This would make a great quiz question:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ke_(footballer)

I've been pacing myself this week, trying not to get too excited too early in the week. It's Thursday so the excitement is bubbling. I should come to the boil around 15 mins before kick off lol. This is a massive game. Absolutely massive. It's an opportunity to get back to the FL. We don't belong in the NL, we are a league club, full stop. To be fair, Chesterfield are a FL club and belong in the FL, but this about Notts. Let Chesterfield look after themselves. It will be a game filled with tension and expectation. The pressure on both teams will be immense. I think it will go to penalties. Notts to win. I can't and won't contemplate defeat. Let's do it for the fans in the stands, the fans at home and especially for those who are no longer with us, what a fitting tribute that would be. I'm getting a bit emotional now.....

Just realised that we don't have a thread to discuss the goings-on in the league we (hopefully temporarily) call home. Well now we do.

- Barnet now have NINE players plus their manager in quarantine. Did they spread it to us, or did we spread it to them? They played their FA Cup match anyway, and won 3-2.

- American investors are sniffing around Woking and talking about taking them into the Football League. What could possibly go wrong?

- As mentioned in Jason Turner's email, NL clubs are to receive 10m of funding - 95k a month for proper football clubs, and 84k a month for the tin-potters. Our Jase isn't happy with this, as it doesn't take actual crowds (the absence of which this money is supposed to be compensating) into account.

- Stockport have won four on the trot and are now top of the table. Am I the only one who finds this ominous?

Slocombe - 6 - He needs to be saving their first goal. I know it comes fast, but it is from so far out and it's at a comfortable height. Great save against Tyson. No idea what he's doing at the end.

Rawlinson - 4 - Where is the Rawlinson that used to step out of defence and dribble? He's disappeared.  Who has replaced him is a slow, ponderous CB that doesn't look comfortable. Takes an age to pick a pass and they are often read. Defensively, what is he doing against Rowe for their 2nd? It's about 7 v 1, go and close him down! 

Ellis - 7 - Won a lot of headers both offensively and defensively. Just seems to pop up in those vital moments with another great goal. That would normally earn him a much higher score, but his stepping up to catch Tyson offside was dodgy to say the least. Should have been punished and wasn't. 10 for heading and offensive threat, 4 for his Arsenal back line impression. Averages out at 7.

Chicksen - 8 - Thought he was fantastic. Calm, collected, technically very good. Makes correct decisions defensively time and time again, confident under pressure. Great performance.

Miller - 6.5 - Constant threat in the first half, but final ball was lacking. Faded in the second half.
Brindley - 6 - That right hand side was weak in the first half. The change the manager made improved that, and Brindley was better in the 2nd half. Dodgy moments defensively, sometimes seems to glide through games without intensity.

Doyle - 6 - Controlled the ball and passing was good for the most part. Often in positions to shoot but rarely does. When he does shoot, however, you quickly see why he doesn't usually bother. When they get past him defensively, you see his lack of pace, which is how they get their second as Doyle loses his man.
Reeves - 6 - Wasn't his best game. Gives away a stupid foul to give them their free-kick in the first half. Made some good runs forward and should have a penalty.
Enzio - 6 - He was anonymous for large parts of the game and seemed static.  Improved when moved to the right and beat his man a few times on the right to put in some promising balls.

Rodrigues - 7 - Toiled away, spun his markers, decision making lacking. 
Wootton - 8.5* - MOM. Thought he was fantastic. Real poachers goals and in just the right place. He is always the first man following shots in, a really good habit. Won his fair share in the air and tried to link play.

Knowles - 3 - Think he touched the ball twice and gave it away both times. Largely anonymous and is too weak to be effective. You have to wonder about Knight and Sam if Knowles is preferred to them. The change helped us be more attacking, but Knowles offered nothing. 
DKE - N/A

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09j4lt3

Full programme on the link above

Game 46 - The Lilywhites (A)

Team: Bromley

Date: 29/05/2021

Where: Hayes 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.

https://www.bromleyfc.tv/site/mark-cousins/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cousins_(footballer)

Good keeper

https://www.bromleyfc.tv/site/jack-bridge/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Bridge

very good close skill

Slocombe - 8 - Made some excellent saves

Chicksen - 7.5 - Stellar.
Ellis - 7 - Did well aerially.
Rawlinson - 4 - Looked a bag of nerves and knackered. Made odd decisions.

Brindley - 5 - Looked knackered. Beaten often down the left.
Miller - 6.5 - Electric, final ball lacking.

Doyle - 5.5 - When defending, often sits/hides behind the wingback and not marking his man, allowing them to cross easily. Overran at times.

O'Brien - 6 - Decent.
Reeves - 6 - Decent. 
Rodrigues - 6 - Decent, needs to work on shooting.

Wootton - 6 - Toiled. 

Subs:

Enzio - 3.5 - We were worse as a team when he came on. Constantly offside, bad touches, strange decisions. Poor.
Sam - 5 - Has the potential to bamboozle defenders, however often bamboozles himself in the process.
Griffiths - N/A


 

https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/notts-county-transfers-summer-burchnall-5425395

What do you remember most about the 90s?

As a child born in 87, I grew up appreciating the 80s a lot more than the music at the time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed tuning into Trent FM and Dr Fox for the chart countdown with my brother. Yet it's only until my late 20s I truly grew to appreciate the music I grew up hearing at the time, especially when out. Funfairs would blast some absolute classics, it's not quite the same now with the drowning awful bubble popping managed lyrics that most modern artists come out with.

One band I loved as a kid was Supergrass, a band which often gets overlooked when you talk about the 90s and even when mentioning BritPop. 

Blur, Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene, Suede, Pulp etc.

What band(s) was your go-to choice for the genre? I could name others, like Space but I tried to narrow it down.

I preferred Blur more over Oasis, but I did like their songs. Ocean Colour Scene always gets me singing especially if "The Day We Caught The Train", my grandfather got me into this song as he played it in his car a fair bit - along with Train's "Drops of Jupiter" but that doesn't have much to do with this topic. It's more a small antidote to mention that I didn't actually know who sang The Day we Caught the Train until I heard it coming home from a school trip. Back before you could hold your phone up-to a speaker and let it tell you, I managed to track it down and later downloaded it on the internet using a lime based file sharing software (I do own a copy of the album though now).

Briefly touching upon Supergrass, I think they were massively ahead of their time and although they did well - I do think they tend to be vastly forgotten. 

"Caught by the fuzz, well I was, still on a buzz" ????

Game 45 - The Terras (H)

Team: Weymouth

Date: 22/05/2021

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.

Dear all,

I am involved in some research looking at sportsmen and women's activism in sport. For those of you interested in this topic area, I have created a short survey that should only take a few minutes of your time: https://northumbria.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/athlete-activism  

Participation is completely voluntary, but I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this subject area. 

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/19322599.notts-county-3-0-weymouth-gulf-notts-county-terras/

As the title states…

Today is the bosses birthday. Like all of us, it’s been a tough run for the last year or more, but this place is still ticking over, his family are all safe and well, of course, a win tonight would be a lovely birthday present for @Chris.

Many Happies mate.

Slocombe 7 Not a lot to do, commanded his area

Brindley 7 Comfortable and unlucky not to score

Ellis 7 Would be 8 but -1 for a back header that a better team would have punished

Chicksen 7 Again comfortable and no hurried mistakes in passing

DKE 7 Faultless effort down his side

Miller 8 A wing back that can pass his man, a real positive. Got into some great positions in their penalty area

JOB 6.5 Maybe a bit harsh, some nice play in the first half

Reeves 7 Looking much better offensively

Doyle 6.5 Ticking the midfield over

Ruben 7.5 Takes defenders to occupy him creating space for others. Nicely taken penalty, silly yellow card and was once dangerously caught in possession

Wootton 7.5 Took the punishment from their centre halfs. Collosus

Subs

Enzio 7.5 Great goal, turn of speed

Sam 6.5

Griffiths 6.5

It looks like we've sold our allocation for Saturday. Which of you are heading to Meadow Lane on Saturday? What stand are you in and how are you feeling about it? 

Ever so slightly jealous! 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/21c59c2e9c52410b9278230ea7828acc

an integral monorail...Old Mkt Sq - Castle - Broad Marsh - Station - Meadows - Meadow Lane - Racecourse - Carlton - Netherfield - Gedling - Arnold - Daybrook - City Hospital

Broad marsh to look like:

Reeves goal 4min in

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Omotayo

Looked a handful in the air, but certainly no improvement on Wootton