Roman Glass St George Football Club, a name I have not come across before!

But which team which has played in the top division (Division 1 in old money) started their FA Cup campaign today? (probably too easy a question but hey)

 

While I'm happy Grealish has got his well deserved move to a club playing Champions League football, I personally don't think City is the right move. 

He may win trophies etc but in years to come I think Pep and City will slowly hamper his progress. There's a number of players City have done it too. Look at Mahrez for example, plays excellently but is often left out of the starting line ups. 

As for Pep Guardiola, I do think he's a good coach but he hasn't had much of a challenge. World Class Barca team consisting of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. A Bayern team that were already dominating Bundesliga. Now a Man City team that has unlimited funds it seems. 

Pep said that City had no money to spend but then splashes out £100m on Grealish. Kane and Messi are linked to the club. 

Don't forget Man City were suspended from the CL for breaching FFP but later got overturned and now there's fresh evidence against them for breaching FFP yet they still happily splash the cash. 

If City go on to sign Kane or Messi or even both then it is safe to say that the PL are bowing down to the "top 6 elite" 

There's also a quote going around from 2009 in which Guardiola said that modern day football saddens him because clubs choose to spend big money on players rather than utilitise the youth squad. Before anyone defends this, remember Man City built a brand new state of the art training facility that is supposed to be beneficial for youth players. 

I noticed a new member so I thought I would welcome him to the PON site @steve61, welcome!

What's your background story and history of supporting Notts?

 

Is there a FPL league for Pride of Nottingham? 

If not, I've set up a league if anyone's interested in joining on the official Premier league app/website. 

Code: qxozmn

With Messi leaving Barcelona and PSG looking the likely destination there's a few things that have come to light. 

Apparently PSG are going to be able to sign Messi on top of signing Donnaruma and Ramos already while also keeping their key players and won't face any sanctions for the next 3 years. 

The reason they won't have sanctions for the next 3 years? By not sanctioning PSG they are helping World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar. The quote reads as the following

"The Committee in charge of Financial Fair Play have decided not to apply any economic sanctions on PSG until 2023. This was decided to help Qatar as they're hosting the World Cup in 2022"

Effectively they're saying that PSG have the power to break all rules possible and face no consequences for the next few years. In that time they can achieve multiple things before sanctions are put in place. If any are. 

Plus, isn't the PSG owner under investigation for bribing UEFA officials? 

Manchester City were investigated for breaching FFP and cooking the books hence the suspension from the CL yet it got overturned they made the final now they have splashed £100m while fresh evidence has come to light. 

Barcelona are a club being run into the ground by poor ownership as they need to offload €135m to register the 4 new signings. 

Inter are on the verge of liquidation hence the sale of so many players. 

No wonder these clubs want the ESL to take off, none more so than Real Madrid. 

Talking of the ESL, Premier League clubs were fined £3m each for the part they played which is nothing to those teams. Meanwhile clubs in leagues one and two who have had poor ownership and no funding from them get punished with points deductions and fines that they simply can't afford. Where is the logic? 

There's a reason why clubs struggle to make it in the Premier League and that's because they haven't got the funds to compete and when they have that opportunity like Newcastle did with the take over, the "Top 6" clubs complain and the PL bow down to them and stop it happening. Why? Because it would disrupt the balance. 

Do members on this forum like a Saturday bet on the football? Would members (and Admin) like a weekly competition on here, where I list all the forthcoming games on the Saturday and members have a virtual £1,000 kitty to select a single, double, treble, accumulator from the matches and odds listed? the winner would be the member who has the most virtual money at the end of the season, or maybe the only player left in the competition. Obviously once you money has gone you are out of the competition. Let me know what you think (particularly Admin) and if enough are interested I'll draft up the rules on here and have the first set of games and odds on here well before the opening games on 21 August. Over to you!

Positives:

- Palmer again played well. Tidy throughout, never looks in danger.
- No injuries.
- Rodrigues a little rusty but 'full of it'. 
- Cal survived a fair few challenges and got his goal after a bit of a frustrating afternoon.
- Taylor looked fairly solid down the left.
- JOB changed the game when he came on. Injected pace and running.
- Continue to play despite the ref. It wasn't just the red card, but everything.... I hope he doesn't ref us in the actual league... mickey mouse ref. 
- Sam was impressive when he came on. He'll need to be, if the competition is anything to go by.


Negatives:

- Conceded on the counter, again.
- Conceded from a set piece, again.
- Rawlinson doing his best Ben Turner impression.
- Whoever told Slocombe he's Neuer needs to have a word because he actually believes it. Does stupid **** and makes dumb decisions. There's taking risks and there's being stupid.... at the moment I fear we're on the verge of stupidity.
- Cameron does stupid ****. Back-heeling and losing the ball. Not there. Not there.
- Francis. Not exactly sure what he does. Not aggressive enough defensively to be that passive. 
- Mitchell. Oh dear. Fear we've been sold a dud here. Raw - to say the least.
- Wootton didn't impress.
- 2 up front, if that's our backup formation - won't work with Wootton and Mitchell. Think again. 

 

 

Think we need a striker and a CB, if truth be told. Rawlinson needs competition beyond Lacey and we still don't have backup/alternative to Wootton. 

GK Sam Slocombe
GK Tiernan Brooks
RB/CB Richard Brindley
RB Dion Kelly-Evans
CB Alex Lacey
CB Connell Rawlinson
CB Kyle Cameron
LB Joel Taylor
LB/CB Adam Chicksen
CM Ed Francis
CM Matt Palmer
CM/CAM Jim O'Brien
CM Frank Vincent
CM Michael Doyle
W/CAM Cal Roberts
W Elisha Sam
W/RWB Aaron Nemane
CAM/ST Ruben Rodrigues
ST Kyle Wootton
ST Kairo Mitchell
ST Lewis Knight
ST Tyreace Palmer

Good versatility within the squad with several players able to play different positions. Also a very flexible team and if we have to adapt mid-game and switch formation, I am sure we will do so, just fine.

I think Burchnall and the coaching staff will help develop the new signings and the other young players into better players. Francis, Vincent, Knight, Nemane, Tyreace and Mitchell to name some. Really looking forward to this season, probably more than any other season before. The whole positive atmosphere around the club is the best I've known it before the start of a season. The connection between players, staff and fans is excellent.

Our second round of fixtures kick off at 3pm on Saturday. Have a go at predicting them and see how many points you can get - and don't forget your joker! And feel free to get involved even if you missed round one, the more the merrier!

 

Barnsley v Coventry City

Hull City v QPR

Lincoln City v Fleetwood Town

Morecambe v Shrewsbury Town

Sheffield Wednesday v Doncaster Rovers

Bradford City v Oldham Athletic

Mansfield Town v Newport County

Rochdale v Scunthorpe United

Both players have been mentioned as signings ideal for Notts to build a promotion chasing team, Andrew Dallas has been mentioned by the NEP as a player the club is looking at.

He scored 10 league goals with a very poor Weymouth team, but does have a good pedigree about him, and he's only 21-years-old.

Kabongo Tshimanga has been tipped as the next Jamie Vardy, although he hasn't been officially linked [correction might be needed] - he does fit the style of recruitment that the club has become used to under the Reedtz ownership.

At 23-years-old has proved himself to be good enough at National League level and, again would only improve further - especially with a club that can progress alongside him.

What are your thoughts on these forwards? Would you like to Notts to try to capture their services? Discuss.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/just-ridiculous-notts-county-player-5756115

Another football season is about to begin, so it's once again time for the famous PON prediction league!

Everyone is welcome to have a go - whether you're a grizzled old campaigner with a sophisticated algorithm-based prediction supercomputer, or a complete newbie who just goes with gut feeling. The more the merrier! And this is how it works:

At least two days before every matchday I will post a thread with eight matches to predict, two each from the Championship, League One, League Two and (from late August) the Conference. You then reply with your predicted scores. The cut-off time for posting is kick-off. At the end of it all I'll then post a table with the current standings.

Scoring system: 3 points for a correct score and 1 for a correct result. So if you predict Oldham to beat Bradford 2-1 and they do, you get 3 points; if Oldham win 1-0, you get 1 point. Each round you can also choose one match as your joker - any points you win for that match are then doubled.

Simply post your predictions under this thread! The opening fixtures kick off at 3pm this coming Saturday and are:

 

Bristol City v Blackpool

Luton Town v Peterborough United

Cambridge United v Oxford United

Rotherham United v Plymouth Argyle

Sunderland v Wigan Athletic

Exeter City v Bradford City

Hartlepool United v Crawley Town

Tranmere Rovers v Walsall

I can't guarantee that these players are out of contract, they might have signed deals unknowing to me but I have written down a list of players who I feel fit our clubs way of playing. Some might not be realistic either, as I don't know what budget remains - especially with the parachute payment from the relegation of League Two hence the 'fantasy' in the title.

I'm listing multiple players too, so I will "*" the key players I would show more interest in.

Goalkeepers:

Harry Lewis - 23 - Southampton (Tall, commanding keeper but without a lot of league experience).
Tim McGill - 21 Brighton & Hove (Has featured for the England U17's, promising keeper with some non-league experience).
Christian Walton* - 25 - Brighton & Hove - (Experienced league keeper, good pedigree but most likely would want first-team opportunities within the Football League - ideal replacement for when Sam Slocombe decides to unwind his career though).

Left Backs:

Dan Potts* - 27 - Luton Town - (Pure brilliance and would thrive with Notts no doubt. He's a London lad that probably wouldn't relocate to Nottingham, but he would be a solid signing. He should've been playing much higher than what he has done, and I mean more regularly, but he's loyal).
Sam Hart - 24 - Southend United - (Versatile - can play in midfield or on the wing. Good level of concentration, excellent going forward and stable defensively).

Centre-Backs:

Nathan Baker* - 30 - Bristol City - (He would be a solid coup for a National League team, still can run and defensively good).
Kean Bryan* - 24 - Sheffield United - (Good defender, can play in midfield - fairly tall but would be a good pairing with Alex Lacey).
Ryan Edwards* - 27 - Dundee United - (Strong, vocal, great level of experience and another true leader on the pitch).
Rhys Bennett - 29 - Carlisle United - (Lower tier defender, reliable and decent if partnered correctly).
Aden Baldwin - 24 - Bristol City - (Good when I've seen Eastleigh, young and tactically aware of his positioning). 

CMs:

Jordan Tillson* (DM) - 28 - Ross County - (Defensive, solid leader who works hard).
Josh McEachran* - 28 - MK Dons - (Forward thinking midfielder, who has a good range of passing and decent with unlocking chances).
David Davis - 30 - Shrewsbury Town - (Strong, physical with a good level of experience).
Liam Walsh* - 23 - Bristol City - (Upcoming player who could get a side like Notts really pushing for promotion with his attacking play).
Jake Forster-Caskey* - 27 - Charlton Athletic - (Brilliant leader, a proper fighting midfielder who's competitive spirit brings the best out of his teammates).
Jacob Mellis - 30 - Southend United - (Nottingham born, plenty of experience - a bit inconsistent at times and his attitude can leave questions ask but overall well worth the gamble if a club like Notts could get the best out of him).

Wingers:

Sammy Ameobi - 29 - Nottingham Forest - (He would rip this league a part but highly unlikely to fall beneath League One).
Kazenga LuaLua - 30 - Luton Town - (Skilful, direct, fairly fast and likes to take on his man).
Joe Dodoo* - 25 - Wigan Atheletic - (A far better Enzio type player).
Josh Sims* - 24 - Southampton - (Good forward thinking winger, has had various spells but needs to find a club he can settle with).
Nathan Thomas* - 26 - Hamilton Academical - (Already been here, decent player, decent turn of speed but experience wise he would do well here).
Paris Cowan-Hall - 30 - Colchester United - (Journeyman midfielder, a smart choice if we want to play pretty football on the ground).

Strikers:

Elliot Lee - 26 - Luton Town - (Not a prolific striker, but he's an intelligent footballer that would thrive stepping down into the National League).
Courtney Baker-Richardson - 25 - Barrow - (Pacey, physical - able to hold up the ball. I've seen him play several times, and he tends to cause issues).
Mark Cullen* - 29 - Port Vale (Decent striker when settled, I think he would thrive in if he signed for us). 
Jamie Proctor - 29 - Rotherham United - (hard-working striker, not prolific at all but has experience and would cut it at National League level with the tall physical defenders).

Any of your own fantasy signings? Recommendations?

What do you think of my list, would you sign any?

Why are some fans obsessed with us signing a 25 goal a season striker?
The way I see it is we don’t need one with the system we play we have goal threats from 3 or different players who could all bag 15+ goals each quiet comfortably. The system Ian Burchnall employs also seems to suit this model. I’d rather be in a position where we have defences having to look out for threats from different areas creating opportunities and space for others while one is being marked than be reliant on one player to score the majority who can quiet easily be marked out of a game. Sutton had no one score over 15 league goals for them last season and it worked out well for them. Les Bradd said on the Magpie circle that the season we got promoted 50 years ago we had 4 or 5 players scoring 15 + each and that’s how I see it this season there’s others that will chip in as well so I don’t see a shortage of goals at present with the style Ian Burchnall employs.

 

New striker on the radar.... From Chesterfield.... Cryptic clue....... "Walks like an Egyptian"...????????? 

Following the signing of Nemane, I'm a bit baffled as to how we might line up. All we know for certain is that IB prefers a back 3 and last season he did it with wing-backs. 

 

Using last season's line-up,  we could be something like this:

 

This is about as defensive as you can make us, and for me it's still fairly forward-thinking and ambitious. Using the same formation, you can adjust us and make us more direct and offensive by doing the following:

This could leave us badly exposed, unless the two central midfielders are instructed to cover the wing backs as they push forward.

Should you want to go even more mental/suicidal, you could make the outer centre backs more willing to step up:

 

Now IB has mentioned the 3-4-3 formation, which alters things a bit and is the only way I could think of that puts all our attacking threats in the same side, pretty much in position:

Again, this leaves us too open for my liking. 

 

Anybody else have any thoughts? I know I'm trying to fit all the attacking players into the starting line-up, that probably won't all be in the line-up at the same time.....

https://www.buildlineup.com/

 

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festy_Ebosele

Looks a player in the making, picked up from Bray Wanderers Ireland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Sibley

Capped at England U17 U18 U19 levels

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamil_Jóźwiak

Polish intl

Thought we gave a good account of ourselves. Palmer and Francis look like an excellent central midfield pairing. The best I've felt about our midfield for a while. Francis has a great left foot and a good pass on him, whilst Palmer has such good intelligence when in possession and out of it. He knows when to press and when not to, when to bring the ball forward and make the clinical pass. Superb piece of business.

Taylor looks strong. Had a good battle against his opposite number who seemed to be equal with him for pace. Got into some good attacking positions and linked up well with Cameron and Francis. Cameron looked comfortable on the ball and a threat in the air. With Nemane, it's about getting game time into his legs and getting him minutes because, he's a bit behind the other players in terms of preparation.

Created good opportunities with plenty of slick passing. Encouraging signs all over. Still need a striker but IB said that one looks like it's virtually wrapped up now, in his post match interview.