The poll has now closed. Thanks to the 61 members who voted. It was a very competitive poll due to quite a few good performances against Oldham.

I am absolutely delighted that for his outstanding performance, Rod McDonald has been voted the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Oldham. Well done Rod.

well done rod mcdonald, pleased to see another pon man of the match won by him.

I don't remember voting, which is certainly a mistake on my part.

Though I am pleased to see Rod McDonald still earning praise because it highlights the impact he's made since coming into the Notts XI, and how he's taken the position for himself. We want to see players who get a taste of starting secure their place by playing with impressive form.

Cut his hair and shave his face, he would be getting ID for buying a pint. Let alone looking the legal age of driving.

I wish him well with his endeavours.

good to see hes working in football, i hope he can see the difference that he make s and i wish him all the best with his future. it seems a bright one, he may end up in management one day.

Think I might try to find this on Youtube

From BBC report Scunthorpe v Morecambe - 'Six minutes before the interval Callum Roberts cut in from the wing to score with a finish across Archie Mair and inside the far post.'

Scunthorpe up to 4th, 1pt behind Keiro's FGR and 2pts behind TAR's Rochdale

Derby County 1-2 Southampton

Swansea City 2-2 Leicester City

Huddersfield Town 3-1 Stockport County

Port Vale 1-2 Northampton Town

Bromley 0-0 Tranmere Rovers

Salford City 3-1 Grimsby Town Joker

Braintree Town 1-2 Sutton United

Wealdstone 2-0 Altrincha

Derby County 1-1 Southampton

Swansea City 0-0 Leicester City

Huddersfield Town 1-0 Stockport County

Port Vale 2-0 Northampton Town Joker

Bromley 2-1 Tranmere Rovers

Salford City 1-0 Grimsby Town

Braintree Town 1-0 Sutton United

Wealdstone 1-1 Altrincham

The scores on the doors:

Derby County 1-1 Southampton
Swansea City 1-3 Leicester City
Huddersfield Town 1-2 Stockport County
Port Vale 0-0 Northampton Town
Bromley 3-3 Tranmere Rovers
Salford City 0-2 Grimsby Town
Braintree Town 0-0 Sutton United
Wealdstone 1-1 Altrincham

Not a single home win! Bad news for some of us...

Congrats to @Joshua, the only player to hit double figures this round!

@allardyces tash moves to the summit of a crazily tight table! But even those of us in mid-table obscurity are just a good round away from the top. At the other end, welcome to @Sir Magpie!

That's us done for another round. If any of you have questions (possibly relating to dodgy scoring), drop me a line. If you have any complaint, please write them on the back of a 50 pound note and post them to the usual address; I will then process them as soon as possible.

As we've got a full round of League One/two fixtures on Saturday, there will also be a prediction league round. The fixtures will be online on Wednesday as usual. Thanks fr playing (but not for beating me) and have a good week!

While I should have been watching the match at Meadow Lane I was in fact standing queuing in the rain so that I could have a needle stuck in my arm (flu jab). Apparently I’m not old enough for the covid jab this year so I was spared that.

23 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Not to worry I’ll catch the second half commentary by which time we’ll be 3-0 up won’t we?

I wasn’t far off was I? Just call me Mystic Tone

Back underway.

Goal to Peterborough.

Two quick goals for Peterborough.

Peterborough 4 Notts 1. 51 mins

Goal to Posh

Peterborough 5 Notts 1 62 mins.

Full Time

Matt Palmer

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

Brian Kilcline made 8 appearances for Oldham in the 1991-1992.

Just heard John Thompson say on Radio Nottingham that he used to play for Oldham.

What I took from the Fans Forum (for what it's worth) is Martin Paterson's take on the start to the season. He said it was ok. He seem to point to the last three or so games as to a turning point, that were playing more like the way the owners want. I would agree with that. A point was made by one fan that the team that played against Crawley had 8 players from last season and that seem to make the difference. It would seem from his reply that he agreed. It looks like he has been giving certain new/loan players the chance to show what they can do, but they haven't taken that opportunity. I think he is getting very close to knowing his best eleven. You get the feeling that the likes of Cotter and Aljofree are on borrowed time. I think we will see more of Luker and Hall with just one up front. From the game against Barnsley, I'd like to see more of Ness, Bennetts and Jarvis, at least being involved on the bench.

Yes @McPie those points stood out. Actually I don't think MP got his phrasing quite right on that - I'm sure Aljofree, Norburn, Cotter and maybe others have been trying and it should be perfectly natural for players to come in and out according to form when the squad size is 25+. We can vent on places like this, but the coach should be a wee bit more diplomatic. He said it right later - anyone not performing well is under pressure. That's just a small detail, the forum and whole panel were great last night, MP especially, who spoke very well on the team.

One point that got my interest is the Bros still mulling over what management structure they want. That tells us there will be no appointment any time soon, if what the actual post is hasn't been decided yet :) Hopefully, there won't be any fans banging on about giving recruitment to MP - it's not going to happen. The choice is a) Head of Recruitment b) Director of Football or c) some other structure we haven't seen before. Personally I hope it's a) MP doesn't need a boss between him and the bros but could do with an equal in that other dept, either a Montague figure or Montague himself (I still haven't given up hope of him coming back).

In hindsight, a good question to have asked MP would have been ... should Jodie have been left to start in his wing position, at the beginning of the season?

League 1? Not even making any waves in League 2, 10 games in with Patto.

Wasted season again already

The core of the squad should be fine, but there are players who will need to be moved on. Midfield places must be filled with quality rather than numbers. At League One level, I do not think we could cope with the amount of strikers currently being used. You also need two experienced goalkeepers who can win matches on their own.

There are many improvements that must be made, but I believe when the club is ready we will not be battling to stay up. A finish in the lower to mid table feels more realistic.

From that point it all comes down to keeping the key players and sorting contracts early.

16 hours ago, Garry Lee said:

League 1? Not even making any waves in League 2, 10 games in with Patto.

Wasted season again already

There is still plenty that can be improved, but yesterday’s defeat came from a simple mistake rather than poor play. Notts put in a good performance, I just wish Matthew Dennis had not got so caught up in battling with the opposition in such a risky area.

That level of shirt pulling has to be cut out, but as Notts fans we know promotion is never straightforward.

Jatta and Jones would still be crucial. I would keep Jarvis if he is for real, and Dennis could push on with regular games. Palmer should handle the step up, and Ness needs fitness to show what he can do. We would need depth elsewhere, especially at left wing back and in central midfield.

Supporters want a plan and a timetable. If results stay patchy, we need to see a plan B in the league. Martin Paterson has to show he can change shape mid game and still keep our identity. Patience is hard, but it’s part of building a club that lasts.

The challenge isn’t just tactics, it’s balancing identity with adaptation. When Notts play well they move the ball quickly, switch tempo and hurt teams. When they lose control the passing becomes aimless. We have good techs in midfield, but the league is rough. We need to mix longer balls and direct play to relieve pressure, especially away. Let Martin Paterson try different shapes and use subs to shift momentum. The bench must influence games. If fans see steady progress, belief grows and results follow.

Back the club’s plans to invest in the academy and facilities as well as the squad. The Reedtz brothers want to build Notts for the long term. That matters. A coach can reach higher when the club grows off the pitch too. We must stay critical where needed but trust the process and back the vision.

Writing off the loan from Football Radar shows the owners want the club to stand on its own feet. It reduces annual interest and frees money for players, training and scouting. It also signals confidence in the club's strategy and the work of the Reedtz family. The change from debt to sustainability means steady growth rather than sudden leaps. Some fans will still ask for more investment, but this step aligns with a longer term plan to reach League One and stay there. It would be good to see the money used for development in the academy and facilities, which benefits not just this season but the club for years. This move feels like a significant turning point for Notts as a club.

Seeing Notts at the top of the table in the last few years has been rare, and this move supports that trend. The debt write off makes the club more attractive to potential players and staff who want stability. It also reduces the chance of another owner stepping in with big injections that skew the season. Fans want transparency and results, and the public statement helps. If recruitment stays smart and the academy feeds into the first team, we can build a strong squad without taking on heavy risk. It is not a guarantee, but it is a sensible step in the right direction.

Notts fans have seen big talk before, but this feels different. Writing off a loan is rare and signals real patience and a plan. It reduces financial pressure on next summer's budget, which means the manager can focus on getting a rhythm with the squad rather than chasing last minute loans. It also sends a message to players that the owners are serious about building something sustainable, not just a quick win. We should hold them to that, and we should support sensible signings that fit the plan. Promotion is a long road, but clear, careful steps like this help us move in the right direction.

You could look at it as he's gone on loan because he's closer to the first XI than you think - only 1 injury to either Palmer or Norburn and he's in the matchday squad.

He needs game time, but I'm sure the loan includes a recall.

At only 22, he's not the finished article as a CM. I'd say he's L2 level not NL, but not promotion level L2 without taking a leap forward.

Jack has made 19 appearances for Notts & when he's played for Notts he played steady without being spectacular. But he hasn't done a lot wrong either.

To be honest I'm surprised that he has been sent on loan because if either Palmer or Robertson get injured Hinchy would be close to selection.

I do hope he can get some game time at Altrincham, but I would have preferred he had gone to a league 2 club because his standard is higher than the National League in my opinion.

I think it will be Altrincham who has decided on the length, he has done well for us at times but hasn't showed enough improvements. In all fairness, you look at him in the squad and think it's a position we could be better allocating to someone else. I also think there's better younger options that we could bring in, Hinchy is 22 and needs to be playing on a weekly basis to improve further. Wiki says, he's only got 37 league appearances, which is nothing for a player of his age.

Good luck to him, I hope he flourishes and does gain confidence, but I think he will be one player highly likely to move on in the near future on a permanent basis.

What a move this was. Pin point passing

Barnsley doesn't look to be all that interested in the competition, but this doesn't take anything away from Notts winning. We played a much changed squad ourselves, and it shows the strength we have on the bench and in rotation and that must give hope that once our form becomes consistent that we will be able to start climbing up the League Two table again.

Lincoln City and ourselves, I think will progress from the group unless Barnsley decide to take it a bit more seriously.

It's good to know that we can do well, making such changes and know that the players coming in look just as good as those who have been rested. It says much more about us than Barnsley.

I do believe that set pieces are a very important part of football & it is very important that Clubs should work on the training ground to make them more effective as a way of scoring goals.

However, Clubs should work to ensure that set pieces are much more less effective against their own defence. We have seen Notts fail to deal with set pieces especially corners which has proved very costly over the last few seasons.

I can remember Wimbledon at their crazy gang best used to be very effective at set piece situations. I'm not surprised that it is being looked at as a tactic that is growing in popularity once again, as an effective way of winning football matches.

What I'd like to see for set pieces is a referee who has the guts to give a foul or penalty for the excesive pushing ,holding,cuddling etc and not just for the defending team.

I wished Notts were a lot better at set pieces, we never seem capable of scoring from a corner and people attribute this to Matt Palmer, but I think some of his corners are very good, just nobody attacks them.

Teams like FC Midtjylland have turned them into a strengthen, and it is possible that they work hard in training to achieve at a consistent standard.

The art of taking good free kicks, inch perfect corners is a fading aspect in English football, especially at League One and Two level.

Great to see that they have achieved the championship, it's another great story in football.

Ipswich Town 2-1 Portsmouth

Watford 1-0 Hull City

Burton Albion 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

Mansfield Town 2-0 Rotherham United

Bristol Rovers 1-1 Salford City

Crawley Town 2-1 Barrow Joker

Halifax Town 1-0 Aldershot

Truro City 1-2 Morecambe

Ipswich Town 1-0 Portsmouth

Watford 0-0 Hull City

Burton Albion 2-2 Plymouth Argyle

Mansfield Town 0-0 Rotherham United

Bristol Rovers 0-0 Salford City

Crawley Town 1-2 Barrow

Halifax Town 1-2 Aldershot

Truro City 2-1 Morecambe Joker

In a show of multi-tasking, here are the results:

Ipswich Town 2-1 Portsmouth
Watford 2-1 Hull City
Burton Albion 0-4 Plymouth Argyle
Mansfield Town 2-1 Rotherham United
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Salford City
Crawley Town 1-2 Barrow
Halifax Town 4-2 Aldershot
Truro City 5-0 Morecambe

Those of you who like the scoreline 2-1 will be smiling already!

Congrats to @theAnticlough for winning the round and @Chris for picking up the points he missed out on last week! I was pretty great too ;)

@JustLikeJuve remains top of the table by a single point, with @allardyces tash moving up to second!

So that's us up to date! We've got another round coming up on Saturday, so expect to see the fixtures for that tomorrow evening. Thanks for playing!

Aye up @Dave78 a big welcome on board this flight to all that is good in football.

Hello, @Dave78. I am pleased to be welcoming you to Pride of Nottingham.

welcome to the pon community, we are delighted to have you @Dave78.

how are bradford city managing when they were cash strapped in league two, and were paying a million a year just to play at the valley parade? they spent 35k on a striker and that was a big deal. their manager moaned about about the cost of players in league one being inflated, but they signed early and considering they are top of league one it seems to be working.

what notts needs to do is continue with the high gates recites, which is why the match day price increase had been disappointing to me. yes it falls inline with other clubs but that increase was not needed to be made. it has taken us from being regularly over 10-12k to below.

i think the first season back in league one would be a test for us when we get there, but there are many things which could help. if we sold a player or two, and made sure to reinvest then that would help. i don't think it would be a big gulf, not like the championship would be.

Seriously? That's a masterclass in negative takes.

"would require practically a Brand New Squad" Why? They'd have just proved they're better than a lot of fans give them credit for by getting promoted.

"The wage structure alone would increase several times over" No-one's getting a 200%+ pay rise.

"Hiring of an Experienced Head Coach is going to cost Money" Why? The one we have would have just got us promoted.

"the Owners aren't going to be able to continually waiver huge losses" How do you know? When they waived some last week, no-one saw that coming.

"if those Players are Not replaced by like for like Players" and "if they were Relegated" Now we're into worrying about things that haven't happened after something (promotion) that hasn't happened yet and that a lot of fans don't think we're capable of!

"more investment ... could bring about it's own problems" The phrase "every silver lining has a cloud" springs to mind. So you want new investment but reserve the right to paint it as a bad thing?

You've missed a few obvious things that we need to worry about. What if Forest win back to back Champions Leagues and no Nottingham child decides to support Notts for a generation? What if the pitch fungus gets out of control and Meadow Lane has to be burned to the ground? What if some fans get their way and MP is sacked and the brothers put Chat GPT in charge?

The discussion can be broken down into clear points. Most teams prepare for promotion in advance and I think it is a fair subject to debate. Notts will benefit from recruitment. It might not have been the strongest this season, but the signings have added to the squad and helped get the best out of the players already here.

Our playing budget may not match many other teams, but it is about how the money is used. We have a strong spine in place. Promotion would not mean a complete rebuild, but smart signings in the right areas to add depth and quality. Off-field assets will also help. The Nest makes money when Forest are in the Premier League, as opposition fans often use it on matchdays.

Liam makes a fair point about the rise in pay-on-the-day prices. It does seem to have affected attendances and that will have an impact. If a few friends decide to join you and you all go into The Nest for a couple of drinks, that is income for the club. If you buy food from the tea bars, that adds more. By raising prices, fewer people may take it up.

Football should be more affordable. The club can sell 7,000 season tickets when results are good, but more could be done. If prices were lowered for existing season ticket holders and kept the same for new buyers, it would encourage early renewals and help bring in casual fans too.

Promotion would bring in good money. If it came through the play offs, the reward would be even greater than finishing as champions. The Reedtz may need to invest, but that does not mean Notts could not compete in League One.

We will likely need to get used to selling players more often. It is vital that we do, but also that we recruit well to replace them. I would not want to see Notts selling to rivals, as we did with Dan Crowley, but instead to clubs we do not have to worry about until we grow further.

Moneyball or not, players who are unlikely to renew should be sold when possible. It all helps the finances. None of us truly know what life in League One would be like. Only those who understand the finances and the board will have a clear idea. It would be interesting to see how our current budget compares to League One teams.

The first year after promotion is usually about survival and finding your feet. If the squad keeps its momentum and is strengthened in the right way, it can carry us forward.

Let's hear from the Manager Adam Dunleavy

Well done Aaliyah Upton on your debut.

well done to the notts womens team and takiah parkes.

2 hours ago, TheSkipper said:

It's not really progress when buildings are replaced with spaceship or Minecraft-like designs.

There's not much inspiring about modern, soulless architecture.

That's why there's a ? after my comment @TheSkipper

Yep, this is sad. Victoria station deserves a place here too but that's been discussed elsewhere.

In mitigation, a couple of those buildings (the Crystal Palace and the wheel thingy in Blackpool) were never intended to last long. And the thinking regarding the future of railways (and hence railway buildings) must have been very different in the 1950s and 60s, when the car looked like the way forward. All the same, it's often cheaper to demolish and rebuild than restore old buildings, and sadly we tend to take the cheap option.

the victorian era was probably one of the most stunning for architecture there was some periods where it was hit and miss, some where it was fugly such as tudor. but modern design a very much a eye sore when it goes wrong and it usually seems to.

One Quote I read regarding Dickies Passing. An England Legend, without ever scoring a Run for his Country. R.I.P. Harold "Dickie" Bird.

You made it to 92, such a Shame you didn't make it a Century.

Rest in Peace, Dickie Bird.

One of the few names I am aware of from the cricket scene, and I think it speaks for itself that.

rest in peace, my dad used to watch cricket all the time and spoke about dickie bird being right. 🙃

The factor 50+ sun cream has been put away for another year and the results are in!

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Ipswich Town*
Sheffield United 0-1 Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City 1-3 Bradford City
Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Northampton Town
Bromley 2-2 Chesterfield
Salford City 3-2 Swindon Town
Altrincham 1-2 Carlisle United
Tamworth 1-0 Yeovil Town

*This match was actually abandoned, but since 80 minutes had already been played I've decided to count it.

@cheeky~k8 and @TheSkipper smashed it in round 9, congrats!

@JustLikeJuve remains a point ahead of @magpiejue overall, with @Ash also joining the top three. But what a lively table we have - about half of us are still just a really good round away from the top spot!

So those are the results for round 9, the ones for round 10 will hopefully follow in the next day or two. Thank you for your patience! The next round will be on Saturday, with the fixtures being posted on Wednesday. Thanks for playing!

A European finish will do me just fine, but the top 3 would be excellent. You know what they say about cream.

I’ll take it, it’s just a bit of fun really.

I didn’t think I’d be near the top, but now I am, I want to try my best and finish as high as I can. Other people have picked up some good points too, so the table looks exciting.

Anyone could move up if they get a good round of predictions.

He misread the corner and tried to come out to punch it away, but realised that his commitment was too early and questions have to be asked of the defence as to why nobody was at the back post. Why everyone followed the movement of the Crewe players, without reflecting on the height of the ball or where it was heading. The cross itself, it was perfectly placed in front of goal, and re-bounced quite high to an open space where Crewe exploited very well, for me there were too many Notts players just watching on in a position in front of the ball as it came in goal wards.

Defensively, Notts needs to get in front of the attacking players and behind the ball.

This said, I have felt like Roos has been improving, and he does seem adequate for this level, but we need to defend his weaknesses better. Crewe took a corner, where Roos perfectly collected the ball, and he intercepted a cross very calmly where he distributed the ball providing Notts a chance to counter.

Alex Bass would have reacted differently, and there's no doubt we would be better off with him, but it's time to start avoiding Roos's weaknesses and defensively better protecting the goal. We don't win as individuals, but as a team. Conceding goals is just the same.

1 hour ago, TheSkipper said:

He misread the corner and tried to come out to punch it away, but realised that his commitment was too early and questions have to be asked of the defence as to why nobody was at the back post. Why everyone followed the movement of the Crewe players, without reflecting on the height of the ball or where it was heading. The cross itself, it was perfectly placed in front of goal, and re-bounced quite high to an open space where Crewe exploited very well, for me there were too many Notts players just watching on in a position in front of the ball as it came in goal wards.

Defensively, Notts needs to get in front of the attacking players and behind the ball.

This said, I have felt like Roos has been improving, and he does seem adequate for this level, but we need to defend his weaknesses better. Crewe took a corner, where Roos perfectly collected the ball, and he intercepted a cross very calmly where he distributed the ball providing Notts a chance to counter.

Alex Bass would have reacted differently, and there's no doubt we would be better off with him, but it's time to start avoiding Roos's weaknesses and defensively better protecting the goal. We don't win as individuals, but as a team. Conceding goals is just the same.

Good comments.

Yes, I thought the defenders defending the 6-yard box were more culpable for the 1st goal. Even Jatta at the near post.

Also that Roos has been improving. I don't have a problem with him but I know it's important for a goalie's presence to spread confidence in front of him. I don't think we have that and that will be a problem even if Roos maintains an OK level.

We have a bigger problem than GK IMO and that's indifferent play from the inside-forward No. 10 positions. Nobody has made one of those shirts their own and we can't build a promotion challenge if that doesn't happen.

the worrying thing is how often roos makes a mistake or a poor decision, his position is very important and these things can cost us. i am not sure he would have been able to save crewes first effort even if he was stood up, he was left unprotected and it would have been a very quick thing for him to react too. he cant be blamed for not saving the penalty, that is just unfair but i dont see him as being all that dependable when it comes to them. i know some did not think sam slocombe could save them but i think he would before roos.

we need to protect him a little better but he does need to reduce the amount of mistakes that happens, it looked like he had and i hope it was just an off game.

Had one of the many chances Notts had gone in, I think the performance would have a fairer reflection as I think Notts did play well. I left disappointed we had lost, but more based on the circumstances rather than the way we played. Our midfield played very well, I think defensively Rod McDonald was good but Lewis Macari and Jacob Bedeau do need to step up.

Tyrese Hall gets my vote, as I liked his attacking mentality and how he was intimidated by Crewe's defence.

It's a shame one of the chances he had didn't go in, it might have put the focus on what was one of his best displays for us. He was involved quite a lot, compared to beating Crawley at home where it was mostly Jayden Luker who got him into his scoring chances.

The poll has now closed. Thank you to all 44 members who voted. It was a close contest, with four players in the running right till the end.

I'm delighted to announce that Jodi Jones has taken the popular vote & is the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match against Crewe. Well done Jodi.

Great to see Jodi playing more like himself, and there was times he looked to be getting hot headed and I feared he would be carded (if not sent off) but he put that frustration into playing. Well done, Jodi. 👏🏻

Jacob Bedeau has a lot more to offer. By his usual standard, this was a quiet game. He needs to be stronger at the back, choose his space and stick to it. He should have been more alert for Crewe’s first goal. He didn’t play badly, but he wasn’t at his best either. Outstanding is quite a tinted glasses take on his performance.

I hate to say it, but Crewe move a lot more than we do for set pieces and that is just asking for someone to be manhandled. I wished Notts would defend in front of the opposition, and remembered to keep the ball in front of them when defending. Once it goes beyond, it will always favour the opposition and Crewe's first goal was disappointing because nobody had the back post.

None of the players actually watched the ball, or it's path, just the player they felt needed marking and that can always leave one person free.

The penalty was disappointing, but I can overlook it. Notts has to keep moving in a positive direction, ensuring a good level of performance as a team and the same level of effort when creating chances.

Notts had plenty of chances to win the game, so it's not all doom and gloom, but it is 3 points lost when it should have been ours to win.

Funny how after I posted we had the Crawley match and I feel like that is exactly what Martin Paterson wanted us to be. Aggressive, on the front foot, full of energy but keeping that ability to play good football. Even at Crewe we competed well, looked dangerous and we were unlucky to come away with nothing.

I feel like the expectation level of Martin Paterson is quite low from most fans and in a way, assuming we keep picking up points and putting in good performances, this could help him. Even after 3 matches if felt like some fans were thinking he's going to get us relegated, so even if we only finish mid-table he'll have surpassed a lot of initial scepticism and negativity.

We are now 10 league matches in and I feel more confident about the season than I did at the start. It's funny how just a few changes can make a big difference in football though, all that's really happened is Robertson is back in and Jodi is on the wing, yet we look a far more balanced and better side for it.

I know some fans are still disappointed by the way we were defeated to Crewe, but at least we played well and they didn't outclass us. That says something, because they are a well-organised team that can score freely if they are allowed to control the narrative of the game. Notts looked the far liveliest with plenty of good chances, which came from the hard work. We looked like a team capable of winning, whilst Crewe hung onto countering for the majority of the second half, this performance and some of the more recent ones makes me believe that Martin Paterson is starting to get a standard level from the players.

The way we have played since Crawley, seems to have given the players the self belief that creativity doesn't need to be overthought or limited. That playing, making movement and taking on the opposition will reward them with good chances.

If we focused on the results, Paterson would be under more pressure I feel but when you take into account the pre-season, opening games and how we have returning players from injury it does all seem to lean towards more optimistic point of view. The only thing I will say, I do believe an experienced manager would be able to get the best out of this squad, even with the earlier setbacks and poor performances. However, I do think Paterson is learning.

I just think we need to take a step back after 10 games have been played & just see who Martin is now picking for the starting 11.

Roos, Bedeau, McDonald, Macari, Tsaroula, Palmer, Robertson, Jones, Hall, Iorpenda, Jatta

Out of the 10 outfield players, we have 8 original players from previous seasons playing along with just two new players recruited during the summer transfer window. Both of those players are loan players.

This first 11 is arguably weaker than the first eleven we had just before the playoffs, missing Abbott, Didzy & Bass.

I am still not sure that Paterson knows what his strongest side is even after 10 games. He had our leading scorer on the bench, & Luker could easily have been picked after his 3 assists against Crawley.