Was mowing the lawn today and... THE WHEEL FELL OFF! (I promise it fell off on its own.)

Is this a sign of our impending triumph? Perhaps, as I do not own a wheelbarrow, the football gods have attempted to reach me through the medium of my lawnmower...

YOU PIES!

Would you welcome him back next season as Nolan would like to?

IMO he made a good impact in the short time he was available, but the injury issues before he signed was a problem. The latest is just a long line of them unfortunately. If he had have stayed fit, would we have been automatic by now?

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2018/may/nolan-pre-coventry-h-play-off/

Months ago I arranged a camping meet with around 40 friends, it just so happened to be this weekend which is annoying, I never thought Notts would be in the playoffs when I booked the meet but quite by chance one of my friends is a Coventry fan so we are off to the local pub together to watch the match on Sky Sports in the pub.

Should be interesting.

As the title says, what teams do you think have overachieved and underachieved this season

Overachieved - Accrington and Wycombe come to mind but they have built their teams over the last few years and this season, they both finally got there. Newport definitely with their budget. Crawley as well, as they have had a manager, a season since returning to League Two and they couldn't score goals at all in the early months of the season

Underachieved - Mansfield without doubt. One of the biggest budgets in the league and failed to make play-offs. Swindon also for the same reasons. Stevenage had one of the best strike partnerships in the league with Godden and Newton but only finished 16th. Forest Green promised a lot and only just stayed up

The Nottingham Post has been doing a bit of digging round and has seen that Notts County have been given the lowest odds to go up by the bookies.

From the article:

Lincoln, and the Magpies’ semi-final opponents Coventry, are joint favourites to go up to League One, having been priced at 9/4.

Paul Tisdale’s Exeter are 3/1 while the bookies make Notts outsiders to win at Wembley, having made them a 7/2 shot.

Despite Coventry finishing sixth and Lincoln seventh, the bookies fancy those two teams to fight it out under the Wembley arch.

But being written off may be the motivation that Exeter and Notts need to ensure they are the ones enjoying a capital day out.

Obviously we know the bookies get it wrong more often than not and many predictions have fallen short this season especially (Shrewsbury were expected to finish bottom of League One...) but as the article says, could this be the perfect motivation for King Kev and his troops to stick two fingers up to the bookies and go all out?

So Alan Hardy has announced that Notts County's shirt monthly sponsorship packages for next season have been agreed in principle.

In addition, the club is still (as of 10am on Thursday) sorting out the sponsors for the playoffs.

What sponsors would you ideally like to see on the shirts for the playoffs and for next season?

Also, the debate of shirt number colours has cropped up again on Twitter - here is Hardy's post, which contains comments with suggestions if you click on it.

The naturally colour is Red but obviously... https://t.co/7DOfxJU80u

— Alan Hardy (@Bigalanh5) 9 May 2018

Likewise, what do you think the club should have on the back in terms of layout and colours?

As was to be expected...tickets going well so far for both home and away games.

*(Taken from Alan H twitter feed this AM)

Though the season is not quite over yet for Notts, the regular League Two programme is done and dusted, all 46 games (plus all the various cup competitions) now out of the way, so it would be a fair time to assess who's delivered for the Magpies.

Who has been your player of the (regular) season in black and white?

Apologies for the lateness of the uploads of the Grimsby and Luton vlogs. My internet has been very poor of recent and is very slow. It keeps going off and on again very quickly and we've had to reset it a good 3 or 4 times. If someone can recommend internet that has faster upload speed than a washing machine it would be hugely appreciated.

Looks as though crucial goal line decisions will be given a helping hand during the playoffs...

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2018/may/goal-line-technology/

When will this country learn? Just saw a report from Skeg yesterday that people were in traffic for four, yes four, hours to get parked up for a two hour session on the beach.

I know it’s the only chance some people get, I genuinely do get that, but at times like these planning committees need to take a long old look at themselves and think ‘can we cope with the crowds’

How many marks would you give Notts County for how this season's gone?

Obviously the playoffs will have a big bearing on the overall mark but if we're talking the regular 46 games, how well do you think Notts have done out of 10?

I see our average attendance this season is just under 8,000 and we’ve had the biggest crowds overall since the all seater stadium was built, that includes the Munto years. What a fantastic achievement for Big Al and KN.

I remember the “8 through the gate” campaign that Albert Scardino started but I don’t think it was achieved on a regular basis if at all.

Collin - 6 - competent.
Tootle - 7* - good defensively and going forward.
Brisley - 6 - ok against a good attack.
Hall - 6.5 - covered well.
Jones - 4.5 - all over the place defensively, didn't offer much at the other end.
Virtue - 5.5 - not as involved as he has been.
Hewitt - 6 - put himself about well.
O'Connor - 6 - neat and tidy but no real impression.
Grant - 5.5 - seems to have lost his ability to beat a man and shoot.
Stead - 5.5 - never offered any goal threat.
Forte - 5.5 - didn't make the most of the few scraps he got.

Subs-

Alessandra - 5.5 - another winger who can't beat a full back.
Husin - 5.5 - never adjusted to the pace of the game.
Smith - 5 - needs to work on his hairstyle.

Disappointing.  I realise we were facing good opponents, but we were second best throughout.  Even when we were playing 10 men they had the better chances and looked more likely to score. Their passing and movement were a few levels above ours, and I think they'll be disappointed not to finish with 3 points. On the plus side, an excellent crowd and whatever happens in the playoffs we won't be humiliated by the Stags!

Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Luton Town?

Game 46 - The Hatters (H)

Team: Luton Town

Date: 05/05/18

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Kevin Nolan 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.

Any chance Weymouthpie's prediction league could be put on the main page's featured article section, to save having to search for it every week.

The EFL has announced that a vote will take place at their AGM in June to decide on whether producing matchday programmes should continue to be a requirement for each club playing a league home game.

“At is summer meeting in June 2018, the EFL will vote on a proposal that will determine whether or not it is an absolute requirement to produce a matchday programme from the start of the 2018/19 season onwards," a statement read.

“A number of clubs have asked the EFL if the mandatory publication of a matchday programme can be addressed as a result of an overall decline in sales and the proliferation of digital and social media, which has the ability to deliver the same content in a more cost-effective manner.

“Irrespective of the outcome at June's AGM, the EFL will continue to produce a match programme for its five competition finals - the Carabao Cup, Checkatrade Trophy and Sky Bet Play-Offs."

Big news here... if a matchday is no longer a requirement, just how many clubs will choose to opt out, either right away or after a few months/years as more and more clubs opt to stop doing them to reduce costs?

And this would certainly mean that you could no longer get a full set of 46 programmes (or however many league games will end up being played in one season) for home and away, plus extras for cup games, or at the very least the full 23 for home games... wouldn't it feel almost like an incomplete Panini album?

Let's get your thoughts!

From the Notts website:

The EFL has confirmed its partnership with Quest, the Discovery-owned free-to-air TV channel powered by Eurosport, to become the new home of football highlights for the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One, Sky Bet League Two, Carabao Cup and Checkatrade Trophy.

The partnership between the EFL and Quest will guarantee accessible high quality, free-to-air coverage for football fans across the country.

Kicking off from the 2018-19 season the four-year deal will see Quest provide 90 minutes of extensive match highlights, hosted by Colin Murray, in primetime at 9pm every Saturday night.

Quest will also broadcast 10 hour-long highlights shows capturing all the action from every round of mid-week fixtures. In addition, Quest will present eight hour-long highlights shows from the Carabao Cup and Checkatrade Trophy as part of the arrangement.

Quest is available in 27 million homes across Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and BT TV. With a monthly reach of 12.4million, Quest is Discovery’s largest channel in the UK, and enjoyed its best ever first-quarter performance in 2018.

The EFL highlights will headline Quest’s line-up of sports events throughout the year which are delivered by leveraging Eurosport’s sport production expertise. This list already includes snooker’s Home Nations series, cycling’s Giro d’Italia, British and World Superbike Championships and football’s pre-season tournament, the Emirates Cup.

Each show will feature every goal from every EFL fixture plus in-depth analysis from a selection of expert pundits, hosted by Colin Murray who has proved a popular figure on the existing EFL highlights show and now joins Quest for the 2018-19 season.

The new partnership guarantees the EFL comprehensive free-to-air linear coverage and enhanced digital content across Quest’s platforms, building on the current EFL distribution strategy to engage more fans than ever before. In a first for the EFL, Quest will produce 'the Reaction' - a new weekly interactive Facebook series also presented by Colin Murray. With a strong focus on engaging fans from clubs across the country, the series will offer the opportunity for supporters to voice their views and opinions following the conclusion of the day’s matches.

What do you think about this deal?

As the title says - who do you want Notts to meet in the play-offs?

If we're on our game we've got a good chance against anyone IMO. I'm just very keen we avoid Mansfield if they somehow qualify.

I wouldn't mind Lincoln myself as it's a good ground to visit. Exeter would obviously be a pain.

And it doesn't matter to me whether we're home or away for the second leg. There's no evidence that there's any advantage in playing the second leg at home - if you're away you have the chance to really kill the opposition off with an away goal.

Thoughts?

So then, one regular-season fixture left in the saga that has been the 2017/18 League Two season.

Although Notts County WILL finish in the playoffs (barring of course points deductions to any of the teams in the top seven, not tempting fate!), they can finish as high as fourth and as low as seventh.

So in terms of getting those extra little advantages in the semi-finals, here are the detailed permutations of all the teams that can still make the playoffs come the final whistle of the 46th matches of the campaign, courtesy of the Nottingham Post and in order of current league position.

Exeter City

Current place: Fourth

Play-off spot: Guaranteed

Who they face on the last day: Colchester United

Will finish fourth if: The Grecians know that a win against Colchester will be enough to secure them fourth - failing that, they must simply match Notts County's result against Luton Town.

Will finish fifth if: If City draw against Colchester, they must hope Notts County fail to beat Luton. If they lose, they must hope the Magpies lose as well, that Coventry City fail to beat Morecambe, and that Lincoln City fail to beat Yeovil Town.

Will finish sixth if: They will finish sixth if they lose to Colchester, and Notts and Coventry win, and Lincoln fail to beat Yeovil.

Will finish seventh if: They will finish seventh if they lose to Colchester and Notts County, Coventry and Lincoln all win.

Notts County

Current place: Fifth

Play-off spot: Guaranteed

Who they face on the last day: Luton Town

Will finish fourth if: They will finish fourth if they win and Exeter City fail to do so. If they draw, they must hope the Grecians lose in order to go above them on goal difference.

Will finish fifth if: If they win and Exeter City also win, Notts County will finish fifth. If they draw, they must hope Coventry do not win by seven goals and Lincoln do not win by eight goals. If they lose, they must hope Coventry and Lincoln fail to win.

Will finish sixth if: They will finish sixth if they draw and Coventry beat Morecambe by seven goals OR Lincoln beat Yeovil by eight goals. If they lose, then they will finish sixth if one of Coventry or Lincoln win.

Will finish seventh if: They will finish seventh if they draw and Coventry win by seven goals AND Lincoln win by eight goals, or if they lose and Coventry and Lincoln both win.

Coventry City

Current place: Sixth

Play-off spot: Still to be secured

Who they face on the final day: Morecambe

Will finish fourth if: If Exeter City lose, Notts County draw and Coventry win by seven goals, they will finish fourth, provided Lincoln do not win by nine. If the Grecians and Magpies lose, and Coventry win, they will finish fourth as long as Lincoln do not overturn their goal difference, which is currently one worse than the Sky Blues.

Will finish fifth if: If Exeter City win, Notts County draw and Coventry win by seven and Lincoln do not win by nine. Or if Exeter City win, Notts County lose and Coventry win and Lincoln do not turn over their goal difference.

Will finish sixth if: Exeter City and Notts County both win and Coventry win, or if Notts draw and Coventry win by less than seven. If Coventry draw, they have to hope Lincoln also draw or lose and that Mansfield do not win to stay sixth.

Will finish seventh if: If they draw and Lincoln win, or if they lose and Lincoln draw or win and Mansfield fail to win.

Will finish eighth if: If they lose and Lincoln draw or win and Mansfield beat Crawley Town.

Lincoln City

Current place: Seventh

Play-off spot: Still to be secured

Who they face on the final day: Yeovil Town

Will finish fourth if: They will finish fourth if Exeter City lose, Notts County draw, Coventry fail to win and the Imps beat Yeovil by enough goals to produce a seven-goal swing on Notts County's goal difference. Alternatively, they will also finish fourth if Exeter City lose, Notts County lose and Coventry fail to win. If Coventry win in either of the above two scenarios, Lincoln have to win by a bigger margin than the Sky Blues do to finish above them in the table.

Will finish fifth if: They will finish fifth if Exeter City win, Notts County draw, Coventry fail to win and the Imps beat Yeovil by enough goals to produce a seven-goal swing in goal difference. Or if the Magpies lose, Coventry fail to win and the Imps win. If Coventry win, Lincoln must win by a bigger margin.

Will finish sixth if: They will finish sixth if Mansfield fail to win and Lincoln better Coventry's result by a goal.

Will finish seventh if: They will finish seventh if they draw or win but fail to better Coventry's result; or if they lose and do not better Coventry's result and Mansfield fail to win. They can also finish seventh with a loss if Coventry lose by two more goals than they do and Mansfield win.

Will finish eighth if: The Imps will finish eighth if they lose by a bigger margin than Coventry and Mansfield win.

Mansfield Town

Current place: Eighth

Play-off spot: Still to be secured

Who they face on the final day: Crawley Town

Will finish sixth if: If they win and Coventry and Lincoln both lose.

Will finish seventh if: If one of Coventry or Lincoln avoids defeat, the other loses and Mansfield win.

Will finish eighth if: If they fail to win. Or if both Coventry and Lincoln win, then Mansfield's result becomes irrelevant.

Bit of a bolt out of the blue this one... Liam Walker has officially left Notts County after having his contract terminated by mutual consent.

I know he's not really managed to consolidate a first-team spot this year and has been out of the squad for a while, but still it's very odd timing with at least three more games (hopefully four) left this season.

Despite being on the fringes, why would he have departed at such a critical time for the club?

Let's get your thoughts - how much will he be missed? Should he have stayed on til the end of the season, maybe try to win a first-team spot next year?

Nonetheless, we want to wish him all the best! We met him at the sponsors dinner last week and he was a very nice, pleasant chap.

Conversation with 9 year old grandson George:

Me: Hey George can you see me on this old school picture of when I was your age?

George (pointing): Yeah that’s you.

Me: How on earth did you know that, there’s 30 kids there?

George: I recognised your big nose.

Thanks George 

So with the play-offs guaranteed and with us still being absolutely shocking away from home, would you like to see anything or anyone different for our last game of the season?

I mention the away form as there is a potential benefit to where you finish in the play-offs with regard to a home game at the second leg I think? Personally i think all leagues should adopt the conference way of deciding the games, ie the higher up you finish the less games you have to play but that by the by.

So what would you change? Or wouldn't you? Could it be a player that you have wanted to see from the youth set up? A change of formation or even a change of tactics?

Saturday's fixtures

Barnsley v Brentford

Burton Albion v Bolton Wanderers

Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Walsall v Northampton Town

Morecambe v Barnet

Stevenage v Exeter City