If you had to sum up the season so far you might say: a lot of industry, but not quite enough end product. It will be interesting to see if MP can find a formula that works from the resources available. And interesting to see what part Enoru and Tangen (and perhaps Luker) play in opening up defences during the run in. You live in hope ...

I've looked into my crystal ball (although it is slightly defective from overuse). It says we'll have a stronger run-in than last season, but an over-reliance on our front men to score goals will prove our undoing and we'll finish fourth. With Grimsby, Walsall, Chesterfield, Cambridge and Salford still to come, there will be plenty of twists and turns to come.

Tom Iorpenda has been a great signing, but an attacking player he is not. Hall looked like a real prospect at the start of the season but hasn't impressed me for some time now, and Grant is a good player who offers too little in terms of goals and assists. That means we're putting a lot of faith in Enoru and Tangen, a big ask of two players new to this level (and in Tangen's case lacking match practice).

I think that Notts are in a good position to clinch a playoff place, but I'm not sure that we have quite enough to get an automatic place.

In this league I just don't think that you can get an automatic place by playing a purely passing game. We've seen Notts get results recently by working hard, matching other teams for physicality, staying organised, grinding out results. & producing a few moments of quality upfront.

Take the game against Shrewsbury as an example. If Notts had gone more direct & roughed the Shrewsbury players up a bit, they might have been more successful. Notts have shown that they can play direct when it's necessary. They should continue to keep that as an option.

I hope Charlie Whittaker isn't out for revenge against us for letting him go...On his day he's a useful performer....he scored a few good goals for us when he was here last season!!!!.

Another reason to bring Tom Iorpenda back - that kind of player is kryptonite for him, he can be dispossessed and we can launch attacks from there.

Tranmere come to Meadow Lane having lost four of their last 5 matches which includes just 1 win. Tranmere currently stand in 17th place in League 2 on 35 points. They have won 9, drawn 8 & lost 15 of their 32 matches. Notts beat Tranmere 2:1 earlier in the season in the away fixture at Prenton Park.

Notts will be hoping to return to winning ways after their dissapointing defeat at Shrewsbury. Notts will be waiting on the fitness of Jatta, & Palmer. Scott Robertson will be available for selection after his one match ban for a 2nd yellow card against Bromley.

Tranmere are another team in League 2 that prefer the direct approach with accurate long passes & plenty of crosses into the box. They have a high energy, high intensity approach so Notts will have to match them across the pitch.

As with every league 2 match, Notts will have to be at their best, which they certainly weren't against Shrewsbury. Notts have found it difficult to score goals, just winning recent matches by the odd goal.

I would like to see Notts put in a commanding performance on Saturday & score some goals & hopefully win by a canter. A 3:0 scoreline would be very welcome.

Yes, Platt for me too. Not many other candidates but noble effort from Grant & Macari again. Belshaw’s saves were notable and Bedeau put a decent shift in, as usual.

Disappointed by Jones, he got credit for his contribution at Bromley but he looked tentative and ineffective last night. Iorpenda faded after a lovely start, as did Tsaroulla. Overall, too timid, too slow to get the ball forward and not enough support for Dennis.

Unbeaten run had to end somewhere - pity it was due to a limp display.

I've voted for Matty Platt.

The Poll has closed. Thanks to all who voted.

Matty Platt has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match v Shrewsbury.

Norwich City 2v1 Birmingham City

Wrexham 1v2 Ipswich Town

Northampton Town 1v1 Leyton Orient

Peterborough United 2v1 Exeter City

Colchester United 1v1 Barnet joker

Gillingham 1v0 Oldham Athletic

Boreham Wood 2v2 Forest Green Rovers

Solihull Moors 2v1 Hartlepool United

Freddie is back and full of enthusiasm for the games after his boating exploits. A

Norwich City 2 v 1 Birmingham City

Wrexham 1 v 1 Ipswich Town

Northampton Town 2 v 0 Leyton Orient

Peterborough United 3 v 1 Exeter City 🃏

Colchester United 2 v 0 Barnet

Gillingham 1 v 0 Oldham Athletic

Boreham Wood 1 v 2 Forest Green Rovers

Solihull Moors 2 v 2 Hartlepool United

Here be the entries for this week's gladatorial exchanges from a revived and cool Freddie 😎

Norwich City 2-0 Birmingham City

Wrexham 1-2 Ipswich Town JKR

Northampton Town 0-2 Leyton Orient

Peterborough United 3-0 Exeter City

Colchester United 1-1 Barnet

Gillingham 2-0 Oldham Athletic

Boreham Wood 1-2 Forest Green Rovers

Solihull Moors 2-2 Hartlepool United

Connections
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Puzzle #984
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#waffle1490 5/5

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🔥 streak: 675
🧑‍🎤 #wafflesuperstar
wafflegame.net

675 up!

#waffle1490 4/5

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wafflegame.net

#waffle1490 4/5

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wafflegame.net

Wordle 1,706 2/6

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in two!

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In six.lol

Disappointing night yesterday. Shrewsbury looked far better than they did early in the season - they barely strung two passes all night, but they had a clear game plan and executed it well. They sat deep, but the moment we lost possession they were onto us fast and attacked quickly with numbers. They still produced few real chances, but it looked difficult to play against.

We struggled to get behind them and seldom looked really dangerous. Platt came closest to scoring, but early in the second half I thought the game looked like a 0-0. We need someone who can take the initiative and isn't afraid to have a shot. Tangen could yer be that player, but he looked lost yesterday. Prior to joinign us he hasn't played since about October, and in hindsight it was too soon to give him his first start.

I'm not surprised to hear that it was the referee's first league match, all the contentious decisions went Shrewsbury's way. One of them was the foul on Jones, which led to a dangerous break (and, a couple of minutes later, the goal), and I think we should have had a penalty at the end.

Disappointing but we move on. Everything isn't all bad overnight, let's not forget that we've picked up 18 points in our last eight games. Let's take it out on Tranmere on Saturday.

As disappointing as it was to lose to Shrewsbury, it was only 1-0. Any team team can lose 1-0 to an inferior team especially when they approach the game with a low block and a 'survival' game plan. As @DangerousSausage says we move on, these kind of games happen in a season. A good result on Saturday and this will all be forgotten. COYP!

Strands #717
“Cold competition”
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Strands #718
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Good morning, I woke up thinking of my friend, the celebration of life went ok lots of people there, it went on for 5 hours, I stayed for a couple of hours with some mutual friends, I thought it sad no one said any words, at least not while we were there, no funny anecdotes or stories that there would have been at a proper service. It was more like sitting in a pub listening to music with people I didn’t know, there were at least some nice pictures of Bob showing on the screen.

To top it all when I got back to the car I had a parking ticket, it was free parking for two hours but you still needed a ticket from the machine I didn’t realise that, too much on my mind I guess, oh well on with the day. We’ve got to sort out a new washer as the repair man says it’ll be at least £200 to repair and it’s six years old so might as well get a new one.

Good morning, how are we all feeling after last nights result, there’s a lot of doom and gloom around but let’s remember no one died. I can never understand it when football supporters get really upset over a loss, not every team can win every game, players are human not robots they have good days and bad days. We lost we move on.

2 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Good morning, how are we all feeling after last nights result, there’s a lot of doom and gloom around but let’s remember no one died. I can never understand it when football supporters get really upset over a loss, not every team can win every game, players are human not robots they have good days and bad days. We lost we move on.

You're absolutely right @Fan of Big Tone must put it in the correct perspective.

It was a frustrating and disappointing loss though, made worse by seeing we were heading for a defeat like that from the middle of the first half, when we just couldn't make an impression. Many of our losses have looked the same way. There's a tactical side, but bottom line it's a quality thing. Platt was great, but he can't really use the acres of space some teams give him. Norburn is our 3rd choice CM and wants to play the simple pass. He can't unlock a defense. Grant and Iorpenda...we know about that. As you say though, they're not robots. It happens, we move on.

I see Ruben came on and got a very late assist for Bolton to level at Reading. I'm sure we had a go at bringing him back, but players who provide goals and assists are in high demand. Tangen was the club's answer in the window and at some stage this season, he has to be given a 3 game run at No.10 so at least we can say we gave it a shot.

Good luck replacing the washing machine. We were in the same situation less than a year ago. Unless it's under warranty, it's usually better to replace.

As for that parking ticket though grrrrrrrrrrrrr.....those companies need sorting out

A point at Bromley is a point gained given their home form. Notts still have momentum. That's vital at this stage in the season.

The Bromley "kick off" sums up their style of play. Just lob it into the corner for a Notts throw in close to the corner flag. Notts made sure that the opportunities for Bromley long throws in advanced positions were limited

1 hour ago, Piethagoram said:

The Bromley "kick off" sums up their style of play. Just lob it into the corner for a Notts throw in close to the corner flag.

Yes, ever since I was a nipper I've looked to professional football for skill on the ball, technique, touch, imagination, great passing and team play. If I pay admission, that's what I want to see - or at least an attempt at it.

If I wanted to see big bruisers lump it long, I'd go down the park and see a pub side for free.

Jodi was excellent, but I went for Platt. Just thought he defended really well especially against a team that played so direct and with such a big physical forwards.

Jodi Jones, ... Dennis should have scored with one sublime ball in from Jodi

The Poll has closed.

I'm pleased to announce that Jodi Jones is the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match V Bromley. Well done Jodi.

I thought we might sign him when we were promoted as he'd impressed against us for Halifax.

We had a glaring hole at RCB, which we had confirmed for us that season. Don't know if Monty was in for him, but it was Port Vale that got him.

I think it's a bad sign that they let him out on loan when they go up. He obviously played a big role in their promotion and is on track to contribute to another this season. But we should be interested in 'upside' as they say over the pond, and Vale sending him back to L2 suggests this might be his ceiling.

As far as I know he still is @Blake. At that level, managers typically have a day job, and training will be a couple of evenings after work.

He played yesterday, so he hasn't quite finished playing altogether. They lost 7-1 though. 

It’s a shame how his career went downhill. I thought he looked promising. I rated both him and Curtis Thompson. The thing with Greg Tempest is that his grandfather’s connection to Notts was always mentioned, which put a shadow over his career. I believe it was his grandfather or great-grandfather.

Derby County 2-1 Swansea City

Portsmouth 1-2 Sheffield United

Barnsley 1-1 AFC Wimbledon

Blackpool 0-2 Plymouth Argyle

Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Gillingham 🃏

Oldham Athletic 2-1 Fleetwood Town

Tamworth 2-0 Aldershot

Woking 3-1 Altrincham

Derby County 1-1 Swansea City

Portsmouth 0-2 Sheffield United

Barnsley 1-1 AFC Wimbledon

Blackpool 1-2 Plymouth Argyle joker

Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Gillingham

Oldham Athletic 2-2 Fleetwood Town

Tamworth 2-1 Aldershot

Woking 1-0 Altrincham

Saturday's results:

Derby County 2-0 Swansea City
Portsmouth 0-1 Sheffield United
Barnsley 3-3 AFC Wimbledon
Blackpool 0-4 Plymouth Argyle
Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Gillingham
Oldham Athletic 1-1 Fleetwood Town
Tamworth 1-1 Aldershot
Woking P-P Altrincham

And for the second round running, @william1984 wins on 13 points! It's getting a little spooky now.

After three banging rounds in a row, @william1984 replaces @super_ram at the top, and with a healthy lead to boot.

That's our lot for this round. We've got another round coming up on Tuesday night, so I've already posted the fixtures for it (click here). Thanks for playing everyone!

Great Interview.

Highlights from his interview. His "beloved club," Notts County. A special time in his life, he loves the City & he loves our football club. The people are special, the players, the staff & the fans.

Luke Williams is a special Leader who got Notts back to where they belong in the football league.

Special memories for me & I'm sure they are for every other Notts supporter. I wish him all the best at Peterborough. Hope he can get them into the League 1 playoffs or even better.

What a lovely interview with a lovely man, he’ll always have a special place in the hearts of all Notts fans and in hindsight I agree with him that it was the right time for him to go it would have been a shame if things had gone downhill and our memories had been tarnished.

Good luck at Peterborough Luke.

I think Iorpenda & Norburn are our best central midfield pairing at the moment, so I back Martin to choose them in the first 11 against Bromley.

Alternatively, Martin could go for Norburn & Robbo together & Iorpenda at number 10 . Hopefully, they will all be available on Saturday.

I think that it is important for Jatta to play. Hopefully he'll be fit, because he's improved his defensive play & is good around the penalty area for Notts against corners and free kicks.

To beat Bromley in the English football league, you need a patient approach. They often set up in a 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 shape, so you can exploit the wings with wide players and overload the final third. Also, focus on set pieces, since they tend to concede from them, and press early and late to take advantage of their structure. From this our team choice is paramount and the inclusion of players such as Robertson and Iorpenda central with Jodie and Tsaroulla playing wingback, and Norburn in the number 10 role. However the defence is also key and Macari, Platt and Bedeau need to keep playing with the gusto and determination they have over the past six games especially.

You do not win matches by being scared of the other team, and you cannot go into a game afraid to play your own way. At the same time, you cannot simply try to copy their pace. Teams that run too much often fade, so it becomes a matter of control and the chances you create.

Under Martin Paterson we look more polished and less tied to the old habit of trying to control every match in the same routine way. Notts are taking risks that we would not have seen before, when the focus was mainly on staying tight. It is good to see us adapt so well, but the key will still be game management and marking.

Bromley can cause problems in the areas where we are usually weak, which is why I am glad we have James Belshaw. The defence looks more alert and ready to deal with danger. Kelle Roos always seemed to want the team to depend on him, which felt risky.

I hope the match does not turn into an end to end contest, and that fans stay patient. If Notts want to do well, they will need to test Bromley's defence, and working that out during the match is not always pretty. Even so, there is no reason to fear them. We just need to play to our strengths, avoid being soft in 50 50s, and stay physical without picking up needless cards.

I expect Bromley to be physical and to keep the ball in the air in our half rather than on the ground. If we manage their approach, we should be fine.

Such a strong, mature squad now. Usually in any squad there are a few weak links where you're thinking they should be loaned out or released. Getting ahead of myself now, but if we got promoted, it's difficult to think who the lcub would ship out to make room for some L1 level signings.

Add Hall and Iorpenda to that to make 22?

Cotter's situation can be explained by just football reasons I think. He really didn't fit our style, by bringing in a high degree of chaos and raggedness to our build up play. A decent player for sure, but the kind we usually play against, not field ourselves.

Agree with @MrWillowTiger that keeping our CMs fit and healthy will be key. If ever 2 of Iorpenda, Robertson, Norburn and Palmer are out at the same time, it becomes scary. Hinchy is an OK insurance option, but there's a drop off there.

AM is still the big conundrum IMO. We've scraped through so far with a burst from Hall (that seems a long time ago), Grant and Iorpenda with 2 goals each, Dennis dropping back for a few games. Jones starting there. We're in an auto spot despite never completely solving it. My feeling is that we will have to solve it to keep a top 3 place.

Hall might have hit the 'rookie wall' I brought up recently - feeling the effects of his first full season in men's football. It's also Iorpenda's first season. I think he could still do a job in CM over the next 16 to 19 games. But is it wise or fair to depend on him to create in the final third?

Everyone on here seemed to identify AM (as well as Goalie) as the main area to address in the Jan window. That stiil applies and is why we can't afford Harald to be 'one for the future' he has to be a key player for us this season, as we all wanted when the window opened.

I think so, we have a number of players who can play in more than just the one position. With Cotter excluded and Gordon sold the right wingback spot is now one where we don’t have a naturally right-footed player. I know Kouhyar has played at wingback but it’s not exactly his natural position, a bit like Sam Austin last season he’s just a player that seems to fill in where needed.

Aside from that I think the squad is in better place now than it was before January. Belshaw is a big plus, Ndlovu adds some much needed depth upfront, Beck-Ray is like a wildcard signing but his speed really excites me and I've got a good feeling that Tangen could be the player that really looks the part in the No.10 role.

Kind of a compliment really.

What's happened to Wrexham since shows what we were truly up against, in terms of resources, and what a miracle it was to push them so close.

The Wrexham project is just a prime example with what's wrong with modern football.

We've seen an example of the chaos it can cause just a few hundred yards over the River Trent.

The Notts model of sustainability is an example of what clubs can still do with good housekeeping & a progressive financial plan.

On 11/02/2026 at 12:52, Fan of Big Tone said:

Glad to hear your chest is getting better, I hope Mrs. P gets over her vertigo, I’ve had that it’s horrible.

Thank you @Fan of Big Tone for your kind words from me and Mrs P, she is on temporary tablets for the short term but if it persists a long term version is available. Nice one regarding the lung CT Scan, never had a sniff of that, must be new, is it. Good news with the roof man hopefully sorting things out.

Good afternoon, what a horrible soggy day, it hasn’t stopped raining all day here. The good news is though that the roofing man came to fix the roof in the rain and he says it should be ok now, we’ll see. The best thing is he didn’t charge us because he said it was under warranty. Bonus.

On 12/02/2026 at 13:59, Michael D Pie. said:

. Nice one regarding the lung CT Scan, never had a sniff of that, must be new, is it.

Yes I think it’s fairly new @Michael D Pie. see this link.

https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/lung-cancer-screening/

@Fan of Big Tone thank you for the link, much appreciated. Looks like you have to wait for the written invitation, apparently you have to wait until it's the turn of your surgery to get one. 🥴👍

😂 😂 brilliant.

Yes, great day. Even better, and funnier, to note that the Scum have sacked Dyche today.

I remember leaping in to orbit in the Pavis, then later, hearing the immortal words from Colin Slater, “….. of all people, Charlie Palmer. Meadow Lane is alive….”.

Have a great SCP day.

What a day that was Happy CP Day everyone.