I think Germany might be off the cards for a bit, especially if Jatta is still with us, he wasn't able to go first time he joined when we had a mini-trip over there too.

On the whole I think going away is good, it's great for team bonding as it forces the players to spend more time together and therefore they get to know each other that bit quicker. The massive issue was Jatta’s visa and that almost overshadowed the whole pre-season. It caused a right hoo-ha because his agent wasn’t happy, Jatta then didn’t play for the B team and we all freaked out expecting him to leave before the window shut.

The teams we played in Germany were equivalent to Championship sides and a League 2 side. We then played Port Vale and Cardiff League 1 sides and Alfreton a National League North side. I don’t think the level of opposition was too bad overall, as @DangerousSausage says maybe changing one of the better teams in Germany to a League 2 level side would’ve been better.

Agree with @magnum.p.i.e about Alfreton though, I think it’s just one of those that gets picked purely due to location.

Some things carry on for too long, and others just need a change. I think both of these apply to the club playing in Germany. At our level, it ends up being expensive for fans to travel. While it’s a unique experience, I feel like it’s had its time now.

It’s something the club should only do every few years. That way, the squad can be better prepared, and the staff can do more by staying local. We should focus on teams that are closer to our level. Port Vale and Cardiff were good choices and made more sense for where we are.

If the preparation is done properly and the recruitment is sorted in good time, I don’t really have a problem with it. The concern is that if you go too early, you might end up taking trialists just to fill the squad.

It could be a nice reward for some of the younger players, and it also gives new signings a chance to settle in and get used to the team. If we do go ahead with the tour, I just hope it starts a week or so later. That would give us time to organise friendlies around it and make sure everything runs smoothly.

I bet they’ll have to deal with the consequences much sooner than Manchester City. It always seems like the bigger clubs get more time or leeway.

It’s frustrating when people talk about making football fair, but teams still get away with dodgy behaviour. The punishments often come years later, when the damage is already done. If the rules are there, they should be followed properly and dealt with quickly. That’s the only way to keep things fair for everyone.

I agree @thommo about some teams getting away with dodgy behaviour. It's just so dissapointing that once again we have a cloud over another one of the big six Clubs in England.

It does seem to follow that the richer the club the bigger the chance of something untoward happening financially.

Chelsea may be able to prove their innocence & a club is innocent before being found guilty. But if the club is found guilty the severest sanctions have to be applied to set an example.

I don't expect it to be sorted anytime soon. In a way you almost need the rules to be simplified, even just reading some of the FA handbook is baffling. It's split into like 40 sections now. Some rules/regulations now sub divided so you end up with things like: Rule 3: 3.a (i), 3.a (ii), 3.a (iii), 3.b, 3.c (i), 3.c (ii), 3.d... There can be lots of parts to just one rule or regulation!

The lawyers can tie everyone in knots with all the legalese and loopholes. They can drag it on and on and make the whole thing more of mess than when it started.

Hope the delay in the Surrey game lasts until the end of the day!!!!!.

Latest League Table.

Title decider coming up very soon....Surrey v Nottinghamshire

@Wheelbarrow repair man: I think the correct story is that you were mistaken for Richard Stilgoe.

@NottsCountyKev, carefully looking at the options, I think meeting Alan Shearer is more likely than the others.

My five facts:

1) I once entered a pancake-making contest at a 5-star restaurant that I worked at and beat qualified chefs with my mix.
2) When my school was closing down, I did an interview for ITV Central News where I said that the school needed saving.
3) I took a penalty kick in the 90s at a home game and scored against Notts' reserve keeper.
4) My school selected me to take part in a local football competition at Harvey Hadden, where I was the top scorer for the team.
5) Two ex-Forest players once tried to talk me into signing a contract with their youth team after I was scouted at a school game.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I think that your point four is false.

@NottsCountyKev

I think your point four is false.

@Chris

I think your point 5 is false.

1) When I was thirteen years old I used to go potato picking at the local farm earning Ten shillings a day.

2) When I was fourteen I bicycled to Skegness with four mates & we camped there over the weekend during the summer holidays.

3) When I was eleven years old I passed an entrance exam to go to a Private School in West Bridgford.

4) One of the many cars that I have owned was a bright red 1973 Triumph Spitfire in 1975.

5) When I was 12 years old my mate & I had our Bicycles stolen from outside Highfields Lido while we were swimming. The Police brought us home thankfully.

@Robbie, I reckon the fourth one is your lie. It just seems the least likely out of the bunch.

Now we just need to wait for WRM to share his. I’m curious to see what he comes up with. This is quite fun. I enjoy seeing what people choose and trying to guess which one isn’t true. It’s a good way to learn more about each other.

@Fan of Big Tone . In the words of the Great Spike Milligan, It's all Rather Confusing Really. But Thanks Appreciate You taking the Time to look up and Post your Findings.

This has come up a few times, and I think the club could be clearer with its communication. From what I can tell, there are only three people in the media team. I’m not sure what the person filming goals in portrait mode does exactly. One seems to focus on video content, and Nick appears to be responsible for all the written work.

It might help if they added another writer to the team. That way, the site could offer more updates and be more informative for fans.

Maybe the issue is planning. The old media team under Jamie Dixon felt much more focused on the fans and what they wanted to see.

On communication, I had written to Jason Turner several times over the years but not once got a reply or even acknowledgment.

He kept his Twitter profile locked too.

He was an excellent administrator but those updates I presume, were personally made only after a nudge from the Bros?

I would rather the money be spent on the squad rather than another public relations person.

However I do think the club could use help from retired Notts fans out there!

One year and one day on ( I was stuck in central London most of yesterday)

but valuable thoughts from Stan Collymore

Thoughts too, to @Fan of Big Tone

Thanks @Piethagoram its 13 years now since that awful day we lost our son to suicide, it changed our lives forever, I sometimes wonder how we got through those dark days, months and years but we had to carry on for our other son and our grandchildren. We had great support from our family and the charity Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, (SoBS), talking to others who have lost loved ones definitely helped.

It’s true what Stan Collymore says someone’s suicide affects not only family but friends and colleagues etc. it’s a ripple effect.

It can hit you like a fast train, and once it takes hold, it’s hard to see a way out. Depression is something we should all look out for in our friends and loved ones. If you’re struggling, don’t keep it to yourself. Speak up when you feel able, before the weight becomes too much to carry.

I have some very good friends, but it’s tough when you can’t get out and don’t see familiar faces often. It adds to the pain, especially when you’re dealing with loss after loss. That kind of heartbreak builds up and makes everything feel heavier.

I won’t speak too openly about my own experience. I’ve seen people I respect get attacked for talking about their mental health. I don’t need that. I don’t want to deal with people who show no support and no sympathy, only judgement. They act like it’s all for attention, and that narrow view makes it even harder for those who are struggling.

Looking forward to the next blog, they are an excellent read. 👏

Hot off the press! a fresh football pie blog served up for the PON crowd to tuck into. If it tickles your taste buds, feel free to leave a reaction or a comment.

My blog carries on, and I want to make it clear that I’m using this tone to lighten the mood a bit. Things aren’t unknown right now, so I’m trying to keep it quirky and different. It’s how I try to stand out. Last time, I saw a comment on the PON Facebook page that was a bit disheartening. I just want to say, I write every word myself, not to have a dig at the club, but as a way to deal with things. It helps me cope.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham. 🙂 Nice start to life here.

Hello all, many thanks for the warm welcome - very much appreciated, and many thanks to anyone who has taken the time to read my article and leave a comment. To the fan of Big Tone, I would have bought you a pint but you're too late. I've already spent the winnings! 😉

45 minutes ago, Graham said:

Hello all, many thanks for the warm welcome - very much appreciated, and many thanks to anyone who has taken the time to read my article and leave a comment. To the fan of Big Tone, I would have bought you a pint but you're too late. I've already spent the winnings! 😉

It was a very good article. I enjoyed reading it. Well done

Hello, @ANTHONY PERKINS. Welcome to the site, you should see that it is well worth your time even if you post less often. Check back in, and if you get bit by the PON bug you might just become a regular.

A big Hello and Welcome @ANTHONY PERKINS. Do you own a Hotel or Fix Showers? I'll get my Coat.

Hello, @ANTHONY PERKINS. Welcome to PON. See you on the site. 🤞

Is there something you wish to share with the group, Tone? Have you bought a barge for future canal holidays?? 😂

I used to walk from The Embankment bus stop, through the small housing area, and over the bridge that connects to a path that goes under two homes. One of the times, Jake, Cal, and I were walking when a bloke started shouting abuse at us.

The person started throwing these pebbles at us; at first, none of us realised where the shouting was coming from. I just heard "who you looking at", "bunch of chavs". "I'll **** you up". We hadn't stopped; we didn't look back until Cal mentioned that a crazy guy was shouting at us. When I turned, that is when he started throwing pebbles at us. I asked him what the problem was, and if he wouldn't mind stopping swearing. He didn't; he went on to spout more abuse.

While claiming that we had been staring into his garden from over the bridge, still being targeted, I told Cal and Jake to wait beyond the footpath, as I didn't want them to be hit or for either of them to get annoyed. Not that Jake would, but Cal certainly would have said something back if provoked enough.

I asked why he was being so aggressive, and that we would have been gone now had he not acted in this manner. That we hadn't stopped and that he might have mistaken us for a different group.

He continued, so I told him I couldn't be bothered trying to reason with him.

Before I left, I told him that the bridge was a public right of way and, whilst I understand that it can be annoying when people look into his property, I reaffirmed that we were just walking over the bridge as we found it peaceful. This caused him to start. Acting like Hulk Hogan when he "hulked" up, he stood right at the edge of his garden, patio, or whatever.

Shouting "Come on then, I'll ave ya!" and "I'll take all three of you on."

My response, "You're offering to fight minors that haven't done anything wrong; you have been acting like an idiot and throwing pebbles at us." "You don't want people looking at your property?" "I would give you the advice to stay inside your home because if you act like this when you are out, people will look." He told me to **** off. I just replied, "Why would anyone want to look at your property?" "What garden?" "You have a little patio area; my bathroom is bigger."

I have never seen someone cause themselves to ventilate so much.

@Chris I often walk through that way, I think quite a few folk do, I hope that bloke doesn’t try to “take on” everyone who eyes happen to wander in the direction of his bathroom sized patio. 😂

Here's another tale of mine, but this time a rather funnier encounter.

My friend and his partner, who Notts refer to as Martin and Patrina. 😅 They kindly allowed me to join them, and this is the reason I managed to get back on the road to support Notts. On the way to Tranmere Rovers, we pulled into a service station. Mark (Martin, as Notts insists), myself, and Jake were all wearing this season's home shirt.

The doors to the service station were at an angle, which meant having to walk around, and as we did, a coach pulled up with a large number of Manchester United fans.

I instantly noticed a lot of angry, throwing faces directed towards us, and thinking quickly in my head, I said, "Nobody mention Grimsby Town," followed by, "We're Notts County fans." This cracked up several of the United fans, who surprisingly had a good sense of humour. A woman replied, "Don't worry, even you could probably beat us." There's a lot of laughing, and then another United fan goes, "Don't worry, lad. We are friendly," and another said, "Who do you have today?" then added, "You're in the wrong part of England if it's Grimsby Town."

I replied: "Tranmere Rovers, we are looking for our first win on the road." They all laughed and joked, "You know how we feel now." 🤣🤣

There's still ample time to vote for your PON Man of the Match award. Poll closes at 9pm tonight. There is still time for McDonald's ten point lead to be overtaken. Iorpenda is getting significant support by PON members, & Norburn is still in the hunt too.

It looks like we could have an exciting finale to the vote.

The poll has now closed. Thanks to all who voted.

It looked like it was going to be a close battle between McDonald & Iorpenda, at one stage, but I'm delighted that defender Rod McDonald has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Fleetwood. Well done Rod.

Well done to Rod McDonald, he’s taking his chance with Matty Platt out, and it’s good to see a defender winning this, as it shows how strong things at the back have been. It’s encouraging to see that depth in defence being utilised.

There must be some truth in the story, or it wouldn’t have lasted so long. Over time, it’s likely changed a bit, like a game of Chinese whispers, with people adding their own bits to it.

Still, it’s something Nottingham should be proud of. It’s part of our history and worth sharing to help bring in visitors and celebrate what makes the city special.

@DangerousSausage. It was Rumoured that Robin could eat 3 Shredded Wheat!!

According to folklore, Maid Marian had a short engagement to Robin

Marian haste🤣

hello welcome to the pride of nottingham, @sentient. its great to have you here.

Hello, @sentient. Great to see and read your introduction. Please continue to join in! I am relatively new myself and I like reading what fans have to say.

@sentient It must have been over 30 years ago now, changing trains and had only about 3 or 4 hours to kill. My memory is fading!

Hello, @danielpie1862. Welcome to PON! I hope you like and enjoy being part of the community here on the Pride of Nottingham.

Feel free to tell us a little about yourself.

Hello, @danielpie1862. It's nice to see you have started your journey on PoN by commenting already. Welcome to the site.

Hello, @danielpie1862. I am recently new to the site, but I hope you continue to join in and keep increasing your post count. Its good to read different fans thoughts.

2 minutes ago, Chris said:

Yeah, it seems with v5 it became a setting in the ACP.

I have enabled it for mobiles, and guests.

Brilliant, thanks @Chris

These look brilliant, well done @Ash. It’s great to see someone your age helping to bring something like this back.

these are very good @Ash, great job with creating them.

Poor Dorking, a friend told me this before Notts kicked off against Fleetwood.

I was led to believe the fan was asked to play from the stands, but this doesn't seem to be the case, and I ask myself, why not just go out and sign a proper keeper? Even if it was someone young who had been released from a league club. It's great for the fan, but nothing more than a publicity stunt otherwise.

Dorking described Dunn as a "staunch supporter" and "multiple promotion winner" at local level in a statement on their website.

"Playing in goal is like riding a bike – you never forget it," said Dunn.

I respect his comments about wanting to keep a clean sheet, but the "riding the bike" comment is a very humorous quip. If he concedes a hatful of goals, the opposition is going to have their fun taunting him even more, knowing this.

I can see a meme coming!!

It looks like he wasn't in the squad after all @Chris. Should have realised it was a publicity stunt after the walking football comment 😄

2 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

It looks like he wasn't in the squad after all @Chris. Should have realised it was a publicity stunt after the walking football comment 😄

A good April's fools has gone out of the window.

I didn't look much into it, just clicked the link but it appears they have signed Joe Wright from Barnet.

I hope Martin Paterson starts talking more about how the team plays and what went well. That might help the players do even better. He should still say what needs fixing, but not in a mean way. Just be fair and clear. If he does that, he won’t need to say he’s being honest. We’ll be able to tell by how Notts play on the pitch.

It’s better when the football shows the truth, not just the words in interviews.

Yes, I agree it was our best full 90 minutes, but I don’t think the football itself was our best. What matters most is turning games like that into three points. I also think Martin Paterson is trying to take some of the pressure off himself with the way he’s speaking.

2 hours ago, Ash said:

Just be fair and clear. If he does that, he won’t need to say he’s being honest. We’ll be able to tell by how Notts play on the pitch.

Most managers repeat themselves, but I don’t understand why Martin Paterson always says things like “if I’m honest”, “being honest”, or “I’m an honest person”. At first it didn’t bother me, and I even stuck up for him, but now it’s starting to wear thin.

After a good win, hearing him focus on the negatives feels disappointing. It takes away from the moment and makes it harder to enjoy the progress we’re making.

It’s frustrating to hear him trying to please the wrong crowd. The football should be doing the talking, and it’s starting to show signs of improvement. I do believe we’re heading in the right direction, as long as the hard work continues. Let the results speak for themselves, and the rest will follow.

On 07/09/2025 at 18:25, menzinho said:

It’s weird now in football that being entertained is almost as important was winning though. I don’t know how others would feel but I would certainly rather see a 3-3 than a 0-0.

Of course. There have been some great 0-0 games over the years, not many but still there has been a few, but a 3-3 shows attacking football from both teams and more than likely an end to end game which is always great to see. That's how football used to be and why it was so much more enjoyable to watch than today's game. Teams used to live by the saying "if you score 3 we'll score 4". Especially during the 90s/00s this was the case, it was a faster paced end to end kind of game back then. Now, as has been said, the game today is more about stats and teams seem to be falling in line by playing a generic style of play where it's play out from the back possession based game. Which doesn't always make for great viewing seeing how slow the building up tends to be.

Sometimes you do have to win ugly. Obviously managers don't plan out their teams to go out and win ugly they still want to play the style they've worked on in the training ground but that all just depends on how the opposition sets out, how well you can keep them out defensively and how effective it can be to execute the game plan set out by the manager.

Sean Dyche has mentioned it on a podcast, I can't remember it word for word but it was something a long the lines of teams must set up for the opposition rather than sticking to a game plan. It's hard to argue with that especially when, as I've already said in this, teams set up generically by playing a build up from the back possession style won't necessarily work against teams that press high up. Sometimes you do just have to re-adjust and ping it over the top due to the high line of the opposition to get in behind. I get the feeling that's what Paterson was referring to in his post-match interview when he said "there's a reason I play Jatta and Dennis together, you can do the maths on that one". Big man little man partnership, unless I'm mistaken by that.

It's always good to have the winning habit. If you're in the habit of picking up points in games you didn't have the better of or were on a knife-edge, you can't sustain a promotion push.

That said, our recent good run isn't a result of us suddenly deciding to turn into Wimbledon. We're not booting the ball up the field or into touch because it's part of some grand plan, but because our passing and possession of the ball isn't on point. We're all happy enough because we've got 10 points out of the last 12, but the mood can turn quickly if the results stop coming.

In the last few games we've developed a habit of giving the ball away or, when we're under pressure, just aimlessly launching it up the field (and thus losing possession) rather than trying to keep the ball. We won't always get away with that. However, it's early days and maybe we should have a bit of faith that this team will bed in some more.

6 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

In the last few games we've developed a habit of giving the ball away or, when we're under pressure, just aimlessly launching it up the field (and thus losing possession) rather than trying to keep the ball.

That could be solved. It sounds like something that needs to be worked on on the training ground. Pressurised play keep ball. Aligning the players in areas to make options visible and having a get out rather than having to boot it aimlessly long. But, it could also come down to not quite having the suitable players able to carry those tasks out.

i liked him, i thought he was good but i do agree he never seemed the same. i think he was more frozen out of the squad because the club wanted to inject more pace and thats the one area he is not all that blessed in. hes quick enough, but not all that fast and i think it shows how we need to get the best out of players even after injuries. i hope curtis edwards does well with his next club.

I feel like Curtis Edwards has caught us out twice. When he first arrived, there wasn’t much expectation, but he put in some good performances before getting injured. This season, he’s drifted out of the squad and ended up in the position many expected when he first signed. It’s a shame, because he did show promise early on.

His time playing abroad seemed like it might bring something different to the team, but we never really saw that side of him. It didn’t translate into anything special on the pitch. I don’t think it’s all down to Edwards. It feels more like Notts have shifted focus. The club’s priorities have changed, and that’s left him behind.

I’m sad to see Curtis Edwards leave. I don’t think we ever saw him at his best over a long spell, but early on he looked like a solid professional. Another club will benefit from having him, and I hope he feels proud to have played for us.

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.