Saturday's Fixtures:

Leeds United v Millwall

Norwich City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Bristol City v Sheffield United

Walsall v Port Vale

Hartlepool United v Stevenage

York City v Tranmere Rovers

Don't forget there's the FA Cup prediction league this weekend too

Chairman Ray Trew looks back on five years at the club...

I can’t believe it has been five years since we agreed the deal to take ownership of Notts County Football Club, the World’s Oldest Football League Club.

Of course I say ownership, but as I have stressed in the past, we are merely custodians of this great club, responsible for guiding it forwards as best we can and whilst I’m not going to pretend that it’s been an easy ride, I feel that we are moving in the right direction.

It’s a shame in some ways that this anniversary has come around so quickly because I genuinely believe that the best years lie ahead and I hope that in five years’ time I am writing an even more positive message, because that is certainly the aim of the Board of Directors, the coaching staff and everyone involved with the club at present.

In Shaun Derry and Greg Abbott and those that they have assembled around them we have a coaching team that we can believe in and trust. Everyone wants to see instant success, but I’ve learned in the past five years that patience really is a virtue and I hope that I have found a team that we, as a club, can put our faith in to deliver, as they have already showed they can to be fair.

It’s been a difficult few weeks, nobody is denying that, but there has been progress under Shaun and Greg, that is equally obvious and I really believe that they are moving the club in the right direction on the pitch, but will need time to achieve their goals, which at the end of the day are shared by all of us.

I want to see this club in the Championship, I have said that from day one and my resolve and ambition to see that materialise is as strong as ever. I’ll be honest and admit that there have been dark days along the way, when things just haven’t gone our way for one reason or another, but as I have said, it’s been a learning experience and I’d like to think I’m a better person for it, certainly a better Chairman for the lessons that I have learned, sometimes the hard way, over the years.

But as you yourselves, as fans, will know, it really gets under your skin this club, in the best way possible. It feels like a club that deserves success, that deserves to be talked about for all the right reasons, it’s the oldest professional football club in the world, that’s not something we should take lightly.

Streamlining the business to make it self-sustainable should not be seen as a lack of ambition, far from it, it’s a means of securing this club’s future and ensuring that we are best placed to progress, both on the pitch and off it. This is a business after all and there’s no point pushing for success on the pitch if you are doing so at the expense of matters off it, because they will catch up with you and it can be disastrous, as we have seen in the past here at Meadow Lane. That is not something I am prepared to let happen again.

The backing and continued support that you give the club, from the fan who comes to maybe just one or two games a season to our many season ticket holders, you have all played a part in getting this club to where it is and you all have a key role to play in helping to move it forwards.

Planning is already well underway for next season, on the playing side and behind the scenes on the business side, with areas identified where we can improve and some things to be looked at in terms of where we can reduce our outgoings, because we need to marry the income with the expenditure, just like every other business out there.

I will continue to back the Manager as best I can and look to ensure that we are competitive to a level that allows us to push for promotion, because that is the goal, as I have said, but I will not do so in a way that jeopardises this club’s existence, nor in a way that prejudices the relationships that we have repaired and developed with local businesses.

So as we look back on five years at the club, I hope that you, like me, can enjoy reminiscing about some of the good times, such as the promotion-winning season obviously, games against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Juventus, but also remembering how we have overcome challenges, not least last season, to be a stronger club for the experience and better placed to push forwards.

I have said in the past that I won’t always get everything right, I have talked about learning from my mistakes, but I also want to stress that it is only by pulling together that we have ever really achieved anything as a club and that will always be true, so let’s look ahead with a renewed sense of optimism and belief and look to overcome the trips and hazards that will no doubt await us along the way to build a brighter future for Notts County FC.

Onwards and upwards

Ray Trew
Chairman.

I'm not sure of everyones religious views and hopefully this won't offend anyone but Steven Fry makes a very good case for atheism in this video.

What are your views?

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo

I was driving into Nottingham yesterday on the A610 Nuthall road and there was a sign of road works ahead and the inner lane was going to be closed ahead, this prompted most of the drivers who saw this sign to move to the outside lane immediately leaving a completely empty inside lane stretching into the distance, this seems a nonsense to me why don't people just stay in the lane they are in and then when they get to the road works filter into the correct lane alternately.

I took the inner lane with this in mind, I wasn't in a hurry so I wasn't queue jumping, one or two cars followed my example but when a lorry driver saw us coming down the inside lane he deliberately straggled both lanes so we couldn't pass. I can't understand this mentality, if drivers used both lanes until they reached the road works then it would free up the congestion further back in the queue which was clogging up an island.

What are people's thoughts? What would you do in that situation? Any comments from our resident lorry driver @PTID1862

We seem to be Quite popular over the last month or so.

Nice Read

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31145693

ha ha ha. Made my Morning. Enjoy

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZWuKFuklsE

@Blackville and I will be there, anyone else?

Our grandson George came home with a trophy on Friday as he had won "Star of the Day" he was bursting with pride and his mum and dad and us were really pleased because he has had a few behavioural problems of late so hopefully he has turned the corner.

It's a long time since I went to school but I can't remember any incentives or trophies for us in those days only punishment if we didn't behave! How times change.

Do your children/grandchildren get incentives to behave? Is it a good or bad thing? Should kids be rewarded for being good at school or punished for being bad?

What are your thoughts?

Rooted bottom of the league it's not where Orient will want to be and they're good enough in my opinion to move a way from there, so this should be a warning for us. They aren't any push overs, just a side which are struggling and quite desperate to find some sort of form within League One.

I do think we have the quality to beat them, however I am nervous as to how we will respond after Saturday.

If we end up losing, it would be a concern but I still won't be thinking 'relegation' as this is typical football but what Derry needs to do is settle the squad and tactics, allowing the players to actually play the way he wants. I don't blame SD but I do think he's starting to panic, you can see this watching him in games. At the start of the season he barely argued with the officials, now it's almost every decision and I actually miss him being composed and cool.

Notts really need to make sure they can get crosses in with our strikers in the box, we need to gamble at every situation because it will pay off. The defence will hopefully do a sound job on Tuesday, with the midfield helping them out.

I think we will lose 2-1 though, I hate to say that.

Thoughts?

Please take the time to welcome @MichaelRiordan folks.

Cheers for joining and offering to help, it will be good to have your views here and the support you offer. I am a firm believer that we have a creativity group of fans, so I am sure you will fit in.

Care to tell us a little about yourself? See you around the site.

Shaun Derry says some Notts County fans got 'too carried away' with super start to season as Chesterfield inflict eighth home defeat

Shaun Derry: "We can only play one way with the players we have at our disposal."

Shaun Derry admitted Notts County's glorious start to the season in League One has skewed expectation levels at Meadow Lane after Chesterfield deepened their troubling home form.

A freak goal from Caolan Lavery condemned the Magpies to a 1-0 defeat as Haydn Hollis' clearance smacked him on the chest and looped over Roy Carroll.

The defeat was the eighth Notts have experienced on home soil this season and their record is in stark contrast to that on the road.

But Notts boss Derry (pictured), whose pre-season aim was just to see progress after avoiding relegation last term, believes the run to the top six had left some fans "getting too carried away".

Article source

In Liverpool they are searching for the stadium, 30,000 that used to be the home of Liverpool Caledonians FC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-31148503

I wonder how many other sides have come and gone, and the history is totally lost.... This appeared to be a side of some stature too

Guidelines are being issued for putting hidden cameras in care homes. Apparently these cameras can be installed in an old persons room with their permission or if they can't give their permission then it has to be in their best interests.

What do you think? I reckon its a good idea because carer's have been caught abusing the elderly and anything that can stop this is good but the privacy of the elderly person and any visitors ought to be considered too.

I know when my mum was in a home we were very suspicious of some of the things that went on but couldn't prove anything, mum had dementia and would say things that we weren't sure really happened or whether it was her dementia so a hidden camera would have been very comforting for us. She fell and broke her hip and this led to ultimately to her death, it was never fully explained how it had happened so some video footage could have put our minds at rest.

I'm sure @notts-joe will have a view on this.

Welcome to Pride of Nottingham @Dan_the_man,

Pleased to have you here, hope you continue to join in and share your views with us. Care to tell us a little about yourself? How long have you followed Notts?

See you around the community.

I would just like to say happy 'Charlie Palmer' day to all fellow Magpies. 21 years ago this very day...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/313738796slFzAu_M

10 points Seperate 6th & 20th.

3 wins and i'd be a different story.

CCOOMMEE OONNNN  YYYOOOUUUU PPIIEESSSSS

Just heard a clip from the interview with Ray to be aired on Radio Nottingham tomorrow and he says that Notts have cost him £19 million so far. If that's true it's a staggering amount for a league one side, did I hear it right or was it £9 million?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to Pride of Nottingham @AmericanPie, care to tell us a little about yourself?

Hope you join in and find PoN to be somewhere you enjoy.

Please be sure to have a look folks, if you know anyone feel free to tag them if they haven't already been. Which picture is folks favourite? I love seeing our fans having fun.

>https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153794515785961.1073741867.158954730960&type=1
Link Here
 

Tuesday Night's Fixtures:
AFC Bournemouth v Derby County

Brentford v Watford

Chesterfield v Preston North End

Crewe Alexandra v Yeovil Town

Stevenage v Bury

Wycombe Wanderers v Plymouth Argyle

So who else is feeling the winter blues?

With the cold setting in, and money as tight a a Nun's Crotch.

Notts County are out on the field. and we seem to have lost that Early Season High (I know we were punching above our weight ) But still.

What are your thoughts about these Last 10 Games & Can we move up from here and have an Exciting End to the season?

Hi @Dan-Pie welcome to Pride of Nottingham, it is good to see new members joining the site, and I look forward to hearing your views on all things Notts and other stuff in general...

this may be useful to you... http://prideofnottingham.co.uk/community/topic/2519-newpie-introduction-guide/

Morning all, it's an early start for us as the grandchildren will come bouncing through the door any minute, they will be having breakfast with us then we are taking them to school and nursery. Hopefully getting a shopping trip done while they are there and a bit of work done.

What's the day got in store for you? Tell us what you are up to today.

No? Oh well suit yourself

Just got back from our little holiday in Norfolk, we had a lovely cosy cottage on the coast at Heacham, a lovely village with everything we needed, 3 pubs, Indian restaurant, chip shop, Chinese takeaway and Tesco express.

Our favourite pub brewed its own real ale, eat your heart out @super_ram.

Our folding bikes were a great success, we were a bit wobbly to start with but soon got the hang of them and went a bike ride on three days, a lovely ride through Sandringham Estate, her maj was at home but we didn't get invited in, the longest ride we did was 7.5 miles to Hunstanton and back down the sea front, it doesn't sound far but my bum was hurting when we got back (no rude jokes please).

All in all a great holiday to recharge our batteries, can't wait for the match now!

Apparently people are mistaking daffodils for spring onions and supermarkets are having to move them from the vegetable area.

So just a reminder to all you romantics for Valentines Day, Daffodils have yellow flowers on the end for goodness sake don't give your loved one a bunch of spring onions otherwise you might get a bunch of fives back

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