I think it's all about creativity. I've mentioned previously that our main creative outlets as a team lie in our attacking midfielder and wing backs. With our wing backs, I've found myself wanting to change style because we've not seen that consistency like we did with Nemane and Jones previously. Playing WB's also leaves us more vulnerable and exposed to threaded passes around the back. Our WB's, and this might be a tad harsh, have all shown that they are more squad players at this level and nothing short of the occasional 7 out of 10 performance. It’s also slightly odd we’re putting so much pressure on this working as everyone and their dog knows that Dennis, Jatta and Grant aren’t gonna get to the ball first on any cross, inverted wing back or not.

I think it’d take less weight and probably criticism of Grant as well if we played a 4-2-3-1, because he can press while (both normal and inverted) wingers can be more creative and attacking. I’d really like us to mix it up, because I could literally write a scouting report for the next 20 teams we face as it’s blindingly obvious.

Certain players were brought into the team because the powers that be at the Club thought that those players would be able to execute the playing style that the Club prefer to play. That formation being a 3-4-2-1 or a variation around that formation.

I agree that creativity in this team is important & that this style of play needs creative players to make it work successfully.

I still believe that having a back three is my preferred option. Having two wingbacks that are good defensively is a must, along with two strong central midfielders that can also drive forward & initiate attacks.

I do think that Martin is right to encourage competitiveness in the squad, & players should have to fight for their place, but I don't necessarily think that Notts should change a style or formation just to accommodate having as many of the better gifted players in the side as possible.

Martin has to ensure that the side is collectively his strongest all over the pitch, & that sometimes means that some of the gifted players may have to wait their opportunity on the bench.

No qualms with Platt winning MoM, as you said he was the one heading and blocking everything. I picked Macari for a solid all round game again, including being very tidy with the ball. Bedeau though, I thought he had a rare off day.

My vote goes to Matty Platt.

The poll has now closed.

I'm pleased to announce that Matty Platt has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Chesterfield.

22 hours ago, theAnticlough said:

I never look at X or places like that @liampie. I thought it was bad enough on here and on podcasts, so I can well imagine how terrible it was elsewhere.

i think some areas like to be the biggest moaners, happy when we win but confrontational if results dont go notts way.

i like seeing well thought out criticism, i dont like when its personal or just negative for the sake of it.

Two different goalkeeper coaches and still the same issue prevails with Roos, which tells you he won't learn or become any more comfortable with aerial balls.

We really missed a trick only signing one goalkeeper, but my theory is the board already saw what mess Gag brought in with Roos - you wouldn't want another "seasoned" goalkeeper with massive flaws on a big wage.

Just happy that it's now a priority as alluded to by Montague, which will mean that Griffiths and Perott will likely be shipped out on loan to get some experience.

A hat-trick yesterday for Cedwyn in a 6-0 win.

Also a brace for Cal Roberts in a 1-2 Scunthorpe away win (Maca got a start at Millwall and played the full 90)

Another win for TAR at top-of the NL table Rochdale.

On a day our play was so anaemic we could hardly create a chance, it makes you think what others might do

In hindsight I think Notts were wrong to let Cedwyn go especially how things have turned out striker wise at Notts.

It’s good to see Notts former players doing well, especially Cedwyn who will always be remembered as the play off final hero. I also hope Langstaff can kick start his career.

Hasn't stopped raining in Barcelona since arriving on 23rd. Another absolute deluge just now☹️

Good evening everyone. Just a quiet day in with the Mrs after all the festivities.

Spent some time last night listening to the Test match coverage from Australia. England won the fourth Test. The first time they've won in Australia in 15 years.

It's nice to get a win against the old enemy even though England have lost the series. Hopefully England can win the fifth and final Test & send the Barmy Army home much happier.

Good morning we made it safe to Norfolk yesterday in around two and a half hours, we have a lovely large 4 bedroomed house to stay in for the week with the family with everything we need for a comfortable stay.

Mrs. T made one of her famous curries for us all, a chicken Bhuna and in the evening we settled down to play the board game Traitors which we had bought for the whole family for Christmas, it was a real good laugh trying to guess who amongst us was the traitor, it turned out to be grandaughter Chloe which surprised us all. If you like the TV series you’ll love the game, highly recommended.

Today we’ll probably go for a walk along the sea front when everyone is up.

7 minutes ago, theAnticlough said:

I'm more interested in finding out why he doesn't play football. You'd assume serious injury, it's been so long, but I've been unable to find anything so far

Well I'd hesitate to say that he's not a top league player. He was only playing in England's 5th tier until recently. I see you've just mentioned that he's been released - I hope he finds a good base for himself, but obviously would love him back here.

1 minute ago, piedestrian said:

Well I'd hesitate to say that he's not a top league player. He was only playing in England's 5th tier until recently. I see you've just mentioned that he's been released - I hope he finds a good base for himself, but obviously would love him back here.

The 5th tier was never his level, so top marks to Montague on that one. He was a regular in a L1 promotion team and then played in the Championship. He was probably desperate to have a go at top tier football, but Brazil was probably too ambitious. I'd guess he could play top tier in places like Chile, Scotland, Scandinavia, maybe places like Switzerland or even MLS, dunno. There's no shame though in plying your trade in English L1. But at 29 who can blame him for taking the highest wage, wherever that might be.

Maybe a few months with us might put himself in the shop window for another Championship team to take a punt. Oxford even, De Buckingham liked him but Rowett didn't pick him, but he's just been sacked.

I've been one of those calling for Dennis to start with Jatta but I don't think that both playing together works every time and it didn't work against , Chesterfield.

I also think that choosing the same starting eleven every week against different sides can sometimes work in favour of the opposition. Sometimes it's better to keep the opposition guessing.

Modern football is a squad game & sometimes it's better to put some fresh legs out there. Kouhyar always impresses when he comes on. I think heed needs to be given a start.

Maybe worth giving Jatta a rest and starting Dennis supported by Hall against MK Dons.

3 minutes ago, Robbie said:

@Fan of Big Tone

Harry Griffiths was signed from Forest on a two year contract.

Oh apologies I thought he was on loan, where did I get that idea I wonder.

1 minute ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Oh apologies I thought he was on loan, where did I get that idea I wonder.

If Notts get a new experienced keeper, Griffiths could be loaned out to give him some game time

People have commented on the fact that Montague has been a little too honest with this and, although it's great transparency for fans as we want to see that from the club, it's gonna hyper inflate new goalkeeper costs and show to clubs that might want to bid on Jatta/Dennis, now is the time if they've got the resource. If those bids come in or never transpire, the players, manager and fans will never really know if they're going or staying.

Well that didn’t go to plan did it? A surprisingly lacklustre performance from Notts which is disappointing given their good form of late. I don’t remember a single shot at goal. Unfortunately for Roos both goals can be attributed partially if not wholly to him, for the first goal he pushed the ball straight into the path of their player instead of catching it or at least pushing it to the side and the second goal it looked like he told Jatta to leave it and then fluffed it. He seems to have reverted back to type after impressing lately.

We need a reaction now against MK Dons.

MP gives a pretty honest assessment in his after match interview. Listen here.

BBC

Very annoyed with yesterday. A complete lack of pressing throughout the game, simple passes going astray and not reaching their intended target and a lack of fight and battle. Once, when we tried to break yesterday and Bennetts' 5-yard pass to Dennis found no one because Dennis positioning was poor and another time Bennetts produced a fantastic ball over from the left to the advertising boards on the opposite side.

Another big problem was our continuous launching of the ball forward to McFadzean and Grimes, who's bread and butter is winning aerial duels. Instead of playing through the lines with passes (from which we had forced two early corners) and pressing them, knowing both of them are slow and both of them were both on yellow cards in the first half. This is a combined problem of tactics and player mindset.

This isn't the first time this season we've played like this away from home. We were the same against Barrow, Barnet and Bristol Rovers. Two of them we got away with, because fought and battled. Yesterday we didn't fight. A game with 0 shots on target for the first hour and a game lacking in creative spark and quality, with the game being open for someone to take control of it. A total lack of intensity.

It's these kind of performances that really make me doubt this team. Tsaroulla isn't doing enough at the moment and went walking into centre-midfield for their first goal. A lack of quality at wing-back and in goal. That should be the final straw for Kelle Roos. It's also obvious we're in need of a creative midfielder and a striker to challenge Jatta and Dennis.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Christmas Gratitude.

Christmas time is here again,
Is it perfume or could be a Train.

A visit from Santa guaranteed,
Maybe he's brought a trusty steed.

The pressure is on Mum and Dad,
Get it right or someone will be sad.

Hope you've listened to every chat,
Idea's galore gleaned from that.

The latest trend or fashion phase,
Will bring a smile to their face.

A little tech that's up to date,
Everyone's dream, it's not too late.

Whatever gift you are fortunate to receive,
Be happy, grateful and always believe.

Merry Christmas to one and all. 🎄🎉

Happy Christmas All. It's a cold sunny day in Cork. Perfect Christmas weather.

Not a good round for me but I only dropped one place, could’ve been worse.

I echo what @Dan says thanks @DangerousSausage its great fun so thanks for all your hard work.

3 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

I echo what @Dan says thanks @DangerousSausage its great fun so thanks for all your hard work.

Yes, many thanks to Sausage. May the only blanket he's wrapped in this Xmas be fabric

@Michael D Pie. wins the prize for best poetry, but unfortunately there are no points for that.

Thank you for that wonderful accolade @DangerousSausage but that will not put grub on the table.

A second thank you for all the work you do, just to keep us on the edge of reality looking to get it right, well at least get more than 1 or 2 or even 3 😁 I know keep trying (not dancing). 😖⚽️

6 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

I don’t know what match he watched but it certainly wasn’t a terrible game, I thought it was a good game, attack against defence. Walsall defended solidly while Notts couldn’t quite get that final bit of magic to produce a goal in spite of almost constant pressure, it was an entertaining game in my opinion.

It's fascinating how those seeing the same match see things differently. It's the same when fans pick their Man of the Match or if a certain player hasn't played well in their opinion. Even professional reporters see things differently too.

I watched on my laptop and once again it was a solid performance from all Notts players. A good team effort against well organised and stubborn opposition.I haven't seen many Notts games this season due to my team playing at the same time but there has been a definite improvement recently.Players that I found a bit disappointing earlier in the season are now performing at a much higher level and playing for the team.This makes it very difficult to pick out one single player.I will add that Jodie Jones seems to be very low on confidence at the moment but I'm sure he will sort himself out sooner rather than later.I agree with above comments regarding how many players deserve being voted for but I have chosen Lorpenda.

Iorpenda for some superb tackles yesterday

The Poll has now closed. Thanks to all who voted. I'm delighted to announce that Tom Iorpenda has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match versus Walsall.

Nigel Clough always moans about the referees performance practically every match so no change there then. It’d be more newsworthy if he didn’t.

@Fan of Big Tone putting personalities & Clubs aside, does a club have a legitimate grievance if the Ref blows before the alloted stated injury time communicated around the ground by the fourth official? It's an interesting development.

@Robbie I’m not sure they do have legitimate grounds, it’s not as if it was the end of the game, as I understand it it was injury time in the first half, so they had the whole of the second half to win the game, Clough is a professional moaner when they lose. I wonder if MP would be the same, he might complain but to demand the match is replayed is ridiculous, I’d be very surprised if they replay it.

In my opinion it’s a smokescreen to hide the fact they’ve slipped into the relegation zone and take the heat off him.

I will be watching on my laptop before my main course at 3pm.Good luck,Notts

Good afternoon everyone. It's the winter solstice today. The shortest day of the year. The time is actually at 03:03 pm this afternoon. After a few days the Sun will begin to climb further in the Sky as days go by, & those daylight hours will start growing longer

I think everyone will look forward to that @Robbie I’m not a cold weather person at all. I look forward to the warm sunny days of Spring and Summer.

Always seemed like a great character even though he never really broke into our first 11, it's always good to see ex-players doing well.

@Chris It's a shame that in time of financial strife, we have sold our youth assets, Bearne, He, Etete

It's a shame how it's worked out for Jack Bearne, he probably would've been much better off staying with us. Chances are he'd have progressed into our first-team, breaking into a League 2/National League team is a hell of a lot easier then at Liverpool which will have been ultra-competitive.

Strange how it works for some players though. Kion Etete is doing just fine and currently playing for Cardiff.

@Fan of Big Tone when I saw the heading I thought the topic was going to be about a female friend or relative who was pregnant and had a strange Craving

I see how it can give validation, and that's probably quite the drug for people who feel friendless in life. But even for well-adjusted people like me, it's nice to have a little acknowledgement, even if it's just to confirm that what I posted has been seen rather than getting lost amidst all the clickbair and nonsense AI pots.

Most inevitable dismissal of the season so far. Good luck to any successor.

They'll be scared shitless at this point.

I know we're supposed to hate them but can't Harrogate go down instead, please?

Rovers have slammed the panic button and appointed Steve Evans. To be fair, he is good at instilling team spirit and getting results.

I honestly wouldn't have recognised him without the eyeliner though! He's half the man he used to be. Literally.

BBC Sport

On 14/12/2025 at 02:38, theAnticlough said:

I know we're supposed to hate them but can't Harrogate go down instead, please?

Assuming we don't make it this year, Rovers going down would take a potential promotion rival out of the picture, so they can have a year or two playing Braintree as far as I'm concerned. It's moot though, I doubt they'll go down.

I'm happy to be still in a playoff place. Well it does sound better than just 5th place.

Well done @liampie ,a nice little birthday present for you.Also well done @Fan of Big Tone .You're having a bit of a purple patch too,I'll have to up my game quickly.

Not forgetting @Joshua,.You are in very good company this week,with me and my 2 sons ,@william1984 and @Chris .

So come on everyone,don't forget your predictions this busy festive season.

And finally thanks @DangerousSausage for all your effort.here.

On 16/12/2025 at 00:04, Robbie said:

I'm happy to be still in a playoff place. Well it does sound better than just 5th place.

It's a big league, so the play-offs stretch all the way to 14th! 😎

Right, time for the next round. Let's go!

Stuart Rimmer - striker, late 80’s from memory. Went to “Warsaw” after playing for us for a short while I believe.

One of many strikers who always seemed to do well, wherever he played, but never really seemed to click here.

Ian McParland, a big Notts County favourite, played for Walsall on loan in 1991. He made 11 appearances & scored 6 goals.

Febian Brandy

Kelle Roos made some very important saves at key moments when the match could have gone a different way. A few of them were not the usual type of stop you see, but the double save on its own should be enough to put him in the conversation.

I watched on laptop and thought this was a complete team performance.The build up to the first goal and execution was superb.The multisave by Roos was extraordinary and unusual,The second goal was unfortunate for the Grimsby player but Jatta made it look easy.This all makes for a very difficult decision.I've gone for Roos.

The Poll has closed. Thanks to all who took the time to vote.

I'm pleased to announce that Matty Platt has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Grimsby. It was well deserved after an outstanding performance.