This is really poor handling and communication for me.

I realise that he's Forest's player and that they can do what they want, however they entered an agreement with us and our loan period of for the season. Don't get me wrong, I do think we'll be okay if it's true (still can't find anything that confirms it - part from people saying it is) - I just think it's the wrong thing to do.

Obviously I wish Ryan Yates well, he's a very good young player but if Forest have gone against our agreement - we shouldn't develop any of their players on loan in the future.

This kind of thing does happen, I just don't agree with it.

Thoughts?

I personally would like to wish Haydn Hollis well, however the decision to join FGR has me stumped. Does this make us even with them after the Noble sega? haha...

We certainly need a new CB regardless if Hewitt can cover there.

Thoughts?

Got to say after todays result got a few worries about Notts. Not throwing the toys out of the pram as I think we have had an unbelievable season and a great year but we can't afford to slip up now we've got ourselves into this position.

- Our lack of strength in depth
- We've only won two of our last six
- We’ve only won away once since we lost to Mansfield
- Our lack of a permanent goalscorer
- Lack of cover at Cb

Need a striker, centre back and winger in the transfer window. Grant plays a lot better with Jones behind him. Alessandra a lot better than Hawkridge on the wing. 

Need additions in January if we are to keep our place in the top three as the chasing pack are closing in.

Get voting for Jon Steads goal to take him above Eric Lichaj

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/42607843

So the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup is done and dusted, and Notts County will face either Premier League strugglers Swansea City or Championship high-flyers Wolverhampton Wanderers at Meadow Lane!

Happy with the draw? Share your thoughts!

FA Cup - The Bees (A)

Team: Brentford

Date: 06/01/18

Where: Griffin Park

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.

Kevin Nolan has confirmed that several Notts County fringe players are likely to leave Meadow Lane on loan.

He mentioned Haydn Hollis and Curtis Thompson - do you think these are the only two that should leave, or do you have anyone else in mind?

Let's hear your thoughts!

Happy new year! Let's hope 2018 is a successful year for Notts and a happy and healthy year for us all. Looking in the history books, it is the 20th anniversary of Big/Fat Sam's promotion season and the 60th anniversary of our relegation to the third tier under Tommy Lawton.

On a personal note, I'm moving to Darmstadt next month so I'll be a little bit closer to Meadow Lane!

Sky Sports has officially tipped Notts County to win the League Two title this season!

They've run all of the teams through "a system called Elo, originally set up to rate chess players. It takes into account form, who your team still has left to play, and how well a team has done in previous seasons."

This is how the Sky Sports Predictor see the final L2 table:

What do you reckon?

Personally I think it's flattering to be held in such esteem by the biggest sports outlet in the world... but at the same time, let's hope there's no "Manager of the Month" type curse at play.

Kevin Nolan is the best manager to tell the players: "yeah that's nice, but no. Ignore and just crack on with your job."

But we as fans can gloat... especially considering who's in last place and how far down Mansfield are!

Fitzsimons 7 A second clean sheet, some good saves. Just one missed cross but overall, a keeper that gives an impression that he is hard to beat

Tootle 6.5 Defensively positioning excellent

Duffy 6.5 Steady. Took a professional booking for the team

Brisley 7 Reads the game well

Jones 7 Gives momentum for offensive work

Yates 6.5 a more subdued performance in front of a watching Graham Alexander

Hewitt 6 all the energy as usual, just wished he had a more controlled pass at times

Hawkridge 5.5 Caught a few times being too slow in decision making. Makes up for in terms of effort.

Grant 6 Could have killed the game but keeper made a good save. Again drifts in and out of the game

Alessandra 5.5 Losing possesion too often

Stead 7 Had a good chance in first 3 minutes but made up for it for an exquisite finish in the second

Subs

Noble 6 a yellow card welcome back but was good to see him back

Smith 6 "The General" looking so much fitter

Walker 6 

Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Brentford in the FA Cup third round?

Game 27 - Red Devils (H)

Team: Crawley Town

Date: 06/01/18

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.

New Year's Day Fixtures:
Bolton Wanderers v Hul City
Sunderland v Barnsley
Charlton Athetic v Gillingham
Rochdale v Blackpool
Accrington Stanley v Morecambe
Luton Town v Lincoln City

ased on a mean of 5

Fitzsimons 7 So great to have a keeper to come out and claim difficult balls. Held nerve in the last minutes

Tootle 6.5 What a difference a year makes. Worked very hard

Duffy 6 a needless booking but kept his head. Some good blocks

Brisley 6.5 Solid as usual

Jones 6 Didnt get as forward so much but held position well

Yates 6 played astutely

Hewiit 5 too many wasteful passes despite his running to cover the midfield. Needless booking

Allesandra 5.5 a good first half but seemed to slow in the second

Grant 6 another match passes him by but when you need a few seconds of quality, he does provide it

Stead 6.5 took a battering but stood up well. Smashed the penalty well

Forte 5.5 wasted a great chance. Not one of his better performances

Subs

Saunders 5.5 still have doubts if he can physically cope with L2

Who was your man of the match for Notts County against Port Vale?

Game 26 - Valiants (H)

Team: Port Vale

Date: 01/01/18

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.

Saturday's Fixtures:
Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers v Scunthorpe United
Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough United
Carlisle United v Coventry City
Wycombe Wanderers v Mansfield Town

Game 25 - The Robins (A)

Team: Swindon Town

Date: 30/12/17

Where: County Ground

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.

Who was your man of the match for Notts County at Swindon Town?

Not related to Notts County but this guy definitely deserves a shoutout... Gordon Banks, who won the 1966 World Cup with England, turns 80 today!

Many happy returns Gordon!

Over the years Morecambe have emerged as a sort of barometer of Notts County's standing.

This was a post I put on Facebook on this day (28 Dec) two years ago, for a game that eventually finished 2-2...

Of course, 11 months and 3 weeks ago we lost 4-1 at the Globe Arena, and this time out, we won 4-1 at the Globe Arena.

Morecambe were also the team we beat to officially seal promotion to League One (that was another 4-1!) in 2010, and they were the team Sol Campbell played against in his only game.

However, my favourite barometer of County's success would be to not play them for a long, long time (except in the cups) because we'll be several divisions higher than them.

Boxing Day Fixtures:
Cardiff City v Fulham
Nottingham Forest v Sheffield Wednesday
Bradford City v Peterborough United
Wigan Athletic v Shrewsbury Town
Chesterfield v Crewe Alexandra
Port Vale v Coventry City

Some transfer talk from the Nottingham Post today:

Notts County are not in the chase to sign Ricky Miller with the Peterborough forward attracting plenty of interest from other League Two clubs.

Meanwhile, Notts will allow Curtis Thompson and Haydn Hollis to leave the club on loan after the pair failed to nail down a place in Kevin Nolan's first team.

Thoughts on these reported developments?

Notts County continue to impress in League Two and, although there's still half the season to go, I can imagine many fans would now be reassessing their expectations for the season, with safety all but assured.

If we now were to look upwards rather than downwards, how many points do you think it would take for a team to gain promotion this season?

John Watson has made this point on Facebook:

So, looking at the points totals required for the last 11 seasons (06/07 to 16/17, Source Sky Sports) it throws up some interesting facts.

For the last 3 seasons 3rd place in L2 has required 85 points to secure it, the lowest over the 11 seasons for 3rd is 78 points, max is 88. The average to secure 3rd is 83.

Applying the same maths to 7th place the lowest points total required in the last 11 seasons was 69, highest was 78. Average is somewhere between 71/72.

Turning to the current seasons, and typical of Notts, shows currently 3rd down to 9th spot covered by 3 points.

3rd down to 14th, is covered by just 7 points as I write this, which suggests the points total required this season to secure automatic or playoffs is likely to be higher.

My view is we will require around 87 to secure 3rd (which would be the highest since 88 was required in season 07/08) and around 77 to secure 7th.

What do others think?

Online site The Sportsman has listed Notts County's revival this year as one of their Highlights of 2017.

Here's an excerpt:

What a remarkable 2017 for Notts County, a club transformed by a new owner and a manager in Kevin Nolan who appears destined to reach the top flight once again.

As the one-year anniversary of a takeover and Nolan’s appointment to the managerial hotseat approaches, the turnaround over this calendar year must rank as one of the most impressive any club as seen.

And it’s why, in a year of England striker Harry Kane’s world class goalscoring exploits, the epic British and Irish Lions drawn series in New Zealand and England’s Six Nations title, as a Notts County fan the day new owner Alan Hardy walked into the door and proceeded to bring Nolan with him, is the only sporting occasion that can only be the moment of 2017.

To read the article in full, click here.