Interesting subject @Wheelbarrow repair man

I would advise young people leaving school just like myself all those years ago, to concentrate on either their further educational studies, or on a career & stay single for 10 years before thinking of getting a partner or marriage.

I met my first wife at 18 & had a mortgage & child in tow at 20 which is a young age by today's standards. I think the young people of today have it even harder than we did, trying to build a family with the price of housing today.

I do regret getting hitched so early & like you WBRM my first marriage didn't last either.

I would tell myself to take PON more seriously, but not to get caught up in politics or just people being unkind. It's best to focus on what I can offer, rather than what some minority thinks, and just try to keep the community embraced. I also make sure to stress the importance of family time and how holidays can see a relaxed approach to the site during my absence. For years, I had it drilled into me that I need to post x hour or times on social media.

That I had to do this or that on the site usually came at the cost of my spending time with my family while making things work. I love PON; I have learned through my ill health that the site goes on.

I know the start sounds contradictory, but I could have had this in motion in 2006 at the earliest. In 2008, it was a small forum with mostly family and friends; by 2010, it had become more, but I had Sven's encouragement ringing in my ears to take it further. I struggled with the confidence to engage with others, much less distribute flyers. My first attempt at this was back in 2013, when I found myself leaning on my children's enthusiasm for the idea. I truly appreciate the unwavering support of my family throughout this journey.

But from being less serious, to way OTT, to the point where I had to do things on the dot. I know now people do understand, and even now I feel annoyed because I haven't posted much in the past few days; I haven't put x, y, or z on social media. I know there is plenty of understanding and support for what I do.

This community really is everything I've ever wanted from running a site. It means a lot to me, and it has been there for me during some tough times. I know I haven't always put myself out there the way I truly am because of my mental health struggles. But honestly, I've never treated anyone as badly as some folks have treated me when they crossed the line.

On 24/08/2025 at 19:59, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

If You Could Travel Back In Time. What Advice Would You Give To Your 21 Year Old Self ?

I would be too afraid to say anything to that dude. I wouldn't waste my breath :)

23 hours ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

I Thought you were referring to a New Goal Keeper.

that is what i thought, so my hopes coming into this was not as high as those who thought it was about mp.

I sort of expected this to be about a different county, and not related to us.

I feel sorry for Kelle Roos, because he does seem like a nice guy, and there are elements of just unpleasant comments directed his way that are personal. I was speaking to a steward on Saturday who asked me what I thought about Dracula? I wasn't aware this was Roos nickname.

He conducts himself with professionalism, handling any challenges that come his way, even if he doesn't instill confidence in me. While I would personally seek a more reliable option, I don't want to be unkind or disrespectful toward him. Some of the goals we have conceded, I think he should have done better; the opening goal against Newport, I believe he should have reacted quicker, but it must feel to Roos like there's a level of fans already against him in a personal way.

It's just 5 games, and he's playing behind defenders he hardly knows yet. Most of what he does is tidy and I like how he can get rid of the ball quickly sometimes. He needs a clean sheet, more familiarity with the team and the fans to give him more of a chance.

Anyone can make an indifferent start at a new place of work. Sometimes it takes a bit of time.

It’s always nice to see who people vote for, even if I don’t agree with the choice. Everyone sees the game a bit differently, and that’s part of the fun. Matthew Dennis gave it a good go, and I respect the work he put in. I’d be happy to say well done to him for being named Pride of Nottingham’s Man of the Match.

The vote was very close in the end, I agree with those posters who said that Palmer doesn’t get the credit he deserves both Matt’s did well but I think Dennis just shaded it. Congratulations to both players.

It began with strong support for Matthew Dennis but soon shifted, drawing votes toward Matt Palmer. There was a point when there was only a 2-vote difference between the pair, but Dennis started to gain more ground as he got to 30 votes.

Congratulations to Matthew Dennis; I am pleased he's earned the fans' vote and been named the Pride of Nottingham's MOTM.

Thank you to all who voted; please do continue, as it's brilliant to see which players get recognised and even if your vote doesn't end up winning. You voted for the player that you felt deserved it, which is encouraging for that player.

I agree @Wheelbarrow repair man Enzio was a bit of an enigma at ML.

Cal Roberts scored for Scunthorpe.

Kairo Mitchell was awful for us, he found his feet with Rochdale, and hopefully he can continue with Yeovil, but he wasn't remotely good for us. If Junior Morias was given the time Mitchell had, he would have done far more. Enzio Boldewijn got branded "lazy," but it was a confidence thing for him.

When he enjoyed his football, he was on a different level, but when the team wasn't progressing, he blamed himself.

You can't put that level of blame on your own shoulders because it will affect how you perform, but at no point was it because he wasn't giving 100%. He was giving what he could; some players are like that. Form and confidence are two things that hinder natural ability and a player's prospects.

Sam Austin and Cal Roberts are two who I hope get a Football League return and manage to stay once they are back; both did well for us and left memories which we, as fans, appreciate.

morecambe only hired their manager because of the new owners being of the same religion, i hope it does not delay our ex youth team coach who i wish well. i do think morecambe are doing the wrong thing right now tho. i just hope i am wrong.

I remember when Forest Green Rovers replaced Duncan Ferguson with Hannah Dingley. This feels very similar, but now it’s a Punjabi coach with no experience as a manager and not much time coaching senior teams.

It seems like the owners are trying to make a statement and get attention, rather than thinking about football. I hope it goes well, but I’m not sure it will.

Fans didn't want an appointment from within, as scaremongerers lined up Joao Alves as the next head coach, even though that doesn't seem to be the case now.

I am also inclined to agree with @NottsTastic, that this appointment is nothing but a gimmick for the media clout.

19 hours ago, piedestrian said:

@liampie, I think the decision I'd make against someone like Bromley is move Bedeau up for Tsaroulla and replace Nick with Macari so you have more athletic, taller people to battle it out. Gordon is just too inconsitent, which is a bit of a theme for a lot of permanent players.

I think Notts are deliberately not playing Macari, because by not playing, Notts can argue that any punishment can be offset against the time not played

It’s a tough one to take, really. The lads put in a strong shift and deserved more than just a point. Dennis kept their defence busy all game and looks sharper with each outing. Palmer was steady in the middle, keeping things ticking and creating openings.

Bromley came out with more intent after the break, and their bench gave them a lift. Ours didn’t quite change the flow, and once they got level, it felt like it had been coming. Still, picking up four points across two matches isn’t a bad return.

Bromley didn’t look very strong at the start, and while I think we played better than in recent matches, I still believe last season’s squad would have taken control early on. In the first half, we could’ve finished the game off if we’d been more accurate with our chances.

Some of the shots that did hit the target were good enough to win it, and I feel Notts deserved the three points. It’s frustrating because it reminds me of past seasons, where going a goal up doesn’t mean much, there’s always the risk we’ll concede just as easily.

At 2–1, it never feels safe. You start expecting a draw, and sadly, that’s how it turned out. I’m disappointed, but there were signs of improvement too, so I’m trying to stay positive.

A lot of these points have been discussed at length already. But in addition to the above, we can only spend a certain proportion of our turnover on players in L1 and L2. Investments like the padel courts and the Nest are therefore aimed at increasing our turnover so we can then spend more money on the team.

How well we're spending on the squad is another debate entirely. We clearly haven't spent our budget yet, so hopefully we'll have one or two players through the door who genuinely strengthen us in the next week.

I do like some of the improvements that the owners have made, the infrastructure improvements to the stadium, such as the safe standing area. The Nest will become a money maker when it starts making a profit after the money spent to build it is paid for, same goes for the paddle courts.

Whether the Nest and the paddle courts were necessary, I do think that they are popular & well used & attended., however, as far as the Hybrid pitch at ML is concerned, I do have reservations about its construction at this point in time. Wrexham didn't feel a need for one until they reached the Championship.

A new Hybrid pitch is also being installed at the Highfields training area in a joint venture with the University of Nottingham.

League 2 clubs are allowed to spend 50% of their turnover on player related expenditure, which includes wages, transfers, and agents' fees.

If the club invests wisely in good quality players, that investment can pay dividends in several ways. The Club has a much better chance of achieving promotion & if they do, the players in turn will become more valuable. If the Club is doing well, the club will earn more revenue through the turnstiles. The club will also earn more TV revenue. The Club will also earn more in advertising & merchandise sales.

So investing for success on the field of play does have a big payoff by swelling the financial coffers, which in turn increases the turnover & revenue that can be further used to invest more on even better players.

the issue is the owners would not win if they spent all the budget on the squad, because people would soon want what other clubs have. notts had one of the best fan zones early on, beneath the top leagues and that is something we should be proud of. that had been a huge hit, its always busy on match days and must be generating a good whack of money for the club to use in other areas. maybe the club is focusing on these side projects as means to afford better players?

i dont think they would put anything at the cost of the team or promotion.

i have also heard more praise for how we are improving the infrastructure than i have heard anything about it should be spent on players.

The council has had money to extend the lines, but keeps cancelling them, and I find it very annoying. Every time there is talk about the tram's extension, the cost tends to go up. I haven't used one for years now.

I think a lot of people in Nottingham would rather see them not break down so frequently; this is another reason why I stopped using them.

There's room for extensions, but the funds need to be in place and managed better. It can't be a case of "this is happening" and then, two years later, "we don't have the funds". What happened to the funds that were there to begin with? Nottingham, as a city, is one where a lot of broken promises happen. I read recently that the Broadmarsh development needs more money to flatten more of the unused land.

It's no surprise that the council is facing financial difficulties.

probably requests for more funding at the cost of no further development to the tram lines, just more unreliable transport.

Notts shouldn't have let Sam Go. He may not have been an Out and Out Star Player for the Magpies, but he always put in a Shift in a Notts Shirt and gave it 100%.

i hate the low angels where it makes viewing what is happening hard, notts used to be like this but they improved but this is hard to watch. good rebound strike from sam austin.

Current League table.

A good win for the ladies 👏

@Fan of Big Tone Their best result since being promoted to the National League Div 1.

Norwich City 1-1 Middlesbrough

Sheffield United 2-1 Millwall

Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Lincoln City

Mansfield Town 2-1 Leyton Orient Joker

Fleetwood Town 0-1 Oldham Athletic

Gillingham 2-0 Crewe Alexandra

Halifax Town 0-2 Forest Green Rovers

Sutton United 2-3 Scunthorpe United

Norwich City 1-3 Middlesbrough

Sheffield United 0-1 Millwall

Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Lincoln City

Mansfield Town 1-2 Leyton Orient

Fleetwood Town 1-0 Oldham Athletic

Gillingham 1-1 Crewe Alexandra

Halifax Town 0-2 Forest Green Rovers 🃏

Sutton United 1-2 Scunthorpe United

The results:

Norwich City 1-2 Middlesbrough
Sheffield United 0-1 Millwall
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Lincoln City
Mansfield Town 4-1 Leyton Orient
Fleetwood Town 1-1 Oldham Athletic
Gillingham 1-0 Crewe Alexandra
Halifax Town 1-2 Forest Green Rovers
Sutton United 2-3 Scunthorpe United

Six of us share first place this round! I've coloured our score in yellow to make it feel extra special.

Overall, @magpiejue still leads the way, with @Robbie and @super_ram chasing.

The next round is on Saturday, so I'll post the fixtures on Wednesday. Thanks for playing everyone and have a good week!

Oh dear another forward being snapped up.

@Wheelbarrow repair man Listening to MP's post match presser he did seem to be frustrated that Notts haven't brought in additional players up to this point. I can understand his frustration because the Club have left it very late to get replacements in.

I also think it's important to state that we still have players in the squad that MP hasn't given a chance to show what they can do like Will Jarvis, Mai Traoré, Jack Hinchy & Curtis Edwards.

1 minute ago, Robbie said:

@Wheelbarrow repair man Listening to MP's post match presser he did seem to be frustrated that Notts haven't brought in additional players up to this point. I can understand his frustration because the Club have left it very late to get replacements in.

I also think it's important to state that we still have players in the squad that MP hasn't given a chance to show what they can do like Will Jarvis, Mai Traoré, Jack Hinchy & Curtis Edwards.

Don't forget Harry Griffiths....

Good point @gtownjohnno Griffiths hasn't been given a chance since the time he impressed in the pre season games.

Good move for Geraldo. I wish him luck at Crawley Town. Could have done a good job for Notts too.

Another Player from the Luke Williams era, who benefitted from Williams Man Management skills. Unfortunately two Bad Injuries in successive seasons have curtailed his progress. The injury at Notts ( Knee Injury?) was followed by the same injury, the season after he left the Lane. If he gets a run clear of injuries he could be a good signing for Crawley.

Notts have certainly been unlucky with players suffering long term injuries over recent years. One player that has been particularly unlucky is Lucas Ness, who has showed us in glimpses that he is a useful defender with several good performances to his name, when he has had a chance to play.

It'll be interesting to follow their progress, especially with the Notts link. All the players arriving at once reminds me of us after relegation, although we at least had an experienced manager to mould them into a team. Anything other than a relegation battle would be excellent for them this season.

Archie Mair doing well.

A massively good start for Morecambe FC They start their delayed campaign with a win.

After studying my spreadsheet, it seems that @theAnticlough and @The Heff's scores have been swapped around for the last three rounds (due to an issue sorting your names into alphabetical order in Excel). I've updated the table for the round accordingly. But as both of you got exactly the same number of points overall over the last three rounds (17), it doesn't affect the overall table or your positions.

Sorry about the slight hiccup and thanks for bringing it to my attention in time! I assure you that nothing dastardly is going on 😁

Having studied my spreadsheet I can see you've got loads of my points wrong and I should actually be above @magpiejue 🤪

@-Dan ha ha

I enjoyed the short cameo from Tyrese Hall last night - I think he's going to be an enjoyable player to watch this season.

It was good to see his involvement in the 4th goal for example.

But it's the playing style that caught my eye. Maybe not many on here watch the NBA but he reminded me of Darius Garland the Cleveland point guard, the way he moves and plays. I've always enjoyed watching Garland plays and I think it'll be the same with Hall.

A football comp is not so easy for me? Any ideas? Phil Foden a bit?

At 2-1, especially given the way we conceded, I genuinely feared the worst.

It's not a feeling I have often felt during the Reedtz era, but a few times under both Luke Williams and Stuart Maynard. Perhaps more the latter, but you can take faith in the way we tend to be good at attacking. I did feel like Shrewsbury could get back into the game. Roos, to his credit, did make a very important save to keep us in it. I don't feel as confident in him, but I will give credit when it's due.

Notts showed a good amount of fight, which is part of the reason why we managed to keep our momentum.

I am not a fan of the media teams hyping of the game, "We blew Shrewsbury away with a dominant performance." Notts did very well, but it wasn't quite as dominant as they make it sound. Shrewsbury did show some fighting spirit, although you can see they are down on their luck.

It makes me concerned about it backfiring; I mean, they take caution when we lose, but this is our first win in five games, including the League Cup.

It's a good win, so I am not dismissing it, but I always think about how the club could handle disappointment, expectations, and lead a more healthy stance. Rather than using overly enthusiastic and catchy titles. In the wake of recent weeks, you just have to be mindful. At 2-1. Shrewsbury almost got back into it.

Blew, and dominant might appease people at home, but it does remind me of glossing over things.

There's one last thing I wanted to mention - Shrewsbury's number 11 was Anthony Scully and is the son of former Notts winger Tony Scully. He reminded me a lot of him too.

@CliftonMagpie I hope you get the job.

I'm preparing for my trip to watch Ireland vs Japan in the Women's World Cup next Sunday in Northampton. I'm staying in London. I've never been to Northampton so I'm looking forward to that.

All the best with the job interview @CliftonMagpie routine is something we can't do without.

It's instilled into us from day one, for me it's an important part of my life, couldn't function without it. Having routine really helps where mental health is concerned also, easing day to day woes and worries.

That is one reason I am still working at 68, it gives me a purpose which in turn schedules the day in advance making everything routine.

It’s matchday so me and Chloe will be popping down the Lane to see if Notts can get another win, back to back would be nice. Who else is going?

The poll has now closed. Thanks to all of the 64 members who voted in this poll.

I'm absolutely delighted to announce that for his outstanding performance against Shrewsbury, Nick Tsaroulla has been voted as the Pride of Nottingham's Man of the Match. He received a record vote tally too of 53 votes from PON members.

It’s brilliant to see so many fans vote for Nick’s performance. It shows how much his return means to the team and the supporters. We’re at a point where a bit of spark can make all the difference. Nick’s energy and sharpness could be just what we need to lift the level on the pitch.

He does look like an excellent player; we just need to keep him fit and performing at his best. Well done to Nick, that’s impressive, votes in his favour.

We do need a nice tasting traditional Pukka Pie. And Notts need another proven striker who can score goals too.

The pies sold at Notts are hit and miss. They don’t fill you up and the quality isn’t great. They feel like something you’d expect from a football ground in the 1980s, not today. There are much better choices out there. Pukka pies, for example, are everything the current ones aren’t, tasty, reliable, and satisfying.

If the issue is profit or trying to avoid waste, then it’s time to look for a better local supplier. There must be someone nearby who can offer good pies at a fair price.

The bottom line is #Notts miss out on a sale. Whoever the current supplier is, Notts have lost me as a customer.

On 19/08/2025 at 16:42, DangerousSausage said:

But it's very early and a win could help settle us down.

Well we now have that first win and it was pretty emphatic, how are people feeling now?

It was a good win & an emphatic win too. We saw periods of good Notts play, but also periods when they looked disjointed & gave away the ball quite a lot. Hopefully the win will give the team lots of confidence.

A much better assessment of where the team will be is when they meet Bromley on Saturday. We have Jatta returning so him coming back should give Notts more of a threat.

Finally the Notts Faithful have something to Cheer about. Despite the 4-1 Victory though it was against a very poor Shrewsbury side. Realistically last night's Win as only Papered over the Cracks Bromley will be much Stiffer Competition. As @Robbie said there were times Notts looked disjointed and a Good Team would take advantage of those situations, and Notts could find themselves with all manner of problems.

Maybe it's time for MP to give the Young Keeper a Run in the side, because the way Roos is playing it can't Inspire the Defenders in Front of him. And just because A.J. is set to Return, don't expect him to get back straight back into his scoring groove, he'll need time to adapt to the tweaked settings of the Notts Model. It wouldn't surprise me, if Jatta was on the Bench with MP bringing him on in the second half. Lets also hope A.J's Head is also in the Game and his Agent's not continuing whispering in his ear, telling him how better it would be if he left the Lane. Last night's Victory should have instilled some Confidence in the Team. But One Swallow Does Not A Summer Make.