In the first half, I felt Josh Kelly did very well. He looked speedy, quick and unafraid to take on players. Whilst his finishing was questionable, he seemed to be playing on the wing, which I do feel he did a decent job at.

He looks like someone any good club could improve further.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/josh-kelly/profil/spieler/526852

@Piethagoram @ARLukomski

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2021/september/brennan-signs-220921/?fbclid=IwAR0KURag5GLNHzENgu3f_pNle3lB9l7nSfiAR2l1D0NgyBzMgd52OWvhstg

cover for kyle camerons injury.

https://twitter.com/TraceyWhitefoot/status/1438550249480626177/photo/3

So, Wrexham are being added to FIFA 22 making them the first National League side to do so. 

This is crazy. Obviously their Hollywood owners have something to do with this. 

Why not add other National League clubs too? 

Without sounding biased, Notts County have every right to be added too considering we're the oldest professional club in the world. 

So Cal Roberts has quite quickly amassed 4 yellow cards: Torquay (Dissent), Wrexham (Foul), Aldershot (Simulation or was it the reaction after?) and Maidenhead (Dissent). I think I’m correct that 5 cards equates to a 1 match ban. With our supposedly easier fixtures coming to an end would you rather see him get booked this weekend (meaning he would miss Woking at home) or just wait and see how it plays out knowing that he could then miss one of the tougher games?

Here’s our next 6 fixtures: Altrincham (A), Woking (H), Halifax (A), Yeovil (A), Stockport (H), Bromley (H).

And do you think IB needs to have a word with him or is this just a one-off unlucky succession of bookings?

Before I get in to this, I wish Harvey Elliott a speedy recovery. No one wishes to see an injury like this occur to any footballer, especially a young lad with a bright future. Hope he comes back stronger. 

Now, it's a tricky situation. I thought it was a good challenge. There are angles that make you question whether he was in control or not. His tackling leg was placed well where as his trailing leg that caused the injury wasn't. But let's be honest there's not a lot we can do with a trailing leg unless we can take it off. 

Do I think it was a red card? No. Yellow card for me if they're going to call a foul. Referee was playing on until he realised the severity of the injury.

I think it was the severity of the injury that forced the referee to give a red. Had it not been that severe I think Struijk might have seen a yellow. But where do we draw the line? If there is a 50/50 and a player comes off with a serious injury does it warrant a red? 

Saturday is prediction league time again - please post your predictions by 3pm on Saturday, and remember those jokers!

Middlesbrough v Blackpool

QPR v Bristol City

AFC Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle

Portsmouth v Cambridge United

Bradford City v Barrow

Tranmere Rovers v Salford City

Bromley v Barnet

Torquay United v Southend United

And so it begins, who had 7 games into the season for the first manager to be sacked? Well two managers have gone in the same day.

Harry Kewell leaves Barnet second from bottom with 2 points and 0 wins.
Danny Searle leaves Aldershot third from bottom with 4 points and 1 win.

I'm more shocked with the Aldershot one, they played well against us and the teams before us by all accounts. They've just won and draw as well so I feel they would've gradually been on the way up. And they've played us, Chesterfield, Boreham Wood, Yeovil and Solihull - all teams in the top 10. Not an easy start at all. I think they've made a big mistake there.

As for the sacking of Harry Kewell, he isn't exactly a guy that fans warm too, but he's signed a lot of players in the summer - and a lot of them have been players he's worked with before. Yes they've started badly but when a manager signs a whole new squad you've got to give him a bit of time... I think Barnet will really struggle this season.

Pep Guardiola has caused a bit of stir with his comments after their win against Leipzig. 

He's appealing for more fans to turn up for Man City games. Reports are that 14k tickets went unsold. 

This further gets rival fans taunting the name "empythad"

Now, as I've always said there is a big difference between a club being a big club and a BIG club. 

Man City have all the money and success most clubs could wish for but they don't have the fanbase to match it. It's a little surprising tbf, once they got the money and success you'd have thought fans would have tagged along. 

They might be Premier League giants in terms of success but when it comes to following they're low down the pecking order even behind their city rivals Manchester United. 

Game 7 - The Magpies (H)

Team: Maidenhead United

Date: 18/09/2021

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.

Slocombe 6.5 - not tested enough to merit a high mark, but didn't do a lot wrong.
Brindley 7 - much better than Tuesday, defended well.
Taylor 6 - a bit hit and miss, looks for the safe pass a bit too often when he should be crossing it.
Lacey 7 - more like the Lacey we know. Held us together when Cameron went off.
Cameron 6.5 - brought the ball out of defence well, hope his injury is a minor one.
Francis 7.5* - impressed me today. Some really good forward balls and imposed himself more.
Palmer 7 - not a good first half, but made up for it in the second.
Roberts 5.5 - nothing seemed to go his way. Flashes of what he is capable of, but a poor penalty and a petulant booking limits his mark.
Ruben 5.5 - again below par. The slightly deeper role doesn't suit what he is best at, he struggled to get into scoring positions.
Wootton 6 - can't fault his effort, but he didn't get a lot of service.
Mitchell 5.5 - I think there's a good player there, but he didn't show it today.

Subs-

O’Brien 6 - typical JOB, some things worked and some didn't, but I love his passion.
Chicksen 7 - a really good replacement for Cameron. Solid, and a very useful squad member who is a bit unlucky not to start.

Brilliant that we got another 3 points, but this game once again provided more questions than answers.  We did the job against limited opposition, we need to show that we can do the same against the better teams.

Game 6 - The Stones (H)

Team: Wealdstone

Date: 14/09/2021

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.

Slocombe 7 - one dodgy punch apart, he looked a bit more confident. One superb save low down probably earned us two points.
Brindley 5 - a torrid night, constantly exposed and most of their dangerous attacks were down our right.
Lacey 5 - never got to grips with their strikers, had a difficult time.
Cameron 6 - same as Lacey, but gets an extra point for scoring the winner. He needs to show similar dominance and desire in our box as well though.
Taylor 6 - did ok, best of the back line and got forward at times.
Roberts 7.5 - the end product didn't match the approach work, but he was a real danger all game.
Francis 6 - moderate first half, but improved as the game progressed. Needs a bit of shooting practice!
Palmer 7.5* - covered a lot of ground, always available for a pass and hardly wasted a ball all night.
Rodrigues 5 - a shadow of the player he can be. Overhit passes, poor first touch, struggled to get involved.
Wootton 7.5 - led the line well, another goal, showed how viital he is to the team.
Mitchell 6.5 - his pace was always a threat, I think he needs a goal to really show what he can do.

O'Brien 6 - worked hard.
Kelly-Evans 6 - helped to shore up the right side late on.
Sam n/a - not enough time to rate, but the more I see of Eli Sam the more I wonder what he offers.

We started slowly and were poor until Roberts equalised, and we were very lucky to go in ahead at half time. The 15 minutes after half time was our best spell, we created a lot and should have put the game to bed. Once they got back to 3-2 though it was a nervy last half hour, and a relief when the final whistle blew. A very entertaining game where 5-5 would probably have been a fair score. Well done to Wealdstone and their fans, they certainly played their part.

The last two home matches I’ve been impressed with the noise produced by both the Aldershot and Wealdstone supporters in fact I think the Wealdstone support spurred them onto their second goal. Whereas I’ve felt we seem a bit quiet, subdued and sometimes disjointed. Do we need to look at getting some home support in the Sirrel as last season when we had supporters in all stands the atmosphere was electric (that could of been due to being the first games back after so long away). Failing that do we need to look to move the away supporters towards the Kop end if we can to try and bounce off each other?

Any other ideas for improving the atmosphere? For reference I sit in the family stand though so the noise from the away end will seem greater but in days gone past the kop used to drown that out. 

Absolute blatant red card offence for the elbow on Ruben

The seventh round of the prediction league on Saturday it is. At 3pm kick-off is. Forget your jokers do not! Hmm.

Blackburn Rovers v Luton Town

Bristol City v Preston North End

Oxford United v Wycombe Wanderers

Shrewsbury Town v Crewe Alexandra

Forest Green Rovers v Northampton Town

Walsall v Mansfield Town

Halifax Town v Southend United

Stockport County v Yeovil Town

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/walsall-fc/2021/04/13/jamie-fullarton-appointed-walsalls-new-technical-director/

On a positive note, at least they didn't go for Brano ????

Game 5 - The Terras (A)

Team: Weymouth

Date: 11/09/2021

Where: Bob Lucas 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.

On this day in 1888, the first ever Football League fixtures took place with 10 of the 12 founding clubs facing off against eachother. 

Although the 1888-89 season wasn't a particularly great one for Notts. 

Biggest Home Win - Aston Villa 9-1 Notts County 

Biggest Away Win - Notts County 0-7 Preston 

Highest Scoring Game - Notts County 3-7 Bolton Wanderers 

Finishing second bottom on "goal average" had it been based on goal difference we would of finished bottom rather than Stoke City. 

Things slowly got better for Notts though. 

This Saturday at 3pm, the proper leagues (i.e. those not sponsored by van hire companies) get under way. Which can only mean one thing: it's time for the PON prediction league! This is open to EVERYONE - even (and especially!) newcomers to the board. The more the merrier! And here's 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 October) 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.

Oh, and the reigning champion is @ARLukomski, so make sure you beat him this time   

The opening fixtures:

Barnsley v Luton Town

Bristol City v Coventry City

Fleetwood Town v Burton Albion

Northampton Town v AFC Wimbledon

Plymouth Argyle v Blackpool

Bradford City v Colchester United

Cambridge United v Carlisle United

Mansfield Town v Tranmere Rovers