Good morning and happy Sunday, it’s going to be a busy day for us, we’ve got to get our cases packed ready to go on our cruise, tomorrow we travel down to Sounthampton to stay in a hotel for the night before our embarkation on Tuesday morning.

We got posh clothes to pack including my Tuxedo and Mrs. T’s long evening dresses, there are two formal nights on this cruise so we’ll need our posh clothes for them. Then there’s all our short, t shirts etc., for when we reach the warm weather in the Canaries. Thankfully on cruises you can take as much luggage as you want so no weight problems like on planes.

Must dash lots to do. TTFN.

Dissapointing result on Saturday, but we move on & Notts have to pull out all the stops to win their next home game against Crewe on next Saturday.

Watched the Film, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"  (1956) this afternoon. It is still one of the best creepy films ever made.

They should have made a sequel straight afterwards. The 1978 film of the same name had some sequel elements in it but it wasn't a full sequel.

It's a real shame that the airport is closing. I used to go to a school in Tollerton from the early 60s, & the Head Mistress would tell us stories of Americans who were stationed at the RAF base there, who would stop & give sweets to the kids in the school playground if the teachers weren't around when they were passing the school.

There's a lot of land which could be repurposed, which isn't being used, but we seem to find an area and knock down what could be used in spite of what isn't. I am not sure I really see the point of it.

Surely, it would make more sense to redevelop areas where there is already a shortage of houses and plenty of derelict land.

Kirsty Muir has just won her maiden Big Air World Cup title 🥇

If Notts can keep Didzy fit we have a chance for the Automatics. Jatta plays better with him in the side & Didzy seems to get a better performance out of the match squad, because He leads by example & his fellow players are inspired by him too.

10 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

If Stuart manages to manage the team to promotion it will be a massive achievement for him, I really hope he manages it, he works extremely hard and has done a fantastic job to say he was a BT engineer not that long ago.

Just read that again there a lot of use of the word “manage” 😂

Notts have equaled the points total from last season which was 61 points with still 10 games to go, so it appears Notts will better that total, meaning that progress would have been made.

This will be welcome news for all Boston fans that would like to see their team eventually progress to EFL status.

The club currently are struggling second from bottom of the national  league 5 points from safety after getting promoted last season.

Boston are on a good financial footing & would like to take the next step according to their Deputy Chairman.

Whether they stay in the national league or not, the plan will go ahead at the start of next season.

Personally I think it would be good to see Boston in the football league. This change would allow them to attract good players who could improve the team.

We are so lucky to have George Abbott with us this season, I think he will be a star of the future.

The first half might not have been great, but I thought we put in a very assured performance in the second half. I was also pleased to see us continue to be proactive and dictate the game after scoring, rather than sitting back and handing the initiative to the opposition. McGoldrick's goal was beautiful, although I initially thought he should have played Jatta in!

A good away win against a team that could have overtaken us if we'd lost - we're now five points clear of them. Big points, as the Germans would say. Now let's get back in the top three this weekend.

When Nick Tsaroulla plays like he did yesterday, it's clear what Crawley Town are missing and what Notts has gained. He was in class, putting in a very good performance. Matty Platt and David McGoldrick also did well. George Abbott deserves a mention, but Tsaroulla stands out for his minutes on the pitch and overall display.

David McGoldrick is my Man of the Match. He set Notts up to win and his introduction gave the squad a big lift. There were some good individual performances, but I feel McGoldrick tops them all.

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

By popular choice, I am very pleased to announce that Nick Tsaroulla has been named the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Grimsby. Well done Nick.

Swansea City 2-1 Middlesbrough

West Brom 3-2 QPR

Stevenage 0-1 Mansfield Town

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Cambridge United

Barrow 2-3 Accrington Stanley(joker)

Salford City 1-1 Crewe Alexandra

AFC Fylde 0-1 Braintree Town

Southend United 2-4 Altrincham

Swansea City 1-2 Middlesbrough

West Brom 2-0 QPR

Stevenage 1-1 Mansfield Town

Wigan Athletic 2-0 Cambridge United (joker)

Barrow 1-0 Accrington Stanley

Salford City 1-2 Crewe Alexandra

AFC Fylde 1-1 Braintree Town

Southend United 0-1 Altrincham

Saturday's results:

Swansea City 1-0 Middlesbrough
West Brom 1-0 QPR
Stevenage 1-1 Mansfield Town
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Cambridge United
Barrow 2-0 Accrington Stanley
Salford City 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
AFC Fylde 0-2 Braintree Town
Southend United 2-1 Altrincham

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Congrats to @Robbie, who wins this round! All the top three made it into double figures...

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@ARLukomski and @super_ram march on at the top of the table - with ten rounds to go, they have both already surpassed @ARLukomski's winning total of 219 from last season!

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Check by again tomorrow for Saturday's fixtures. Until then, as always, thanks for playing!

I never felt I would live through something like COVID; it was a strange time. All the conspiracies got on my nerves, and I remember hating lockdown. The struggle to make sure you had food, etc, due to the demands created by the limits. I had a lot of discussions with supermarkets about getting Granny Pie and @super_ram theirs, as I worried that it would put them at risk.

It's not like my dad could just leave my mum alone while he fetched a large amount of shopping, nor did I think he would manage. @cheeky~k8, and I basically made sure to check if anything was needed. During the period when you were told to isolate, we didn't have a lot of interaction with them at first, but we would make sure to nip by with essentials. I remember going to Asda in Hyson Green/Radford, and seeing people with shopping trolleys filled with water and toilet roll. Some of the fighting I witnessed shocked me; it showed how brain-dead and selfish some people were. I also remember some local shops increasing their prices as a means to profit at the expense of those who might need them. These places I will never support by shopping in; I would rather walk further and support one that did not.

Going back to the memories of shopping, I thought to put my parents on the priority list for deliveries and, to be fair, Sainsbury's was the first to agree. ASDA and Tesco were very painful to deal with, as we spent most days constantly on the telephone. I also took to social media to highlight how my mum was bed-bound, and how my dad looked after her 24/7. Eventually, we got Tesco to agree, but they are a nightmare to deal with. Asda wasn't so bad, but there were still issues.

The positive aspect of the situation was ensuring they got food delivered to them, and I think those who handled deliveries were unsung heroes during the pandemic.

Whilst I hated having to queue in line with people, I got a sense of reality from going out. I also hated the period where @cheeky~k8 did all of the shopping, and refused to allow me to help because I was struggling with hEDS (hypermobile and dislocating joints).

Looking back, I am amazed how poor common sense was amongst most people and all the selfishness.

When the restrictions weren't so tight, and you would witness people sneezing/coughing without consideration for anyone else. Leaving used tissues on bus seats is both inconsiderate and thoughtless. Whilst mostly negative, I did feel it brought my family and some friends closer, for which I was very thankful, for that too, as it was a good distraction.

I had to work through the whole thing being classed as an essential worker delivering Milk.

It was a scary time not knowing that I would catch the COVID or not, but I was fortunate enough not to get it, neither did my wife.

Lots of others weren't so fortunate unfortunately.

I caught COVID twice; it wasn't very nice. It impacted my breathing and I had to use my inhaler again. Something I haven't done since I was about 13 or 14. For a period I was waking up in the middle of the night, being unable to breathe, which was later classified as 'long-term COVID'. It was horrible, and I felt terrible for those I know who got it. Two weeks doesn't sound all that bad to recover, but the chills and sweats, combined with tiredness and all the other nasty symptoms, I can understand why some were very cautious.

It didn't help insisting that children still had to go to school; this helped the spread, and there is not much some youngsters can do. They lack the preparation and maturity to deal with this sort of thing.

The worst thing that made COVID scary was that you didn't know what underlying conditions could cause more problems, and I know people who seemed healthy but passed away due to catching COVID. One of which was in their early 20s and a Notts fan.

@Robbie: I am glad you avoided it.

Funny how that happened today @Robbie, I thought Hinchy was a tad unlucky to be taken off at half-time as well. I get things needed to change but sadly no-one really performed very well against Wimbledon.

Yes I agree with you all, Matty Palmer is a great midfielder with the ability to get his foot on the ball and spread the ball around and keep play moving although I do wish and not just of Palmer but the midfield in general,  that we could mix it up a bit and try to sometimes play balls through the channels to players or to run on to or play the odd ball over the top for the forwards to run on to rather than always going out to the wings.

I get the reasoning behind the thoughts shared, but Matt Palmer is creative, and the only downside to his game, to me, is the lack of goals from him. Not all midfielders will be goalscorers, but he does everything we would want in a midfielder, and he does that well. I do think he's more overlooked because he is more consistently involved in scoring, but he does make passes which open up the play. A lot of the threaded passes which put someone else through to create an assist come from his forward thinking, so I think this is an element in him not being considered so much as Man of the Match material.

Yet he's usually among my candidates; it's just that I think we rely more on players in different ways, and he's someone who contributes defensively and in attack.

Whereas some other players tend to be more attacking-minded, a fair comparison to me would be just how involved Jacob Bedeau is when attacking. He does both well, yet his overlapping ability and means of getting forward are part of his exceptional game.

Palmer is used more as a player to transition play, to switch things up, and he commands the pace of play. Rather than being energetic, I think we know how important he is to our squad.

Needs to be more investment in North Notts. Plans for an extension of the Robin Hood Line between the Towns of Mansfield & Ollerton v Edwinstowe were put forward.

A feasibility study was started in 2009 but after 16 years, they are still stuck in the planning stage while other projects in the South of Nottinghamshire seem to get preference.

The council has had money to extend the lines, but keeps cancelling them, and I find it very annoying. Every time there is talk about the tram's extension, the cost tends to go up. I haven't used one for years now.

I think a lot of people in Nottingham would rather see them not break down so frequently; this is another reason why I stopped using them.

There's room for extensions, but the funds need to be in place and managed better. It can't be a case of "this is happening" and then, two years later, "we don't have the funds". What happened to the funds that were there to begin with? Nottingham, as a city, is one where a lot of broken promises happen. I read recently that the Broadmarsh development needs more money to flatten more of the unused land.

It's no surprise that the council is facing financial difficulties.

@SAFC lad I wish to retract my statement "defensively sound"... Really shown up today

22 minutes ago, Piethagoram said:

@SAFC lad I wish to retract my statement "defensively sound"... Really shown up today

I agree, Maynard was quick to see he was struggling and subbed him at half time.

I think I thought he was much better than I thought to start with, not to say he is bad but perhaps give a little too much space, does get out paced and can be slower to react and gets caught out by a yard or two and then it's difficult to recover from. But I am sure these are all things that experience will bring.

Yeah, that was poor. Wimbledon were better in every department in the first half and deserved their lead. We improved in the second, but still struggled to create chances. With Wimbledon having kept 18 clean sheets, it's not surprising that ahcnes were at a premium, but the two preventable goals in the first half killed us. Jatte and Palmer missed chances to make a game of it later on.

Palmer is a key player for us and has many good qualities, but taking corners and free kicks is not one of them. Either we go back to Williamsball and just keep the ball on the ground, or we find someone who can cross the ball. Even if that means sitting Jodi Jones in a chair in the centre circle and letting him get up for the set pieces.

This is the time of the season that promotion-winning teams really click into gear and we're a long way from our best form. I think there have been too many changes on and off the pitch and too many injuries, and the chickens are coming home to roost a bit now. However, we're still fifth and well in the mix, even if I don't really fancy us right now.

Morning all, it’s the last day of the warmer weather so make the most of today, next week is colder.

My Fitbit had a message on the app saying I’ve been overdoing it lately and I’ve got to take time out to relax so I’m going to do just that. My legs are aching from yesterdays park run but I do need to mow the lawn so I’ll do that today but that won’t be too strenuous.

Beautiful morning here once again. Blue sky, not a cloud to be seen 

The weather takes me back to the summer of 1973 when I went with my parents on holiday to the Norfolk broads for two weeks. 

I'll always remember the beautiful weather we had. For the whole of the two weeks we experienced almost unbroken sunshine every single day with temperatures in the mid 70s & above. 

Update.

Update. 

Defeat on the road.

Let's hear from the boss.

WPL Division one Midlands after today's matches. Notts are in seventh place.

My four players that stood out were Jacob Bedeau, Alassana Jatta, and the two players that came on as substitutes at the start of the 2nd half, Macari & McDonald.

Out of those four on my shortlist I agree with @menzinho Rod McDonald defended well in the 2nd half & he is my Notts Man of the match. Stuart needs to play him from the start against Grimsby.

Four hours left before this poll closes. Let's show we are giving the team our support & choose a Man of the Match 

@TheSkipper

@CliftonMagpie

@Chris

@DangerousSausage

@True Magpie

The poll has now closed.

Thank you to all who voted.

I am pleased to announce that Rod McDonald has been voted Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against  Wimbledon for his good performance when he came in as a substitute at the start of the 2nd half. Well done Rod.

Hull City 1-2 Plymouth Argyle

Preston North End 1-1 Swansea City

Charlton Athletic 1-2 Barnsley

Mansfield Town 1-1 Wigan Athletic

Colchester United 2-1 Chesterfield (joker)

Newport County 0-1 Gillingham

Aldershot 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge

Solihull Moors 0-2 Sutton United

Waiting with baited breath who finishes up in the latest 1,2 & 3

Tuesday's results:

Hull City 2-0 Plymouth Argyle
Preston North End 0-0 Swansea City
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Barnsley
Mansfield Town 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Colchester United 1-0 Chesterfield
Newport County 3-1 Gillingham
Aldershot Town 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Solihull Moors 1-1 Sutton United

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Congrats to this round's winners @Robbie and @william1984!

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This is our table overall. @ARLukomski has built up a healthy lead, while I've graciously allowed @Robbie to spend a few days in the top three...

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Saturday's round is also done and dusted and I'll post the points for that in the next day or two. Our next round will be this coming Saturday, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Have a good week  

Cornish pasties are my go to pies, but I have to try keep off the processed foods nowadays, but it is difficult I can tell you.

I try to steer clear of pies too, my mam used to make a fabulous meat and potato pie. I can almost taste it as I write this.

I wonder if Dan Crowley is regretting moving now?

23 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

I wonder if Dan Crowley is regretting moving now?

Tough question, but I think he might just still have the mindset that his move was the best decision for his family. 🤪🫤

@Chris

I may be wrong about this but I've never experienced a player wanting to move purely for family reasons. Maybe in the lower leagues but not in the PL or Championship.

The will to better yourself, increase your wages and get trophies has always been the driving force for the vast majority of players.

I always thought that Dan was above the 4th tier & when he moved from Notts he would go up the tiers rather than sideways.

This is terrible news for Chesterfield & their fans.

Best wishes to Phil, his family & the Club at this time.

This is an example where football rivalry doesn't matter, and life becomes the important thing. It's such sad news, as he has done a lot of good for the club and will have only just started to see his efforts pay off within the EFL. I still feel they outplayed us at Wembley, and that our promotion based on penalties was cruel, but at the same time, so would have been us missing out based on the points difference.

That said, there's nothing crueller than cancer, and I wish Phil Kirk all the best in seeing out the quality of life that he can. I really hope he manages to avoid pain, and declines to the point where he just suffers more.

I have some very good friends who are Spireite fans and they speak very highly of Phil and what he’s done for the club, it’s a tragedy for him and his family but also for Chesterfield FC and their fans. I wish him a painless release from this world and I hope his family can bear the inevitable sadness at the loss of their loved one.

Clem Morfuni is one of the worst owners in football; he has zero clue about how to run a club and has just used the club as a vanity project. He talked of building them, using links to other clubs and bringing in better players, but it has left Swindon Town soulless. I wished, @medievalmickey could comment on this.

He wouldn't allow the club to sign players for longer than a single season at one point, and the players under contract quickly hated the environment around the club. There was a video on YouTube where a channel interviewed the Swindon Town Trust and managed to get players to do interviews. One of whom didn't play at all, despite having half a season left on his deal, just because he called out Morfuni.

It might seem that they are managing their debts better, but I think it is more due to the neglect and cutbacks that Morfuni had previously put in place. The total amount, I think, is increasing. Swindon fans still want him out, but for them to find someone willing to take on over £8 million of historical debts seems a challenge. I also can't see an owner like Morfuni walking away without wanting some form of profit. He doesn't care what personal thoughts are towards him; he's just hell-bent on owning a football club and only cares about himself.

Swindon Town Supporters Trust reiterates call for new owners

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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Swindon Town Supporters Trust reiterates its call for owner Clem Morfuni to sell the struggling League Two club.

@Chris Swindon Town is the perfect example why we need to have an independent  football regulator as soon as possible to ensure that every new club owner is checked out for suitability.

Having the power to force an owner to sell a club or ban individuals for life would be a big step forward.

It shouldn't be left to the Premier League & EFL to check out new owners & Directors as they do now. Their due diligence on new owners is clearly not dilligent enough.

Just now, Robbie said:

Having the power to force an owner to sell a club or ban individuals for life would be a big step forward.

The FA, under its membership, should formulate this rule and then seek legal governance of it. This would be a huge step forward, but currently fans protesting or wanting an owner out usually fall on deaf ears. Some local councils do try to get involved; this happened with Derby and I think it helped in their case. They almost lost access to Pride Park without a similar issue to what is happening with Bradford City leasing their own ground for an exorbitant amount per season.

I am all for it; I think football would be better off if independent football regulators were introduced.

In addition, owners who purchase assets for the club should be required to put 51% of the ownership into something outright owned by the club or its fans. Ideally, not a trust or supporters group. These are areas where problems could easily form, and we only have to look at when Munto purchased the club. I think it should be separate, independent, and formed from all groups involved in supporting the team.