Congratulations Bromley.

Talking of Centre Backs on other threads, Webster was always impressive against Notts

I liked the look of Nathan Claxton, hopefully the club is still thinking it over but it sounds like they have a few players in mind.

Nathan Claxton looked impressive. He was one of the trialists that I thought could do a job with Notts. I am not sure if he played against Telford, but hopefully, he is still around.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/nathan-claxton/profil/spieler/986971

But @Fan of Big Tone it's May!!!!

Knackered myself gardening yesterday so it’s a rest day today. I’ve got some homemade rhubarb wine on the go, should be ready for Christmas. ???? 

The club could do with finding a centre back who is experienced, but at the right age. Ideally someone around 26-27 and have a reputation for being very good at defending. We don't need someone with a lot of pace, provided we retain Aden Baldwin.

I have no issues with players coming in from further down the leagues, such as the National League North or South.

Good players these days are finding their way down there and are taking what chances they can in order to establish their career further. Ideally, if we have some money in the budget, we would seek to sign a player for a fee. Whilst, we could very well rely on the free agents available. I am a firm believer that paying for the right player, in key positions, gives a much-needed boost because they will want to show their worth within the fee paid. This isn't always the case, but we are quite good at spending money well when looking for transfers.

Our issue is within the loan system.

Personally, I think it's a bit early for us to be reviewing who could potentially come in because much can change between now and the pre-season. It's an interesting debate, plus there's nothing wrong with tracking players but with managerial changes and signings, this alone opens so many doors.

I know he is youngish but with experience at Port Vale and Dundee, perhaps he is an option. Thought he was very good when we played Rushcliffe Rovers in a pre season game at Notts 

@Piethagoram

@Wheelbarrow repair man 

Yep. I'm absolutely buzzing that we've finished 14th in League 2. In fact I got the champagne out after I got back from FGR, I was that thrilled. The Reedtz bros obviously have targets and ambitions and I'm glad that we do have those targets and ambitions, but they don't always make them targets public because, as we know, they don't love the limelight. The fans forum is probably the best place to talk about them.

No, that particular saying isn't associated with Hardy, but it depends on who says it and whether they have the right tools to carry it out. It is working for clubs such as Brighton, Brentford, Plymouth, Stockport etc. However it didn't work for clubs like Darlington, Forest Green, Salford, Fleetwood and Dagenham. You can't built sustainability and success on sand. You have to have an ethos and a way of working. An identity, a philosophy to work towards and that's what the successful clubs have. We have the right infrastructure to build from and it worked in getting us out of non-league. 

Chris and Alex said they wanted promotion from the National League, but it's not a guarantee due to circumstances out of their control. If you set the target, then don't reach it, then fans get annoyed. Then we wonder why did we come out and say we wanted to be in this league (let's say the Championship for example) in this many years time (let's say 5 years). Us fans would just be annoyed because we've been promised things that haven't materialised. 

Ruben said if Burchnall was still in charge and Williams didn't come in, he probably wouldn't have been at Notts in 2022/23. He could have gone a few times but stayed. If he had no loyalty, why was he with us for 3 seasons? 

@ARLukomski

Regarding Ruben as you have stated if Burchnall had still been in charge at the he probably wouldn't have been at Notts. It wasn't the fact that No other team were interested in him then? Luke Williams came in and we all know about LW.s Man Management skills so it was easy enough for him to convince the guy to stay. During Notts Promotion Push and Incredible day at Wembley was Ruben's best season in a Notts shirt but despite that and the Fact Luke Williams was still in charge as soon as the offer from Oxford came in it was bye Notts I'm off. He wasn't at Notts for 3 seasons out of Loyalty, he was at Notts because no other Club was interested in him and playing for the Magpies  gave him the Ideal window to display his Talents, until an offer came in from elsewhere. He was offered a New Contract  before the January Transfer window which he refused to sign, what Notts should have done is put him on the Transfer List in that Transfer Window, then   they may have gotten some money for him, instead of him leaving on  a Free.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

@ARLukomski

Ruben left at the first good opportunity and so did Luke Williams.

The one thing I would say about Ruben is that he did stay long enough to watch us get promoted, and he scored a vital goal in the playoff final too.

However, Luke couldn't have left at a worse time, his timing was not the best, with Notts sliding down the league. I believe Luke undid a lot of the good he did for Notts by his leaving.

I think Luke Williams going may have been a big factor in Notts not getting to the playoffs with all the upheaval it caused. 

I say upheaval because Luke's Management style was totally different to what we have now with Stuart and I believe the players took time to adjust to it.

Unfortunately, there is hardly any loyalty in football nowadays, that's why I wouldn't be surprised if Macca, Jodi and Dan decided to leave if a good offer came in.

If they have to go, I hope that they won't leave until they have at least helped Notts to get promoted to league 1 first.

We were owned by Albert Scardino after Derek Pavis, he was a prize-winning journalist who'd been based in London. You might remember his henchman Peter Storrie. The funding he was relying on (from GM I think) eventuality fell through and we ended up in administration, so he was only chairman for a matter of months.

I remember him talking about the English league system, and the ability to go from the bottom right to the very top, in glowing terms. Many of the current breed in the PL have a different attitude, they'd scrap relegation in a heartbeat if they could get away with it. 

I remember Albert Scardino, he tried to get “8 through the gate” i.e. a regular 8,000 attending gates, it never happened, I wonder what he’d think now with 11,000 regularly turning up?

I think that Notts can celebrate that we have very good owners, who have a pragmatic and cautious approach when it comes to financial matters.

Notts's owners certainly do not believe in a quick fix and instant success, that could easily fall apart just as fast.

That's why I believe Notts County are in very good hands. Long may it continue.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

We were talking about the American connection seeping into English Football.

I didn't know much about who owned Ipswich, but I did some digging and learned that Ipswich is part owned by an American Equity fund, that took a £105 million stake in the club a few years ago

Ipswich became one of the richest clubs in league one, then in the Championship.

No wonder they have achieved back to back promotions, and no doubt other Clubs like American owned Wrexham will follow.

Is this good for Football? Many people say it is, but I disagree. I don't like the way our game is going.

@Robbie

It will be interesting to see how long American Owners stick around if their club doesn't hit the Targets they set. Take Wrexham the Ultimate Target is the Premier League but by when ? 2026/2027 is the fastest they can get there providing of course, they are Promoted in successive  years and aren't hit by losing Major players through injury or all manner of Problems which may hit the Club. It was said that if Wrexham hadn't been promoted then Phil Parkinson would lose his job. What Head Coach would want to work under those Conditions and such Pressure?

What if Ipswich come straight back down again? Will their American Part Owners want to keep putting money into the Club? In hope of a Return to the Premiership or just cut their losses and go and  Invest Elsewhere?

@Wheelbarrow repair man

Most teams that are promoted to the PL  on the whole, come straight  back down again.

Just look who's in the bottom 3 this year, & I would bet on two of those clubs getting promoted straight back next season if all three are relegated, (Sheffield U are already relegated)

It takes several seasons to get established in the PL like Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth, & Fulham have, so it will still be very hard for Ipswich to survive next season.

Will the owners be patient and stick it out, being a private equity Company?

The jury is out on that one

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I agree. If a high offer came in Notts would have to let him go, because it's important that we have to have a balanced side for all the reasons we have discussed.

Hopefully a good percentage of that money would go toward strengthening the side. If it's going to happen, I'd rather it be sooner rather than later.

We already have excellent strikers and attacking midfielders at the club, so although losing Macca would be a big blow, we would still have a great attacking unit even without him 

I think he probably will. He very likely has a minimum fee release clause in his contract, so if a really big bid comes in it would trigger it. And it's a short career. However, it's summer and the market is full of strikers who are proven at a higher level and available on a free transfer. If you look at it that way, why should a Championship club pay a seven-figure fee for a player who's never played higher than League Two?

He definitely deserves a stab at playing in a higher division. I just hope it's with us.

I was always more hopeful he'd stay, because I too think there's a very limited number of clubs who could afford him and realistically want him. In my opinion I think most Championship clubs would view him as a risky signing as he'd be jumping up two levels. And in League 1, a lot of clubs would love him but not many could afford him.

I've always thought Macca is very happy here and the interview just confirms that for me, I'm even more hopeful he'll be around next season too!

Harrison Male has left Dorking. Good shot stopper, 1v1. Bit small for a keeper so may not command his box and not seen his distribution. Won all the awards for Dorking in a relegated side. 

Would you take any of these players (released by Wrexham) for Notts?

I’d be so tempted by Aaron Hayden, if it wasn’t for his awful injury record. Is it just bad luck? I’d look into a bit cos he’s scored 19 goals for Wrexham in about 80 games which for a CB is insane. Most of them would’ve been headers too, and that’s an area where we struggle.

If we’re looking for a JO'B replacement, Luke Young would be a very good option. Played lots of games, very experienced, although he actually reminds me of Michael Doyle more…

Chris Con-Clarke of Altrincham looks ready to step up a level, not sure he’s needed but if Jodi went I’d go straight in for him.

And I’ve been watching the Bunch of Amateurs series which follows Dorking, Harrison Male is definitely a terrific shot stopper but I agree his smaller size does mean he’s not that commanding of his area. He's good on the ball too as Dorking always try to play out from the back. If I had to liken him to a well-known keeper I’d say he reminds me of Jordan Pickford.

Congratulations to these ex Magpies who play for Boston United and are now National League.

Jordan Richards & Jimmy Knowles.

Baldwin being released is a tricky one. Had it not been for his 2 goals against Boreham Wood, we might not even be back in the EFL and he's a good asset for us but he's made quite a few calamitous errors this season that have cost us. 

Hopefully it is not the last we're going to see of JOB either. He's been a solid player for us over the years maybe a place on the coaching staff in the near future.

Not surprised to see Stone on the transfer list, he has had one or 2 good games but there have been many occasions in which he's proved to be a very unreliable goalkeeper. 

@Wheelbarrow repair man where did I say you weren't entitled to an opinion? Of course you are... even if it is wrong (joking ????).

You make a good point re Scott, Macca and Jatta. They were all signed when we had no Head Coach and I would like to know the reasons for that and find out if that is closer to the way we operate, or if it was a case of needs must. As they have all proved to be good signings I don't think it is great evidence that the system doesn't work though, at least for strikers. 

I don't think LW and SM brought in their own coaching staff, they came in as heads of Management Teams which were appointed as a group rather than as several individual appointments (certainly SM did).  Now they may have been able to say 'I'm not coming unless these come with me', but I doubt either of them were in such a strong negotiating position.  That said, I wouldn't have been surprised if LW had left his team here, if we had just employed SM on his own.   The owners are all about stability and sustainable growth (not in the financial sense, but in the sense of avoiding the house of cards scenario), and so it makes sense to recruit a coaching team that works well together rather than to try and get a group of individuals, especially mid season.  I think they do what keeps things on an as even keel as they can. 

At the end of the day we will never know the true facts behind our recruitment system, but I would say over the time the brothers have been in charge we have had far more success than failure, Defenders are an issue, but that is possibly more to do with not identifying the right data or requirements for a L2 defender rather than incompetence or a failure of the whole system. I suspect our defensive needs now are very different to what we needed in the NL, and we miscalculated what attributes we needed and how well our existing defenders would cope.  Maybe we found last season too easy and we didn't appreciate the step up in level?  Who knows, I certainly don't. 

18 minutes ago, Robbie said:

@Wheelbarrow repair man @Ohh Tommy Johnson

We all have our own opinions and there is nothing wrong with that, that's why opinion brings debate, and debate is good because decisions are made on different opinions.

At Notts there will be different opinions on the Notts board & the coaching team will have different opinions too, especially about players.

We do know that the coaches, the recruiters & the board will have their opinions on which players to sign, but the final say will be down to the Reedtz brothers. They have the cash.

That last sentence is interesting... I think they 'control the cash' as I there seems to be much more available than their personal wealth would indicate.  They head up a consortium don't they... do we know who is in the consortium? I don't think we do, but I suspect there are some seriously wealthy people there. I would love to know, but if we did, we may find the prices we pay being inflated somewhat!!

@Ohh Tommy Johnson

Perhaps I misunderstood 

I guess if you can't believe those involved in the process explaining how it works, Then You Can't Form Any Opinion On The Topic.

Didn't Stuart Maynard bring two brothers with him from Wealdstone who were part of his Coaching Staff? And the people who worked with Luke Williams who came with him to the Lane then went with him to Swansea. People they know and are mates of the Head Coach. There are coaches appointed by the Brothers still at the Lane ie the Goalkeeping coach and Academy Coach but both LW and SM have brought in people they've worked with and Trust.

@Wheelbarrow repair man I think you brought up an important point.

The attention was all about Luke Williams & Stuart Maynard as the Head Coaches when they were recruited, but is it really the case that the club looked at the whole Coaching team under those Head Coaches too before setting them on?

So in essence, was it a package deal in both cases, Head Coach & his team?

If that's the case, it may explain why DOB might not have been considered for a Coaching role within the Club.

So my question would be, who takes over temporary charge if Maynard and his team were to leave early next season due to poor results?

Can't immediately think of anyone now.

It's alright getting this great technology and I applaud this good news.

It's another thing getting an appointment to be able to get the benefit from it 

its good news, i hope it benefits the lives of people greatly and can spot illnesses in time for them to be treated.

Yes I think it’s good news too, the East Midlands and Nottingham in particular seem to miss out on things that other parts of the country get so it’s good to see us as fore runners for once.

@Wheelbarrow repair man "Because when Jim took over the Head Coach job he assured the Media that Nothing had changed"... like conceding 5 goals at Grimsby ..sorry Wheelbarrow, in jest

There You Go Piethagoram Jim is a Man of His Word (haha)

good bye for now jim, i hope at some point you will return as a coach or even as an assistant/head coach one day. you have the right mentality to do well in the role.

Good assessment of the present situation @Wheelbarrow repair man

Much will depend if we can keep Jodi Jones, Dan Crowley & Aaron Nemane because they have contributed in such a big way with the number of assists and goals they have scored themselves.

As we have discussed, for Strikers to get their goals they need a good conveyor belt of assists coming their way & they come in abundance from those three players.

So in a way, the Notts goals are dependent upon having good suppliers and those three are so important to us.

Notts should do all they can to get those three to stay for at least another season & if they do, I believe Notts will score loads of goals next season irrespective whether Macaulay stays or not.

If Scott hasn't lost much since his injury, if Jatta is fit and Didzy has had a good summer's rest and is firing on all cylinders again, they will get the service that they need to score many goals themselves.

We have six attacking players there that could easily score 60 to 70 odd goals between them, not including goals from other team members. And we could still have Macca too.

we could do with a bit of fire power in midfield but we still have dan crowley and jodi jones who can score. sam austin is someone who can popup at the right time. defensively, it would be nice to have a few able scorers at the back. if kyle cameron can chip in next season it might redeem him amongst some fans. goals is something the club needs to look at but defensively is the most crucial area as is the goal itself.

2 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

From the Bananarama Conference

15 hours ago, Chris said:

 

Had Gatehead kept their form and managed to reach the playoffs, I would say them but the other three clubs I don't wish to see in League Two.

Gateshead did reach the playoffs but we're kicked out because of apparent leasing problems with their ground under EFL rules. 

Another sad chapter for the reputation of the EFL.

i dont really care to be honest, it will be nice not to play mansfield but annoying to see the rivalry between chesterfield resume. they will be expecting to do better than us, so i hope whoever does goes up can out shine even them.