From a business English desk calendar (don't blame me for this):

What's orange and sounds like a parrot?

A carrot!

I accompanied @GrannyPie to the doctors  this morning for another of her blood tests.It was raining and cold so on the way home I left her to continue by herself while I rushed ahead(only 20/30 yards)  into the chemists to leave some prescriptions to collect later.She said she'd wait for me coming out.I was only in the chemists a couple of minutes but as I came out I saw granny  at the kerbside talking to the occupants of a car that had pulled up. I immediately recognised the  smiling face in the passenger seat who was chatting away.It was non other than our very own @magpiejue. She was on her way with her husband to @nottsjoe's house  and recognised granny from PoN photos.Can you imagine the scene-Granny on the pavement in her wheelchair waiting for me,  a car pulls up and a stranger asks her if she's nottjoe's mum.We had a brief chat and pointed them in the right direction. Granny was so pleased to put a face to a name.It made our day.

http://nottstv.com/tram-named-after-magpies-legends-jimmy-sirrel-and-jack-wheeler/

As we still wait for the monorail...well perhaps the tram can get routed to Meadow Lane in the future

So, @NewarkPie has asked me to create him a cover image and thumbnail for his YouTube channel - I've accepted the challenge and I've re-used a former design, yet I would like feedback (as I plan to tweak it) along with potentially make some alternatives. It all depends really, though I would appreciate feedback.

Both are pretty much identical - I may tweak the players.

Cover

Thumbnail

Thoughts?

Many good saves like last year, but more errors than before. Should Loach be given a run?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Spotted a new member of the board today - welcome to PON, @BakersfieldPie! Hope you enjoy yourself here.

Fancy telling us a bit about yourself?

Getting a little fed-up with getting ripped off here in Mexico. Got into the bus station here at 5am.....very quiet, I was the only one to get off the Monterrey overnight bus...... 5 taxis outside plus a ticket seller....... that I recognised from a previous argument.

I tell him I want Motel Hacienda, he starts burbling,..................... I point to the huge Tourist Map pinned to the wall..... clearly marked as the last property North in Zone D, 53 pesos (£2.50) on the Tariff Sheet.......then he starts the same **** he did last time.......... "No, no, no....more Dinero" with the taxi drivers all grinning,.......... I point to the map again and give him 55 pesos and he prints the ticket........but he won't give me my 2 pesos change...... plus he is still burbling on, "Mas Dinero, 5 more (=60)" and keeps waving away the map and sticking his hand out.

Well then I remembered him from last time where I wouldn't give him the extra 5 pesos and he said I had to pay the extra to the driver.......... Obviously I didn't, I just walked off at the hotel door and told him to fetch the police......this was about a month ago.

So now they won't even let me in the taxi plus they've got 55 pesos of mine.

Then I lost it........... 17 hours traveling and 3 hours sleep....... plus I need a beer.....I started getting angry shouting "you robbing thieving bleeder....give me my fooking money back".....snatched the 55 back off him....so he snatched his ticket back and I start walking off thinking "any minute now the police will get called"

......got about 300 yards....dead quiet, dark.....headlights coming towards me and I'm thinking "here we go Beechie....a night in the cells for you my boy...... with Pancho the serial bum-bandit"

.....a taxi pulls up and asks me if I need a ride.....I tell him Motel Hacienda, how much.....40 pesos......result!!!

......so in the end I saved 20 pesos (which is 2 cans Cerveza)...............I think I might start kicking off more often.

No idea if it will work.....but I have decided to become a YouTube star.....there are Zillionaires on here posting complete garbage.....here is my debut from an hour ago!

Happy Birthday @ohstanleyaborah, have a great day bud!!

*Offers out the famous PONcake*...

Quote

 

New Hartlepool United manager Craig Hignett could name an unchanged starting line-up for the visit of Notts County in his second game in charge.

The North East side, who parted company with Ronnie Moore last week by mutual consent, made a winning start under their new boss in Saturday's 2-1 home win against Yeovil Town and have no new injury or suspension concerns.

Right-back Michael Duckworth remains sidelined with a stomach muscle injury and fellow defender Harry Worley is working his way back to full fitness following ankle surgery.

Midfielder Michael Woods, meanwhile is expected to resume after returning to the starting XI at the weekend after a back strain.

Mawouna Amevor is a doubt for Notts after sitting out Saturday's 2-1 defeat at York City with a shoulder injury, while Scot Bennett also missed the game following a knock he suffered against Luton Town.

Midfielder Rob Milsom remains doubtful with a knee injury and faces a fight to be fit for Jamie Fullarton's side, but former Wycombe Wanderers winger Jason Banton is likely to continue in the side after his debut at the weekend.

Hartlepool are 21st in the table and have only won five out of 15 home games, although Notts have only won three times on their travels in League Two and lost to York, who had previously won just three games on their own patch all season.

 

Sorry @Dripsey3 if I stole your thunder!

I'm hoping for a win again, though I can't say I'm looking forward to the game, we have a terrible record at Victoria Park. Even an improved (more creative) performance would be progress. 

Head says we'll get beat, but hoping for a 2-1 Notts win. YP

 

"He was the boss, when he walked in the room. And if you didn't know who was the boss, you soon did."

This is a recent quote about Jimmy Sirrel. For me (apart from "York 2-1 Notts County!) Its been the most telling quote to do with Notts in recent days. Talking to my Dad about watching Notts under Sirrel in the 70s their was a belief that Notts could win against any opposition and would go all out to do so. I think for a football team that belief starts with the manager. In the recent past how many of Notts managers have been 'the boss'? Martin Allen? Moniz? You get the impression that Kiwomya, Curle and Derry had to work to a wider agenda. I don't expect Jamie Fullerton to be the next Jimmy Sirrel, I hope he can build his own successful reputation, but I hope he can be 'the boss' and that we know that when it comes to the players in the match day squad, and the playing style, the buck stops with him, and not the transfer committee, or anyone else.

Yes I am being hopeful but I feel we can still make it, we have 3 games in hand on 6th place Orient who are 10 points ahead of us.

Games in hand: Hartlepool x2 Accy Stanley

I think 5/6 points from these games is a realistic target, however I feel if we play well we could get all 9 (hopeful I know) we play orient at home in a few weeks and we could have best them down there if we weren't so gungho under RM

Yes other teams are above us but they are all teams we can beat other than pompey, one thing that does tick me off is that everyone has games in hand so its impossible to gauge how good/bad we are

Ik I am usually one to complain about Jamie, but there is nothing we can do, and tbh, he has shut majority of fans up by winning 2 out of his 3 games! I for one know that i need to get behind him more and i hope you lot can do the same!

YOUPIES!

-NewarkPie

Was mentioned a few times in the match-day chat today. Apparently been looking to sell for a few months.

I don't have any information regarding this rumour, just repeating what was said. 

Saturday's Fixtures:
Bristol City v Ipswich Town
Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford
Doncaster Rovers v Sheffield Unted
Gillingham v Barnsley
Hartlepool United v Yeovil Town
Portsmouth v Bristo Rovers

 

Just a bit of fun guys n gals....................a copy and paste from "The Sack Race" website......hahahaha

If you thought that Leeds owner Massimo Cellino was a managerial madman, you've seen nothing yet. Over in Italy Palermo's President Maurizio Zamparini has just incredibly made his EIGHTH managerial change in the last THREE months!

Right, lets attempt to cipher through the plethora of gaffers who have been ruthlessly dumped at the Stadio Renzo Barbera so far this term....

1. Palermo began the season with Beppe Iachini in charge, however he was sacked on 10th November.
2. A day later the Sicilian club appointed Davide Ballardini who lasted just two months in the dugout.
3. The Rosanero then attempted to appoint Guillermo Barros Schelotto...but it turned out he didn't have the correct paperwork so while the club tried to sort the paperwork out...
4. ...Bosi filled in...
5. ....then Giovanni Tedesco...
6. ...only for Bosi to bag the job on a "permanent" basis after Schelotto had his paperwork denied.
7. But, after a debut 3-1 defeat Bosi was savagely axed, with owner Zamparini opting to bring back the man who started the season in the dugout...
8. ...Iachini! Returning three months after he was sacked.

How long Iachini will last is anyone's guess!

York is around 70 miles from Nottingham so it's a short trip for Notts this week. There are several fun and interesting places to visit in the city. Take a take trip back to York's gory past in the York Dungeon. Alternatively you could visit the cathedral to pray for a Notts victory. Right that's my bit for the York tourist board finished, no they didn't pay me.....honest. 

York are dead last in the table. 24th out of 24 teams. They have 20 points (16 less than Notts). They have scored 29 goals (11 less than Notts) and conceded a whopping 52 goals (6 more than Notts).

Their record in their last 5 games is won 1 (Stevenage at home), drew 1 (Carlisle away) and lost 3 (Newport at home and Yeovil and Northmapton away). 

Their squad isn't much to write home about. They have a couple of decent players. Luke Summerfield on the wing is decent Michael Coulson up front is good on his day. They have a problem scoring goals. They have tightened up at the back though and that makes them hard to beat. The only team to score more than 1 goal against them in their last 5 was Northampton. 2 1-0 defeats tells its own story. 

York play a 4-4-2 formation. They will have to make one change as their right back was sent off against Northampton. They are quite defensive and concentrate more on stopping the other team scoring than trying to score themselves. 

I think this is a tricky game for Notts. On paper, you'd say away win without too much hesitation, but York are hard to score against. They'll sit back and make it difficult. Notts have found a winning formula away from home but York will play like the away team so Notts may have to change tactics. I think it will a game that Notts dominate but find it hard to break York down. I'll go for 1-0 to Notts. Should be a fascinating game though. 

Euro 2016 is coming up and I was curious as to everyone's opinions on who should play? I don't feel we know or best team and that doesn't give me hope since we keep chopping and changing, teams like Germany and Italy have been playing the same team for years.

Would you go for youth or experience?

Signed until end of season, in starting 11 today. 

http://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/article/magpies-swoop-for-highly-rated-winger-2952486.aspx

Has anyone seen the story on Sky News about the team that was sent to play away, lost badly.....then it was discovered that all 11 players were "imposters"....incredible.

I'm being serious guys.

.............I knew that result away at Salford was dodgy!!!

After celebrating Sir Charlie Palmer day by watching both Notts goals v Rushcliffe, on YouTube....I went the whole hog by watching us beat Ascoli 2-1 at Wembley (goals from Legg, long throw-in directly into the onion-bag!! and a bullet header from Devon White)....then the 3-0 humiliation of Spurs (cracking first goal from Agana).....then McSwegan's hat-trick as part of the 4-1 thrashing of Derby............those were the days huh?

One thing you notice watching all these games...is the fact that we never seemed to stop chasing the ball and throwing our bodies in....ok, we might not be able to get away with some of those tackles now, but the attitude was tremendous!

Now we spend our days discussing whether we can reach the play-offs of the 4th division or beat York City....grrrrrrr

ps I still cannot see why the last "goal" from Legg v Ascoli was dis-allowed, as it was actually deflected into the net from an indirect free-kick....c'est la vie

Would you welcome either as signings or perhaps both of them?

Jason Banton is a player who seems frequently linked - He was mentioned when we struggled in League One last year and if Twitter is to be believed he's training with us, along with the former Rams defender Miles Addison. I can't claim to know a lot about the pair - Miles seems to be quite inconsistent, whilst to a degree so is Jason but he's a player who does have spells where he seems on fire (in terms of performances).

I'm overly sure what they offer us though, discuss... 

Saturday's Fixtures:
Burnley v Hull City
Charlton Athletic v Bristol City
Sheffield United v Wigan Athletic
Southend United v Colchester United
Newport County v Barnet
Wycombe Wanderers v Luton Town

If I go with friends to see Notts, I always sit in the kop but depending on the numbers I do not always sit in the same place. I only ever do when I am alone or with family. The area is normally filled with the same people, I wonder if you always sit within the same area?

How many fans do you speak with within that section also?

Sorry I haven't done this for a while been a bit busy but anyone saturday is the trip to York City so it's that time for the guessing game 

Players /Coaches /Managers / Staff