Morning all we’ve just sailed into Malta, it’s going to be another scorching hot day so we’re going exploring early before it gets too hot. I’ll look out for Jodie. 🤣

What a beautiful picture @Fan of Big Tone all looks good for your exploration of Valletta Town centre.

Apparently most visitors use the Barrakka Lift to go from the waterfront up to the city walls, avoiding the steep climb. Valletta is considered one of the easiest Mediterranean ports to explore independently because the old city is so close to the dock.

Have a great day and don't forget the factor 50🧴 🤣

@Michael D Pie. we did indeed use the lift it was only 1€ each for a return trip, it was far too hot to walk up the road to the battlements. The view from the top was spectacular. At sea tomorrow, then Mallorca which is going to be even hotter. 🥵

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Good post! The growth is even more impressive when you look a bit further back. Attendances in general have boomed since 1990, but this development completely passed us by - in the early 90s we often got crowds of 5000 or 6000 (when those were still normal figures in the Championship). Thirty years later, little had changed for us, despite the rest of football overtaking us. In the Munto season, with nationwide publicity, we averaged a little over 7000. In our promotion season under Sam Allardyce it was about 5500. Even our last season in the top flight and the bounce under Alan Hardy were brief aberrations. We haven't been well supported since Showaddywaddy were cool.

So our sustained growth in the last few seasons is hugely impressive. It's down to us playing good, successful football, but the brothers have put everything in place to make that possible and completely changed the culture and vibe of the club. It never fails to baffle me when some fans would prefer to go back to the old ways when we lose a couple of matches.

On 15/06/2026 at 10:02, Sheffield Pie said:

Aside from the data it's noticeable that fans of other clubs, managers and commentators, new signings etc. quite often describe Notts as a "massive club".

I think that's partly because of the big crowds we've been drawing, but also partly because we've been knocking around L2 and the NL for a decade. Nobody would say that if we were in the Championship. I'd love to see us punch above our weight some time soon!

The Brothers have took Notts from strength to strength, and got things done at a steady pace, yes we'd like them to splash the cash on very good players and pay extortionate wages, they probably could afford to, but not to put the club into astronomical debt. I say keep doing what they're doing and we'll get there.

The 'massive club' description seems to come more from those outsiders @Chris mentions

Like others on this thread, I think 'ok mate, you carry on believing that'. We're too scarred by decades of 5000 to declare that ourselves.

I think the perception comes from seeing that Nottingham is a 2-club city and, with the exception of Bristol, that usually means 'big'. The irony though is that they're right. Nottingham is a hell of a big metropolitan area, bigger than Sheffield for example (who cannot count Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley & Chesterfield)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_United_Kingdom

When Nottingham was much smaller, we were getting the 47,000 or so post-war crowds. The dormant fanbase has always kind of been there. I think we have to give credit to all those great-grandparents and grandparents (in my case), who passed on the flame. Maybe it skipped a couple of generations, but I think the great-grandchildren are the ones to pick up their family heritage. It's amazing how young the crowd looked at Wembley. Just 10-15 years ago, It still looked like you needed a cloth cap to be a Notts County fan.

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Your Weather 4Cast for Wednesday 17th June.

Your Weather 4Cast for Thursday 18th June.

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Great win for England to start their World Cup campaign. A win against a tricky Croatia side is just what was needed. Two goals from Harry Kane, one from Bellingham & the fourth from Rashford gave England the impressive win. The win should virtually assure England's qualification to the knockout stage.

Have to agree with @Robbie a great win for England in our first and most difficult opening game.

The main concern for manager Thomas Tuchel will be the two goals conceded. Croatia exposed England's defence at times, and stronger opponents later in the tournament may punish those mistakes more severely.

As for qualification, England are certainly in a strong position after taking three points from what many would consider their toughest group-stage match. However, qualification is not assured yet; they still need to finish the job against Ghana and Panama.

If England maintain the attacking threat they showed against Croatia while tightening up defensively, they'll look like genuine contenders rather than just hopefuls.

I suspect we'll hear about the futures of Macari and McDonald by the end of this week or next.

On 10/06/2026 at 19:51, Sheffield Pie said:

Rodders - has moved around a lot in his career. The owners are strict on only paying what they think someone is worth. So would not be that big a shock if he left.

I agree, and this is just my gut feeling, but given his age I think we are more likely to have just offered a 1-year deal. My only slight doubt with McDonald is that he has spent the last 6 seasons playing in League 2 and when he previously has played in League 1 he’s ended up dropping back into League 2.

On 10/06/2026 at 19:51, Sheffield Pie said:

Roos - mutually terminated surely?

From what I can gather Roos is on a fairly good contract so it won’t be cheap to just pay him off, but I can't see him having a future here. Even if we can loan him out and get a percentage of the wages paid that’s something.

I’m pretty sure there’s going to be interest in Jatta, I think it all comes down to how much is offered. I think had we not got promoted he’d have been more likely to move, but at least now he’ll feel he’s progressing with us. I hope he stays but we’ve got the dilemma of him only having 1 year left on his contract.

Definitely need to be ruthless. No accepting mediocre quality. We need to be more ruthless than we were, when we were promoted to League 2. Bradford had 7 new signings starting on opening day.

Keeper to fight Belshaw for the No.1 spot - Ollie Wright

Centre-Back to play in the middle of the 3 - Adam Jackson/Sil Swinkels/Ross Graham/Devon Matthews (been linked with him)

Attack minded right-wing back - Ethan Ennis

Defensive minded left-wing back (if Tsaroulla stays on the right) - Nesta Guinness-Walker/James Maxwell

Centre Mid - Arthur Read/Andy Cannon/Lewis Orford/Ossama Ashley/Kaden Rodney

Attacking midfield - Isaac Hutchinson/Jordan Thomas/Josh Robertson/Mark Helm

Quick striker - Emre Tezgel/Matt Rush

Athletic striker - Mason Melia/Mark O'Mahony/Fletcher Holman

Roos - Mutually terminate if we can. Move on. A poor signing from the start.

Traore - Mutually terminate. Cut our losses. Barely played.

Dennis - Form has fallen off in the 2nd half of the season. Would cash in, now we're up as we can get better.

Kouyhar - Contract triggered due to the amount of appearances. Will probs be released or loaned out. Not good enough for League 2, never mind League 1.

Reynolds, Enoru, Griffiths - Loan out

Would try and sell or loan out Ndlovu as he's not League 1 quality, even for squad depth, but I imagine we'll keep him.

@ARLukomski excellent work with the doc!

1 hour ago, menzinho said:

There's not doubting McGoldrick in terms of having that quality to make things happen in the final third but as others have said you have to manage his minutes properly and spend a large chunk of the budget to get him. And we’d possibly have to alter the way we play because he’s not really suited to the off the ball pressing Martin Paterson wants.

He’ll also be 39 later this year and you just never know when the legs will go. I can remember the likes of Alan Smith, Gary Jones and Hayden Mullins all looking pretty good at the start of the season but by the end they could barely run.

I probably wouldn’t have said no to his return but I’m not gutted, well as long has he doesn’t score against us next season!

And Craig Mcail Smith

It's a shame that Notts couldn't agree on a fresh contract with Didzy when they had the chance, but the club has now moved on. We managed to get promoted without him. So let's look forward instead of looking back.

I'm sure that Notts will look to bring in more quality players to add to the three they have already signed, to ensure that they compete well in League One. Players that will fit well into Martin Paterson's style of play.

I have made my feelings on David McGoldrick perfectly clear. He speaks what people want to hear and doesn't mean a single word of it. There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect your career, or by extending it. Yet words of wanting to retire here, being a Notts fan and other things just prove at the end of the day he follows the 'gold' in McGoldrick.

There's probably plenty of ex-Notts players who consider themselves a fan who have moved to Mansfield, I have no disappointment with the likes of Neal Bishop.

Just one player, for example, but for someone like Didzy. I find it annoying how our fans will still continue to worship him but call players like Jorge Grant, or George Abbott. They signed for Mansfield to attempt to enhahnce their careers, Abbott probably had little choice but signing for Mansfield won't bring a single critism for the likes of him. It's time we forget him again, as I say, If he really wanted to come back to Notts to help then he would have done it sooner than he did and if it wasn't about money, he would have stayed and been a team player.

I'm personally glad he left, because it meant we didn't have to rely on him and as for him coming back, that door shut when he left to join Barnsley.

Brazil v Italy 1970. One of the best footballing matches I have ever seen. I think it was the best Brazilian team in history & their have been some great Brazilian sides over the years.

That move which led to the Carlos Alberto goal, which was Brazil's fourth, was one of the all-time great moves in an international match.

Another big memory was the Portugal v North Korea Quarter Final match in 1966 at Goodison park. North Korea went into a 3:0 lead only to lose the match 3-5 to Portugal, Eusebio scoring 4 goals for Portugal including 2 penalties.

Then last but not least watching England win the World Cup 4:2 as a 9 year old boy watching on a small black and white TV. The World Cup of 1966 introduced me to watching football on the TV & to eventually support Notts the following year.

My earliest memory was the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, that England v Brazil was the first time I felt properly gutted after an England match. I remember going to school extra early as they'd set up the assembly hall with two tv's at the front, the old boxy ones 20 something inches but at the time these were considered big, there were about 100 kids sitting on the floor watching!

I was lucky enough to go to one of the matches in 2006 when my uncle worked in Germany. It was for a group stage match, Portugal v Iran, Portugal won 2-0 and I got to see Deco, Luis Figo and Ronaldo in the flesh!

1974 for me...so many memories

running home from school (the usually busy streets empty, I must have sprinted out at the bell) trying to catch Yugoslavia v Zaire. Gutted that I was watching highlights on the small black and white telly. Finally the penny dropped it wasn't highlights, it was just Yugoslavia running up a 9-0 win.

Doesn't really matter now, we have Martin Paterson and he can stay being happy with Derry. Who knows if it was for good enough reasons? They were his, and we aren't exactly missing someone like him.

I can remember being really excited when Will Patching signed, given he’d spent all his time at Man City’s academy and played in the England youth teams, I thought we’d got a real gem.

Just goes to show how competitive it is in the world of professional football, you can be at one of the best academies and be part of the England set-up and still not make it.

Can't stop listening to this New Order masterpiece this week - Vanishing Point

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''

I have been listening a lot to "They Might be Giants".

I found out a few years ago that they sang some songs from my childhood. I didn't know these songs were by the band famous for the "You're not the boss of me" theme from Malcolm in the Middle.

My most played this week is this one...best song to come out of Nottingham IMHO

good player, decent turn of skill and pace. i prefer him as a striker than midfield but he has done well since leaving us.

I still feel disappointed by how he ended his Notts career, by not celebrating when we scored goals and isolating himself just because he knew he would be released. I still would wish him well, as on his day he can be a very good player.

Some good players available & I do hope Notts won't leave it too long to try & recruit the players they need. It's all well and good getting players on a free, but Notts are going to have to get the cheque book out if they want the pick of the crop.

Always a good read @ARLukomski

Matty Young Sunderland keeper I would try for

Colchester Utd's Jack Payne

Micah Mbick, from Charlton on loan?

Excellent as always. Mason Melia has bags of potential. It makes sense to send him out on loan to a League 1 side.

Mark O Mahony would be a brilliant signing. Given our style, he could easily end up with 15 to 20 goals.

A big welcome from me @Matt

Welcome to our Notts County community.

Thanks, Robbie. I’ve been following Notts for well over 40 years now. It’s very much in the family and I’m glad to say that I’ve passed it on to my two boys too.

A belated welcome from me too @Matt i hope you enjoy being part of our friendly community.

Very nice pictures again @Fan of Big Tone some beautiful buildings and still pristine after all this time. Time to recharge the batteries now you are setting sail, and I bet you are really looking forward to Corfu. We have been twice and it's a beautiful island with lovely people. Have fun 👍 🚢🤠

A hot 30 degrees in Corfu, we’re one of two ships in port ours is on the left.

Nice weather makes for good times @Fan of Big Tone enjoy every last ray my friend.

I did a match marathon last night, watching Qatar v Switzerland followed by Brazil v Morocco then Scotland v Haiti and Australia v Turkey for breakfast 😀 all in all not a bad night shift eh? ⚽️😴

It could be a good move, but I think Zak Johnson might want to see how his season goes and if he performs well again. Who knows? Players move too quickly these days. They don't get to settle, or gain improvements in consistancy that knowing your role through decent stints with teams offers.

I'm slightly surprised League 1 clubs are after him to be honest. I know he's still young and should improve but his spell with us was the highest level he played at and he wasn't comfortable, at least for us in the wide centre back role. He then had to drop down a level and even then wasn't first choice at York. He was also very slow, so he'd struggle to adapt to any side that plays a high-line.

I’ll take him. Easy run down the A38, he can sit in the back thou with his shitty attitude

In Dennis's defence he made a great start to the season in Jatta's absence then he was dropped from the starting 11 when Jatta returned. It was patently obvious that Dennis was deemed 2nd choice upfront. When a player is playing well with lots of confidence, then he's dropped, it can affect a player's confidence.

As things turned out, at season's end there was only 2 goals between them, Jatta scoring 16 and Dennis 14. Personally, I do think that Jatta is the better all round player & he also fits better into Martin Paterson's system.

Every player wants to play in the starting 11. Maybe it's for the best if Dennis has an opportunity somewhere else. Notts will need to ensure that he is replaced if he does go.

Burton have just sold their No.9, Beesley to Bradford, so they are definitely looking to add to their forward line. I wouldn’t sell him to a team that we are probably going to be battling with next season in terms of staying above that dotted line though.

I rate him and hope he stays to be honest but some fans seem something might be off behind the scenes. He’s still young enough that he’ll get better and I believe he can push Jatta for that starting striker spot. 14 goals, considering his time second half the season was more limited, is a very good return.

21 hours ago, menzinho said:

Now this is just based on my gut feeling but I’m expecting Lewis to stay. I think it's harder to sign for a club when you can't likely play for 5/6 months and miss pre-season which is a big part of getting new players onboard with style of play and what's required of you in your position.

Me too, but I have a slight doubt because there might be another Notts County out there.

By that I mean a club deep into analytics and on the look out for value in young, injured players.

In one of his interviews MP said that Macari was underrated. My hunch is that won't be by the data. I'd expect him to show very highly in the analytics as one of the best players in L2 last year. Number of passes, completed passes, ball control, interceptions etc.

(I just looked at Opta and Bedeau had the most completed passes in L2. I'd be pretty sure that Macari's per game stats were higher)

So there'd be a pull factor from other teams and also a push factor for Macari himself, who now has a top player to dislodge in his position. Gibbons would have the main counting stats for goals/assists, plus intangibles that got him into the team of the year, but I doubt he's a better pure footballer than Macari.

I hope Macari stays but I wouldn't be totally surprised if a club with resources (P'boro, Salford), that could absorb his injury situation, makes him an offer and the player agrees.

At the moment, I do not know who I would personally start in the Notts XI.

I am still a big admirer of what Matt Palmer brings to the team, and I think giving the captaincy to someone else might be a smart move. I don't think Palmer was a bad choice, or that he didn't do well with the armband, but I liked when Rod McDonald had it. I think Rod kept a cool head, and influcenced the form we needed in our final run of games.

Both Lucas Ness and McDonald could claim the middle whilst Matty Platt is out injured.

I would like to see James Belshaw have stronger competition; it would be nice to find a keeper that has EFL experience but is around 22-23 that is happy to grow into the role and understudy Belshaw. The right keeper could even be younger, but Harry Griffiths seems to appear to have too much needed game time. I do like him, but I think a loan to a League Two or National League team would benefit him.

Kelle Roos could do it, but if we struggle I would rather just allow him to leave on a free and make room for someone else to come in.

I would like to see another winger, centre back, attacking central and perhaps a striker but all this depends on who stays, who goes and what movement we make.

I'm expecting our three signings to start. I've seen some people describing Roberts as a squad player but I hope not, he's got the potential to be really exciting for us, a fan faourite, and someone who can take free kicks and corners better than anyone we have currently.

I think so @Robbie. I think Pato was as desperate as the fans for production from AM

All he asks is that we defend as a team, like his comments on JJ in a post-final interview.

Ruben's reputation is cemented as a player who works hard and gets stuck in defensively, rare for a flair player. Cal will have do to that side of the game too....or see the minutes reduce.

Whether Cal starts, or it's still Grant, the other starter will have attributes that complement them hopefully. I'll think we sign a couple as we still need to replace Iorpenda, Luker and Hall.

On 09/06/2026 at 14:31, theAnticlough said:

Ruben would've walked straight into the troublesome AM slots, no?

I don't think so, he's a good player but we have changed a lot since he was last here. His style of play would probably mean tweaks to how we build up, as a means to get him the ball. He wasn't the type to drop back for it; he would drift somewhat but unlike Connor Grant and others, there's no way he would play deeper just to get the ball. That's just my opinion; it would have presented too much at a time when we needed consistency.

Whilst I rate Ruben Rodrigues, and acknowledge his incredible talent. I don't quite think he's the Championship or higher quality that some think he is. That's fiar, everyone sees players differently but I think he will be quite average for Bolton next season.

I hope not, as I like seeing ex-players doing well.

Well, the challenge is right there ahead of him @Chris and he'll get another crack at the championship soon enough.

Oxford struggled, but switching from Des Buckingham to Gary Rowett was bad news for Ruben.

Two goals in the play-off final gives him a platform, and it's a bigger club with a better chance of establishing themselves. He must have a very high level of motivation, and I think it's going to stick this time. He'll have improved since he was with us and that elite, specialist talent of his doesn't grow on trees.

54 goals (from midfield!) and god knows how many assists, (plus those many 'hockey assists' when he's the one to put the likes of Nemane thru to cross) in just 3 seasons, and he missed almost half of the first one due to Ardley. He was an absolute machine of goal contributions for us. And 3 Wembley final wins in 4 years! 4 goals, 2 assists (at least)...an amazing record (Grant can't hold a candle to him IMO)

There used a to be discussions on what level he could reach. Well he already played Championship under Buckingham, and he's back there again. I think you have to say that's the level he reached.

The summer and warmer months, especially with the World Cup and other sporting events, give us a great chance to increase the amount of revenue that The Nest takes in. It's a popular spot with my son's Uni, a lot of his friends are not fans but frequently go to the events. I wished the club would try to host some events around e-gaming, and try to convert some of these students into Notts fans.

Surprisingly, most do not have a team, and my son tells me most only look out for the Premier League results. He's the only one in his course that supports a team, or attends games.

To the article, it's a great insight and it's nice to see just how much this decision is paying off. It's a credit to the club.

@Chris i have just been writing about my passion for Motorbikes, and i know they have a fantastic fan base, maybe a shot in the dark but watching races on the big screen with other like minded fans and the addition of food and drink could be something the Nest looks into. Racing is usually over a 3 day period with practice on the first day, second day morning practice and race for pole position with races in the afternoon, and third day free practice, then racing all day. With the Nest being easily accessible it wouldn't take much to advertise on social media and catch those who don't want to travel to say Brands Hatch (Kent) getting bums on seats, and keeping the Motorcycle fraternity happy.

1 hour ago, Michael D Pie. said:

@Chris i have just been writing about my passion for Motorbikes, and i know they have a fantastic fan base, maybe a shot in the dark but watching races on the big screen with other like minded fans and the addition of food and drink could be something the Nest looks into. Racing is usually over a 3 day period with practice on the first day, second day morning practice and race for pole position with races in the afternoon, and third day free practice, then racing all day. With the Nest being easily accessible it wouldn't take much to advertise on social media and catch those who don't want to travel to say Brands Hatch (Kent) getting bums on seats, and keeping the Motorcycle fraternity happy.

I will sound like an hypocrite but I would actually be up for watching the Superbikes or something with a crowd of Notts fans and casual people. It could be applied to darts, and other major sporting events. I am generally not interested in motor sports but that is when I am at home, and partly due to how Super would put F1 on during times I was watching something else. Prior to him switching the channel, I am glad I rule my TVs remote now. 😅

Pleased for him...but more pleased we won't be playing them next season. That could have been embarrassing 😳

One of the most remarkable aspects of the season was that Stuart Maynard inherited a team that was only four league games into the campaign and sitting 12th when he arrived. By the end of the season, York were champions.

The title race went right down to the final day against fellow promotion contenders Rochdale AFC. York needed a result and, after Rochdale scored in the 95th minute, it looked as though promotion had slipped away. Then Josh Stones equalised in the 103rd minute to secure promotion and the championship in dramatic fashion.

Stuart Maynard's work was recognised at the National League awards, where he won Manager of the Season.

All the best to Stuart and his team, if he carries on in this manner we could possibly come up against him in the 27/28 season 🤔⚽️

I am glad it turned out all well for Stuart Maynard, had they not won the National League it would have felt similar to us vs. Wrexham. I didn't want Rochdale to come up, I don't like the area or club but can acknowledge that they did well. It seemed all for York, and Rochdale put the pressure on them. It made a great end of the season through the English leagues as to who went up in what place. I wish him all the best moving forward.

It could well@Mapperley Pie after all we're now in the same league as Huddersfield, so coming back to us could actually be the better option!

Allegedly Huddersfied Town are more interested in George Iorpenda, and I heard that they are interested in seeing what clubs are willing to pay. I don't like speculation or spreading rumours, but it was supposed to be around £500.000; which there was also said to be a lot of interest from other League One teams.

If it's true, I would hope Notts is in conversations with trying to secure his services again. Permanently would be a dream come true, but there's no reason why they wouldn't loan him back out to us.

His season with us this past campaign may have changed their views, it might be that they are looking to get him involved but when a club is looking to generate assets, there is always a chance of a deal being formed. I just hope that if any bids do go in, that it doesn't start a bidding war. I firmly believe Tom would re-join us, and love that; but we will have to wait to see what happens.

Just so people can watch here without leaving the site.

Salford seemed to have a bit more focus, but I loved how our young fan was either oblivious to the Salford captain reaching out to sake hands or was snubbing him. It looks more like nerves to me, but was funny. Karl Robinson looks absolutely annoyed, and like he doesn't even want to do the interview.

Throughout our players interactions, I love how they engage with the young fan and that our whole camp looked together. It was wonderful to see Chud participate as well. I wish @Dan had managed to be there, even though I think he mentioned he was covering Juventus.