The owners gave a decent statement. I do think they could have gone into more detail, though. It would’ve helped to confirm if any more bids came in for Alassana Jatta, and explain what the club actually did to sort the situation. Triggering his extension seems the most likely reason for the back spasm injury, which came at the worst time when we really needed him.

I imagine this is the club’s way of trying to calm some of the concerns around the rumours and the lack of clear updates. It doesn’t really offer much, though. The message feels quite shallow and full of corporate language. I think they could’ve shared more, especially about what they’re actually working on behind the scenes.

i think the statements always tend to be standard and routine, but that does not mean the club should not release them. i would actually like to hear from jason palmer like we did with jason turner, a regular update gave fans something to be optimistic about. palmer tends to get a lot of credit for things at least by the club, without any communication with us and i am sure hes a busy person but his report with us fans should be of high importance.

i am glad jatta has extended, i do think he will be gone before the end of his deal but provided we get good money for him it will be fine.

Thanks @theAnticlough . Maybe I'll put forward for the Technical Board 🙃

The training sessions seem to be making a real difference now. The midfield looks more settled, and the movement off the ball is starting to improve. It’s still an area we need to keep working on, especially when we’re trying to break teams down. Scott Robertson coming back is a big boost, he’s looked sharp and seems to have added a bit of muscle too, which should help him hold his own in the middle.

I was told sand was put down to help get the game on; I thought it might have impacted the performance or made the pitch difficult to play on, but it seemed to have no effect. The pitch didn't look great, with it, but at least it allowed the game to be played.

I am not really a fan of seeing the starting XI warm up in the absence of the bench, and even uninvolved players.

But the fitness levels do appear to be improving, and more of the squad are benefiting from this as it isn't taking their focus when they tire out. They kept going against Fleetwood, and I think Ollie Norburn has benefited from this. With him returning to a higher level of fitness, I believe he will start to make more of an impact, and I loved seeing him go in with his tackles more confidently.

Part of it, I believe, is other leagues have started to replicate how La Liga would bank on its marketable names that featured in the league; PSG have made a habit of signing big names as a means to milk the money a player like Lee Kang-in. It's also a side effect of La Liga clubs overspending and now having to cut back as a means of continuing to operate.

It's also not very exciting as it once was. Spanish football is more technical and can be boring because teams just try to out-muscle each other in this department. The amount of hoofball games I have seen over the years where it's the smaller teams that tend to use traditional wingers to break through defenses with pace.

I'm trying to figure out why I am familiar with the name, but looking at the squad, I'm not so sure. It's good to see teams like these doing well; it makes a change. It's partly why I have always liked newly promoted teams from the Championship getting a run in the Premier League (Luton, Wigan, Barnsley, Bradford, etc.).

I did note their keeper is their captain, something which not a lot of fans tend to favour.

3 hours ago, Robbie said:

The players liked him & it could have been possible that Didzy might have stayed if Maynard was still Head Coach

Not sure, players became too comfortable and Didzy appeared to leave for the £

I think the club knew Stuart Maynard had lost support after the AFC Wimbledon game. Now we have to hope Martin Paterson can keep things moving in the right direction. I like how he manages matches, he’s not afraid to make changes or take players off when needed.

12 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

Not sure, players became too comfortable and Didzy appeared to leave for the £

Didzy recently said he thought he was going to retire. It says a lot when he leaves Notts open to criticism for not offering more money to keep him, only to join the highest bidder who’s likely to go up. His loyalty as a fan doesn’t seem to count for much.

There are quite a lot of teams which have ex-Notts players in both camps, and on occasion, former coaching staff. I would be cheering on Yeovil more than I would York City. I have always had a soft spot for Yeovil ever since they signed Paddy Madden back when I was recommending Notts to take a look at him. One day, I might try to get to a game like this if it doesn't clash with Notts just to get more experience outside of watching Notts live.

Notts did well against a tough Fleetwood side. Fleetwood clearly came with a plan to break up the play and keep the ball in the air, just as someone mentioned before kick-off. At the same time, they wanted something from the match, which made it more lively. I think Notts could have played more directly at times, but overall it was a good 90 minutes.

It wasn’t the smoothest display, but it showed real grit from Notts when it mattered. Fleetwood were lively down the right in the first half and caused plenty of trouble, with Roos needing to make a few strong saves to keep things level. On another day, they might have taken one of those chances, but Notts held firm and didn’t fold under pressure.

Dennis took his goal well, showing calmness in front of the net, and Jatta looked lively before being forced off. What stood out most was how the substitutes helped steady things late on. Paterson made smart changes at the right time, and it’s clear he’s not afraid to act when the game needs it. The bench looks much stronger now, even with Dennis and Jatta starting together, and that depth could be key as the season goes on.

There’s a lot to be pleased about beyond the scoreline. The team showed resilience, the manager made good decisions, and the squad looks more balanced. Winning in tough conditions, especially when the performance isn’t perfect, is a sign of progress. It’s not always about flair, sometimes it’s about finding a way, and Notts did just that.

Fleetwood Town looked poor in the first half. They didn’t create anything that worried me, apart from one chance they wasted. Kelle Roos did well to hold his ground, even if the shot was straight at him. Notts looked close to scoring throughout, and once Matt Dennis got the goal, it felt like a second was coming. Then we started misplacing passes and lost control a bit. Still, a very good win and a solid team performance overall.

I thought Mai Traore looked decent against Fleetwood. He was more involved and seemed to read the game well, even though it was just a short appearance. I think every club should have at least four strikers, even if one is a young lad still learning the ropes.

@NottsTastic, yeah he was the best of the subs. Seemed a lot more up for it

We’ll have to see how Mai Traoré gets on now the transfer window’s shut. There’s not much room to bring anyone else in, so I’m puzzled why MP asked for signings when it seemed unlikely. Was it just a distraction, or maybe wishful thinking? I’m not sure, but Traoré needs to prove himself now.

I had a walk with Jake today, another excuse for him to look for more of those Premier League trading cards he has started collecting. He unpacked a signed Everton player, which is hand-signed and one of x amount. He even gave me one of Ian Wright, as they are including some club legends in the series, and it's a very nice card.

It's proudly in a plastic sleeve and top loader, so it's safe. I never did this when I was younger; I collected them and would look at the cards. I never really cared if they had value; I just liked having them.

It presented the perfect opportunity to pay a surprise visit to Super, and we intended to be there for about an hour, but we stayed much longer as we talked about things and caught up. Leaving just in time to get something that was being cooked back at home. The positives were my legs only seldomly hurting while walking, and I don't feel too bad.

A much more positive week than it had started.

15 minutes ago, Chris said:

It presented the perfect opportunity to pay a surprise visit to Super, and we intended to be there for about an hour, but we stayed much longer as we talked about things and caught up. Leaving just in time to get something that was being cooked back at home. The positives were my legs only seldomly hurting while walking, and I don't feel too bad.

A much more positive week than it had started.

Yes a very nice surprise.I wasn't expecting a visit & it gave me an excuse not to do any weeding or other garden work today.Anyway it wasn't exactly sunny and inviting in the garden.

It’s back to school tomorrow. I’m hoping the day goes quickly and doesn’t feel like it’s dragging. The first day back always seems to move slowly and can be a bit dull. It’ll be nice to catch up with my friends, but for me, the day really starts at 3:15pm.

He still seems to be the same old Ricardo, who loves attacking football and high intensity from the defence which leads to the need to outscore the other team. He's a purist football fan's dream, let alone natural supporters.

Sorry, I was expecting this to be news about him signing for a new club. 🤣

The match is underway

Sheffield FC 0 Notts 0

Half time

Sheffield FC 0 Notts 0

Final Score

A win for Notts Women

Sheffield FC 0 Notts 2

Last word from Manager Adam Dunleavy.

I’m pleased to hear he’s found a club, good luck Curtis.

I wish him.luck at Gateshead. I think he will feature well at that level. I'll keep an eye on him this season.

sam stubbs @Piethagoram 😊

John Sheridan

Chicksen and Adam Campbell for players (albeit on loan for Fleetwood I think)

Nathan Tyson

Remember coming into High Level in the 60s from Grantham with my Dad when we came to Meadow Lane....before my Dad got a car...

The site could have easily been converted to a Tram station using all the Tunnels to easily get access Nottingham & adjoining Towns. Just look at the money that could have been saved instead of the waste that resulted.

I’ve only ever known one train station in Nottingham, and I don’t like what they did to it when they fixed it up. It used to look really nice, but now it feels like they’ve mixed in new styles that don’t match the old building. It looks a bit messy now.

It’s easier for taxis, parking and dropping people off, which is good. But they’ve messed up how the station looks, and that’s a shame. Trying to catch a train there can be really annoying. Sometimes they change the platform just five minutes before it leaves, and it makes everything stressful.

I don’t understand why Nottingham is so bad at this. Other places seem to manage better.

I haven’t got my ticket yet, I’ll wait to see the outcome of the pitch inspection.

Hopefully it’ll go ahead.

The match goes ahead after a pitch inspection, right time to get my tickets.

Official confirmation that the match is on.

Just because Jatta has had is contract extended by another 12 months doesn't mean that the Club won't sell the player at the next available transfer window if another club makes an offer the brothers can't refuse.

All this extension is basically doing is keeping Jatta's value a little higher than it might have been. I still think that Jatta will be very marketable if he starts scoring again, & strikes up a good partnership with Dennis.

I think we've already picked up that the money earned from the sale of players goes into the running costs of the club, such as wages & running costs, & we may even see other players sold if the price is right.

Jatta could still leave in January @Robbie, but this means we're under less pressure to sell if the price isn't right. If he were out of contract in the summer, there would have been clubs trying to exploit that and sign him for a reduced fee in January. Now we can name our price (or just keep him).

I'm disappointed another striker hasn't come in for competition though, especially if we're playing two up top. I'm very happy with Dennis but we'll be very thin as soon as injuries and suspensions come into play.

Yeah, that Jatta could still leave in January is a given.

But the year extension is a massive pressure release which will have knock-on effects to MP's team selection, the media focus, and maybe the mood of the squad

Jatta turns 27 in January, his next contract could be the most important of his career/life. We should have a highly motivated player for the rest of the season/half-season.

I should have written a travelogue some years back, following #Notts to Jyväskylä Finland !

New signing for Notts today.

Welcome Lou Hembrough

Another new face in the building. Welcome to talented midfielder, Claudia Jones to Notts.

I agree @Sir Magpie that Tom Iorpenda played well in that first half. We all thought that it would be hard to replace George Abbott, but it does appear on this first league showing that he has slotted in well which is very encouraging..

He may not be the same type of player as George Abbott but he has a way of playing & style that could be very useful to Notts in the months ahead.

I'm sorry, I messed up. Sometimes I find it difficult to see what I actually write; I believe it's correct, and I could double-check it a million times and still feel that way. It's only when someone points it out. Usually, I run everything past @cheeky~k8, but I haven't done it for a while, so I didn't bother her with it.

It should read:

It should read: "Tom Iorpenda looked right at home for the black and white army, away at Newport County.👊🏻"

😓

We should see Iorpenda back against Tranmere. He's done pretty well so far, but personally I suspect he's a dangerous player for us. That means one who looks the part but won't contribute the goals, assists and wins we need from his position (he's playing in Didzy's role at the moment, to illustrate the point). I hope he proves me wrong, obviously.

I also feel a bit sorry for him. Is he a deeper-lying midfielder or an inside forward? I think the best answer to that is neither - with his energy, physique and athleticism he's more of a classic box-to-box midfielder. Today though, it seems you're either a No.6 or a No.10, definitely the way Notts have set up the last few seasons.

Where would Bryan Robson, for example, have played if he was in the premiership now?

Has Hincy joined the Kelle Roos colourblind Club. ?? or did he deliberately pass the ball to the Lincoln striker???????

I thought Scott Robertson had a good game, although a little overwhelmed at times by the quantity of Lincoln players surrounding him, just like the alamo.

Alot of positives can be taken, as mentioned by @Robbie utilising Academy and fringe players to give them opportunity and giving players coming back from injury game time.

Despite the Guardian TV review headline, from watching the programme, I don't pity the footballers involved.

The choice of the individual is to pay the tax the tax due, not look for schemes being touted by financial advisers which may come back to bite you at a later date...where in fact it has!

The initial "tax break" money has been spent. They could have put it in a bank account as a "provision".

And here's the first lesson. Kick it long or drop kick it long my son. It's a lot safer & it's a lot smarter.

The great Goalkeepers of the past, Bonetti, Sprake, Wilson, Banks, Clemence & Shilton kicked it long most of the time.

Professional football at its finest!🤬

Thommo knew the game. He didn’t get the success he wanted as a coach, but he earned respect. He gave everything to the job. It’s a real loss to football and to those who knew him.

Rest in peace, Steve Thompson.

I played cricket against Steve a few times back in the day whilst he played for Collingham, always insightful and still had the insider knowledge on the happenings at Notts (before his return). A good bloke who will be sadly missed.

As a side note for anyone that doesn’t know, he used to play for the same cricket club as (then starting out) referee David Coote.

Rest in Peace, Steve Thompson.

I was pleased to see the club put the statement on the OS, usually these events pass us by. 😥

Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Norwich City

Watford 1-0 Southampton

Barnsley 2-0 Huddersfield Town

Wigan Athletic 1-0 Stockport County Joker

Barnet 2-1 Colchester United

Bromley 2-0 Harrogate Town

Hartlepool United 2-1 Boreham Wood

Morecambe 0-0 Woking

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Norwich City

Watford 3-1 Southampton

Barnsley 0-0 Huddersfield Town

Wigan Athletic 3-1 Stockport County Joker

Barnet 0-0 Colchester United

Bromley 1-2 Harrogate Town

Hartlepool United 0-0 Boreham Wood

Morecambe 2-0 Woking

The results:

Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 2-2 Southampton
Barnsley 3-1 Huddersfield Town
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Stockport County
Barnet 1-1 Colchester United
Bromley 2-0 Harrogate Town
Hartlepool United 0-0 Boreham Wood
Morecambe 0-2 Woking

Congrats to @4everapie and @JustLikeJuve , who top the leaderboard this round!

Things are looking a lot tighter this round - @magpiejue is still top, but @Robbie and @super_ram are catching up. But there are still loads of players in touching distance of top spot, so it's all up for grabs still.

Despite it being the international break, there's still a round on Saturday so I'll post the fixtures tomorrow. Thanks for playing!

45 minutes ago, McPie said:

@Fan of Big Tone, that's the good thing about this forum. Here people respect one another's opinions and don't jump on every grammatical mistake that's made.

You are so right @McPie that’s what sets this place aside from others and long May it continue.

That's easy for you to say @Fan of Big Tone, what about the crowd of people who converged on Meadow Lane after seeing your comment? 😉

Another one: our former managers Colin Murphy and Steve Thompson, both of them more popular at Sincil Bank.

53 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

That's easy for you to say @Fan of Big Tone, what about the crowd of people who converged on Meadow Lane after seeing your comment? 😉

I’ll apologise personally to each and everyone of them at the match on Saturday. 😂

I'm talking about Paterson. We don't know yet if he's the right man or how it'll all work out but it's clear that he's giving it his best.

Braver selections, substitutions and interviews than we saw from Maynard - fighting back from 1pt in 9 to go 7pts out of the next 9. Being the one to represent the club in all the interviews, handling some probing and awkward questions, which are really for the technical board. Just generally showing real commitment and passion. That's what I mean by gumption. If more players in the squad had the same spirit we'd have nothing to worry about

As @Chris, says, the right players were probably were not available. We have been down the route of panic signing for the sake of a signing and it hasn't worked. I think it's better to manage till January and have a clearer idea what we actually need and make a push for promotion in the second half of the season.

I think that the right players were available but he Owners were unwilling to pay the price.

It does appear to me, although I could be wrong, that most of the transfer profit is going on playing players & Coaches wages