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#waffle1374 3/5

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#waffle1374 1/5

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#waffle1375 4/5

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wafflegame.net

We should judge progress by steady signs and better structure, not one good result. If the plan stays clear, promotion stays possible.

On 09/10/2025 at 17:21, liampie said:

i think there is a lot of reasons why we should be patient and not start demanding things to be changed, as if it can suddenly just happen but through hard work and further improvements. i do wonder if roberto gagliardi will be vindicated come the end of the season. dont get me wrong, i am happy knowing richard montague is back and i do think it will work itself out but gagliardi took the brunt of a lot of criticism.

"I do wonder if Roberto Gagliardi will be vindicated...."

Well, 14 games in, perhaps last summer's recruitment wasn't that bad overall?

Yes, we still need a decent GK come the January transfer window... will Cotter and Aljofree be returned to their parent clubs? We might have to take a financial hit on Traore to move him on, so Richard Montague has some work to do.

On 10/10/2025 at 22:35, Chris said:

I have said it before a few times; the biggest mistake was saying we are aiming for promotion and sacking the head coach not long after exiting the playoffs.

The continual losses at home at the end of the season proved Maynard had no plan B. MP does seem to have some Premier /Championship know how as to what is needed to succeed.

The football against Cambridge was still possession based but that second goal from Jatta, was from Bedeau launching a long ball to "mix things up".

Hoping the good run of results continues

3 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

"I do wonder if Roberto Gagliardi will be vindicated...."

Well, 14 games in, perhaps last summer's recruitment wasn't that bad overall?

Yeah, I'd be really interested to know how his departure played out because as it turns out the summer recruitment seemingly hasn't been the massive issue we all thought it would be. It's funny that Cotter previously played under Paterson when he was at Barnsley and he signed after Paterson arrived (Iorpenda did too, but he signed before MP got the head-coach job). It's highly likely this move was instigated by our head coach and it's arguably one the poorer signings this season...

I think we can improve when it comes to defending set-pieces and I’m sure a lot of work goes into it. I've spoken about how I think Roos can do more but it's just as important that the players know their man and they stick to them. At times against the physical teams, we do look more susceptible to conceding from set-pieces, but that is a massive part of what makes those teams successful and they’ll score the majority of their goals from this.

I think our average of goals conceded from set-pieces will be always be slightly higher and that is down to how a lot of teams set-up against us. The majority of the teams in the league are going to sit deep, try and counter and make the most of their set-pieces. It was exactly what Cambridge (tried to do) and what Oldham and Crewe did with varying success. And to be fair, against Barnet they had 12 corners and number of decent free-kick positions and they got nothing out of us.

I’m not overly hung-up about set-pieces right now because overall, we are in a good place when it comes to our defence this season. We are the joint 4^th best in the league in terms of goals conceded with 15. Oldham are top with 12 but it’s coming at cost for them as they’ve only scored 12 goals too (that’s the joint 2^nd worse). We’ve scored 25 goals, that puts us 2^nd best. If this trend continues, we’ll be in strong place come the end of the season.

I’ve gone for Jatta but 2 minutes before he scored the first there were at least a couple of others in the frame.

Ness was superb, won his challenges, dominated in the air and looked solid. Robertson was also superb, effectively disrupts the opposition but acts as an attacking catalyst too. He linked well with Grant, particularly in the 1st half.

Overall, we had to battle and scrap - and persevered without ever looking vulnerable at the back. Gritty & determined performance - Paterson has instilled some real steel and discipline/concentration into the ranks.

Yeah, I think my mini-shortlist would be Jatta, Palmer and Ness. But considering we didn’t create many chances it meant Jatta had to be clinical and he was.

Jatta offensive and defensive, Palmer a close 2nd, Ness 3rd

Great result after a fairly dour and frustrating struggle.

Thought Robbo & Grant showed some lovely touches, flicks and challenges - we could have lost impetus when they went off but we kept going and Dennis & Iorpenda provided similar spark. Jatta & Dennis actually looked comfortable in tandem.

Ness had the tricky task of coming on to replace McDonald and he certainly stepped up to the plate. Never put a foot wrong and won everything in the air.

Cambridge were big, ugly & crude - no wonder they don’t score many goals!

Excellent 3 points. Move on, next business.

Hang it it the Louvre

I'm with @McPie I feel a great amount of satisfaction when a team comes to Meadow Lane, sits back has very little attacking intention and goes away with nothing. Cambridge can set-up however they like, they are entirely within their right to do it but it never makes for a great match.

It’s always hard when you come against a side that sits really deep, we had little space to play through the middle or even wide. And when we tried to pick up the pace with our passing it tended to go astray. Still, we were very comfortable without really creating much but the longer it stayed 0-0 the more you’d have thought it would’ve turned in Cambridge's favour. But we kept at it, the subs came on and freshened/livened us up a bit and Jatta was the difference maker in the end (get ready to knock those bids back come January).

It’s hard to explain but we feel more like a team this season, we undoubtedly lost some talent in the summer but you can’t fault any of the players attitude and endeavour. 2 points off top spot, does that mean we are good now?

He should never have left Notts when he did. I can understand why he did leave. He probably wanted to further his career.

For me, the fact that Stuart Maynard had less support from the start of 2025, was a factor in Notts possibly missing promotion by just six points.

I feel a bit sorry for him because he’s not had a lot of time to change much, but equally from what I can gather from some of his post-match interviews it didn't sound like the squad had taken to him. Surprised he even ended up there to be honest, to go from League 2 to the Southern Prem is a bit of drop, even to be head-coach.

As the article says they’ve had 4 managers in 17 matches and the results haven’t improved. That tells me the real problem lies with the quality of the squad.

It was a beautiful morning here but a little chilly. It's started to cloudy over a little now but still getting periods of sunshine.

Looking forward to the Notts match later. Hopefully we can secure another three points at Meadow Lane today

Don't forget that the clocks go back at 2am Sunday Morning. It's the end of Summer time.

I played https://squares.org #596:

52/52 words

Rettel #704 24pts

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https://rettelgame.com/rettel

Rettel 5x5 #536 27pts

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https://rettelgame.com/rettel-five

It's this time of year and a good chance to re-air this topic

The argument for not putting the clocks back from British summer time has merits on both sides.

Many point out that putting the clocks back in Autumn gives lighter mornings for children going to school which they say is a big safety issue. But others point out that the darker evenings puts commuters at risk too..

Personally I think that when the clocks go back in Autumn, it should stay as it is all year round, with darker evenings in summer along with lighter mornings in summer as well as Winter.

Strands #600
“Through the ages”
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Strands #601
“Quite a transformation!”
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Strands #602
“Fall-ing”
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Connections
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Puzzle #868
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Your Friday Weather 4cast.

Your Saturday Matchday Weather 4cast.

Your Sunday Weather 4cast.

Notts attendance vs Oldham 11,418 (2,066).

Highest in League 2 on Saturday.

Notts late winner at Barnet on Saturday was their first stoppage time winner in league football in nearly four years

Credit to @ARLukomski

11v11.com

I imagine this scenario....the club uses Green Shifts expertise for nil outlay and they get the stand advertising!!!

But it will always be the Haydn Green family stand to me and the vast majority of us proper supporters....

Statement from the Club.

At least it’s a fairly swift response and an acknowledgement that there has been a major foul up here.

Let’s see what happens.

Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Southampton

Millwall 0-1 Leicester City

Barnsley 2-0 Rotherham United

Reading 0-1 Doncaster Rovers

Barrow 0-2 Barnet

Harrogate Town 0-1 Newport County Joker

Forest Green Rovers 1-0 Boreham Wood

Hartlepool United 2-0 Solihull Moors

Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Southampton

Millwall 0-1 Leicester City

Barnsley 2-1 Rotherham United Joker

Reading 2-0 Doncaster Rovers

Barrow 2-0 Barnet

Harrogate Town 1-1 Newport County

Forest Green Rovers 1-0 Boreham Wood

Hartlepool United 2-0 Solihull Moors

Blackburn 0-1 Southampton

Millwall 1-2 Leicester City

Barnsley 1-1 Rotherham United

Reading 2-0 Doncaster Rovers

Barrow 1-2 Barnet

Harrogate Town 2-0 Newport Joker

FGR 1-2 Boreham Wood

Hartlepool 2-0 Solihull

On 05/09/2025 at 07:34, Piethagoram said:

@Piethagoram Good luck in putting foreign owners in prison such as those from the middle East & United States. I doubt that they would be extradited due to geopolitical reasons. A massive fine or debarment would probably be the only punishment for many international owners.

I agree with @Robbie. The real focus should be on forcing the sale of owners who are clearly harming football, no matter where they’re from. But it shouldn’t stop there, there needs to be proper checks in place to stop these types from getting involved in the first place. Prevention is key.

Trying to jail foreign owners, especially those from places like the Middle East or the US, is unlikely to happen. There are too many political and legal barriers. A heavy fine or banning them from owning clubs might be the only realistic option. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than letting them carry on unchecked.

Latest Football Regulator news.

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is making significant progress, with recent news including the appointment of David Kogan OBE as its Chair & Richard Monks as its first CEO. The IFR has also published plans for a new licensing regime that will require all 116 clubs in the top five men's leagues to hold a license starting in the 2027-28 season, based on their financial stability, corporate governance, & fan consultation. This new system will give the IFR powers to enforce financial sustainability, cap spending, & ensure clubs maintain enough cash to cover operational costs. 

The EFL have confirmed that Wednesday will have a 12 point automatic deduction due to going into administration. That leaves them 15 points from safety now at the bottom of the Championship.

Can't help but feel that these points deductions are just punishing the club further down when they are already down. Their matchday squad at the moment involve players that have stayed on & haven't left due to the ongoing financial issues, & young academy players.

The club already looks destined for League 1, but unless the Club is bought by someone willing to put lots of money into the club, there is a distinct possibility that more sanctions could be imposed, such as expulsion from the EFL, & that would be a massive moment for English Football. I hope it doesn't happen.

Of course with all of these stories of financial problems in the football pyramid the elephant in the room continues to be Man City that is yet to face a judgement for their alleged 115 breaches of the rules.

Sad. Yes, that club is too big to fail. But it seems like administration is an unavoidable and necessary stage in any survival. You'd think that the EFL would give them every chance to right the ship

@Robbie good observations. Yeah, Pato's established a good level of performance in all departments and we were a very good match for them.

The healthy level of competition is there for sure. It's great though that Pato's picks seem to tally with what you see with your own eyes on the pitch. We didn't always get that with Burchnall or Maynard

Talking of competition for places, as we didn't win maybe one more change could be in the offing for Saturday. Bennetts has done well whenever he's come on and did well starting in the cup game. I love Tsaroulla but he was our worst player at Swindon. Perhaps Bennetts has earned a shot, and maybe Jodi can surprise Cambridge from the other side.

I can see it being unchanged, but I'd get it if he gave Bennetts a run out.

One big takeaway is that everyone loves Paterson now! He was an unpopular pick, some fans said he was out of his depth, gone by Xmas, etc. He's got us fitter, is getting the best out of Rodders, Matty Palmer and Grant, has integrated Robbo into the team well, got Jatta smiling and scoring again, and been a good judge of the loan signings.

Notts' good form stretches quite a long way now. We've taken 20 points from the last 10 games, which is automatic promotion form. By taking 1 point from the first 3 games, we gave everyone else a head start, which we've partially clawed back.

Hoping that attendances start to pick up again as the coach and team deserve it.

One of the takeaways for me is that we’re beginning to see there is a very capable player in Conor Grant. If he can be more consistent and clinical in front of goal, he could be a big player for us. Credit to MP and his coaching team for helping him improve.

                                     GK
                         Kasper Schmicheal 

Steve Finnan Mike Edwards Gary Liddle Alan Sheehan

                           Ian Baraclough

    Phil Turner                                    Paul Devlin

Danny Allsopp    Lee Hughes    Gary McSwegan

Formation: 4-3-3

I really wanted to have three strikers, these are all players I have seen play for Notts.

On 23/07/2024 at 09:42, Piethagoram said:

I will offer a non English slant on the best Notts 11

GK:

Raddy (Yugoslavia)

Def:

Benji (St Kitts)

Anders Jacobsen (Norway)

Pedro ( qualified to play for Spain)

Worthington (Northern Ireland)

Midfield

Masson (Scotland)

Nicol (Scotland)

Garcia (France)

Fwd:

McSwegan (Scotland)

Harkouk (Algeria)

Chiedozie (Nigeria)

In honour of Raddy being back in Nottingham this weekend #COYP

Like many of us oldish ones, I suppose mine would have to concentrate on the team that finished mid-table in the top flight a couple of times (before the relegation season). Level matters. Ruben is my favourite player, but I cannot allow him in. But Kaspar I can, he was just a cut above

Schmeichel

Benjamin Richards Short O'Brien

Draper Masson Harkouk

Mair McCulloch Johnson

conor grant gets my vote, thought he played very well and his goal will hopefully allow him to crack on with this season. a few more goals and more will see hes worth.

The Poll has now closed. Thanks to all who voted.

I'm pleased to announce that Conor Grant is the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Swindon.

That was a tight deadline!

Never mind, my vote goes to Conor Grant anyway. I really hope he uses this to push on and hit a higher level with more consistency. The injury to Luker and Iorpenda falling off has opened up a spot for the taking, so it's down to Conor. At Swindon, it wasn't only his key goal and assist contributions, he maintained a positive involvement for the whole 90. Before, we've seen him fade away for long periods, but there was none of that on Tuesday.

I'd say 2 players pushed him close - Jatta, also involved in both goals and solid throughout, including in his own box. And then Macari...the pick of the defenders for me, especially in the 2nd half. Both goals came from his side, but none his fault. Their equaliser was a fluke. They couldn't have played the ball down the line, if it wasn't for a poor ball hitting their player's back and ending up in the perfect place for them.

I’m not convinced it was a smash and grab win. We weren’t at our best with the ball, but that was due to Barnet’s tactics. What we did was react to the situation they put us in and did it very well. They asked us to defend and we did! In that situation we only needed one bit of quality to win and we produced it. The takeaway is that we know how to play football and win an now we know how to defend and win.

Barnet put us under pressure, they kept playing forward and putting the ball into the box but on the whole we dealt with it really well. And I know they had 18 shots but how many of them were actually decent chances, one or two? We blocked 7 of them and 11 of their shots were from outside the box too. So we actually limited them very few openings.

I think going forward we still need to work on how to deal with an aggressive press. One big bonus is that we didn't play any kamikaze passes our play ourselves into trouble and give away a sloppy goal. But equally we can't just keep clearing the ball and giving it back to the opposition, on another a day a more effective attacking team could've punished us.

I think we did get lucky in the end and I mean in terms of our winner, I think we deserved at least a draw for such a solid defence display though. Can't take anything away from Hall, it was an excellent finish and he has really grown into the team now. I’ve not heard a moan about us missing Didzy for sometime now so that is a massive compliment.

On the subs, they have been really effective this season, almost to the point that I can’t remember us ever being so effective when it comes to making subs… Is this partly down to the technical board? At the start of the season when it was first announced they said: “The Technical Board will also develop a process to support the coaching team in making more effective in-game decisions. This will involve supplying a variety of data-led metrics, analysis and insights to the dugout in as near to real-time as possible”. Surely can't just be coincidence?

Interesting thought if MP is getting in-flight data during the game to make substitution decisions on 🤔