Jacob's well written piece

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Notts-County-fan-column-Jacob-Daniel-favour/story-28889596-detail/story.html

Welcome to Pride of Nottingham, @AlanPanther and @Aidy162.

Would you care to tell the community a little bit about yourself, such as how long you have supported Notts? Well I hope you both enjoy being apart of the site. We'll see you around I am sure, You Pies!!

I'm interested to see what people would have done if you can put yourselves into Ray Trews shoes this season.

Let's rewind to just before the end of December 2015. We were 15th in the league and 7 points of the play-offs. Do you sack Moniz? If so, who do you bring in?


You can time-travel and read our views at the time here: 

The season wasn't really going as planned. Although we had some very good, attacking home performances, our performances away were lacklustre at best. Add to that the national embarrassment  that happened at Salford, a lot of things needed addressing. However, I was hoping that the owners would finally stick by an appointment and give him at least a full season in charge. I was sick to the back teeth of hiring and firing managers and the club changing direction so often. 

From my point of view, I would have kept Moniz until the end of the season, which would have been a better time to analyse and re-evaluate everything. After relegation, a re-structuring of the club (such as transfer panel and non-playing personnel), and on top of that so many new faces, I felt a full season would have been a good time scale to assess the positives and negatives of both the managerial and playing staff. 


 

Which club has conceded the most goals at home since 1888?

My last night here in Mexico for about a week......catching the 8am coach tomorrow to the airport.

The "caretaker" has been and gone with his instructions......but it has suddenly got extremely dark and windy......I am getting excited.

We only get about 18 inches a year up on the Altiplano.......but the radar says we might get rain tonight.....please, please, please, give me just give one hour of rain.

One of my goats, a beautiful animal that I named Red, is pregnant....and she would love some fresh grass.

I spent about 30 minutes with her this afternoon feeling the baby (or babies) kicking......I think she might give birth tonight.

I know this sounds crazy to those in the UK who see rain every day (I spent 50+ years there)....but here it is literally life or death.

Something like my last rain might be nice

Where and when did our season go wrong? In your opinion what changed the course of the season...

Discuss

I am copying and pasting @Joe Jones write-up here (I never go on the home page....sorry)......superb read.

By Joe Jones

• Saturday at 14:01

Being a Notts County fan is never an easy role. We’ve had more ups and downs at Meadow Lane than a rollercoaster for the majority of our history. But it’s safe to say that, like many fellow supporters, I’ve reached the end of my tether here.

Just this week, a Facebook “memory” from four years ago appeared in my feed where I’m proudly declaring that the Magpies had “played four, won four, scored five goals, conceded zero, and will take on Charlton Athletic (top of League One), Sheffield Wednesday (third) and Sheffield United (second) in the next 11 days.” The post ends with “challenge accepted”.

Fast-forward four years and we’re in League Two, losing against the likes of Oxford United, Morecambe, Accrington Stanley, and Cambridge United, failing to beat Dagenham & Redbridge, and perhaps worst of all, being brought down by SALFORD CITY in front of a national audience.

Oasis once sang “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, but how can we not see where we were just a few years ago and not feel anger, resentment and bitterness at where we are now? 

It should have never come to this. At the end of the 2011-12 season, we finished seventh in League One, missing out on the playoffs by goal difference.

Then it all went pear-shaped. Despite having a squad well equipped to push for the playoffs, Ray Trew abruptly decided to decrease funding, and was quoted by BBC Sport on 9 January 2013 as saying: "I am not prepared to increase that sum (said to be £12m since taking over in 2010)."

He added: “The only way I will inject further monies is in the form of loans. If I am being totally honest I am not motivated to even do that currently because I am not being supported by you, the fan base."

Keith Curle left and was replaced by Chris Kiwomya, the first of four consecutive managerial appointments with no English league experience. The likes of Lee Hughes, Alan Judge, Neal Bishop and Jeff Hughes would all be out of the door by the summer, and most of the replacements – save for loanees Jack Grealish and Callum McGregor – were simply not up to the same standard.

We went from fighting for promotion to fighting against relegation, and even though we survived at the end of the 2013-14 season on the final day, the following season was just as much of a slog, though lightning did not strike twice as relegation to the bottom tier was finally confirmed – the marvellous achievements of the 2009-10 season and subsequent hard work were all undone in the space of two seasons.

Although Ricardo Moniz was a decent enough proposition on paper, he simply was not cut for the slog of the English fourth division. The start of the season was difficult enough, and Moniz was rightly, in my opinion, dismissed. 

Now comes the point in this sorry tale which just defies all logic. A team scrapping in the bottom tier of English professional football, and not having a particularly good time of things at that, should be looking to hire a manager with knowledge of the English lower leagues – it’s not like there aren’t many knocking about – to drag this club back up the pyramid, in the words of former Manchester City defender Andy Morrison, “kicking and screaming”.

Instead, what do we get? An Under-21 manager with no experience of the English leagues.

Like many other fans, that was the final straw for me. No amount of PR could sell Jamie Fullarton as a good choice of manager to a group of fans that have seen their club endure a deterioration of health since 2013 to the point that it’s now on its last legs, with three equally unqualified and inexperienced managerial choices preceding it.

Much talk is made of “fair-weather” fans that only turn up for the good times and stay away during the bad times. This is a discussion that takes place among fans every matchday at the pubs and bars in and around Meadow Lane, in the stands, on forums and on social media.

“If you were a proper fan, you’d carry on supporting your club,” an ever-decreasing amount of people will say.

However, it has now reached the point where many fans have just had enough. The decline from League One playoff contenders to League Two relegation threats. The illogical managerial appointments. The public fallouts between fans and boardroom, fans and manager, manager and boardroom, and player and club. The revolving door of players through the Meadow Lane doors. Boardroom members resigning. And of course, the culmination of all this turmoil on the pitch – football that the likes of Mark Stallard have described as ‘not suitable for League Two’ live on air.

I admit I cannot wait for this season to be over and put Notts to the back of my mind for a few months. The club is in a perilous state of affairs, and no amount of emotional blackmailing from anybody over “supporting the club” will convince me otherwise.

Like many other fans, I will support my club in the lower reaches of the Conference if need be, playing derbies against Carlton Town and Alfreton Town. But all I ask for is a team with passion, a manager who knows what he’s doing, and a little bit of harmony behind the scenes. Not utopian perfection, but enough to give the fans reassurance that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

And at the moment, none of this seems to be the case at Meadow Lane. 

Full of crap get out of my club 

...is Karlsruher SC's new coach. Sounds like a stage name to me...

Hi Folks,

I'm going to start setting questions based on the whole history of the football league (including the so-called 'premier'), so everty game we'd all call a 'league' game.

Starting easy:

1. Which club has played the most league games since 1888?

Two more members have joined us to talk about the (mostly) downs and (rare) ups in the world of Notts County FC. Welcome to the community, @Northern Ireland Magpie and @Who r ya?? You Pies!!!

Care to tell us a bit about yourselves? Who r ya?

So Saturday came and it was time to board the flight to East Midlands, head to Meadow Lane and see what all the fuss was about

So here is my impression of the place, the pitch, the fans and the team.

Our hotel was near the ground and had plenty time to wander around before the game started and it was a nice , but cold, day

Trent Bridge, the City Ground and the city centre all got a visit en route to Meadow Lane.

We had a few beers in the wheelers suite before kick off which was nice , if a little tired in places. Colin Slater interviewed Tommy Johnson pre-match so it was good to see CS in the flesh having listened to him on a few occassions.

The stadium itself is great and clearly fit for a higher standard than the club is currrently playing although the playing surface didn't look quite as good as I would have expected

The team? Scott Loach - Good solid keeper and the club are lucky to have two quailty keepers on the books

Wes Atkinson - Judging on yesterdays performance? not good enough for Notts. Looked nervous in defence and didnt track his runner for the first goal

Audel - Shaky start but all in all was there or there abouts

Hewitt - Not big enough to be a commanding CB and would have preferred to see him at RB

Adams - Generally decent on the ball

Banton - Luxury, however, did look as if he could go by the full back any time he wanted to. The issue with him is that , when you are fighting , he's the type of player who almost leaves you a man short

Thompson - Hard working but at times lacks a little bit of quality, could do well with the right partner in midfield

Milsom - Is a decent midfielder but doesnt really effect the game enough

Campbell - Again, only on yesterdays performance? Not good enough for Notts in my opinion.Struggled to provide any width to the team

Stead  - Struggled to win any aerial challenge for about 65 mins. Did some neat and tidy work and showed his quailty but unfortunately a lot of it was done in his own half.

McLeod - largely anonymous and didnt look at threat to me

The team generally suffered as the game went on as the middle 4 seemed to drop back too tight to the defence which meant that, when the ball was played forward then the gap between midfield and the front two was apparent. This meant that it was hard for Notts to push up against BR.

Two very poor, avoidable, goals against a team who did create chances but were much the same type of side as Notts. It shows me that anyone in this league can beat anyone..but unfortunately letting goals like that in doesnt help.

Bristol Rovers were just a bit slicker with the ball and that midfiled 4 of theirs was quicker in support of the front men which made them more dangerous.

I cant comment on anything other than Saturday but as team Notts need players in quite a few positions. Aborah? that type of player, in my opinion , wouldn't work in a , or that midfield 4. Like Banton he would be a luxury and may be better in a 5 but the midfield generally need to be a bit more dynamic.

Spoke to some of the staff who seem very complimentary of JF and his work ethic, standards etc but on Saturdays' performance, if the players arent executing what he wants them to do then maybe its time for back to basics.

The fans? I thought the atmosphere was pretty good !  a few near the dugout were getting very personal and Roy Carroll had a bite back at them but other than that they were fine. A bit of singing near the end against JF ( which the BR fans assisted with) and a very brief hint of a banner in the KOP but generally speaking not the cauldron I was expecting.

All in all a pretty disappointing result  and I do worry where the goals will come from based on Saturdays performance.

This post is purely my opinion based on Saturday but hopefully be back down soon to see them again!

Saturday's Fixtures:
Preston North End v Brighton & Hove Albion
Sheffield Wednesday v Rotherham United
Scunthorpe United v Gillingham
Walsall v Barnsley
Dagenham & Redbridge v York City
Plymouth Argyle v Oxford United

So I was interested in  Notts' company structure and looked it up on companycheck.co.uk and noticed something rather interesting. In the assets, it has gone from ~£1.8m in 2010 to just £200k in the latest public figures, I think 2014 figures? Would anyone know how this assets malarky works in company accounts as a drop of £1.6m seems rather steep in 4-5 years when we were looking to build up for the future.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I'm assuming that the data is correct as the directors listed on the site seemed accurate and comprehensive.

Game 35 - The Pirates (H)

Team: Bristol Rovers

Date: 05/03/16

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Jamie Fullarton 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.

Good interview with Jon about all the current goings-on at Notts

Bayern are (only) five points ahead now after being beaten at home by Mainz 05 on Wednesday.

A win for Dortmund and suddenly the title race is wide open again.

I didn't find time to start a poll last month, however myself and @cheeky~k8 have been discussing this the past couple of days. I would hate to actually skip the month due to this, so here goes.

Team Member of the Month is quite rightly going to be shared!

@DangerousSausage and @ohstanleyaborah have done a great job stepping up to the plate. Their help has made a difference, which I am sure all will have noticed the amount of effort they have put in and I thank them both for doing a fine job helping our site. I couldn't choose between them both, as equally they have done wonders.

NewPie of the Month - @NewNottsFan

Since the arrival of 'NewNottsFan' he offered a different opinion and really engaged with the discussions. There have been many new members emerge this past three months and I hope more will join in like this in the future but NNF has really made an impact, so it goes without saying it is warranted.

Member of the Month - Tarkers! (Tarquinbeech) Just as my ability to tag disappears! Arhh..

Our resident Mexican has really gone above the call of duty, describing PON recently as a part of his 'daily life' - all you have to do is go through is recent posts to realise just how much that is true. At times when it's quite depressing, his musings and antics cheer us up! Yet, throughout the discussions in which he takes place - he offers a sensible approach and that makes for interesting reading. Have you ever been called 'sensible' before Tarkers? hehe

--

And finally, a huge thank you to the people who get involved, visit daily and who help make this place what is. PON really works because of the time you put in to each action you perform, all of which adds up.

You Pies!!

the billion dollar questions need answering what do you all think is the Danish billionaire real and who is he ?

There are only 5 Danish billionaires in the world so he has not revealed his identity the only one that comes to mind is Andre's povlsen I belive he is called who keeps his name and family's identity a secret when buying as such.

So yea 5 of them in the world what do you all think do you think it's made up nonsense to make hardy push his price up or do you think a billionaire is generally intrested.

I hope there is truth in it but I find it now more of a strategy tactic by the trees to bump the price up but I agree with hardy who says if there is a billionaire il step aside meaning now we should hear more of this billionaire.

But I'm starting to belive it's a Tactic by the trees to make hardy worry and up his price to get more money which is buisness I suppose but if he is real then be amazing.

But i just don't trust them that there is a billionaire I want there to be but again I belive it's a tactic and hardy has stepped aside which is correct and it's like saying il step aside now show me this billionaire and if nothin happens we will know the billionaire never egxisted 

Welcome to the forum and the community @Melikepie! Good to see you getting involved already. Care to tell us a bit about yourself?

The Stags have let Craig Westcarr go out on loan in order to get more first team football. http://www.nottinghampost.com/Nottingham-Forest-Notts-County-forward-makes-loan/story-28854093-detail/story.html

Right now I would have taken him back here!

Stanley on radio Nottingham tonight apparently telling his side of story and about fullartons comments yesterday 

thats one of the comments of someone who listened to the interview 

Very weird interview, he even starts crying at one point. Makes it very clear he asked to leave after multiple games after not being picked and asking the manager if he wanted him, the Moniz stuff is false and he still wants to play for Notts. He's also training with the reserves and youth team.

He's either telling the truth or he's in the wrong profession and should be winning Oscars.
Read more at http://boards.footymad.net/nottscounty-mad/2109502179/#hSktzgVlPQixvPe5.99

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Notts-County-chief-executive-Julian-Winter-set/story-28853920-detail/story.html

So who runs the club now? Branston?

In all my years I have not witnessed such a mess with Notts County Football Club.

After Munto I thought we would have learned about honestly, the club have a dispute between a player and manager which is now aired in public. Why was this not handled internally? We have a chairman who changes his "5 year plan" every six months, who has had little to no involvement in Notts ever since he first fell out with the fans for not attending games. I could could go! This all has me in a state of beyond belief, I really do not know how we can go on to trust the club from here. The sooner the club is sold the better!!!

We are not all scummy fans! we just want to be treated with a little bit of dignity for the money we play to watch this.

There is a rumour going around that the club have been unfair to Stu Brothers, who has since left the club.

Can anyone on the Notts mailinglist confirm this?