There were some awful things happen during that time it’s unbelievable that a lot of them escaped any punishment for their crimes.

Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man still haunts me

Backing Time.

Eyes wide open and still can't see,
What's this black blanket infront of me.

A real challenge not had for a while,
Needs thought, confrontation and a little guile.

The use of eyes not relied on too much,
Hands, arms and toes, it has to be touch.

This thing turned my world upside down,
Moping around with nothing but a frown.

Even the birds aren't chirping any more,
That beautiful sounds gone as I open the door.

Temperatures dropping the weather people say,
Going to be with us for more than a day.

Everything changing, even wearing thicker socks,
All because we've turned back the clocks.

Keep the poems coming folks I am enjoying reading them.

Nice one @Michael D Pie. Keep them coming. They are a great read.

One of my big takeaways from the Brackley loss is that Notts have to start solving how to play against a physical side that typically deal with Notts possession based style by employing a combination of a high press, a compact low/mid block, & exploiting the defensive spaces left behind through quick counter attacks, direct play, & aerial bombardment.

This problem continues to plague Notts when they play teams employing these tactics.

Sticking to the micro-level of the goals conceded last night...the balance of the criticism doesn't seem right.

Sure, Roos punch wasn't the best but it was out of the penalty box, which gives the defence a chance. He could've done better with the high ball back in, but where did Ness drift out to? Platt would've been in the centre of the box contesting that. RodMac would've been there at least rather than the corner of the 6-yard box. But as our main CB, Ness can't take himself out of that position. Bedeau was grounded and Macari retreated to the goaline, leaving Hall as the nearest to their scorer. None of the backline cover themselves with glory here. Roos gets the biggest slice, but Ness isn't blameless. His position in our 3-4-2-1 means that he should never leave that central area.

Another takeaway from this match is the revelation that the Notts squad definitely needs strengthening during the January transfer window.

The players that replaced the players that started the match for Notts didn't improve the performance of the team unfortunately.

It felt like an accident waiting to happen and so it proved. We created about three chances in 120 minutes against a part-time team. After the lead we completely handed the initiative to the home side and never got it back.

We missed Palmer badly; if he's fit, he should be playing (with the exception of tomorrow's silly cup game against Man United under 12s). But I do have some sympathy with MP here - you should be able to rest a single player without everything collapsing like a pack of cards. Especially as the replacement was the experienced Ollie Norburn, who was about a close as we came to a marquee signing this summer. And the less said about the Sunday League-esque performance of our goalkeeper the better.

I don't agree with some of the comments about the referee, I thought he got all the big calls spot on - their number 11 had been offside and was interfering in play for the offside goal, Grant was tripped for our penalty (this was more visible from one side than the other) and Norburn obviously handled the ball for their penalty. The fake outrage by the commentary team irritated me and was disrespectful towards officials who did their job well.

The better team on the day progressed, we've got to get back into our rhythm and forget this quickly.

Of course we all have to move on from the Brackley match, but forget the defeat, no way. The defeat was an utter embarrassment & the squad now have to show Martin & the fanbase that each player is worth their place in the matchday squad.

On Saturday's performance several players are clearly not, and the rest have something to prove. Whether tomorrow's game against United under 21s is silly or not, the players that are picked for that game must treat that game very seriously. Their future at Notts may just depend on how they treat it.

This game has come quickly & Notts need to show a massively positive attitude towards this game. I expect them to treat the game against Utd as if they are playing top of the table Walsall in a league 2 game. Nothing less will do.

I think now that the dust has settled, and we're over the disappointment of Saturday night, maybe we will see the performance was simply down to stage-fright. The players seem to freeze under the spotlight of being expected to win against the minnows on live nationwide TV. Perhaps it was just the giant killing phenomenon of the FA Cup that worked against us. It has happened to many better teams than us over the years. As @Robbie says it's time to move on. The Brackley match will not define our season. What we need now is a response and then "normal service" will resume. COYP!

Speculation is fine on all fronts but personally I think the old adage one game at a time will see us in a more positive position than people think. The progress from week to week we have made and having strength in depth fills me with confidence to the extent that I can't wait for this incredible journey to begin. COYP.

On 27/10/2025 at 13:37, Robbie said:

Notts have a tough fixture list in December . Five games that could define a season one way or the other. Two of the five are against MK Dons.

9th Dec: MK Dons (H)

13th Dec: Grimsby (A)

20th Dec: Walsall (H)

26th Dec: Chesterfield (A)

29th Dec: MK Dons (A)

We meet four of our major rivals for honours all in one month. It's going to be great battle in every match. Can Notts come through it unscathed with plenty of points?

I think I would be happy if we could avoid defeat in four of those games. I don't think it is beyond the realms of possibly to achieve that, but Grimsby, Chesterfield & MK Dons away will be very tough.

I think that last season, I don't think it would have been possible to be that optimistic. Our record against the top 10 sides wasn't good at all, but this season Notts are made of sterner stuff.

Fifteen points are on the table. I think 7 or 8 points from a possible 15 would be ok, anything more would be a bonus. It's certainly going to be an exciting December. Looking forward to it.

That’s a tough schedule for Notts they’re all six pointers, I hope we can win a couple and maybe draw a couple but let’s get through November first, it’ll certainly be an interested battle at the top.

I am in the minority who believe we should take each game as it comes in this case. We have managed some good results, while others have been a bit disappointing.

To be ahead of Swindon Town twice and only draw was frustrating. Added to that, the defeat to Brackley Town in the FA Cup may still be hanging over the camp, with the feeling that we should have made more of a game of it.

I also think we either come together strongly for certain fixtures or just scrape through them by the skin of our teeth. The aim should be to pick up as many points as possible and not dwell too much on defeats or draws. I know I mentioned the Swindon game, but it is only an example of where we need to learn to close the game down once we have taken the lead.

Should have kept Jodi Jones on for the penalty shootout against Brackley. He's our best penalty taker.

I feel sorry for Kelle Roos. He stayed focused and gave us hope with his penalty save.

Their keeper came across as a bit cocky before that, which is not a good attitude to show, even though he had done well. Alassana Jatta should not have missed his effort. It put us on the back foot and it might have been better to let someone calmer, like Will Jarvis, take the first one.

If we had chosen the right penalty takers in the right order, it would have put more pressure on the opposition.

This is excellent news for me I love cheese. Stinking Bishop mmmm! 🧀

I love cheese too,yum,yum

Notts have been showing improvement during the last half a dozen matches or so & that was great to see, but stats don't include attitude & the attitude of the team wasn't right tonight & that gives me concern.

That performance tonight was one of the worse, if not the worse we've seen since Notts were relegated to the National League.

Martin in his post match presser gave no excuses, but the team simply didn't play for him tonight in my opinion. There were players tonight that demonstrated that they are simply not good enough in skill & attitude.

The January window needs to be busy with a new goalkeeper, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder & a striker. All four being of good quality & of strong character.

1 hour ago, Piethagoram said:

@Fan of Big Tone Shouldn't it be Cruise along with Fan of Big Tone expert🙃

Good thinking @Piethagoram 😂

Good afternoon, I had a shock when I stood on the scales this morning I’ve gained 9lbs. Eeek! Better get working out.

@Fan of Big Tone Proof of a good holiday :)

Sad news today about Colin Addison. Who can ever forget his non league Hereford side beating Newcastle United 2:1 in front of the TV cameras at Edgar Street with John Motson the commentator. Arguably the most famous giant killing act in football history.

His death is particularly sad for Notts fans like myself as he had a seven month spell as Assistant Manager at Notts from Dec 1975 to June 1976 & he managed Derby County between July 1979 & Jan 1982.

I'm sad to read this news.RIP Colin.

Yes, very sorry to hear this sad news.

Addison was a very calm, courteous and genuine bloke. Decent player and very competent manager. His exploits with Hereford were magnificent and he did a fair job with us tbh.

RIP Addo, you were a gentleman and a great professional.

I'm with @McPie I feel a great amount of satisfaction when a team comes to Meadow Lane, sits back has very little attacking intention and goes away with nothing. Cambridge can set-up however they like, they are entirely within their right to do it but it never makes for a great match.

It’s always hard when you come against a side that sits really deep, we had little space to play through the middle or even wide. And when we tried to pick up the pace with our passing it tended to go astray. Still, we were very comfortable without really creating much but the longer it stayed 0-0 the more you’d have thought it would’ve turned in Cambridge's favour. But we kept at it, the subs came on and freshened/livened us up a bit and Jatta was the difference maker in the end (get ready to knock those bids back come January).

It’s hard to explain but we feel more like a team this season, we undoubtedly lost some talent in the summer but you can’t fault any of the players attitude and endeavour. 2 points off top spot, does that mean we are good now?

I have not yet seen any clips of the game, but I was told that Jatta’s second goal was taken well and came from him putting pressure on a defender.

Beating a team that had no clear plan and seemed to just want to bully their way to a result is very pleasing. It shows how much Jatta gives to the side and how important he is for Notts if they are to get out of this league.

At the start of the season, did anyone really think we would be sitting in fifth place at this stage? It is good to see that belief and calmness back within the fan base.

Clearly hasn’t been through lack of interest that Shrewsbury hasn’t sold, especially as he says 18 different parties have met him.

I think he’s trying to get the sympathy vote a bit here, because it’s not going well at Shrewsbury now. Of course, the abuse he gets isn’t right and it’s not on, but at the same time he clearly isn’t that desperate to sell the club.

A number of years have passed since he put Shrewsbury up for sale so he could’ve done a deal if he really wanted to. I wonder if the club hasn’t sold because he has an unrealistic valuation, is he just holding out for as much money as he can get?

Blackburn 0-1 Southampton

Millwall 1-2 Leicester City

Barnsley 1-1 Rotherham United

Reading 2-0 Doncaster Rovers

Barrow 1-2 Barnet

Harrogate Town 2-0 Newport Joker

FGR 1-2 Boreham Wood

Hartlepool 2-0 Solihull

The results:

Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Southampton
Millwall 1-0 Leicester City
Barnsley 0-1 Rotherham United
Reading 1-1 Doncaster Rovers
Barrow 2-2 Barnet
Harrogate Town 0-3 Newport County
Forest Green Rovers 2-1 Boreham Wood
Hartlepool United 2-0 Solihull Moors

Congrats to @william1984, who wins this round! And I must confess I'm a little mardy - I pored over all the form tables for this week's predictions, and then @Hi Humans ツ comes along, just makes up some numbers and scores higher than me!

In our leaderboard, @magpiejue moves back to the top with @4everapie and @Robbie just a few points behind.

As our FA Cup run will be taking place this weekend, we'll now have a little break - the next round is on the following Saturday, 8 November, with the fixtures posted a few days before as usual. Thanks for playing!

Bugger I missed this round as I was busy sunning myself, I’ll have to do extra well next round.

Let us put it in perspective.

Top of the Table Walsall have beaten: 

MK Dons          3 points

Salford              3 points

Swindon            3 points

Chesterfield      3 points

We have played:

Salford 0 points

Crewe 0 points

swindon 1 point

Gillingham 0 points

In league 2 things can change for clubs so quickly. We saw last season how Walsall lost their mojo after a blistering start. Hopefully lightening won't strike twice for them this season but you never know.

I think that’s exactly the point@Scotty Crewe and Gillingham are not in the top seven. The table is fluid. If any of the teams we have beaten or will yet beat end up in the top seven then will be saying we have beaten some in the top seven. If Chesterfield or Swindon drop in the next few weeks Walsall results might not look so impressive. I understand that we need to get results from teams higher up the league, maybe we will have a better idea who they are in the new year.

i always liked mark fotheringham, with better players who had pace around him he would have been apricated a lot more at notts i think. his skill and technique was very good for a player and although surprised he later joined fulham i can see why they would opt for a player like him.

Chance for Mark to work for a top side in Scotland, who may get some silverware this season. It's an opportunity not to turn down.

I wish him lots of luck in his new position. Of course it's only an interim position but the experience will serve him well.

At least it’s a fairly swift response and an acknowledgement that there has been a major foul up here.

Let’s see what happens.

Not a good move by the club - the original announcement was tin-eared. At least they've responded to the criticism, though it's unclear what will ultimately come of it. We could possibly get around it by calling it the "Haydn Green Stand sponsored by Green Shift Energy" if the sponsors agree to that.

I hate the trend of naming everything in football after sponsors. Some years ago I knew what every ground was called, now it's just an ever-changing roll call of sponsors. It's even worse for those grounds that have only ever been named after a sponsor as they don't even have a traditional name to fall back on.

But money talks. A while back I saw a list of stadium sponsorship agreements for German third division clubs, and every single one of them was in seven figures (bar a couple of clubs without sponsorship deals, and one in particular that gave away permanent naming rights in the early 90s in return for a scoreboard, which then broke). Sponsors in the UK aren't as generous, but there's lot of money to be made. And the fuss about the Haydn Green Stand shows that it might even be less controversial to sponsor the whole ground as it isn't named after someone.

It will always be know as the Haydn Green Stand, whatever the official name is

Jatta for me.

Poll closes 9 pm tonight.

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

I'm delighted to announce that the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Cambridge is Alassana Jatta, who played an absolute blinder. Congratulations Alassana.

A big welcome from me @JWTBee & welcome to our community.

A super warm welcome @JWTBee to the sunny side of the Trent, hope you find it fun and fulfilling 😀

And a big warm PoN welcome from me too, @JWTBee.I hope you enjoy your time with us .

We should judge progress by steady signs and better structure, not one good result. If the plan stays clear, promotion stays possible.

On 09/10/2025 at 17:21, liampie said:

i think there is a lot of reasons why we should be patient and not start demanding things to be changed, as if it can suddenly just happen but through hard work and further improvements. i do wonder if roberto gagliardi will be vindicated come the end of the season. dont get me wrong, i am happy knowing richard montague is back and i do think it will work itself out but gagliardi took the brunt of a lot of criticism.

"I do wonder if Roberto Gagliardi will be vindicated...."

Well, 14 games in, perhaps last summer's recruitment wasn't that bad overall?

Yes, we still need a decent GK come the January transfer window... will Cotter and Aljofree be returned to their parent clubs? We might have to take a financial hit on Traore to move him on, so Richard Montague has some work to do.

On 10/10/2025 at 22:35, Chris said:

I have said it before a few times; the biggest mistake was saying we are aiming for promotion and sacking the head coach not long after exiting the playoffs.

The continual losses at home at the end of the season proved Maynard had no plan B. MP does seem to have some Premier /Championship know how as to what is needed to succeed.

The football against Cambridge was still possession based but that second goal from Jatta, was from Bedeau launching a long ball to "mix things up".

Hoping the good run of results continues

3 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

"I do wonder if Roberto Gagliardi will be vindicated...."

Well, 14 games in, perhaps last summer's recruitment wasn't that bad overall?

Yeah, I'd be really interested to know how his departure played out because as it turns out the summer recruitment seemingly hasn't been the massive issue we all thought it would be. It's funny that Cotter previously played under Paterson when he was at Barnsley and he signed after Paterson arrived (Iorpenda did too, but he signed before MP got the head-coach job). It's highly likely this move was instigated by our head coach and it's arguably one the poorer signings this season...

I think we can improve when it comes to defending set-pieces and I’m sure a lot of work goes into it. I've spoken about how I think Roos can do more but it's just as important that the players know their man and they stick to them. At times against the physical teams, we do look more susceptible to conceding from set-pieces, but that is a massive part of what makes those teams successful and they’ll score the majority of their goals from this.

I think our average of goals conceded from set-pieces will be always be slightly higher and that is down to how a lot of teams set-up against us. The majority of the teams in the league are going to sit deep, try and counter and make the most of their set-pieces. It was exactly what Cambridge (tried to do) and what Oldham and Crewe did with varying success. And to be fair, against Barnet they had 12 corners and number of decent free-kick positions and they got nothing out of us.

I’m not overly hung-up about set-pieces right now because overall, we are in a good place when it comes to our defence this season. We are the joint 4^th best in the league in terms of goals conceded with 15. Oldham are top with 12 but it’s coming at cost for them as they’ve only scored 12 goals too (that’s the joint 2^nd worse). We’ve scored 25 goals, that puts us 2^nd best. If this trend continues, we’ll be in strong place come the end of the season.

He should never have left Notts when he did. I can understand why he did leave. He probably wanted to further his career.

For me, the fact that Stuart Maynard had less support from the start of 2025, was a factor in Notts possibly missing promotion by just six points.

I feel a bit sorry for him because he’s not had a lot of time to change much, but equally from what I can gather from some of his post-match interviews it didn't sound like the squad had taken to him. Surprised he even ended up there to be honest, to go from League 2 to the Southern Prem is a bit of drop, even to be head-coach.

As the article says they’ve had 4 managers in 17 matches and the results haven’t improved. That tells me the real problem lies with the quality of the squad.