I really don't want to have a loan player replacing Dan if he does go. We need to sign a good attacking Midfielder on a two ot three year contract.

January permanent signings are always difficult. Easy to pay over the odds. A quality loan might be in order if Dan goes

I think he'll get another loan somewhere. He's got promise but needs another club to show it.

It's utterly crazy what's gone wrong at Burton. Need to look into it. 20+ signings and 11 points 

Basford could have Eastleigh at home in the FA Trophy 4th round if Eastleigh defeat Hanwell Town in the third round. That would be a plum tie for Basford. 

Eastleigh won at Hanwell last night. So ex Notts Joe McDonnell and Richard Brindley will be coming to play at Basford!

Should be a good crowd for the fourth round tie. 

Good Morning.

Looks like the worse of the storm has left us and the wind is moderating. It's still raining & the temperature is quite low with the wind being drawn from the North.

Hopefully the Notts women's game at Lincoln United will go ahead tomorrow afternoon.

I think I'll listen to a little bit of cricket from New Zealand where they are playing England in the 2nd test match. England being on top, & looking for their 2nd win.

Good morning and happy Sunday, it’s still a bit windy here and rain is forecast.

It was a wise decision from me not to get a ticket for yesterdays game, disappointing that it didn’t go ahead but perhaps a bit of luck really as mentioned elsewhere we’ll hopefully get some players fit.

I hope everyone survived storm Darrah intact, enjoy your Sunday folks.

On 07/12/2024 at 07:41, Fan of Big Tone said:

Morning all, glad you enjoyed Martin Allen @Chris he’s very entertaining to listen to.

It was a great night. I very much enjoyed hearing him talk about his time. Including the forgotten "Pillowgate" incident where he was accused of stealing pillows.

The new badges are a fantastic update! It has a thoughtful range of diverse categories. The team behind this deserves all credit. Automatic badges are a clever way to reward our consistency without additional effort. Knowing that reaching milestones like 100 posts or a set number of likes could earn a badge adds a joyful layer. Such ideas will certainly keep everyone motivated and involved. The potential for even more badges has me excited to keep checking back to see what’s earned.

@ChrisI like the new badges. 

Some members have been on PON a long time, so maybe something like a long service badge, or something like that, recognising those who have been active over a certain number of years.

@Robbie: Aye, I agree. Acknowledging long-time members and posters will be something that is added.

Nemane was good going forward but was wanting when it came to his defensive duties.

We also have to say it as it is that Jodi was subject to a lot of over the top challenges on the playing field before & up to the time he was injured.

Stuart had complained about it on many occasions  beforehand but unfortunately he still wasn't protected by the officials adequately.

Maybe the money offered by MK Dons was too good to turn down? I agree with @Robbie about his defensive duties. 

I think that MK Dons got much more out of the transfer than Notts did.

Grant wasn't the same type of player, & I think Notts would have been better served by getting a fast tricky wingback that was reasonable in defence too.

Conor only played 11 games for MK Dons in the 23/24 season & got loaned out to Barnsley where he made 12 appearances so 23 in total that season.

Conor does have an injury record He underwent surgery on his groin in summer 2022, returning to fitness in September. He played nine games before tearing a thigh muscle two months later, which required surgery and kept him out of action for five months; 

(Source Google) 

Notts do seem to take a chance on players with a past injury record.

A really interesting story, thanks @Piethagoram, I didn’t know any of that.

Thanks @Fan of Big Tone

The key quote "The following season Talbot was sacked, Kassam sold the club and Oxford were relegated to the Conference."

We were so nearly relegated to The Conference that season. Julian Baudet's penalty still in my memory bank!

6 hours ago, Piethagoram said:

We were so nearly relegated to The Conference that season. Julian Baudet's penalty still in my memory bank!

I remember that very well.

Always prefer the sloe gin flavoured ones nowadays, although last year I bought some from Fortnums, and although they were nice flavoured and a deep filled pie, I was a little disappointed as expected more.

Will try the M&S ones this year for Christmas, although I have already had some of the Tesco’s Finest ones and they were quite nice.

On 17/11/2024 at 07:49, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

None. Burn them all in the depths of hell.

i feel the same way, relatives always try to get me to have one but they are horrible. just not for me.  

This FA Cup goal was brilliant from Trevor Sinclair.

The best goal...end of

I think I was stood just to the right of the photo!

Great to see Bass complete his treble of clean sheets!

It must give the back line so much more confidence to know they have a reliable keeper behind them. He's already won us points on his own.

What a signing Alex Bass has been for Notts. An ever present in the league all season with 18  appearances. He has 6 clean sheets, & 3 Man of the Match games to his credit.

Maybe an overlooked fact but I believe the signing of Bass probably didn't come cheap. "undisclosed fee"... maybe closer to 6 figures. If only we had him last season!

This is a real blow. As I still feel that there are not that many players that can pick the ball up and drive forward the way he can. At least the squad is stronger than it was last year and so hopefully the impact of his absence will be felt less.

It is positive that he should be back in January and not out for longer, the guys a legend and what a positive statement from him.

Jodi Jones made 6 league appearances for Notts before he was injured, that's 12 games without Jodi now. He scored 4 goals & made 3 assists in those 6 matches. He's such an important player for Notts.

On 09/12/2024 at 19:38, Robbie said:

Jodi Jones made 6 league appearances for Notts before he was injured, that's 12 games without Jodi now. He scored 4 goals & made 3 assists in those 6 matches. He's such an important player for Notts.

It’s a real shame he was injured, he’s crucial to the team, it’s understandable that we struggle when he’s not playing. Same goes for Crowley, let’s hope they are both back sooner rather than later.

I agree @liampie,not all of them played together at Notts (and Effiong and Mackail-Smith were only here briefly) but all bar Alan Judge played alongside Michael Doyle! To be fair though, Effiong has played for nearly everyone now and this is his third spell at Woking (he was there before he was with us).

It'll be fascinating to see how they get on at least.

Looks like Woking know where their bread is buttered. 

The Pennines are called the Backbone of Britain, So We All Know What That Makes London.

This is a joke right?

@Robbie Putting Cole's on to the fire

Luton Town 1-0 Swansea City

Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Oxford United

Blackpool 1-2 Rotherham United

Cambridge United 0-3 Shrewsbury Town

Crawley Town 2-1 Stevenage

Gillingham 2-0 Salford City

Harrogate Town 1-1 AFC Wimbledon

Newport County 1-3 Carlisle United Joker

The results:

Luton Town 1-1 Swansea City
Cambridge United 4-1 Shrewsbury Town
Gillingham 1-0 Salford City
Harrogate Town 0-3 AFC Wimbledon

All other games: sadly POSTPONED

---

Despite the weather really doing a number on this round, every one of you scored at least a point from our four remaining fixtures! The top scorers were @4everapie, @Chris and @william1984 with six each - congrats!

---

This is our table overall. @Robbie moves a point clear of @ARLukomski after another strong round. There are only two points between the top three, but anyone in the top nine could be right up with them with a big-scoring round. I will inspect my crystal ball closely as I'm starting to fall adrift.

---

That's yer lot for another week. The next proper football (I'm not counting this Europa nonsense) is on Saturday, so expect to see the next fixtures on Wednesday. Have a good week!

At least I'm safe from relegation this year.  But you just never know.

Looks like there’ll be a few off today the Liverpool Derby is off too.

As you say @Robbie this could be a good thing for Notts to get some injured players back.

Unfortunate but the right decision, had they fallen and injured someone the club would've been in serious trouble. It's only the first game we've had postponed so it's not like we have to worry about a fixture pile up -assuming the rest of the winter isn't wild!

The only decision the club could have made. They look small on the picture, but if one of them falls on you you'll know about it.

Football-wise it doesn't come at a bad time either. A week off would do the team good, and one or two players may be back from injury by the time the rearranged fixture is played. And Colchester are on a decent run right now and may have fancied it on Saturday.

Yes, great news indeed. From his past few appearances he seems to be back his best and we know how important he is to how we want to play. I think even had it got to the end of the season he 100% would've been offered a new contract and I'm confident he would've re-signed but it makes sense to get it all sorted as early as possible if you can. So credit to the club for getting it all sorted! 

The silence on Dan Crowley, very reminiscent of Ruben's.... One gets the feeling if there was a deal to sign, he would have signed it by now. Bids in January or do we see out his contract?

Personally, I don't think Dan will be going in the January transfer window. Due to his injury, he's now missed six league games & counting, so potentially interested clubs would want to be satisfied regarding his fitness, & it will take weeks to get Dan to the level he was before his injury.

2 hours ago, k9muers said:

Thanks everyone Notts fan over 25 years me and my daughter are season ticket holders and sit in the kop COYP

Oh you’re one of those rowdy kopites that keep waking us up in the Pavis stand. I’ll give you a wave, look out for a grumpy old bugger waving from the Pavis. 

@k9muers, its good to have you here, welcome to pon! i hope you enjoy the site and manage to find time to join in with discussions etc.  

A warm PoN welcome from me too  @k9muers and good to see you telling us a bit about yourself.

Nice one @BiggestPieInGlasgow. I've seen donors from other clubs pitching in to help out. Nice to see it over £82k now. 

@BiggestPieInGlasgow I see Dumbarton have now raised nearly £95k from their go fund me page. Any more news from up there about their immediate future. I see they lost today.

@Robbie Stenhousemuir are top of the league so an expected defeat I'd say, in terms of immediate future they've had no shortage of offers according to the administrators.

The MSP is pushing for a supporter/community ownership which I hope will come to fruition. in short term however they appear to be largely stable; the club only has ~20 staff so 100k should ensure their job security at least until the end of the season. There does seem to be an expectation that they will drop this season however, being 6 points currently behind a team thats currently in a bit of form.

Question remains though as to whether a community trust can afford to pay the price that would be required.

Unclear times ahead, but hopefully they can reach a resolution soon.

Injuries are part and parcel of the game, aren’t they? But our progress has been remarkable. Can't fault the lads for their grit and determination.

I can see both sides of the coin here. While it’s frustrating to see us struggle without key players, it’s allowed the others to shine. Players like Austin and Gordon may not have made the same impact if they were competing with a fully fit squad. The return of those injured will no doubt push our performance further, but it’s the experience gained during these tough times that could prove invaluable. Maynard’s biggest task will be integrating everyone back into the squad, ensuring both old and new stay motivated. I’m cautiously optimistic about what the rest of the season holds.

Sad that the match was postponed yesterday, however the extra week before the next match will give some of the players extra rest. Players like David McGoldrick and Alassana Jatta.

Those that were recently injured and missed the last game, George Abbott & Matty Platt, plus Scott Robertson who was on the bench for the last game but didn't play will get more recovery time

Dan Crowley will welcome the extra time to get match fit, as will Jodi Jones, Conor Grant & Curtis Edwards.

I am hoping Notts can continue their progress, and clinch another win.

On 04/12/2024 at 14:32, liampie said:

i wonder if lincoln united will resent the fact we slowed down their development

There is still resentment towards Notts for taking the original Lincoln team, and rebranding them as Notts County. However, it shouldn't be the case with this squad because it's been rebuilt from the ground up and has no connection to the franchise that Ray Trew started, and Alan Hardy folded. Some Notts fans on the other hand won't accept this team simply because AH folded the franchise team even though it wasn't sustainable.

I hope our women's team does well; they earned my support by attending the playoff semi-final as a team for the men as a way to show unity - even though they are not exactly treated the same.

@Chris

If you look at the Women's table Nettleham are listed as being on the bottom, but Nettleham are now known as Lincoln City so City took the franchise from Nettleham. But looking at the League table they are still referred to as Nettleham 

MATCH POSTPONED.

Unfortunately, after a pitch inspection this morning, the pitch was deemed unplayable due to it being waterlogged.

A new date for the match will be confirmed in due course.

*Puts on tin-foil hat*

I'm no conspiracy theorist, however, I have suspicions that a certain ex telecoms engineer now king of the lane may have done some nifty unscrewing last night for the extra break and hopefully extra recovery time... 

*takes off tin-foil hat* 

damned shame though, games in hand give me the fear!

@BiggestPieInGlasgow exactly the same thought crossed my mind. 

I think someone will be having the scoreboards regularly checked now. 

Colchester might be nearer the bottom half, but their recent results show that they are becoming organised. I hope that Notts can put on a strong defensive showing while being creative enough on goal. We don't lack creativity; we just need more movement. We should make multiple runs to give whoever has the ball options and open up space. Opposing players will need to be mindful of who to track, which will create more space. Defenders find this type of movement the hardest to control!

I think Colchester will be thinking that there won't be a better time to play us. They haven't conceded a goal in their last 3 games. They are better than their league position suggests. 

Abbott and Platt being available is a huge boost. We need a win. I'll go for a cagey 1-0 win.