Cagliari was very hot, we’ve had a nice day we walked into town and had a lovely icecream no wonder the Italians are famous for it.

Pizza for lunch seemed fitting, now we are waiting for the ship to leave port once everyone is aboard. A sea day tomorrow then two days in Corfu.

Here a few pics of Cagliari.

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.

@Matt

That's a really interesting bit of research and it completely undermines the idea that Notts' growth is simply following a wider post-Covid trend.

If the average attendance increase across League One and League Two clubs was 20.75%, then a 100.23% increase at Notts is clearly something exceptional rather than normal. Being almost five times the average and ranking sixth out of 48 clubs shows that what has happened at Meadow Lane is driven by factors specific to the club, not just a general rise in football attendances.

The data suggests that the club has successfully re-engaged supporters, attracted new fans and built momentum both on and off the pitch. If performances continue and the club keeps progressing, there's every reason to believe attendances can rise further. For a club that was in the National League not long ago, it's a remarkable story and a great time to be a Notts fan.

Hello, and welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @Matt. I am delighted that you have joined us, I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

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.

Rettel Search #485 🔍
🟦⬜🟦⬜✅

https://rettelgame.com/rettel-search

Rettel 5x5 #767 19pts

🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

https://rettelgame.com/rettel-five

I guessed all the words (29 out of 29) in today's Combinations puzzle.
✅✅✅
✅✅✅
✅✅✅
✅✅✅

Can you guess this puzzle?
https://combinations.org/

Thank you @ARLukomski for this in depth report on what is needed and where we get the answers from. I personally didn't realise that there were so many good football players available and the majority would be on a freebie. Let's hope the hierarchy have a good look and we pursue the talent needed for our up and coming journey into Division One. Once again thank you for opening my eyes. 👍⚽️🤔

Thanks for posting. I'll have fun with that - shopping for our most needed position, which is another AM

After a quick look through, the one that stands out for me is Swinkels - looked excellent for Chesterfield

The AM options are mainly investments for the future, rather than anyone who can take and keep a first-team shirt straight aight away.

With Tangan, Luker, Iorpenda and Hall all gone I'm expecting big things for the AM position.

As it stands (early days) a front three of Roberts/Grant/Jatta would have us relegated - not because they're aren't good, but susceptibility to injury, and low production in Grant's case. We need a splash. Might we be able to get someone like Chis Willock from Cardiff? I think we need someone with that kind of profile.

#waffle1603 3/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⭐🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩⭐🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⭐🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🔥 streak: 5
⭐ #wafflerookie
wafflegame.net

#waffle1603 3/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⭐🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩⭐🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩⭐🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🔥 streak: 781
🦾 #waffletitan
wafflegame.net

#waffle1604 5/5

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩⭐🟩⭐🟩
🟩🟩⭐🟩🟩
🟩⭐🟩⭐🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

🔥 streak: 6
⭐ #wafflerookie
wafflegame.net

Wordle 1,818 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,819 5/6

🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩🟨⬜🟨
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,820 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Forecast for Cagliari, Sardinia. 🥵

Your Friday 12th June Weather 4Cast.

Your Saturday 13th June Weather 4Cast.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else leaves. I think we have 16 contracted players now, excluding keepers and u21s (have I counted correctly?). So room for six more although we've offered two contracts, which would only leave four slots.

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.

Macari - injured and with a betting issue on his record, so likely to be grateful of the chance to stay.

Roos - mutually terminated surely?

Traore - expect they will try to loan him out; costly mistake if we're stuck with him. Shame it's not worked out for the guy.

Dennis - we will get offers, just depends on the owners' valuation whether he goes.

Any other possibles? Maybe only if we get a big offer for Jatta or maybe Robertson.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHMP32bac0/FBf9FH-CAI6QBlbvQ8fxQA/view?utm_content=DAHMP32bac0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h1dc2075fbf

Sorry for my lack of posts on here recently. Here is my recruitment doc for this transfer window. 57 players analysed and included.

1 hour ago, ARLukomski said:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHMP32bac0/FBf9FH-CAI6QBlbvQ8fxQA/view?utm_content=DAHMP32bac0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h1dc2075fbf

Sorry for my lack of posts on here recently. Here is my recruitment doc for this transfer window. 57 players analysed and included.

Great stuff. I did wonder if there was anyone else in the EFL2 team of the season we might fancy, as well as Gibbons. Glover would have been nice but money talks. So interested to see Read from Colchester is in there.

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.

Absolutely gutted he's gone, he did a grey job of slowing things downand controlling the midfield. He was just what Notts were missing in terms of an agitator/antagonist in midfield. I hope we get another player with those skills as county have been too nice for too long, youneed a few of these type of players.

I am pleased it was his decision to move closer to home, as I would have been annoyed if Notts had moved him on.

Sorry to see him go and I wish him well for the future.

Norburn was an integral part of our promotion campaign, he provided the necessary grit, subtlety and composure - with the odd exception, of course.

I liked him and Robbo together but look forward to Sanders replacing Ollie tbh.

Ollie Norburn's departure did feel short, and I do think that he ended his season the right way for us. He became an exceptional part of the team, and the role he played to assist our promotion was vital to how he would defend and get Notts going. Some are comparing him to Johnny Bostock, but I do feel we may have been able to keep Norburn whereas Bostock didn't have a great last season and I felt his departure made perfect sense.

Both players brought something we needed to the middle of our team, and were cult icons during their time, but Norburn for me could have given so experience and still played a role, when Bostock made sense to move on.

Nothing will change, so I wish Norburn well. But I think we need to add some speed there and that seems to be the case with the signing of Max Sanders.

There was also Birch, Pollard, Saxilby, Scott, Newell & Pick who were part of the successful squad of 1987 too.

I like watching darts between two professionals, especially when they are quite evenly matched. I do not like watching cocky players, or those who are simply miles better than their opponent. I think the sport has become worse for unsportsmanship in recent years. I like the character of a true professional but not the silly tantrums.

Shake hands, and walk off... Don't flip tables or try to start fights.

Snooker is okay in small doses. I can find it interesting when players try to go for it and play safe to a degree. It's boring when someone is overprotective and relies on fouls.

Basketball is about the only American sport that I actually enjoy; I don't like Baseball or American Football. I am not into motor sports either. Some sports simply make me sleepy, and both F1 and the C word fall into that category.

Motorbike racing has been a passion of mine from my late teens to now, the likes of Barry Sheen, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson and a chap called Derek Chatterton. Not forgetting Rocket Ron Haslam, Steve Parish and of course Carl Foggerty. So much so I took on the mantle of becoming a Race Marshall and was fortunate to meet the riders and travel to most of the circuits in the UK. Today I still follow British Superbikes and the rider from Jacksdale Kyle Ryde, who has won the championship two years running and is leading in the early stages this year on his Ducati. Little does Kyle know that when a child prodigy Mrs P and myself helped raise money to keep him riding, with organised events at Jacksdale Welfare. 🏍 🏆

I hope he can have a big impact for us next season, there's no doubting his talent we've all witnessed it first hand just got hope he can make the step up to League 1.

I think signing him early is a good thing though, he'll have lots of time to prepare properly for the season ahead. I can remember a comment from Lee Ndlovu where he mentioned how the training was a lot more physically draining for him since he joined us. We clearly have an intensity and fitness that is a lot higher than your average National League sides. I think a good pre-season will give him the best chance of succeeding here again.

Cal Roberts is a brilliant signing. It is great to see him back, and I am keen to see how he settles in after his last spell. He is a gifted player who should trouble most League One sides. He adds real strength and quality to Martin Paterson’s team.

With any player you have to think about injuries, and Roberts is very similar to Jodi in that sense.

When the head coach and the club have spent time saying our wingers do not get enough protection and are kicked out of games, it makes the concern even more serious. Old injuries can shorten a career. Roberts should be in his prime now, and I agree with Chris that we need to protect players like him. We have had a lot of injuries this season, some very serious. Lewis Macari is a big one. Matty Platt, Rod McDonald, Lucas Ness and several others have all had problems that we hope do not return.

It is a worry, but players like Roberts and Jones have a real desire to win and that drives them on. Notts just needs to avoid risking them when they have small knocks, and with the right squad we should be able to rotate and avoid bigger issues. Welcome back, Roberts. The one and only Geordie Messi.

I am sure he will do well in his return but is a jump from the National league to league 1 a little too much?

I’m really happy with the addition of Sanders, I think we’ve got 3 really good options in midfield and with one more likely there should be real competition in this area now. I think the main criticism of him when he first played in League 1 was that games could bypass him but going to a more physical side like Crewe has certainly helped develop this area of his game. 

I do think we have finally found someone to push Matt Palmer, it’s felt like for years we’ve tried to find a similar player we’ve had Ed Francis, Curtis Edwards and Jack Hinchy but none of them quite had that desired impact. Max is very comfortable on the ball, gets forward well and has the ability to play accurate longer passes too.

Just on Matt Palmer, I thought he was really good first half of the season, he looked a different player. He was pressing really well, sharp in his tackling and was able to win turn-overs numerous times. Then he got injured and it hampered his second half of the season. I still think a fit and firing Matt Palmer has a lot to offer.

Agree with the consensus above - a good signing on the face of things.

With Norburn 33 Palmer 31, it's good to have a holding CM at 27 and I thought he interviewed very well

@menzinho agree on Palmer. The season was a strong bounceback from a poor season playing backwards and sideways in Maynard's scheme. I seem to say this most years, but I hope he passes on the armband now. The masterstroke at the end of the season was going Norburn-Robbo. There's something about Palmer leading us in clutch end-of-season games that seems to set the wrong tone for the team.

I don't really know that much about him but from what has been said sounds like a good signing.

Is he anything like a Dan Crowley type of player? As I still think we need a player like that, would anyone say Sanders or Roberts would fill a role similar to that of Crowley or is this something they still needs to be looked for? A creative midfielder?

I remember the first time I sat in the Derek Pavis stand with my Grandfather Ray, I was so excited to see a live game and he briefed me before the game not to expect too much and that it wouldn't be like I had seen on TV. However, I was glued the moment the first touch was made and I liked that back then the players uninvolved sat behind the dugout.

At half-time, my grandfather and a few other fans would talk to some of them such as Michael Johnson. That impression of being a family club is part of what won me over.

I don't recall the cost of the tickets, but I do remember the feel of the paper. How much better quality they looked and felt. I loved the holographic image and the overlay of the old Notts logo. I would keep all of my tickets, and I stored them in a large mint tin my mum gave me. One day, I hope to find it.

Well done, Jodi!!!

These types of momens not only are proud as a community, but as fans we can admire how inspiring Jodi is to others and by going back to his former school.

Last season Notts had the tenth highest number of empty seats on average out of the 92.

Our gates have improved massively as we all know, but from an occupancy rate of around 25% to 50%, so lots of room for improvement before we need to worry about needing a bigger ground. Next season hopefully over 60% occupancy. I've always thought around 75% is ideal - enough to feel pretty full and create a good atmosphere most games, but with room for new/floating fans when they want to come. I think we could get there if we keep making progress.

Our place in that is definitely going to change next season.

We'll push up to 65% maybe (if results are OK) and hopefully only about 7000 seats

(seats are for banners anyway, in my house I've followed Notts' example and stopped the family using the chairs and sofas - I cover them with stuff I want to promote)