bit of a stretch.

Promotion is definitely achievable, but it’ll come down to a few key things. Consistency is the big one — cutting out the dropped points against teams in the bottom half and turning draws into wins.

Keeping the defence tight while maintaining our attacking style is crucial, especially away from home. Squad depth will also matter as the season wears on, so smart rotation and avoiding injuries could make the difference.

If we stay in touch with the top seven, build momentum at the right time, and hit form going into the run-in, there’s no reason we can’t push for the play-offs — and once you’re in them, anything can happen. Come on you Pies 🖤🤍

Is he really the best we can do, a reserve old man

In January? Probably is not a bad call. Less risky than a young keeper on loan for 6 months

Belshaw is in the building- my old man has just seen him at ML

I’m sure I’d agree with every word if I could read Polish.

On 07/01/2026 at 22:49, DangerousSausage said:

Saturday is FA Cup third round day, but luckily there's also a league programme for teams that don't go in for all that cup nonsense (mentioning no names). As usual, get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday and remember your joker!

Leyton Orient v Cardiff City..1:3

Peterborough United v Bolton Wanderers2;2

Accrington Stanley v Barnet - POSTPONED

Chesterfield v Colchester United - POSTPONED

Tranmere Rovers v Bromley1;2

Aldershot v So<lihull Moors2:0]

Sutton United v York C>ity1 :3 joker

Woking v Hartlepool United1:2

Leyton Orient 1-2 Cardiff City

Peterborough United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers

Accrington Stanley v Barnet - POSTPONED

Chesterfield v Colchester United - POSTPONED

Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Bromley (Joker)

Aldershot Town 1-2 Solihull Moors

Sutton United 2-2 York City

Woking 1-1 Hartlepool United

The results:

Leyton Orient 1-1 Cardiff City
Peterborough United 3-1 Bolton Wanderers
Accrington Stanley v Barnet - POSTPONED
Chesterfield v Colchester United - POSTPONED
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Bromley
Aldershot 1-5 Solihull Moors
Sutton United 1-2 York City
Woking 4-0 Hartlepool United

Drum roll for this round's winner @Megan_Elizax! And also a mention to @4everapie, who got 8 points despite only predicting five games, which is frankly showboating.

No change in the top ten this week, @magpiejue still leads the way with @Dan banging on the door in second.

The next round is on Saturday, so the prediction league pixies will post the fixtures on Wednesday. Thanks for playing!

Absolutely brilliant result, all the palace players should be ashamed of themselves. But they probably won't be.

I'm so pleased that they have made their mark in history after having to start all over again as a phoenix club after Macclesfield Town were liquidated and expelled from the National League in 2020 because of huge debts.

Macclesfield have recorded three promotions in the four subsequent seasons & are now in the National League North, currently in 14th place.

I watched the game it was certainly no fluke result they thoroughly deserved their win, absolutely brilliant. I’m so pleased for the fans, who says the FA Cup has lost its magic.

Morning all, it’s a cold start here -1.5 degrees so all the snow and slush has frozen which will make the pavements and roads very hazardous, take care if you’re going out. I won’t be going anywhere today, I walked up to the opticians with Mrs. T yesterday and the pavements were awful, it’ll be worse now it’s frozen.

@Robbie yes I saw the F*rest had been knocked out of the cup, not a good season for them at all I don’t think Dyche will be in the job very long.

Good morning it’s a tad warmer but there’s still lying snow on the pavements and side roads here.

I had some sad news last night that a fellow ‘Pie has died, I knew him since I was 17 when we used to work together and travel to away matches in the 70s in his battered old van. He was a good friend that I’ve kept in touch with all these years I’ll miss him, RIP Bob.

Good morning, garden still frozen over... had a few days in Bonnie Scotland this last week for my birthday. £45 return ticket from Kings Cross was a bargain... will do it again at that price, though it was booked 2 1/2 months in advance!

I don't wish to sound harsh, but Luke Williams is still riding off the success he had with us. His stint at Swansea City isn't something that would overly appeal to clubs in my opinion, whilst he did a modest job. There were a lot of articles circulating about how he was staying away from the players and how he had caused a division among the squad.

Swansea captain Matt Grimes also left the club, stating Williams as the cause.

There are two ways of looking at this: either Williams was weeding out the bad eggs/underperformers, or he was contributing to the problem holding Swansea back.

Wales Online

BBC Sport

EFL Analysis

Since he arrived at the club, it's his first major appointment after having success. Alienating a struggling squad isn't exactly the way to go; I would have thought it would be best to adjust slowly and find replacements. I thought he had made a jump that was too big, but I understood the reasons, as he would be closer to his family.

Peterborough United, to me, seems like a poor move because they have spent money and massively underperformed as a result.

It's almost identical to Swansea City, who needed someone able to get the best out of the squad that was there without a massive overhaul. Posh will probably spend more money come January, but they need someone who can work with their existing players and fairly quickly improve their situation.

Holding the position at the bottom of League One comes with immense pressure, and although I genuinely wish Williams success, the challenges ahead are significant. I can see it failing; he would have done better to wait for a team that wasn't in any sort of crisis but just needed a steady leader.

Looks like we have a Luke Williams bounce today

Peterborough 5 Wimbledon 0

Even more recovery time now. Hoping the next time Notts get a run out we will be stronger to the tune of two or three players in key positions.

On 08/01/2026 at 23:41, Sheffield Pie said:

Even more recovery time now. Hoping the next time Notts get a run out we will be stronger to the tune of two or three players in key positions.

Yes, this 2nd postponement is a much needed chance to reset and address the issues which have been building up

Why is our passing out from the back so poor

Why aren't we building through midfield

Why are our only wide players, the WBs always trapped, tightly marked around the halfway line

The no.10 weakness we know about

Why are our excellent 2 top goal scorers prone to following good games with really poor ones

Sort some of these out, add some new blood and hopefully we can drive on and get back up the table again.

I think Notts are persisting with the long ball to counteract the opponents high press & our opponents just sitting back and basically challenging Notts to break them down.

Notts just don't have the playmaker(s) to open defenses, so it's the long hoof. Problem with the long hoof both Jatta & Dennis are not the type of players that can take a long ball, shield it and distribute the ball to other Notts players consistently.

When Palmer & Robertson are in the side Notts are much better at breaking defenses down. If Notts did have a good playmaker to feed off those two, I think Jatta & Dennis would be much more consistent with their performances.

Being an old codger I like to sit down so I can’t answer your question @DangerousSausage but I have wondered myself how it works, hopefully someone on here will be able to tell us.

I would always sit-down at my age , but I think safe standing is a good idea for the youngsters. I am a bit confused why it's not cheaper to stand rather than sit. . I think the Club should look at that maybe next season.

Sorry I can't answer you question though @DangerousSausage but I'm sure there are some PON members who can.