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Match thread. Alfreton Town v Notts County

The first friendly match of the season for Notts kicks off at 3pm 05/07/25.

No doubt Notts will have some trialists playing in the team & there will be plenty of substitutions during the match.

Will be interesting who will play in goal now that Alex Bass has left.

  • Show previous comments  1 more
  • I won't be at the game either, but it should be a good run out for the squad.

    Alfreton Town are a good team at their level; while we can outplay them, they do tend to be defensively organised and can be challenging to break down. It all depends on how they play. I know previously they stuck a veteran striker up top, and he had no service. For us, it's all about getting shape, communicating, and preparing to listen to Martin Paterson's instructions. The formation will be interesting, and I hope we can start with the strongest XI at the beginning.

    There are plenty of minutes to get the new signings settled and embedded into the team, though I do think most will start.

    3 minutes ago, gtownjohnno said:

    Any ideas about the chances of a live stream for the Alfreton friendly???

    I don't think the club is doing it, from what I have been hearing; if so, I would have thought they would announce it. It does seem a shame if they don't stream the game to those of us who can't make it.

    it will be nice getting out back to watching notts, i hope to see some glimpses of early signs of the new signings. i am hoping that matthew dennis can show case his ability, it would also be nice if jodi jones has managed to refind his confidence. last season was difficult with the injuries but hes such a class player. we need to get that drive back out of him, but it might take time. friendlies would be a good way to encourage it.

Hello, @MejustMike.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, its good to have you here.

Let’s welcome a new member @MikeWood thanks for joining us, I look forward to chatting on the forum.

Rewind and Renew

Now Stuart's gone what are we to do,

We have to pull together and get a new crew.

Bye bye Didsey you deserved alot more,

Before disappearing out the contract door.

Alex goes a floundering off to 'Pompey'

Good deal or bad, what would you say.

In comes Martin our new Head Coach,

A difficult job, how will he approach.

Followed by Andy the new number two,

Fresh from the England camp with plenty to do.

New additions trickle into the squad,

One a loanee, the rest not costing a Wad.

In this division there's nowhere to hide,

Play hard with quality to keep the pride.

The season beckons and in August we start,

Fans feelings ramping skyward, falling apart.

Like Thespians of old on opening night,

Remember your lines, don't give us a fright.

"WE" are all one Team at the end of the day,

Proud of Notts County, what more can we say.

  • Show previous comments  2 more
  • I hope one day he finds success with a team where he gets the chance to push on in Europe and really prove himself as a manager.

    He speaks well about football, but he moves about a bit too much for my liking. It’s hard to build something when you're always on the move. I do wish him all the best with his return to AS Trenčín. Hopefully this time it’s a step forward and a proper long-term role.

    Finding information on Google and the astrencin.sk site isn’t easy. The website is hard to use and doesn’t seem well organised. Even Wikipedia still shows the old manager. I wondered if that meant he’s taken on a different job at the club.

    To be honest, it’s one of the worst sports websites I’ve come across. I do hope Ricardo Moniz does well. I often wonder if things might have turned out better for him if he’d worked under the Reedtz brothers.

Hello,

I just wanted to share a quick update on the remaining upgrades from the old version of the site. Thanks to the generous support of our donating members, covering the costs has been much easier. A special thanks to @Michael D Pie., someone whose kindness really shines through, not just because they're generous, but because they genuinely care.

Those members who know me well will know I don't like singling people out or giving praise, but Michael has been a significant factor in this process, and it's only right to thank him.


The + Create button, which was scrapped from v4, has returned as a custom mod.

This adds a level of convenience to starting new discussions, among other content, without the need to go to a specific location. It was such a boost when it arrived as a feature and quickly became something noticeably missed since upgrading.

While this is a small update, it should help with content in general and starting discussions as we start to move into the pre-season.

As previously noted, the upcoming game features enhanced automation of match discussions. I will be spending time ensuring the full fixtures get added, alongside the help of my wife @cheeky~k8.


Mood statuses will be returning, with Terabyte informing me recently that he's wrapping up the finishing touches on his app.

Our previous footer will return, but unfortunately the dev working with me on that is currently unable to code at this time. I have enquired about the app which gave subscribers a badge; I am hoping to hear back from the dev with regard to that. The bookmark app, which allowed members to safely store content for future reference, will return momentarily. As should the surveillance system for when discussions need to be moderated to avoid things escalating to a point that they shouldn't.

Guest limits across the site will be something I hope will return, but I have no ETA on that.

I believe limiting guests and encouraging people to register and join in will only benefit the site, and while I will try to make sure guests can gain value from visiting, I would like to give them more reasons to join and become involved.

My focus on newsletters was disrupted due to the sudden announcement that v5 was in beta. While I have tried to send bulk messages from the site, I don't think it warrants the effort. Instead, I will be focusing on the list where members have already approved my sending them the newsletter. At a point, I will make sure a subscription widget is added to encourage more to get involved, but when people join a site, they don't always want to receive emails or notifications, which is a shame because it brings them the community aspects, but it's also understandable that people would not want them.

Major news will still go out as per normal, but I will be focusing more on a newsletter and encouraging fans to follow areas of the site in order to get email updates.


The latest discussion widget from the old site, unfortunately the dev that had been working on its return isn't able to code right now, therefore I have asked another dev to take it on.

There's no ETA on this, but it is of the highest priority.


Aside from this, there are little things and some new features that I want to add in time. They are as follows:

A proper league system.
Additional ways of showing upcoming games, fixtures, and results.
Squad page, which is more detailed than what I have created.
History and stats.
Prediction League system.
Enhanced member profile picture gallery (upgraded from previous versions).
The PONcast player, featuring the inaugural Notts podcast, will make its comeback at a later date.
A member page that displays the total content reach, along with historical records on specific dates, featuring additional statistics for members.


I would like to thank all the newcomers, returning, and regular members for their support. It is appreciated, and no effort goes unnoticed by me.

I couldn't sing our community's praises any more.

Thank you,
Chris

  • Show previous comments  8 more
  • I really value everything that goes into this website. It's a breath of fresh air and I feel proud to be part of the community.

    I do wish I could do more, especially when it comes to helping out with the site's costs. But I understand that it’s not all about money. In a world where running a website brings lots of bills, it’s just nice to know there are people out there who are in a place to help. Thanks to everyone involved. I appreciate the update and all the effort that goes into keeping the site going.

    14 hours ago, Michael D Pie. said:

    PON is a place that opens its arms to all and when you need a little uplifting, want to share a few words, join a meaningful conversation and maybe a quiz or number game, this is the place to come. All you participants, without your subjects, replies and encouragement, where would we be. The wonderful people who selflessly give their time and make PON what it is, deserve our praise and thanks. Keep up the good work. COYP.

    Absolutely spot on. PON truly is a home for thoughtful discussion, friendly banter, and that warm sense of belonging we all look for in a community.

    It’s built on the kindness, wit, and input of its members, whether you’re starting a thread, dropping a quick reply, or simply taking part in a quiz for a laugh. Every bit adds to the welcoming atmosphere we’re so proud of.

    Let’s keep leading by example. By being encouraging, inclusive, and open to all, we make sure PON isn’t just the community we know and love, it becomes one others are drawn to as well. Here’s to everyone who gives their time and heart to keep it going.

Your Wednesday Morning WeatherΒ 

Β 

Β 

Wordly Combinations Game

Wordly.org/uk

How to Play

Create words using combinations of letters from the grid and try to get the maximum score.

  • Words can consist of two, three or four combinations.

  • Each combination can only be used once per word.

  • The number in the upper right corner of the tile indicates how many times this combination appears in today's puzzle.

  • Words with hyphens, proper nouns, vulgarities, and especially rare words are not included in the word list.

Score points to increase your rating.

  • You earn one point for each letter in a guessed word. For example, you will receive 7 points for a 7-letter word.

  • To win the game you need to score the maximum number of points in today's puzzle (5 stars out of 5).

A new puzzle is released daily at midnight.

Just for you @RobbieΒ and anyone else who wants to play here is a dedicated topic for Strands.

Click this link to playΒ https://www.nytimes.com/games/strands?smtyp=cur&smid=bsky-nytimes

Β 

Strands #447
β€œFlights of fancy”
πŸ”΅πŸ”΅πŸŸ‘πŸ”΅
πŸ”΅πŸ”΅

You may (or may not) like this game, the idea is to connect words in a certain number of guesses. It can be frustrating because sometimes they throw in American things we don’t necessarily know.

Here’s the linkΒ https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections

Today was fairly easy I got them all with no mistakes.

ConnectionsΒ 
Puzzle #217
????????????????
????????????????
????????????????
????????????????

  • Show previous comments  1,102 more
  • Connections
    Puzzle #754
    🟦🟩🟨🟦
    🟩🟩🟨🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩
    🟦πŸŸͺ🟦🟦
    🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🟨πŸŸͺ🟨🟨

    Didn't really get how some of those words were connected.

    7 minutes ago, Robbie said:

    Connections
    Puzzle #754
    🟦🟩🟨🟦
    🟩🟩🟨🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩
    🟦πŸŸͺ🟦🟦
    🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🟨πŸŸͺ🟨🟨

    Didn't really get how some of those words were connected.

    I took one look at it and decided not to bother. It gets more and more tedious and obscure.

@super_ramΒ @PiethagoramΒ @Ohh Tommy JohnsonΒ and anyone else.

Here’s another word game to tax your brain box. Swap the letters round to form words but you’ve only go so many tries.

https://wafflegame.net/daily

I’ve been doing this for some time so I’ve built up a streak.

Β 

#waffle685 3/5

????????????????????
????⭐????⬜????
????????⭐????????
????⬜????⭐????
????????????????????

???? streak: 7
wafflegame.net

Does anyone else do the word game called wordle, I started doing it in lockdown now it’s part of my morning routine, I can’t get dressed until I’ve solved it. ????

https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Awful news.

BBC Sport
No image preview

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash

The footballer's car left the road due to a tyre blow out while overtaking another car; Jota's brother also died in the crash.
  • Show previous comments  11 more
  • 6 hours ago, Ash said:

    I saw it online and had to make sure it was real. At first, it felt like one of those made-up stories someone posts as a bad joke. I was shocked when I found out it was true. It’s really sad news. Diogo Jota was a really good player, and it feels so unfair.

    He will be missed a lot, and hearing about this just makes everything feel even sadder.

    I heard some teachers talking about it too, and like you, my first thought was the same. It’s really upsetting.

    Sadly, you do come across false stories now and again, so it’s important to stay careful. As soon as I saw it confirmed on the BBC Sport site, I had to pause for a moment. It’s such a sad situation.

With Alex Bass now off for a reported β€˜substantial fee’, McGoldrick choosing not to stay, and Slocombe stepping into coaching, it’s left us without some big figures. No like-for-like Crowley replacement either, so you can’t help but feel we’ve taken a few steps back.

I’ve no doubt the recruitment team are hard at it, hunting down the right names to patch things up and give the squad more balance and depth. But it’s a tall order.

It might take a couple of eye-catching signings to really lift spirits and get fans believing again. The optimism’s taken a knock, and plugging gaps isn’t just about bodies, it’s about quality too.

If anyone from the club does check in on sites like PON, hopefully they realise the right signings could do wonders. It’s not just about replacing talent, it’s about showing ambition.

  • Show previous comments  8 more
  • @piedestrian, David Button, and Kai Kennedy would be excellent signings for us.

    On 02/07/2025 at 17:52, menzinho said:

    I was just giving some of my general thoughts, @TheSkipper because I don't really have much knowledge outside of the potential obvious choices, but I'm enjoying reading the suggestions from other members.

    That's fair enough; I just thought trying to coax some suggestions might be interesting. I should have thought that some might not have knowledge outside of Notts or the wider leagues. Jack Payne would be a great signing, a very hard-working midfielder. One year left on the deal, too, which could make it more tempting to accept a fee for his services.

    Another name to suggest is Jack Bridge, although more of a wide player than a central midfielder. He could play either side, maybe even higher up, as he does have goals in him.

    Jack Bridge - Player profile 25/...
    No image preview

    Jack Bridge - Player profile 25/26

    David Button, Jack Payne, Sylvester Jasper, Chris Long, and Jack Bridges would be good choices to fill the gaps we’ve got.

    Bridges is more of a left-sided player, but that could actually help. It would let Jodi Jones move into David McGoldrick’s role, or even give Will Jarvis a go there.

    Nick Tsaroulla and Kellan Gordon could do a job down the right.

    Chris Long would bring the kind of experience we’ve been missing up front. Jasper would get a chance to prove himself in English football, and David Button’s know-how in goal would be a big plus.

    Even at 36, Button could be a smart signing and a good mentor for young Harry Griffiths.

    Thanks for the heads up about this @BromPie. I was in the middle of replying to this yesterday before my phone went walkies and me to never see it again.

    I do think improvements are needed to the squad and strong additions as well. The statement a few days ago indicated the look for 2 new goalkeepers, with one being Alex Bass' replacement.

    Goalkeeper starter - Ellery Balcombe (Brentford), Tommy Setford (Arsenal), Luke Southwood (Bolton), Viljami Sinisalo (Celtic), Vicente Reyes (Norwich) or Stephen McMullan (Fleetwood)

    Goalkeeper back-up - Killian Barrett (Sheffield Wednesday), Jake Eastwood (recently released by Grimsby), Joel Coleman (recently released by Bolton), Luke Hutchinson (Bolton) or Toby Steward (Portsmouth)

    At this moment in time, I still think we are short in a number of areas. As well as the keeper situation, I still think we need a right-footed centre-back to add a bit more depth.

    Centre-back - Timothy Eyoma (recently released by Northampton). Eyoma played 24 times for Northampton despite only signing in November, having had a previous spell at Lincoln. A very capable stand in, if anything happens to Platt, Bedeau or Ness. He won 43 of his 71 ground duels last season with a pass accuracy of just over 71%. Also made 115 clearances.

    With Jodi Jones deployed on the right and Will Jarvis on the left, with Kellan Gordon on the right and Nick Tsaroulla on the left, plus the addition of Maz Kouyhar (who I think will go out on loan anyway), I believe we are in need of a left sided option defensively.

    Wing-Back option - I had suggested two here before my phone disappeared. Harry Boyes has since joined Southend, so that leaves George Cox (recently released by Swindon). 4 assists in 26 appearances for Swindon last season, creating 23 chances and playing 119 passes into the final third. Defensively he made 42 recoveries and won 55.2% of his ground duels. I would also consider Ben Jackson from Barrow after a superb season in 24/25, however he may want to be a starter, which may be difficult in our formation set-up, if we stick with a 3-4-2-1.

    Further forward, I think we need an attack minded centre-mid who can unlock defences, especially low blocks. Whilst we have many options in the centre at the minute (including new arrivals Tom Iorpenda and Ollie Norburn) I believe we are lacking in the department. Scott Robertson is injury prone and Curtis Edwards isn't the player we need in a promotion fight from League 2, for want of a better explanation. Jack Hinchy may go out on loan as well.

    Centre-midfield - Charlie McCann (Forest Green Rovers) - Someone I have wanted us to sign for a while now. 11 goals (FGR's top scorer last season) and 5 assists. Has excellent work rate and a good passing range. Only has 1 year left on his deal so we should move in now, before he gets more interest.

    What is 100% certain is the need for attacking midfielder who can make late runs into the box and bring the ball forward. We cannot go into the season with Conor Grant because, with all due respect, he isn't good enough. Mai Traore may slot into this role sometimes, but we'll see about that come pre-season and the first games. I still believe we need a striker with pace in the Langstaff mould up top.

    Attacking midfield - Joe White (Newcastle United), Boris van Schuppen (FC Eindhoven), Conan Noonan (Shamrock Rovers) or Cameron Congreve (Swansea). White scored 6 goals and assisted twice, creating 137 chances and making 163 passes into the final third. It's unlikely he'll get game time at Newcastle with their endless riches. van Schuppen scored 11 goals and got 12 assists in 33 appearances in the Eerste Divisie (the same league we signed Ruben from), creating 47 chances. Noonan has excelled on loan at Waterford with 3 goals and 4 assists in 19 appearances. He's also made first team appearances for Shamrock. Another player to look at before interest in him grows. Congreve we know about from his time at Bromley, scoring 5 and assisting 6 times, creating 43 chances.

    Striker - Jack Stevens (Solihull Moors) or Jake Young (Stevenage). With most of the options from the recruitment doc nearly gone, I'd take one of these two. Stevens contributed 12 goals and 4 assists in 24/25 and 17 goals in all competitions the season prior. He presses high and works extremely hard and has good positional awareness. Young had a great loan spell with Swindon a few years ago with 16 goals in 25 appearances. He only started 11 games last season and despite his tall frame, is best when he plays on the shoulder of the last defender.

I wrote this on Facebook 16 years ago today.

I’m now the supporter of league two's richest team as we have been taken over by middle eastern multi-millionaires. Whoo hoo! We'll soon be in our rightful place above the red scum.

Oh dear, my red friends have never let me forget it.

  • Show previous comments  15 more
  • I always thought Kasper came in on a free transfer. I remember reading that he signed for a million, but over time I started to think that might’ve been a lie from Munto. Back then, clubs could probably get away with saying they paid a fee without much proof. @TheSkipper, if you ever feel like looking into it, I think it’d be a good read. I understand why you might want to steer clear of Munto stuff though, it has been covered a lot.

    The Munto era was wild. It brought loads of attention to Notts and even helped bring some fans back. But over time, a few of those fans drifted away, either because of how the club spoke to supporters or because of the drop to the National League. I sometimes wonder what might have happened if the takeover never went ahead. In another universe, maybe Notts could’ve been the ones replacing Bournemouth or Brentford.

    1 hour ago, CliftonMagpie said:

    I always thought Kasper came in on a free transfer. I remember reading that he signed for a million, but over time I started to think that might’ve been a lie from Munto. Back then, clubs could probably get away with saying they paid a fee without much proof. @TheSkipper, if you ever feel like looking into it, I think it’d be a good read. I understand why you might want to steer clear of Munto stuff though, it has been covered a lot.

    I pitched it earlier today; my editor is thinking it over. Even if he doesn't like it, I might persist in my personal time. It would be a lot easier to use my media credentials. At least from the investigative angle. I might reach out to Peter Trembling, but he may want to distance himself from it now. He clearly was the pawn behind it all and probably was clueless as to Russell King's lies.

  • Show previous comments  7 more
  • It's interesting, as I remember reading about it on the official site and a different post other than the one headlined "Pre-season update ℹ️" of Nick Tsaroulla training. So, did I dream this, or has the club actually removed updates??? I can't say I am overly bothered, but it wouldn't be the first time the club has had a knee-jerk reaction to negative updates and the loss of a player, resulting in a media PR tidy up.

    i dont care, it could be either but you just hope whatever it was it was not out of spite or pettiness. as professional clubs that is not the way to be acting and it would be disappointing from either perspective. if it was cancelled because the date no longer worked, i would hope it was something more like that but honestly it changes nothing. i am more interested about this mystery game we have behind closed doors. it makes me wonder if we actually do have a game.

    club wants to be private, no time, no location. that is the real mystery!

    As the old saying goes, whatever will be, will be. It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Still, I find it odd that a club would want to keep a friendly game private. It’s only a kickabout, not a top-secret mission. Who do they think they are, MI5 or the Met Police FC?

  • Show previous comments  7 more
  • i hope he gets a chance to restart, i dont doubt that hes a good coach but professional football is hard and even harsher when you arrive at a club who cant maintain the togetherness that could have made the difference. i think had not more fans turned, he might have been given longer and i think that a lot after afc wimbledon beat us at their ground was vocal on the clubs socials it made it hard. he deserves another go, i hope he finds a national league team that he can rebuild and maybe earn promotion with. the main things is to learn about his management in games. the statement from him is nothing i would not expect from a level headed person.

    I’ve always respected Stuart Maynard. Even when things were a bit iffy, I never doubted his dedication to Notts. It was good to hear his words again. He might feel a bit hard done by, and I wouldn’t blame him. But the way he focused on the positives shows real class. I wish him all the best in his management journey. I actually thought he might’ve gone back to Wealdstone.

    Stuart Maynard’s farewell was well done. It’s a good way to leave, especially at a club where some fans never gave him a real chance. I hope he gets another shot and proves himself in the EFL one day. What he did at Notts might not be seen as a failure by other teams, even with the big hopes we had.

Hello, @BridgyPie.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham site and community forums, we are delighted to have you and I hope you enjoy being a member of PON. Would you care to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Afternoon all. I looked for this thread but couldn’t find one, so I thought I’d get it started. Hopefully the regular posters don’t mind.

I’ve got the whole week off work. Today I’m out in the garden, and on Wednesday I plan to head into Nottingham to see what the city centre has to offer. I need to pick up some new clothes, so that’ll be part of the day out. With pre-season not too far off now, I’m using the week to get things done that’ll be harder once the football kicks back in.

One of those is catching up with mates at Nando’s. We usually try for Saturdays, but with a free Friday I’ve got the chance to make it happen. It’s been ages.

The weather’s lovely today. There’s a light breeze which keeps things cool. I’m looking forward to reading what others have been up to.

  • Show previous comments  24 more
  • Very good @Michael D Pie. did you write that? Or was it your dogs? πŸ˜‚ so where was it, Wollaton Park?

    I’ve had a nice day having a walk around Elvaston Castle with my wife and some friends it’s a really nice place lots of shade in the trees away from the hot sun.

    I came home and watched 10 minutes of cricket in which England lost two wickets so I thought I’d better stop watching.

    When you work in transport and travel across the UK, you soon pick up tricks for staying cool in the heat.

    It’s not great having to take a shower every night when you get in and again before you leave, but it does help.

    The warmer days, like today, are much better when you’ve got the hang of it. Even with the odd bit of humidity, it’s still the kind of weather where watching a football match feels just right.

    Let’s hope it sticks around for pre-season. Stay in the shade, everyone!

    busy day today, with a lot of incoming and a lot of exporting jobs to be done. people think that machinery makes life easier in this kind of job, and it does but you have to have your smarts. some days its like a jigsaw or one of them picture puzzles where you have to slide the correct tiles into the right position to reveal what it is. if we dont do this carefully, it can cause more work in the weeks to come, and i really do hate moving big pallets multiple times because someone has taken a corner. the day has been nice, i had a walk from the city centre to the embankment and along there. finding a bench to sit down and eating something i picked up from a chip shop.

    i dont think i could have eaten something warm inside, despite it feeling cooler.

Have we seen a landmark moment in Asian Club Football, when one of the top sides in the Saudi Arabian Pro League, Al Hilal, has beaten an English club, Manchester City in the last sixteen of the Club World Cup by 4 goals to 3 after extra time?

Lots of money has been thrown into the Pro League over the last few years & many of their Premier Division sides have been buying top quality players from around the World.

This result last night clearly shows that the Pro League is now to a very high standard & the league's top teams can compete with the best in Europe.

Will this development be good or bad for football. Could it lead to the eventual formation of a European Super league or even a World Super League at the expense of the English Premier League & the rest of the football pyramid?

    None of these leagues last forever. If anything, they end up doing more harm than good to football. It feels like a fantasy league, with no real heart or passion behind it. Just big money and flashy names. There’s always some country that spends too much for a while, but it never really helps the game in the long run. The only good thing is that it pulls big names from the Premier League. That gives other players a chance to step up.

    It’s a bit embarrassing for Man City, but we’ve seen before that they’re not unbeatable. Teams managed it last season, so it’s not a complete shock. It’s a big moment for the Saudi side, though I do wonder how much effort City really put in. Pre-season games can be a bit odd like that.

  • Show previous comments  4 more
  • It’s a shame that some fans can’t seem to understand this is what progress looks like for a successful club. When you’re moving forward, tough decisions have to be made. Until we reach the level of clubs higher up the ladder, we’re going to lose players in this way. Yet no one seems to mind when we’re signing players from teams on our level or below.

    Alex Bass has moved on. He’s left a thoughtful farewell message, and the club has made back more than what we paid to bring him in. Of course, it’s disappointing to lose someone of his ability. But once the initial emotion fades, you realise it’s just part of the game.

    It was a good message from Alex Bass. Waiting a bit before sharing it was a smart move with how some fans have been feeling.

    I really hope no one’s giving him a hard time. This is a great move for him, and the truth is not every player will stay longer than a season, no matter how much we wish they would.

    He left in the right way. Players come and go, it’s just how football works.

    Thanks for everything, Alex.

    i am glad that alex bass put out the message, i know its a small thing and some fans will be salty but there is no need to be bitter. he deserved the move, even after just a single season and the cash could be reinvested in gaining us promotion. i wish him well at peterborough, it would be nice to see them gain promotion to the championshop and have him as their number one.

    7 hours ago, Pies79 said:

    Maybe we should have kept Tyler Miller? Or maybe he didn't really impress on thetraining field.

    I hope some signings are coming soon, as the squad feels quite thin again and if we have injuries like last season we may be in trouble.

    supposedly he would have signed if we gain promotion but he did not want to be stuck in league two. its quite the drop, but had we known alex bass was on the radar of peterborough united we might have been able to tempt him. then again, he might not have liked not getting the chance to start, with the game bass missed and sam slocombe started it might have made him wonder why he signed.

The preseason fixtures are in for the Notts County B team..

  • Show previous comments  18 more
  • To be fair, it does help us see how our thoughts change over time. It’s like a test to see what we think now compared to later. I get why some people think it’s too soon. Things are still starting up, and we don’t know everything yet. Right now, I don’t think we’ve got enough new stuff or got much better than last season. It still feels the same.

Pre-season is now here and we’ll have a new batch of trialists in, but I was wondering, can you remember the last time we signed a trialist and they turned out to be a good addition to the squad? Or equally did one really impress you and you wished we signed him? For example we should’ve signed Haji Mnoga instead of Robbie Cundy!

I can remember Nathan Tyson scored a load in pre-season but when the proper matches started he wasn’t as effective. And Bostock technically was on trial but that wasn’t during pre-season, it was November so by then and his options would’ve been limited.

And is it risky offering contracts to trialists too? Is it a good way to judge a player? Or can it be misleading if they are trying extra hard to impress over players who are contracted knowing they don’t have to fly into 50-50s, press like mad or try to beat a player every time they get the ball…

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  • The quality players who usually turn up on trial often have injury problems, discipline issues, or something else that’s held them back.

    Nathan Tyson had a trial with us before signing, and that was mostly because of concerns over his fitness and injury record. But for the level we were at, he was always going to be a good addition given the limited choices we had up front.

    I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trialists. It gives lesser-known players a chance to be judged on how they play and what they can do, rather than just their background or past clubs.

    Trying out players on trial can help the head coach or manager see where they might fit in. It’s a good way to spot what a player offers and whether they bring something different to the group. People often get caught up in finding like-for-like replacements. But sometimes, a player with different qualities can change how the team plays for the better.

Notts County have signed goalkeeper Harry Griffiths, who joins Notts on a two-year contract after leaving Nottingham Forest

Director of Football Roberto Gagliardi said: "It’s vital that we create sufficient competition and support within the goalkeeping department and, as well as signing Alex’s replacement, we’ll be looking to add a third player in this position before the end of the transfer window.”

Welcome to Notts County Harry.

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  • We are going to be signing three goalkeepers, maybe I’m in the minority here but I’d have thought the youth-team keeper could be used as the emergency and then you’d have a first choice with a back-up who can potentially push him. I'm just thinking about maximising that wage budget, a third keeper seems a luxury to me.

    No idea about Harry, whether he’s the back-up or back-up to the back up, hope he can eventually make an appearance at some point. I guess we’ll find out how likely that will be come August when first subs bench is announced.

    I’m not sure where Harry Griffiths fits into the team right now. He looks like he needs a loan to get some proper game time and experience. The problem is, our level might not be quite right for his development. At 20, he really should be playing regularly or at least starting to.

    Maybe Notts are thinking about sending him out to an Irish club. That could give him the minutes he needs without dropping too far in quality.

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