Perfectly honest, it’s never been a competition I’ve been interested in. Check results obviously but past that nothing else is of interest to myself.

I think this fixture has become more important because Notts doesn't have a League fixture on Saturday, so Martin Paterson will be keen to keep the positivity going & he will put out a strong side on Tuesday evening.

As for me, I believe every competitive match that Notts play is important & a win or draw would be very welcome & would keep the unbeaten run going. Of course the League is the priority, but matches like these will help Martin & the squad continue their work together in a competitive match setting to improve & gain in confidence.

When you hear the post-match interviews and see the pictures from inside the stadium it's amazing it didn't get called off. It should've been, because there's no way the linesman could call an offside on the other side of the pitch, equally the ref would've had no idea if there had been an off the ball incident (not that it was that type of match but you never know).

I'd have imagined if we were 3-0 up, it would've been called off, because then you get another go at a cup upset. The pure cynic in me thinks because Altrincham had a chance of a cup upset, they wanted to keep the match going. Luckily it worked in our favour by the end.

He was definitely a name I remembered, he's had a couple of good performances against us before when we were in the National League.

Mentioning the obvious but Lucas Weaver was good, took his goal really well and his pace caused us issues. I still think that's the one thing we miss from our forward line.

https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/news/2024/july/27/brewers-sign-harry-isted-from-charlton-athletic-for-an-undisclosed-fee/

@menzinho agree too

I don't think the assistants would have been able to see it, but it's clear that the referee wanted the game to continue, and it is at his discretion as to what happens. For the earlier part of the fog, the players would have had a much better visual sight of the play than those in the stands or at home. Had a yellow or orange ball been used, that would have helped, though I think we can count ourselves lucky that it was allowed to be played on.

We'd have been lost without the fog, I think, in my opinion.

Calling the game off wouldn't have been helpful for us either, despite how dangerous the situation had become. I have been at games where it snowed, and they weren’t called off far worse than this. Mind, I did have flashes of Mansfield at home some years ago with Adam Collin in goal that did get postponed.

I was seated in the stand , quite close to Martin Paterson.... one moment in the game he went totally apoplectic at Smyth's lack of control🤐

2 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

I was seated in the stand , quite close to Martin Paterson.... one moment in the game he went totally apoplectic at Smyth's lack of control🤐

Remember, when he joined, he was asked how he would fare with the cold weather of England, and he said that his previous time elsewhere would help. Clearly, the bitterness and cold of the United Kingdom are to blame here. 😂

Whereas Lucas Ness kept popping up, looking like a striker at times, just without the clinical finishing.

Tom Savage has never been more remembered than he is now, at any point in his life, with his legacy connecting two great clubs and forming the foundation of the friendship between us and Juventus. The work done by various people to further his legacy means he will be remembered for many, many more years.

One simple act has helped preserve his name throughout history, that might otherwise have been forgotten to time.

I really don't know how Salford are getting away with spending so much; they sacked their manager after losing to us and claimed it was due to budgeting their finances, but then went on to sign Macalay Langstaff for a silly fee at League Two level, on wages rumoured to be the same as what Millwall paid him.

Seeing them continue to throw money at League Two, as if they are a big club, makes me feel annoyed. I hope Barnet continue to do well, as they are the complete opposite of Salford.

PONdle #68 is now open

2026-11-08 · Today’s surname has 7 letters.

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PONdle #68 — 4/6 — 7 letters
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PONdle #68 — 2/6 — 7 letters
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Strands #980
“Disciplined combat”
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#waffle1752 2/5

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🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩That was too close for comfort.

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Happy for Maz

Nice to see Kouhuar on the score sheet.

He works hard and has played well for us when he's come on this season during games that have been difficult. Two home games stand out as good performances by him, with the departing player not always having given their best. That said, I think we have signed players who will be ahead of him, and when we did play him I did wonder if he was being given the nod because of how long he had been with us.

I wish him well, as I do think that at this level we need players who can score and not just work hard. We have quite a few workhorses, so the wider areas just need that little bit extra quality.

I can't fault those individual choices from among our fit players.its just a question of whether we have enough creativity in there. Roberts has faded a bit since his good start but he's our best bet for getting a goal out of nothing. Palmer picked him out on Tuesday for his goal, would be nice if that happened again, we're short of partnerships just yet.

Great subject @menzinho I've been meaning to reply but have had no time recently

I'll change it a bit, and make a hard question even harder....pick a first XI from the whole squad. I'll go

Belshaw

Macari Ness Bedeau

Tsaroulla Robertson Campbell Longelo

Cooper Mustapha

Kano

I think it'll take ages for Macari to get his spot back, it'd probably take a Gibbons injury for it to happen. More likely than that is Macari released next summer. But I hope it doesn't come to that. He's 4 years younger and a much better ball-player IMO. This pick/position crystallises the owners/DofF tendencies v Pato's. Can Gibbons ever gel with Tsaroulla as well as Macari did?

Ness - We have McDonald, Platt, Browne, Baker, but Ness at his best can catch the eye the most...After how he played at Huddersfield they'd be just one of many ready to give us 7 figures....got to believe this is on the club's mind

CM - we have 6 contenders for 2 places! How do you sort that out? I went Campbell because he looked class in the 2nd half we saw and we did pay a fee after all. Robbo's Notts career has almost been a complete disaster, but when fit and at his best he does seem to be able to reach a level that's a little out of reach of the others. Finneran is too young IMO to sustain form throughout a game let alone a season. I'll be harsh here, we'd be relegated if he ends up starting 25+ games. At this stage of his career, he just doesn't have the matchwinning knowhow for L1.

LWB is now our weakest link IMO. But Salford nearly went up and Longelo would've been playing in L1 for them as one of their better players. Lipsiuc isn't quite ready. Tsaroulla hates it out there. Samuels-Smith will have to prove it - we haven't really seen what he can do

Until Cal gets stronger, you have to go with Cooper. Don't ask me why but I expect him to fade though. I hope Roberts can then prove to Pato, and us, that he's a true L1 starting no.10. Mustapha offers a level of physicality and ball-carrying that the other 2 don't. A Cooper/Roberts pairing wouldn't last long if they had a bad day...the need for more physical presence would be obvious

Smyth might take a year to get fully up to speed with English football. I think Pato sees Kano as his starting No.9 and hopes that we'll see his Walsall form very soon and that'd seal it.

Prior to my break and absence from games due to that, I didn't think Notts played to Daniel Kanu's strengths. I don't think, as an lone striker, it gets the best out of him, so I would find it difficult to select him in our traditional starting formation based on that. On paper, statistically our strongest team would be different from what I would personally choose.

Statistically the strongest XI:

GK James Belshaw
RWB Nick Tsaroulla
RCB James Gibbons
CB Lucas Ness
LCB Jacob Bedeau
LWB Ishé Samuels-Smith

RM Callum Roberts
CM Rory Finneran
CM Scott Robertson
LM Ollie Cooper

ST Daniel Kanu

However, I think Ishé Samuels-Smith, Scott Robertson and Daniel Kanu would be replaced in my personal choice.

Rosaire Longelo, Jack Evans, and Luka Smyth would come in.

I think a fit Emile Acquah could make a strong contention, with Danny Kanu being an option if we were to play two up top. Matt Palmer and Max Sanders are additional optional choices for Jack Evans. I am a big admirer of what Palmer brings; he's becoming underrated by areas of our support, but Evans gives us a bit more defensive cover. Which is exactly what Sanders offers, but I do like the options Martin Patterson has, and he's far more knowledgeable than I am.

They are, currently, the 5 I’d go for.

Robertson probably deserves to be in there too. The likes of Bedeau, Grant, Roberts & McDonald may well be in contention towards the end of the season tho’. That’s 9 players who have actually put themselves in the frame - so far. That’s both astonishing & impressive for a side that is in our position & with 3 wins. Never known so many contenders tbh.

14 hours ago, YoopEyes said:

Robertson probably deserves to be in there too.

Yes, has to be right there, and getting better with each game.

Finneran and Robertson have definitely been the best CMs we've seen and lucky for us that their combination seems to work really well

From what we've seen of the others, Evans, Sanders and Campbell (very small sample) are below that and around the same level. Maybe the edge to Evans, but he seems stuck at a certain limit (for example, he needed to convert that chance at the end of the first half v Leicester). I think Sanders needs to show more in the minutes he gets, to overtake Evans, and keep the pressure on Rory & Scott.

Sadly, Matty Palmer is probably in the last group of players who have come up short. That's with Kouhyar, who's been loaned out and Ndlovu I'd say, who needs to show more between now and January (and before Acquah comes back) or will be moved on

If Cooper hadn’t got injured and had played all the matches and was a good as he was in his first batch I would’ve had him top. He’s absolutely perfect for our No.10 role because he’s fit and combative enough to press effectively and he’s got good technical ability and can score, a bit like having Roberts and Grant merged into one player!

The defence has fared pretty well with the step up, Ness has been the obvious stand-out with Bedeau very close behind him. Even recently moving Ness back to the RCB position, which I didn’t always rate him in, he’s been great. Although I thought Gibbons started well and was doing fine in the RCB role. I think we are just favouring having 3 CBs that are all aerially pretty dominate at the moment.

I agree about Finneran, I really can’t believe how good he is at times, he does those little shoulder drops which completely baffles the opposition and allows him to keep the ball and change direction. I suspect after us he’ll have a season in the Championship, if he does well he’ll then be pushing for a spot in Newcastle’s squad.

1. Ness
2. Bedeau
3. Cooper
4. Finneran
5. Tsaroulla

Honourable mention for Gibbons from me, I think if Robertson and Ishe had played more they’d have made my top 5.

I think the standard of players we have is the main takeaway, as we have had them before, but usually some are on loan and others not quite established themselves as regular starters. It's great to see Nick Tsaroulla for example, getting the call-ups he deserves, as he should have been playing for Cyprus well before signing for us.

Also, I know Daniel Kanu and Rory Finneran are loanees, but again the standard they represent is a factor of their quality.

Darius Lipsiuc has been a superb addition to our squad; on paper some might have thought he would be overlooked, but in any case he's proving that he's a talented player with a bright future.

The call-ups are great. The weekends without a Notts game, not so much. But I guess we get double helpings later on.

Tuesday attendances are always lower though. Do clubs get any compensation for the postponements?

I'm with @Sheffield Pie here, there are incredibly varying levels when it comes to being an international player. We've had players called up to play for Bermuda and Granada, I’m not being disrespectful because it’s obviously an honour to represent your country, but it isn’t the same level as getting a call up for an established national side.

Tsaroulla getting called up for Cyprus is impressive, I didn’t think it would happen. They have a decent squad even though they are considered to be a weaker European national team. They’ve got players from 1^st division sides in Europe and those that play in Cyprus all play for the teams that play in the European competitions.

On 05/11/2026 at 07:29, Fan of Big Tone said:

Thanks for the good wishes @Michael D Pie. and @nottsnutter we had a grand day out (as Wallace would say to Grommit 😂) a nice lunch and a change of scene did us the world of good.

Today I’ve got a dentist appointment, just a check up thankfully.

@Chris I hope @super_ram‘s fire can be mended or you can source a new one, has the house got central heating? Maybe you could turn that up a notch in the meantime.

We're going to buy a new one; an electrician friend has suggested this would be easier, considering how old his current one is and the likelihood that it's the heating element. Nobody seems to want to touch them, so the best option is to find a new one.

I went round earlier today to see him and passed on everyone's comments to him.

Jake came with me, and we bought him fishcakes, chips and peas, which he seemed to enjoy. Jake had the same as me; I had a cheeseburger with chips. We both hope you are doing better, Tone. Super did ask me about your eye. When he behaves, he can be quite himself, but it's getting him to listen. 😁😂

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Super did ask me about your eye.

@Chris tell @super_ram thanks for thinking about me, I’m having an operation on my eyes a week tomorrow, I’m not looking forward to it but needs must. The surgeon assures me it’s a very minor op and the worst thing is the needle, that not something I wanted to hear. 😩

Shall we all club together? I think a castle could do us quite nicely. It beats PON towers! Who wants to live in a tower when you can live in a castle?

How about Omaze take on the reins to sell it so all of us could buy a ticket? Of course the chances of winning would be very low, but it would be worth a dabble. Trouble is it would cost a fortune to maintain, & pay the property tax, heating & power.

@nottsnutter Did you carry on with your trade after leaving the Coal industry? My regret was that I didn't take up a trade apprenticeship when I had the chance, but when I left the Coal industry I went into Manufacturing, managed to acquire management qualifications & worked myself up to a various management positions over the years. After 30 odd years in various Manufacturing roles I decided to learn how to drive a HGV & for the last 7 years before retiring drove a 29 tonne Rigid delivering to supermarkets & retail outlets.

@Robbie took redundancy and went to work at the Incinerator across from Meadow Lane, as a maintenance engineer. After a couple of years I went into the control room as charge engineer operating the incinerators. Ensuring maximised steam output but reacting to situations so that we didn’t exceed emission levels. Took operating papers which meant I could run Radcliffe Power station. Took up roles of Union rep and health and safety rep before leaving incinerator 2012 and moved to London Road Heat station. Basically received steam and operated turbine supplying electricity to the grid and providing heating via hot water from turbine to approx 3,600 homes, colleges, shopping centres etc. left in 2016. Worked for daughters measuring and fitting for blinds before heart issues, then became janitor at travel company in Derby until they moved premises, unemployed 4 months before took up being lollipop man

My first teacher, Mrs Green, was elderly. I had her for about a week or two, and then one day we were told she had died. I remember feeling saddened because, in that small time, she made a big impression; she would read stories before school ended, and it wasn't always picture books but stories that made you think.

They had issues replacing her, and we were made to sit watching films on tapes for a couple of days. I can remember feeling more confused and hurt.

One of them became a favourite of mine, "The Land Before Time."

It was a bit messed up, because Littlefoot’s mum dies in, and I can remember balling my eyes out. I can't imagine a worse thing to show a group of young, impressionable children straight out of nursery.

Though it does make me think of Mrs Green and how she came across as a grandmother to us, even in such a short space of time. Sadly, I found every teacher, until I moved, to be ignorant. I have enjoyed reading people's accounts of their school days, even if some of you don't have fond memories, they are part of what made you who you are today.

Thanks @Piethagoram for another fascinating story 👍

There were a lot of people performing surprising roles during the Second World War. All deserve to be remembered, and the stories are fascinating. Horrible to read that she was killed by someone she knew, but it is a great story.

A lot of brave souls, who deserve to be remembered and lost to time.

It reminds me of a film I came across on YouTube, starring Kirsten Dunst in which she goes back in time and lives through the events of being captured and held by the Nazi troops. I find these well-replicated films hard to watch and deeply upsetting. The time travel might be a 'Hollywood spin' but the story behind it is one that a lot of younger people today should watch.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179148/

Considering some of the teams last season I still thought we were one of the better footballing sides, but the difference was we were more flexible. Take the play-offs, we were kind of happy to let Chesterfield have the ball because we’d worked on the out of possession shape and we knew we could create chances from pressing. Then in the final, given it was 30°+ it’s virtually impossible to play an effective press so we switched back to a more possession-based style. Salford were very much an up and at you team under Robinson and they didn’t adapt.

Now we aren’t side the is 100% committed to trying to always have possession of the ball, we can be just as effective without it. It’s a double edge sword, but in a good way for us! Against Huddersfield we were more focused in our out of possession play and we came away with a point. Against Burton home (second half) we showed we are still capable of dominating the ball and creating chances through good passing play. It’s the best of both worlds right now and I think it’s going to serve us well this season.

League One is very competitive; the gulf between a good League Two side and a team that must avoid relegation from League One isn't all that different. A team can have quality and depth, but it takes consistency at a much higher level to stay as an established team at this level.

The talk I heard prior to Bradford about us being "Championship" ready is, at the kindest possible reading, optimistic thinking.

Huddersfield showed what quality there is in the lower half of the Championship; Leicester, despite being very poor, showed they had Championship quality within them. I am not downplaying our squad, there's much more needed from them and it's still early days. The signs are positive, as we look capable of playing well in two halves.

Teams all have off days; this Saturday perhaps comes down to us not choosing the right starting lineup.

Defensively, I think we have made a lot of improvements, but more is naturally to come. The lapse in awareness and judgment is what is still costing us points.

We can attack very nicely with pure passing football, and I have noticed we look a lot more dangerous on the break.

Counter-attacking football is massive at this level and higher. Bradford turned it on quite nicely, though they failed to make their finishing count, I feel. So, I think comparisons are only half of the picture and that we have made progress. Yet, I wouldn't gloss over what further we need to do in order to be at our best. I think, with time and the new signings settling in more, we'll start to show a lot more of the quality we have seen in the earlier games so far, but on a more consistent basis.

It took a bit of time last season for the quality to improve; this season it might be a little harder due to the talented teams we face, but I am confident that we can establish ourselves. I would like Notts to walk before running, as we need to be fully ready to push for promotion.

I would hate to see all our good work undone by failing to get the basics needed to improve at this level right first.

If we roll on from January when this thread asked the question, I think that we can say that we have definitely progressed under Martin Paterson into a side that has demonstrated over the first 12 games that they can compete with the very best in League One.

There is a big gulf in standard between League 1 & League 2, and so far Notts have bridged that gap under Martin Paterson's leadership. Notts had a very good summer transfer window that has gone a long way of bridging that gap, but I think Martin's experience of League 1 in his time at Burton has served him well, & he has organised the Notts team into a good effective unit at this level.

The icing on the cake would be for Notts to start converting the chances they are creating into goals, which could convert Notts into a top half position in this League. There is still room for lots of progress to be made but do far things are looking very encouraging.