Welcome, @ShannockPie. We're a friendly bunch of fans and if you do put in any time by commenting, I am certain you will get a lot more out of PON.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @ShannockPie. We're all glad to see that you have joined us.

Hello, @ShannockPie. Don't be put off from sharing your thoughts, it might seem daunting but we are a friendly lot. Welcome to PON!

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @Michelle Evans.

Hello, welcome to PON @Michelle Evans. We're a great site to discuss Notts and things in  general.

Hello, @Michelle Evans. Welcome to PON. Join in when you have some free time.

I saw Shakira in Ecuador, before she was famous ( on television I may add) . Got the tee shirt, though doesnt fit me now!

If a bid for Notts failed, whilst Alan Hardy stood over us, and it was linked to such a player as Gerard Piqué. I am more inclined to believe it's not true. I know there was that hedge fund which he could have been involved with, but my memory recalls it being led by someone untrustworthy - who didn't have any resources at all.

I don't believe the Taylor Swift story, that seems to have fallen due to social media tweets when I looked into it at the time.

As to where this story came from, it might be true that he wanted to look at buying an English club but anything serious, beyond interest, just seems unlikely to me.

This seems like a tale to me, akin to an April Fool’s joke that has been picked up by the mainstream media and run with, either unknowingly or intentionally. I’m sceptical that he would purchase a club that has just been relegated to the National League, when there might have been simpler options in League Two. I simply don’t believe it, and apparently, neither did he.

I think the fact that the Notts Owners are described as a consortium bodes well for the future.

The Reedtz brothers could look to have more significant investors in the Club as Notts rise up the League structure.

On a much more bigger scale of course, we saw what happened at Man U recently with a large minority stake in the Club being bought.

I hope that long-standing fans will make it abundantly clear to those at Notts that we are a family club. The Danish brothers might propel us to the Premier League, and I don’t think they would alter much. However, my greatest worry is seeing the club succumb to a scheme similar to Munto’s, but with real money. This could lead to the purchase of artificial fans and the loss of our current identity, which we take great pride in.

It would be fantastic to see Notts County in the Premier League. I agree with the sentiment that players should be role models, and I hope this wouldn’t change. The higher the standard of play we can enjoy, the happier we will be. However, this must be achieved while upholding our principles.

@allardyces tash

100% Agree with You. Notts Must Remain a Family oriented Club.  As most current Premier League Clubs don't have the type of Bond the Magpies have with their Fans. It Seems the Top Clubs just want your money. They Don't Care Just As Long As You Pay Your Cash.

But with all this Talk of a Consortium with loads of Money, they certainly seem to do things on the Cheap. Both new signings came to Notts on a Free Transfer.

Which is No Bad Thing as the Pennies are being watched,  after the Financial Problems Notts have had in the Past. Dark Days which Fans will Not Want  to See Again.

I shouldn't laugh, but I can't help it.

Good , steady progress for Notts with 2 seemingly very good signings so far and long term injured players to return. Getting there.

Jacob Bedeau appears to be a solid acquisition from a competing club that didn’t perform as well as us last season. This is how Notts traditionally assembled a team, by recruiting players from underperforming teams who possess potential. Bedeau seems to be a very serious individual. If his photos are any indication, I hope he brings that intensity to his game. It could mean that we have a highly focused defender who is all about the game.

Actually I am more excited with the signing of Jacob Bedeau than of Matty Platt. Farrend Rawson would be good too, but now I am being greedy!

I wonder if Kyle will ask to move on?

@Wheelbarrow repair man 

I agree that the pre season and the first half dozen matches will be vital for Stuart to show that he is the man to to take Notts forward 

He will have several new players at his disposal, players that he would have had lots of input in choosing.

There will be no more excuses. The Notts team will be his team playing how he wants them to play, by his shape & tactics.

He has the support of the Notts owners & hopefully he will be confident enough now to shine in his role 

If Notts make a good start things will be fine, but if not, after six to 10 games the owners may be looking elsewhere.

Football can be brutal for Managers and Coaches.

I thought when Stuart Maynard first came in, even though we didn’t really turn the form around, I was actually quite encouraged in some of the games (even if we lost). At Mansfield and Wrexham, both tough away games I thought we actually deserved something from those games and played pretty well. I agree he shouldn’t shoulder too much blame for the defence, he tried a couple of different things and I thought we looked more solid but the continuous individual errors and inability to defend our own box was our downfall and that is more down to the players.

I’ve probably been just as critical of our attacking play at times because I thought we’d been way to slow, predictable and not been brave enough to try more through-balls/crosses. I thought we were a lot more threatening with Jatta on the pitch because we actually crossed the ball more often. Hopefully this continues into next season.

If we keep our better players over pre-season, improve the defence/keeper and Scott, Palmer and Baj are back up to speed and haven’t suffered from their injuries, on paper Stuart Maynard will have very good squad. And for that reason I think he’ll be for the whole season, unless it’s a disaster and we’re close to being bottom of the league (but given the quality of the squad I think that’s unlikely to happen). Even if we were hovering around mid-table for most of the season I don’t think that would get him sacked. I get the impression the owners will give a head-coach “extra-time” in the hope things turn in our favour. I’m thinking about what happened with Doncaster last season, they had a decent squad (so should we come the start of the season) but were poor/average until the last 1/3. It shows sacking manager isn't always the answer.

I'm not going to lie and say I don't have doubts considering his tough start, but I hope he's over that now and he's a massive success for us!

in hindsight it must have taken stuart maynard time to adapt to professional football, i think luke williams left at the worst time for us but i dont believe he should not made that decision. it was a good move for him, however it left us needing someone with a similar vision in coaching the team. some fans were never going to give maynard a chance due to his non league and previous work profession but defensively we did look much better under him than we did williams.

most of the mistakes were individual errors, there is not much you can do about that.

we suffered from a lack of attacking prowess but its a learning thing. some of the same fans calling for maynard to leave were the same that complained about williams. all of our managers since neil ardley have been learning on the job and last season was our biggest lesson. stabilising our league status and pushing on, i dont think maynard will fault. i also praise the owners for standing by him when it was so easy to listen to the supporters that wanted him gone. that was on the form and poor results, but i think that had little to do with maynard, i hope he proves it this season that he can get the teams balance correct.

What an Enigma  this guy was, because  wherever he went, the Coaching Staff just didn't seem to be able to get his True Talent Out. One match he'd play like a World Beater while in the Next Match he wasn't with it. A  Coach with top end Man Management Skills might well have gotten the Best Out Of Him.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I think there are lots of players like that, I can remember Stan Bowles of QPR fame and another player springs to mind too, Charlie George, both brilliant on their day, but equally as bad when they were off it

I do wish Enzio luck with his new club, he might just be able to show the consistency with Wealdsone that has been lacking with his play with previous clubs.

good signing for wealdstone, i think enzio has the ability to be a great player for them but he needs a strong manager who can lift and encourage him towards being consistent. his issues here was the fact he was a flash in the pan, he could score a worldie but did not do enough elsewhere on the pitch.

Hi @Simon Clark This is a comprehensive website and I've given you the link to Notts/ players, but you can navigate around to get loads of info. I use the website a lot.

Hope it's what you are looking for.

https://www.11v11.com/teams/notts-county/tab/players/

Thanks @Robbie It seems good for around a 15 year period but outside of that it seems sketchy to say the least. There's no data on there after 2017-18 for players as far as I can see?

For example, searching Macca shows he's still at Gateshead.

http://carousel.royalwebhosting.net/utm/maggies00.html

My go to website for data, by season though

I think Macca is a very good choice as captain, like he says in his interview it’s not always about being vocal but by setting the standard with level of performance. And your captain needs to be a player that is basically going to start every game and he is that man. I don’t think it’ll be distraction either, when he’s in the box I think he’ll be fully focused on putting the ball in the back of the net, he’s not going to just start wandering around the box to encourage his team mates!

It should also boost the mood the of a few panicked fans that think Macca, JJ and Crowley will all be gone over the summer. I think this is a big boost and almost confirms that he’ll be here next season. A bid might still come in that’s too good to turn down but I’d say there’s an extremely good chance Macca will be here when the transfer window shuts.

You have to name the captain early. Maybe not quite this early, but certainly well before the window closes. The window in EFL is 14 June to 2 September 2024 so if you delay until 3 September, you're 5 or 6 games into the season.

Some players respond brilliantly to the captaincy. The extra respect, the added responsibility, the pride. I can see Macca doing this job brilliantly and further cementing his place in our history. No doubt it comes with another pay rise and, with the length of his existing contract, hardly anyone outside Championship can afford him. 

I think there's a player in KC somewhere, but not a leader, and he's a long way from a guaranteed starter if we recruit well this summer.

He needs to play games at his age and a fresh start will do him no harm, although I'd be happy to keep him as a squad player.

I am sure that Macca will  wear the Notts Captain's Armband with Pride, I have No Doubt about that, I just can't get this Niggling worry out of my mind that it may affect his Goal scoring. Then again Matt Palmer as Vice Captain may contribute the Leadership Role to his Team Mates leaving Macca Free to Do What He Does Best. Score Goals.

Great decision.

@Fan of Big Tone Agreed, I think he will be a squad player, meaning there will be another first eleven addition at the back three. Macari, Platt and another new signing. That's my best bet.

You got there before me @Robbie I didn't see your Topic if I had have done, I would have just made my comments on here and Not written a Topic about it, I don't know how to go about removing my Topic if anybody could let me know I can do it.

Very pleased for him, definitely deserves it, he’s been a revelation since joining us. And pleased for Palmer too, all but confirms he’s over his injury and ready to go for next season – cos we really missed him!

Naturally it will get folk thinking that Kyle could be moving on. I hope he stays as I thought he finished the season well, maybe the release of this duty can just re-focus and re-motivate him.

I agree he does get a lot of unwarranted stick, the more I think about it (and I could be wrong) but I think playing in the middle is the easiest out of three defensive roles. Brindley looked a lot better in CB then he did at RCB. Even Kyle himself had a very good game there away at Bradford. As the LCB he basically has to play at CB and LB due to our LWB playing as winger!

I watched on the news, an elderly lady talking about her husband. D-Day is always something which evokes emotion and pride in those who fought so bravely. In another 80 years, I hope those who are living continue to respect the brave.

They earned our freedom and those of France.

The word liberation tends to be bandied around lightly when people go to arms, but this was one of the defining moments which ended World War II and should always be treated with respect.

@Piethagoram

We can Never thank the Brave People for their incredible Service to our Country and the Free World which is still Free Thanks to them, for those that came back and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice against Tyranny, we must make sure Nothing like this happens again. Your Children Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren,  and for Generations yet unborn must be told of their Bravery Sacrifice and it needs to be taught in schools they must Never Be Forgotten.

@Robbie 

The thing is Can  We the Normal Fan  Do Anything About It?  I know there was an Up Roar from Fans Regarding the European Super League and that bore Fruit, but the Super League is Still there Festering in the Dark waiting for it's chance and it seems it will come back and be a Reality Sooner Rather than Later. 

8 minutes ago, Robbie said:

Too right @Wheelbarrow repair man

The big six will swell to, including Newcastle to the big Eight. You know what, if this happens a Superleague is closer than we think. 

The PL may even split the PL into two leagues of 10 clubs, PL Superleague & PL 2 & have the teams in each league play each other 4 times so 38 games in total.

I wouldn't put it past the PL to think up something like that to make as much money as possible. The TV companies would love it.

I rarely watch the Prem League but I do agree with you,  @Wheelbarrow repair man.It would be interesting seeing how deep the pockets are for the elite 'big eight' as they try and outdo each other for the chance to remain at the top .

The FA seemingly subservient to the PL. It's been that way for quite a while

@Robbie

I think there may be PL Clubs who would be happy to play in the Championship including accepting Transfer and Wage caps.  The Premier League would have 25 teams in it with No Relegation. Let them sort their own Cup Competitions and everything else.

While the Championship would be the top League in the EFL and as I've said in my 10 points a Transfer cap of £10 million and the maximum of £15,000 weekly wage.  Would level the playing field for all teams making them more competitive  The EFL would have make up their own Rules and make sure there are No Loop Holes that Clubs might exploit to gain an advantage, over other teams in their League. Any Team found breaking the Rules would be instantly Relegated and fined Heavily. Parachute Payments would be abolished so No team dropping down from the PL would have that advantage over other Teams.  

@Wheelbarrow repair man I agree with having a cap but £10 million on transfers & £15K a week maximum would be too small I think.

Some players in league two are getting more than £10K per week especially Wrexham, Stockport Mansfield & MK Dons. I believe some of the players at Notts are quite high too.

For League 1 & the Championship the Cap for both those leagues would have to be higher.than League 2, otherwise, as of now, the PL clubs would cream off the best players.

By what you have said, it looks as if you still envisage relegation from the PL & promotion from the Championship to remain.

That's why I would prefer the top six to eight clubs in the PL leave and join a European Super League, then get rid of the PL and have EFL Championship 1 & 2, and League 1 & 2.

We can agree to disagree on those two things

@Robbie

Sure thing it's Ok to Disagree that's the whole idea of Debating. And it's nice to see we can Agree to Disagree and Not Get Personal or Nasty about things.

Even Though I am Right (HA HA). It's Good to be able to Express our Ideas and feelings Regarding Football in General and Notts in Particular.

Long May It Continue.

Once I’m done with my current posts, I’ll make a point to follow some members whose comments I find enjoyable, as well as take the time to follow certain parts of the site. I think it’s worth noting that I’ll actively browse and not just wait for information to come to me. There’s a lot more pleasure to be had from digging in and exploring - that’s how you discover new things you haven’t seen before. But the follow function is equally important.

I agree @Chris I will  make the most of the "follow" function.

I still very much encourage members to get the follow count up for every area of the site which they're interested in. You can narrow down how you are notified and even have emails notifications grouped.

You can do the same for your favourite posters, so you never miss what they post here.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

Franz is a very good choice too who could easily be named as the GOAT

In my list I didn't include Banks, Masopust, Maradona Cruyff, Ronaldo (Portugal), Ronaldo (Brazil), Stanley Mathews, or Best in my final 10.

If you added those players to the 10 that I selected as my short list, all those players would be a fantastic team to watch with all those substitutes to come on too if needed. 

That team with all those players at their best, could easily beat any team in history put before it 

Unless anyone can name an alternative squad of players to challenge them?

Maybe the current Real Madrid or Man City teams could give them a game.

Incidentally Jozef Masopust was a big player in the 60s that played in midfield for Dukla Prague & Czechoslovakia. He was influential in getting Czechoslovakia to the 1962 final against Brazil

@Robbie

I suppose we could assemble a whole Squad of players worth a shot at the title of the G.O.A.T in  different ways. There is also a Case for a guy called Steve Bloomer who played for Derby County ( @super_ram could probably tell us more about him) I believe he played for the Rams in the 1890's or Early 1900's. And Notts own Tommy Lawton may be worth a mention. Basically the Guys I have named are Players I have seen, not all in the Flesh as it were, but on TV film and such like. Puskas was before my time  I remember seeing him on film when he was part of the Hungarian team which beat England 6-3 at Wembley  and Di Sefano is a name I have heard of. Stanley Mathews is of course a name I also know due to the epic Mathews Final  when Stan Finally won an FA Cup Winners Medal. And didn't he play his final Professional Match aged 50? Then of course a Great Player I almost forgot Eusebio, how could I forget him Star man in many a Portugal and Benfica Team.

I Don't think even the current Manchester City team would get anywhere near a team made up of the Super Stars we've named on here, when they were all at their peak. Wouldn't it be Great to get a Computerised match featuring the current City Team and an Elite XI from our suggestions? Not unlike the Rocky Marciano vs Muhammed Ali boxing match from the 1970's remember that?

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I saw all those players I mentioned too, either in the flesh or on the telly. My Dad took me to see Masopust & Dukla Prague when they played at Forest in a friendly in Nov 1966.

Watched the 1966 World Cup on the telly too.

The 1970 World Cup was the best World Cup in my opinion. That Brazil side was something else.

Sorry to go off topic.

Well it's all Well and Good the Championship and Leagues 1 & 2 attempting to Cut Costs or attempting to cut loses but what about the Premier League? The Cost to compete in that Division is Crazy anywhere from  £20 million to £100million plus Transfer Deals, players being paid anything from a £100k to £500k a week is disgusting, until the Premier League Costs and Payments are bought under Control how are teams further down the Football Pyramid going to compete? They'll need to spend money (which they probably have Not Got) to be on Par with other Richer Clubs.

Take Notts as an Example should they gain Promotion next Season how much Extra cost will the Owners have to pay out to enable them to put together  a side capable performing and competing in League 1? And how much of that cost will be passed on to the Fans?

Absolutely @Wheelbarrow repair man

I think the TV companies are selling the EFL clubs short for the televising of matches by just paying them £935 million over five years yet the PL are getting £6.7 billion over a 4 year period.

In my opinion the EFL should be getting much more plus advertising revenue too.

The Club  I follow service was sacrificed so that the EFL could get 50% more revenue from the TV companies but I believe that was a big mistake.

So Very True @Robbie here's yet another reason why the EFL should break away from the F.A and let the Premiership go it's own way has I have said before. Every Club outside of the Premier League is on a loser and with Championship Clubs trying desperately to get their share of the Prem Gravy train are spending well above their means in order to do so. It seems that Leicester City will already start at a disadvantage next season with a points deduction before a ball has even been kicked. And despite Promotion and the money injected into  Clubs who get to the Premier League last season all clubs who got Promoted have been Relegated back to the Championship this season.

And as you have stated those Clubs will have a huge advantage over all the other Clubs in the Championship due to the Parachute  Payments System. It just gets worse and it will remain so until the people who run the EFL are replaced by others who have the Lower League Clubs and their Fans interests at Heart.

Blimey @Robbie I well remember that mission and watching the Splash down and the Apollo Crew being brought on Board the Pick Up Ship along with my Dear Old Dad (well he wasn't Old then). There were many legendry films from the Apollo missions that remain in the memory from the Triumph of the Moon Landing and the Tragic Capsule fire which killed all the Crew. I believe that was the year before the Apollo 8 mission. And the Apollo 13 Mission and the Houston We Have A Problem line, which I Believe was Misquoted, not sure of the proper quote.

@Wheelbarrow repair man 

Can you remember James Burke who worked on these marathon programmes of the Apollo missions?

He worked on Tomorrow's World for many years. He's still going strong at 87.

The 3 Astronauts that died in the fire that engulfed their Command Module were working on Apollo 1 at the time.

When Apollo 13 had the explosion on the side of its Command Module,  Astronaut Swigert contacted mission control and said , "Okay Houston, we've had a problem here"

@Robbie

Yeah I remember James Burke well glad to know he's still alive and kicking. There was also a certain piece of music played to introduce the Apollo missions which was Presented by James, and during an interview James stated every time his wife  heard that piece of Music, she would say Listen Darling they're playing Our Tune.

The Fire in which the Astronauts died happened not long after 3 Russian Cosmonauts had died after the parachute on their Command Module failed to open, and as all Russian Rockets unlike the Americans   touched down on land instead of in the sea the 3 Guys perished, when their module crashed to Earth. (I think I'm right if memory serves).

Thanks for the correct message update regarding what was said on Apollo 13 to the Command Centre. You might like to know there's a very Funny Skit by Phil Jupitus on You Tube telling a the Story if Apollo 13 had been piloted by a crew of British Astronauts. He does all the different voices and it's well worth watching. If you haven't seen it already.

I can’t imagine that knowing some fans wanted them to lose would affect how the Spurs players would perform, they are professional footballers and as such should go into every game trying to win, at least you’d hope so. I can’t imagine the players view the rivalry between Arsenal and Spurs the same as the fans do.

@Fan of Big Tone Just imagine if a team was playing at home and the fans were so quiet and the team could see their manager arguing with Spurs fans on the touchline.

That actually happened during the Spurs v Man City match.

Psychologically this must have had an effect on the Spurs players and would have had a detrimental affect on their performance during the match, that would have only helped Man City.

On 21/05/2024 at 08:34, KB1862 said:

@DonnyNotts everyone has an opinion. No opinion can be wrong but in my opinion, I find it strange to see fans wanting their team to lose to stop a rival even when they have chance at gaining something from a win. Look how the results played out afterwards, had they won they'd be looking forward to champions league football next season. 

Guess they didn't have much faith that they could have made it. 

In all honesty will there ever be a day when Humanoid Robot's actually take over from real Human Players ? Could Artificial Life forms out think and out play Human opposition?  At the moment this seems to be in the realms of Science Fiction, but maybe one day. Already Robotic Engineers have built Robots which can help in Factories, around the home and even in combat. There are many types of Humanoid Robot's already built who can perform certain tasks to view on You tube and who's to say how long will it be before Robotics enters the World of Sport ? Who knows your Great (or Great Great Grandkids) may be watching a Robotic Team of Magpie players down the Lane on a Saturday. Just Imagine a Android likeness of Macca playing along side an Android Les Brad in attack. While a Killer Kilcline  and a Michael Doyle Robot would boost the Notts Defence.

The only real expense a Club would have would be up dating it's Soft Ware. No injuries, No Medical Bills, No special diets. No Player fatigue No Subs just a Small Squad of maybe 15 Androids, a First team 11 and 4 Robots on Standby in case of any Damages or Power Failures in the First 11 during a Match. All the Android Players would be programmed with all match tactics. Could it happen ? Who knows? But Don't Discount it.

At the end of the day, having artificial intelligence, such as fully automated Robots playing sport without emotion, motivation, passion, or without the ability to have a relationship with the fans, or without the ability to celebrate a goal or feel sad when they lose wouldn't be entertaining at all.

AI should only be there to help and assist, the human race, not to be used to replace the human race or to attempt to entertain the human race.

@Robbie

Agreed with what you say regarding emotionless and relationship with the Fans and the Rest of your points.  But if Android players make the Powers that be Money then you can Guarantee, pretty much like top Premier League Clubs nowadays, Fans feelings will Count for Nothing.