Hej! These fixtures kick off at 3pm on Saturday - good luck!

Coventry City v Preston North End

Millwall v Sheffield United

AFC Wimbledon v Doncaster Rovers

Wigan Athletic v Sunderland

Bristol Rovers v Exeter City

Walsall v Hartlepool United

Altrincham v Dagenham & Redbridge

Southend United v Solihull Moors

Game 31 - The Cardinals (A)

Team: Woking

Date: 26/02/2022

Where: Kingfield Stadium

What line-up should Ian Burchnall opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Artist NameJohn Alfred Arnesby Brown (1866-1955)

TitleVictorian Nottingham City Landscape 1887

Description A superb British Victorian city landscape oil painting by noted Nottingham born artist John Arnesby Brown, painted in 1887. This rare early work is a product of Arnesby Brown's time studying in his home town at Nottingham School of Art in the late 1880s. Even at this date Brown revealed himself to be far ahead of many of his contemporaries in his approach to subject matter. Rather than a tightly painted topographical record of the city, he presents us with an already impressionistic and highly evocative view of an industrial city centre, together with the restless bustle of its street life. The work is rich with contemporary reference; the wall of advertisements in the background referring to a performance by one of the most lauded sopranos of the century, Adelina Patti, on a tour to Nottingham's recently opened theatre with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado (one of the duo's most successful operettas). A really atmospheric twilight view of Nottingham's Victorian past by a noted Nottingham artist.

Signed with monogram and dated lower left AB/87.
https://www.richardtaylorfineart.com/gallery/view-all/arnesby-brown/victorian-nottingham-city-landscape-1887

As of today there's a new, six-part podcast about our very own fake sheikh Russell King and his ownership of Notts. I'm going to listen to the first episode in a few minutes, but I'm sure it'll be an interesting listen. 

It's on the BBC Sounds app or at this link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09k7ctp/episodes/downloads

Game 30 - The Shaymen (H)

Team: F.C Halifax Town

Date: 22/02/2022

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Ian Burchnall opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Has anyone seen the video about the potential buyers in 1997/8 on YouTube??... Its not that long ago but I've never seen or heard of him.... 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Waters_(footballer,_born_1994)

Really comfortable on the ball

He came through the youth system at Crewe

Jaros 4 Decision making all wrong for the halifax goal. Should have been more decisive in coming for the ball. 

Chicksen 6 Comfortable in possession, though wish he could get to the  by line more

Cameron 6 Missed a crucial chance when seemed easier to score

Brindley 7 Reading the game much better now. Some strong runs

Richardson 6 Better 1st half, we just seem to miss going down the right second half

Francis 6 Looks better alongside Palmer. Needed more positivity going forward

Palmer 6 Tidy  but the unlocking pass just wasnt there

Rodrigues 6 Some good movement but sometimes no one was making the run needed

Roberts 6 Again better 1st half, well marked

Sam 7.5 (motm) a thunderbolt of a shot, saw one cannon off the post. Looks "a player" rather than a clumsy liability... well deserved motm award too

Wootton 5.5 Sharpness eluded him, some good chances  missed

You know what to do - gaze into your crystal ball or throw your rune sticks, and get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday, and remember your jokers. Good luck!

Derby County v Peterborough United

Stoke City v Birmingham City

Cambridge United v Accrington Stanley

Ipswich Town v Burton Albion

Newport County v Mansfield Town

Salford City v Crawley Town

Altrincham v Weymouth

Chesterfield v Solihull Moors

Game 29 - The Spitfires (H)

Team: Eastleigh

Date: 19/02/2022

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Ian Burchnall opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

The Chesterfield Town manager has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct.

Oh dear... Never really came across as a nice guy and from what I've gathered on twitter some people are suggesting he's a bit of a bully - nothing has been clarified yet though so it'll be interesting to see what happens and how it will impact Chesterfield's season.

Before I get into it, I agree with what IB said in yesterday's interview about us having chances we should have taken in the first half and Grimsby being the better team in the 2nd half. That is correct. He's changed it up before earlier in the season, when we went on a bad run and I hope we change it up again. However something needs to be said about us a whole. 

I don't think we act like we want to go up. We are regarded as a "big fish" in this league and we need to start acting like it without the self entitlement. No less than 100% every week. Other clubs who were relegated into this league had that mentality: Leyton Orient, Tranmere, Bristol Rovers etc. Other teams who had this further up the system: Bolton in League Two last season, Villa in the Championship, Newcastle in the Championship. 

We've got to realise and the players have to realise that we're Notts County in the National League and being 8th is unacceptable. I don't think we have the self entitlement like a certain Wrexham, but it's more a self congratulatory mindset of "we've been on a good run that'll do" kind of thing. It's the sort of thing where we go "Oh it doesn't matter, we'll still score in a bit or we'll get points next game." We're allowing ourselves to take the foot off the pedal too many times. No less than 100% on and off the pitch to get out of this league. 

The club needs to look at itself and realise it's unacceptable to be "just hoping to get into the play-offs." Not being cocky or arrogant, but we are the biggest fish in this league and scraping into the play-offs isn't good enough. I'm not saying either that we should be beating teams in this league just because we are a bigger club than them. I'm saying that a lot more hard work and a ruthless mentality, is needed to achieve promotion and win against whoever the opposition is. It was the same throughout last season and we only really got going in the second half of 2019/20 as well,. There's not been a siege mentality of hard work and high standards for a long time and it needs to change. 

The PON prediction league continues on 12 February. Will you run a celebratory lap like Sir Charlie, or will you find yourself looking on glumly like those Florist fans in the Kop that day? There's only one way to find out. Kick-off is 3pm on Saturday, and remember your jokers.

Millwall v Cardiff City

Nottingham Florist v Stoke City

Cheltenham Town v Fleetwood Town

Morecambe v Gillingham

Barrow v Stevenage

Sutton United v Forest Green Rovers

Barnet v Wealdstone

Eastleigh v Yeovil Town

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60042276

Notts were poor in the second half against Grimsby. We didn't deserve anything from the game and that's the way it panned out. The last time Notts actually put together a decent performance for the entire game was at home to Wrexham. Being honest, if that continues, we won't make the playoffs. Barnet at home is a chance to put things right. It's a must win game for so many reasons. Anything other than a win would be a disaster. I'll go for 2-1 to Notts. I expect a response from the team. It's time they stood up and took responsibility.