All depends how deep the frost penetrated. Air temperature is different to ground temperature so I would expect a slow thaw throughout tomorrow. Hopefully it will be on but the ground staff are going to have to be busy and work through the night.

Whilst I can understand some fans concerns that we might not be as bothered about allowing tomorrow to proceed, so that Stuart Maynard has longer with the squad. I personally don't think this is very Notts County.

We have had similar things done to us, and it's annoying.

Our grand staff always do their best to make sure games are playable and the ground is cared for. People are commenting about why the club has taken the covers off, I don't believe they have, and the photo will most likely have been taken at a different point in time (rather than yesterday). They will be off early in the morning and preparation will begin to try to make sure the ground isn't frosted over.

There's little point to delay, plus postponing the game will only make Stockport feel we are scared.

If it does get called off, it will be after a second or third pitch inspection and solely due to the conditions. We'll want Maynard to get to see what the squad has now, so that he can make suggestions on signings. Just my thoughts.

I hope the game can be played safely, and I am looking forward to it. The rain might help, as long as it's not too severe. I have faith in the groundsmen and the club.

@Robbie The signing of Agana was a financial disaster... 

Paul Rideout was sold to help fund the redevelopment of Meadow Lane, among other assets. I was impressed with how we didn't stick with Neil Warnock. I always felt that he could have turned things around, but it wasn't to be. The creation of the Premier League set us back, and it didn't realistically align with what we could achieve, but our ambition wasn't small. It just could have been better balanced. However, this result was one of those memories from that particular era of our club's history.

On 10/01/2024 at 20:43, Piethagoram said:

@Robbie The signing of Agana was a financial disaster... 

I still loved him as a kid.

I thought he was quite decent in the games I saw, although I was quite impressionable back at that age and I know my grandfather wasn't his biggest fan. I think it's more the fee we paid, had he come for a lesser fee or maybe on a free, it might reflect better. It's on the person who paid it, Agana always seemed to score when going to matches or played a part in the build up.

@Piethagoram i read one time when @Chris or @Joe Jones [i forget if it was before jj left] posted about this as an on this day, someone mentioned that it caused iain mcculloch to retire earlier and how he was not the same after. a few others seemed to suggest that it was done on purpose, but looking at the video it does seem accidental.

some of those saying it was done on purpose suggested the keeper that fouled him was known for his aggressive play.

it looked like a freak accident that should have seen the united keeper red carded.

I wouldn't say Bailey intended to cause injury, but I definitely felt he tried to assert himself. He was known for being quick to charge and often took out players in the process. I remember feeling really sorry for Iain McCulloch; he had a great season up to that point. It was one of the worst events to happen, despite the score being such a positive result. It was hard to celebrate knowing that McCulloch seemed to be out for some time.

I love Iian McCulloch!

A great player for Notts, I've heard many stories about him from my grandfather and other fans. He was a special talent, very sad the injury happened.  Despite that, it's still a good clip. Just damped by the impact it made.

@liampie Killer Kilcline was a strong tall defender, great with the head, his nickname was entirely appropriate, he took no prisoners, but he was good too on the ball, he made a few mistakes but most defenders do don't they 

I'd like him in the side right now  He'd make a big difference, & he'd thrive on our style too.

These old clips are wonderful to see, bringing back so many great memories! I was a lucky lad to witness much of Notts' greatest period. Brian Kilcline is one of those fond memories; his strong presence at the back often made up for any mistakes or bad judgment calls. A superb no-nonsense defender!

The first goal is very well taken, you have to understand where the ball will be to strike it like that. It's something which only comes naturally: if you can't read the ball for a volley, you won't execute a shot like that.

Unfortunately, the clip plays to me like the implementation of ad blockers on YouTube (the slow-downs).

Did Dean Yates score? It's hard to tell with all the jittering.

Someone please sort Elon Musk out, he's still ruining Twitter... *Sigh X.

I agree @liampie Scott should be selected immediately. Give us some steel in midfield.

It will be interesting to see how he develops and what kind of impact he will have. It's good he's ready to play. I wouldn't expect anything different from a new signing, and it's not as if he's going to openly say he's come to warm the bench or play when needed.

I am looking forward to seeing what he has about him, I won't be too harsh with my judgement because I do know he's still settling - also a managerial change albeit interim level can be distracting for new players.

He seems a decent signings from what I have read but I do hope to see more of him on the pitch.

Seamus McDonagh ????

Wished we could have got Raddy back when he wanted to return

On 16/01/2024 at 07:05, Piethagoram said:

Seamus McDonagh ????

Everyone who's spoken to me about Seamus McDonagh mentioned him quite positively to me.

I take it you wasn't a fan?  

Paul Devlin, who scored two goals for Notts in this match played for Notts between 1992 to 96, & then on loan for 5 matches in 1998. Paul made 183 appearances including league and cup in total and scored 33  goals.

His Wiki Bio is here:-

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Devlin_(footballer)

This would have been the season my grandfather took me to my first game.

Unfortunately, I just remember that we won 2-0. I need to go through the fixtures from that season to identify the game. We made several games that season, the whole squad back then I looked massively up to.

i dont know how messi keeps getting acknowledgements when there are far more productive players out there now. hes still world class but there are players who doing more than him. its the same with ronaldo.

I can't wait for someone to start outshining Messi, Ronaldo too.

They're still solely picking things up due to their name. Messi wasn't great in France - he started to improve and created quite the share of assists. The American league isn't that great, despite the hype. He should be running rings around them, but I still don't think he should be anywhere near this award. Best Male.... ???? 

Pedro Richards goal was literally human ping pong, until it landed at his feet. From the highlights I have seen of him, I can understand why my grandfather spoke so highly of him.

What a goal!

Credit due, where credit is due @Chris and the whole PoN family

@Dry Nelson Ray "And as much as it stings to admit it, PON is hands down the best football forum on the web."

and I too value @Robbie content additions! 

Hello Robbie, I couldn't find your username but I thought I would welcome you still.

@Robbie Good to have you here on PON, so welcome.

Latest Weather forecast. Stay safe.

Mansfield home game scheduled for Saturday  is off due to frozen pitch 

You're going to be basking in six whole degrees tomorrow! You can wear your shorts.

Gavin Strachan.

Ben Barclay was on loan with us in 2019, then he joined Stockport County in 2021. He had two loan periods at Yeovil and Carlisle before he became a permanent player for Carlisle United.

Jayden Richardson who we had on loan from Forest is currently there at the moment.

Tough luck for them, a 1-0 loss isn’t a terrible outcome and I’m confident the Notts women will bounce back with a determination to rise in the league.

It sounded quite the even game, from what I have been told Notts had their chances, but it obviously came down to the one goal by Sheffield.

i like how they have not taken the defeat as a knock but are focused on winning, one narrow goal deciding the outcome is not bad.

I initially thought this was a thread on Galaxy chocolates 

when they showed the images of this on the news i could not even see what they were talking about. i can only see it when you highlight the ring, so no wonder we have been missing it for decades.

its actually quite a cool discovery.

Just like @liampie, I watched a news segment on the BBC News and couldn't see anything of interest.

It just looked like stars orbiting like normal, maybe a larger amount than what you would see if you look for yourself using a telescope but nothing that made me jump up and declare it as amazing. The news is pretty cool, as for the talk about changing how we inspect and look at the universe the obvious right decision would be to use anything that might give a greater understanding.

A few years before I started going with my grandfather to games, but I remember the goal. I used to have a soft spot for Oldham Athletic back in the day, but my loyalty will be forever with Notts.

Plus I wished I had seen Paul Rideout in Notts colours, because he was a decent player for Everton.

Income tax shock as 650,000 more state pensioners face HMRC bill from April

Pensioners are more likely to vote for the Conservative Party than any other age group. The latest Tory tax attack could change their minds.

The 2% cut in NI is definitely not benefiting pensioners. Our tax burden will be increasing, not decreasing.

Income tax free allowance needs to be increased in April.

https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1857490/state-pension-pensioners-income-tax-threshold-freeze-Jeremy-Hunt-stealth-raid-triple-lock

4 minutes ago, Robbie said:

Pensioners are more likely to vote for the Conservative Party than any other age group

This old age pensioner won’t be voting Tory that’s for sure. 

2 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

This old age pensioner won’t be voting Tory that’s for sure. 

Blame all these youngsters who thought voting made them feel like they are big boys and girls, when they don't understand politics and thought it was right to vote for the Tory Party. I remember the debates on Twitter, some of the idiots who felt life would be better are living a mundane existence based on their poor decision.

It's not just them but fools who thought they could be trusted to be fair. Some people were angry at the joke made by the Labour Party.

The Tories take more than they give.

They run our nation into the ground whilst their mates and themselves get rich.

On the rumour side of things, it’s been pretty standard. Some folks tried to stir up a Neil Warnock rumour, but it wasn’t very convincing. Stuart Maynard does match what we’re after, and it did seem like the club was trying to negotiate with someone already in a job. I reckon if we’d considered someone without a current position, the appointment would have happened much quicker.

The appointment shows that the owners footballing philosophy is the first criteria.

Maynard ticks the boxes for the style of play, if he can sort out the defence, he can take Notts to the next level #COYP 

When I was younger, I liked to watch war films.

I can't forget how the Australians (among others) held by Japanese forces were treated. Germany was cruel with people, but I think a lot of what was experienced out in Japan was disgusting and unhumanlike. I'm certain that Germany was also far from pleasant, considering the appalling treatment that young children were subjected to by the guards. Only to murder them, along with captured troops.

German forces used harsh methods to segregate and intimidate people, which was unpleasant. Japan, on the other hand, inflicted harm on their own people by attacking the United States.

I'm glad things were put in place to try to prevent people from being treated. like this, however, Russia among others don't seem to care. 

But the Poles cracked the Enigma code first

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/20/the-pole-who-first-cracked-the-enigma-code

'Alan Turing invented a number of short cuts that made breaking it and re-breaking it when the settings changed every day possible. The Poles, who had the original Enigma machine, worked out how to break it. But as they left it, breaking one day’s code took weeks, by which time the information was too old to be worth much. What Turing and others did at Bletchley Park was work out how to speed up and automate that process so that more days than not they could break the code on the same day, allowing decrypts to be less than 24 hours old when sent to the relevant military handlers. Sometimes they didn’t manage it, and a whole day’s worth would not be decrypted'.

(Source Google)

4 hours ago, liampie said:

i watched the film with benedict cumberbatch where he portrayed alan turing in the the imitation game.

we have a lot to be thankful for with the computer and alan turing.

the war could have turned out a lot different and ultimately it proved to be a game changer, this and churchills relentless desire to fight for our freedom.

It's a very good film. I can't really stand Benefict Cumberbatch, but he did a fantastic job in it.

Until the release, I didn't know anything about this and due to it - I learned that we had some incredible people trying to do what seemed to be the impossible by breaking the German's communication. I think it's a stroke of genius, too, how they worked out which vessels to target without attacking them all. By not giving it away that their code was indeed broken, it allowed us to become more strategic. It also saved many lives!

Also, how we took hold of Iceland in order to stop the Germans from having one of the best advantage points to deal with the US ad ourselves was a master-stroke.

I watched a video on YouTube that explained the importance of this and how basically, we just turned up one day and took over. ????

Well, we set up bases without asking or being bothered about what Iceland would say, but it did help.

I would always chose the tunnel over the ferry if it wasn't so expensive... mind you I do have a fear of ferries, so I'm a bit biased. That said, for day trips the extra is worth it as you get an extra couple of hours in France / Belgium on the tunnel which is worth a lot as you can get away from Calais and do your shopping cheaply a bit more inland. It's a shame you can't bring much duty free back any more, that really made it worthwhile (but I am a lot healthier as a result so it isn't a huge loss).

One thing I have noticed is that the queues for the ferries are huge these days, but with far fewer lorries than there used to be. I used to walk on the cliffs above the port and you would see the  cars and lorries in short queues waiting to board, now there are queues everywhere.  

Losing the stops at Ebbsfleet and Ashford on the Eurostar was a big loss.  People could park easily at Ebbsfleet for a weekend in Paris / Eurodisney, and Ashford was good for commuting to Paris, Lille or Brussels (I used to do the latter occasionally).  The stations were always busy, but since they stopped I fly as it makes no difference between getting to St Pancras or Gatwick. 

I've never used it as it's simply too expensive - from Frankfurt you can get to London via Brussels. I looked at a connection in November (a quiet period) and it would have cost me over €1000. Just for me. I ended up booking Lufthansa flights for a quarter of that.

No longer using the stations in Kent also renders it useless for people who might have used it regularly. Having to negotiate your way through London is a deal breaker for many.

There was talk about a direct connection from Frankfurt, but to do so they needed a separate area for passport controls, which was just not feasible at such a busy station and the demand wouldn't have justified it. It would all be such a lot easier if there were no passport controls, but unfortunately they're here to stay. 

I didn't click the link, but when I saw this I did wonder if it was about all the supposed repairs that are required. That news sort of faded fast, but I don't see why people need to make life so complicated. The reason I didn't read it is I am fed up with the BREXIT stuff.

I personally would prefer taking the ferry over the Eurotunnel.

I am looking forward to seeing how the ground improvements that were mentioned make things better on match days. im not sold on the lcd advertising boards, i can see them getting broken and then remain unrepaired but it could generate money.

I don't think some of the changes, like the pitch and the advertising boards, are necessary until the club has managed to return to the Championship. I would prefer to see improvements in areas that benefit us now and in the long term.

On 22/11/2023 at 02:07, Piethagoram said:

For @Dry Nelson Ray 

I’ll let the cleaning crew and Kit Manager know that we’ve got ourselves a human tumble dryer named Ben. I mean, 15 minutes? That’s faster than any machine we’ve got. They’re going to love this.

There were some comments about Jim having selected his friends, although I personally think he went with what he believed were the strongest squad. On paper, playing actual centre backs should be the best outcome.

I don't think he made a mistake giving Connell Rawlinson a start.

We have to be mindful that he went with a squad that he felt would get a result and Grimsby were never going to push overs at their ground. 5-5 shows how much both teams need to improve. Jim spoke very well in his interviews, and I am pleased we have someone with his level-headed approach to selecting what he feels is the best. It could quite easily be someone very much out of their depth.

Well, we are halfway through Jim's 2nd week of being Interim Head Coach, and it very much appears that he will be in charge for the Stockport match.

I’m a big fan of Jim O’Brien, I think he’s the best choice to lead us. People are too critical of him. If Michael Doyle had been here, the squad would have been filled with his friends, unlike O’Brien who tried to assemble the best squad he could. I hope he enjoys the experience, even if his hairline might not.

40 minutes ago, Robbie said:

Mine is an Android. Have had Smart phone Android since Smart phone inception.

They have always served me well. Can't conceive paying more than £150 for a smart phone.

I feel the same way. I can’t see the sense in spending more than £200 on a mobile phone. I’d prefer to keep it around £150. However, my family usually buys my phones for me. I’ve only had two up to now. My first one was an Android, but it started to slow down. I’m currently using a Samsung, but I’m not sure of the model.

I have a Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G (as there is a 4G model), It's running Android 13. I've had it since it's release, I think two years? I don't remember. I'm on Voxi which is owed by Vodaphone.

Vodaphone is by far the best network I have been on. I used to be on GiffGaff, but the speeds were poor and O2's coverage wasn't the best.

I don't plan on upgrading any time soon.

I have a Samsung Galaxy A series phone, a good budget device. It does everything I want and the battery is good enough. I'm on the O2 network, and I won't be upgrading until the phone dies or breaks.