Link to the Latest league table after Notts point against Sutton Coldfield.

Notts County LFC https://g.co/kgs/yLqXLTe

44 goals conceded!!! Why?!?!!?!

It's not just the men's team that are leaking goals, I hope the women's team does improve and manages to stir themselves away from the bottom. There's plenty they can build on, and I am sure they will with time. Adjusting to the league seems quite a big thing for them, but a draw isn't bad.

Match highlights against Sutton Coldfield WFC.

On 23/01/2024 at 22:03, Chris said:

44 goals conceded!!! Why?!?!!?!

It's not just the men's team that are leaking goals, I hope the women's team does improve and manages to stir themselves away from the bottom. There's plenty they can build on, and I am sure they will with time. Adjusting to the league seems quite a big thing for them, but a draw isn't bad.

The ladies are finding it difficult in this league, hopefully they can stay clear of the bottom.

Haydn Joseph Hollis has played for Barrow and Notts.

Inih Effiong was not able to perform well for our team due to a lack of suitability for our system. He did well the next time we encountered him, in a team where he was about their only threat.

Mark Cooper and Richard Dryden

I’m torn about Paddy’s situation. On one hand, I hope he’s innocent, but on the other hand, if he did what he’s accused of, I feel disgusted. Footballers need to have a life outside of football, but they also need to be careful. If he’s guilty, shame on him. If he’s innocent, I hope he can clear his name. I also hope the victim can move on with her life.

If guilty, he should be ashamed of it and admit that he did it. I think the chances are quite high that he may have done it, mainly as I see no point why he would not.

https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/12/05/former-ni-footballer-paddy-mccourt-cleared-of-sexual-assault-conviction/

I’m happy with the new signing. He seems robust and exactly what we need. If he were older and had more experience with Norwich or had been loaned out, fans might not be concerned about his lack of experience. A good player can compensate for that, and at our level, he should be able to contribute effectively. He appears to be very defensively focused, which is welcome in a young player, despite hopes of signing someone more experienced.

I was hoping for someone more seasoned, but talent can be found at any age. I’m thrilled to see Jaden Warner play for Notts. His impressive debut suggests that Norwich made a good decision to loan him out for more experience. Imagine if he becomes a top player and joins a Premier League team - we could proudly say we played a part in his journey. That would be fantastic!

1 minute ago, JIMBO said:

I was hoping for someone more seasoned, but talent can be found at any age. I’m thrilled to see Jaden Warner play for Notts. His impressive debut suggests that Norwich made a good decision to loan him out for more experience. Imagine if he becomes a top player and joins a Premier League team - we could proudly say we played a part in his journey. That would be fantastic!

I agree. I think the recruitment team have secured a gem here. I think he's destined for the Premier League at some point, of course that's not a certainty, but what I've seen of him he will do an excellent job for us at this level.

Not sure what Notts would see in recruiting another youngster. I would probably look to having someone with plenty of experience, who's been around a bit and done a reasonable, steady job at this level. We need someone with a cool head, who's willing to get stuck in, and put himself about. Someone with a bit of steel in midfield.

i suppose it depends on if he is of real quality, if he is like a callum mcgregor or jack grealish we would not say no. if hes not all that special or ready, i think we could afford to pass on him. it all depends how true the rumours is. just because someone drops notts, stockport and crewe in to the mix does not even mean he will be signed by a league two team on loan.

i will hold my judgement for if he does sign and if not, i will come back to reply on my thoughts on where he does end up at.

I kind of suspected the January window to be mostly loans, there's not been much movement in terms of permanent transfers so a lot of players aren't becoming available. And if you've got a half decent player clubs aren't going to want to let them go mid-way through the season!

Are Man City going to take into account the minutes we gave to our last academy loanee player, Tipton, all of about 60 minutes in 6 months? 

Stockport seems like the obvious choice to me, no idea if the player gets a say but he wouldn't have to move and they can track his progress very easily with all the home games being so local. Who knows though, maybe our style of play will sway it again!

It was always going to be a difficult task for Luke, Swansea need to get behind him and the manager time. It would be horrible to think they don't, there are no easy games in the Championship and I don't know how good their recruitment is, but he needs to be given a chance to stamp his mark.

Unfortunately, Luke hasn't walked into a good dressing room like Stuart Maynard has done.

I hope their fans give him time.

5-0 down at half-time.

I can't believe what I'm watching, I think they've had 5 shots on target 5 and scored 5 goals. Luke has committed to his high line and high press but it's just not worked at all, the defence is all over the place and no-one's actually winning/cutting the ball out when they press. They've struggled to keep the ball too and they've left Bournemouth with so much space to play in behind and in the channels, it's a dream for quality Premier League players. I don't think we've ever had a half that was that bad under Luke.

Not conceded in the 2nd half yet, but all the Bournemouth players are pretty much coasting now.

Just wondering, has Luke picked a strong side or did he make changes?

I pray Notts never considers having Poundland as their sponsor, every time a play didn't prove their worth..... You know what would be said.

I hope this goes a long way to helping Walsall.

If Jamie Jellis hits the ground running, @sadlad should be happy.

2 hours ago, liampie said:

i am not meaning to offend but haggis is disgusting, much of the scottish traditions like it are foul. they have done well to make it so widely common because i am not sure you can actually enjoy it.

I’m in agreement with @liampie. This is something that could put me off eating for weeks.

7 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

You need to expand on that story @super_ram I’m curious.

Are you sitting comfortably?Then I'll begin.(Anyone remember that?)

When I left school,in 1963, I began work at Simon,May and Co.Ltd,Lace manufacturers and distributors based at Weekday Cross,Nottingham. Although not confined solely to lace I was working in the lace Export Despatch department in a junior capacity.About once a year Jack Klasson of The Klasson Lace Corporation visited Europe on business and would spend time being looked after by my firm on his way back from mainland Europe.I'd never met him but was aware of his visits as he was treated as a very important visitor.Somehow our paths never crossed for a few years, probably due to holidays.Anyway ,fast forward to about 1970 and Mr. Klasson was on one of his visits.We'd been told to expect him as he did one of his tours around the building and to treat him with great respect.Well he suddenly burst on to the scene very noisily, followed by several directors and managers all kowtowing and  grovelling, a bit like a royal visit  I suppose. The group moved around the area explaining what work was being done and gradually I was spotted,or to be more accurate it was a large photo of The Rams League Two winning side on the wall at the side of where I sat. JK  came over and started asking me questions.He  was what I'd call a typical brash New Yorker(from films) aged 50/60,spoke very loudly and domineeringly and also dressed very loudly.He asked me about the photo and of course I was more than happy to explain to him.He was interested in my accent(can't imagine why) and  said he only knew of the LA Rams.He asked me my name and then asked if I was related to the U,S.senator of the same name.He continued by asking me about my family etc while completely ignoring the group with him,I seemed to make quite an impression on him(naturally)

Thereafter whenever he  visited he always came to our room,bursting in  alone and unannounced shouting"Where's that Bairy?(That's how he pronounced my name)"Come on Bairy,tell me about them Rams of yours"and "I hope you've sent me all my lace"He always asked about my parents and if I was ok.He added that he liked talking directly  to me because I didn't flim flam (Deceive) him,He didn't have much of a good opinion of a lot of people he dealt with.

Anyway on one of JK's visits he told me he was going to fly to Scotland later in the day (getting to the point of my ramble now)and I asked him if he would spend any time Haggis hunting while there.He thought my comment hilarious but I didn't expect him to return a few days late,present me with an actual Haggis and request that I despatch it to America.So not far off with your recollections  @Chris

It smelt quite nice actually, @liampie and @Joshua though I've never tasted it myself..

1 hour ago, super_ram said:

@Chris

It smelt quite nice actually, @liampie and @Joshua though I've never tasted it myself..

Believe me it doesn't, it stinks any house out.

2 minutes ago, super_ram said:

@Piethagoram I was half my present age then ,lol

Older and wiser now

I was angry then, still angry 38 years later, that disallowed goal still in my memory bank!

I also remember the back page of one of the tabloids, on the Friday... showing Mick Waitt in the gym...headline "Waitt watching"!

1 minute ago, Piethagoram said:

I was angry then, still angry 38 years later, that disallowed goal still in my memory bank!

Refs are even worse now. They have VAR to help them make more mistakes

@Fan of Big Tone of course you were on holiday!

I was deemed too young to travel, my grandfather Ray took @william1984. On the way home they were involved in a crash and some Notts fans came to the rescue to make sure they returned home safely. Fortunately, the crash was not major. I had to wait until our next Wembley appearance before I was allowed to go. I have made every other Wembley visit since including going to support the former Notts County ladies when they played Chelsea in the Women's FA Cup.

My memories of the game is quite vague, other than my brother claiming we were cheated and my grandfather being unhappy too.

30 minutes ago, Chris said:

@Fan of Big Tone of course you were on holiday!

You know me too well @Chris, 3 days 20 hours till I go to Lanzarote, not that I’m counting you understand.  

i have only seen notts have success the one season under kevin nolan and then the seasons with the reedtz. this is well before my time, so i dont know much about it. i do know we have a great run at wembley and after this things did get better.

i would love to see more fan stories about this.

football really does need to start learning to operate a break even cost, or at least to an amount owners and clubs can afford to pay off themselves if danger lurks in. its very saddening to see all the clubs in trouble,

This is really disappointing to see. People may disagree with me, but the Scottish First Division and now Premier League with only two teams competing against each other is just so boring with The other teams just making the numbers up.

The English top league has gone the same way with six clubs becoming  dominant.

What the Scottish league really needs is some well off investors to invest in Scottish clubs like Edinburgh City, Aberdeen, Hibernian & Dundee Utd and turn them into rivals for the big two. Edinburgh should have a good fan base to attract support.

The reason that holds things back is possibly a problem with marketability in Scotland  that is putting investors off.

I still believe that there should be a Cap on rich club finance across the UK, to even things up.

Scottish football is an example of a massive extreme disparity between the rich and the poor clubs, which dwarfs the English game, and there's a needs to be special measures to speed up equalisation. 

The Scottish leagues do offer excitement, but the quality of football outside their Championship is average. The issue of clubs going under is unlikely to change.

His stock has fallen a fair bit with his last two managerial roles, but it is a good appointment, will it last though? Steve Cotterill is barely someone who won't speak his mind. There are so many ways I can see this ending in a disaster. Their chairman will need to do right by him and the fans, because otherwise Cotterill won't last long.

Spending money in a ditched effort to stay up normally isn't a good thing, as it takes players time to settle in and the whole vibe around Forest Green Rovers sounds very toxic.

It sounded this way well before Troy Deeney sparked controversy with his comments on the players.

It shouldn't be underestimated how big of a job this is for Steve Cotterill, he's good at getting teams on an even platform but can struggle when the damage is set in. Ask any Shrewsbury Town fans their opinion on Cotterill. 

its a good appointment on paper, he has a lot to do in order to secure forest green. you would have to say he is of the ability to steady the ship, but he cant be seen as a long term option. if he does well, he will soon jump to another club. if he fails, he will be dismissed. if he is average, then he might manage to hang around a bit longer but steve cotterill is known for wanting more and more resources. i do think he should be able to transform them but only for the short term, personally i think he is more an average manager these days.

a very goo experienced manager, but average in terms of what you should expect.

if forest green are happy to stay in the league under him i can see it happening, if they want to become a strong league two team i think could help with that but nothing long term.

Regarding Tom’s tweet, he tends to maintain a polite and optimistic outlook without offering much personal insight. He avoids ruffling feathers, except when criticising certain players. While the appointment is good, there’s room to criticise Forest Green for spending more on squad improvements. Troy Deeney’s comments send a negative message about the squad’s faith and the need for improvements. This contradicts the question of whether they’ll avoid relegation. As a football analyst, one would expect him to favour one side or the other. Tom provides great insight but seems hesitant to make calls that might upset his readers. While he doesn’t need to be harsh, being overly positive can affect credibility.

I cycle to and from work, Monday to Friday, as well as having a physical job it keeps me active and fit. My journey to and from work is 3 miles, takes me about 20-25 mins to cycle there and about 20 mins cycle back. Of course, it's quicker getting home from work than it is getting to work 

My Wife bought me a smart band for Christmas which allows me to connect to my Huwawei Health app which has allowed me to start logging my activities like cycling and walking which I do quite often. I link this to my Strava account and enter challenges to win prizes.

13 hours ago, KB1862 said:

My Wife bought me a smart band for Christmas which allows me to connect to my Huwawei Health app which has allowed me to start logging my activities like cycling and walking which I do quite often. I link this to my Strava account and enter challenges to win prizes.

I’ve got a Fitbit on which I can log my exercises like runs, walks, elliptical etc., it does help with motivation and encouragement, I did have it linked to Strava but it seems to have dropped that link and I can’t make it work now.

Exercising the right way.

Very good result for Notts back in the day, Fulham were a very good team back then (at least I have been told).

Any 5 goal win should come as a surprise as either the team played were incredibly poor, or everything went in their favour. To beat Fulham especially at their ground is worth noting.

Was there a stand referred to as a cow shed? I could have got this from @super_ram when he's spoken about Fulham. Or, totally confused.

@Chris there was a stand at Fulham known as the "Rabbit Hutch" and I think away supporters described another stand as the "Cow Shed", but the Cow Shed may have belonged to another club

Just looked on Google and a roof over a stand at Prenton Park, the home of Tranmere Rovers, was referred to as the "Cowshed"

26 minutes ago, Chris said:

Very good result for Notts back in the day, Fulham were a very good team back then (at least I have been told).

Any 5 goal win should come as a surprise as either the team played were incredibly poor, or everything went in their favour. To beat Fulham especially at their ground is worth noting.

Was there a stand referred to as a cow shed? I could have got this from @super_ram when he's spoken about Fulham. Or, totally confused.

I don't recall a stand called the cowshed.I do remember ,at school,a classroom know as 'the cowshed' and another 'the Pig sty'

Fulham had one of the best passers I've ever seen,Johnny Haynes.coming towards the end of his career too.

Thanks! Everyone, it's most kind of you all to welcome me.

It's great to have you on PON, @True Magpie. Welcome to the site.

Hello, welcome to the Pride of Nottingham @True Magpie.

The news about Nuneaton folding is dreadful. It doesn’t bode well for English football, and they might not be the only team this season. I sincerely hope they can reform when the time is right.

I'm not surprised, to be honest. The club has been struggling for years, and it's been clear that they've been living beyond their means. It's a lesson for other clubs to learn from.

It’s truly heartbreaking for the team and the staff. They’ve put in an immense amount of effort, and it seems unjust that they are the ones who have to bear the brunt of this situation. It’s my sincere hope that they’ll discover a method to ensure the survival of the club. Despite the current circumstances, their dedication and hard work deserve to be rewarded, not punished. The situation is indeed challenging, but with determination and resilience, I believe they can overcome it as a phoenix club.

i liked hayden mullins when he played for notts, i though his experience helped and when we pushed him into the centre back position i though he did well enough. it was a shame we did not have a bit more quality that season but he seemed a good player.

You should be able to hear the discussions ongoing, as it would bring further transparency and better understanding of the decisions. The issue is, I don't think football likes to be fully transparent for whatever reason.

If you could hear the discussion and make sure whoever controls the VAR relies on their opinion, there's little to go wrong.

@Chris they could go even go further, in relation to serious foul play resulting in yellow or red cards. Why not give the power to the VAR Ref?

The on field Ref could give the player committing the serious foul play notification that he's on notice while VAR decide if he gets a yellow or red card. 

We've seen players sent off who shouldn't have gone. VAR could be used for both yellow and red cards. This way the play won't be held up while decisions are being made.

how the hand ball was not noticed does seem very corrupt, as does the disallowed goal that was scored to make the game 3-1. the player was caught in the motion of being turned those things happen and unless it was done on purpose which i dont think this was leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the poor decisions. it seems they rely too much on var instead of watching the game.

otherwise the referee and officials are just incompetent.

Best wishes to the Notts women’s team. The new appointments seem sensible and should help them ascend the league table.

Another appointment. 

Ian Smith assumes the role of Chairman at Notts C Women FC.

It sounds like the women’s team is ramping things up to go the extra mile. I do hope they can turn this season around and start collecting points. All these changes sound like a very good start.

I got excited that some of your photos might have been chosen! Seriously, no joke. I do look at your pictures, and I am still amazed that some are captured using a mobile phone.

This is great, some very visually striking captures!

I absolutely love Lilly Zhang's work! 

Fantastic photos, indeed. However, if any have been edited, they should be properly acknowledged. The primary focus should be on photos that are naturally captured and processed. Quite a few of them look superb, some appear to be edited, and others don’t seem to have been taken by a camera at all.

side note @Piethagoram i would love to see more of your photography either in the pon gallery for members or the magpies media. you have a eye for a great picture!

Bristol City 1 v w Watford

Norwich City 2 v 1 West Bromwich Albion

Exeter City 2 v 0 Cambridge United

Stevenage  1 v 2 Barnsleyjoker

AFC Wimbledon  1 v 2 Crawley Town

Barrow 2 v 0 Crewe Alexandra

Eastleigh 1 v 1 Oldham Athletic

Ebbsfleet United 1 v 2 Hartlepool United

The results:

Bristol City 1-1 Watford
Norwich City 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
Exeter City 0-0 Cambridge United
Stevenage P-P Barnsley
AFC Wimbledon P-P Crawley Town
Barrow 1-3 Crewe Alexandra
Eastleigh P-P Oldham Athletic
Ebbsfleet United 0-1 Hartlepool United

---

Drum roll for this week's winner, @Chris!

@Chris - 8
@CliftonMagpie - 6
@super_ram - 5
@ARLukomski - 4
@Dan, @DangerousSausage - 3
@DonnyNotts, @Harry Buckley, @Joshua, @magpiejue, @TheSkipper - 2
@4everapie, @cheeky~k8, @gtownjohnno, @liampie, @Megan_Elizax, @william1984 - 1
@allardyces tash, @Fan of Big Tone, @nottsnutter - nul points

---

@ARLukomski extends his lead, @super_ram gets a boost in the play-off race and @Harry Buckley joins the fight against relegation!

ARLukomski - 157
gtownjohnno - 146
cheeky~k8 - 130
4everapie - 129
Fan of Big Tone - 124
super_ram - 122
william1984 - 122
DangerousSausage - 121
Dan - 117
magpiejue - 117
nottsnutter - 112
Chris - 104
Megan_Elizax - 103
liampie - 99
upthepies - 90
DonnyNotts - 87
Joshua - 82
allardyces tash - 67
KingWilliams - 66
TheSkipper - 60
CliftonMagpie - 55
thommo - 49
OoooooTommy - 45
NottsCountyKev - 41
JIMBO - 40
jimbob - 38
Nocturnal-Magpie - 38
AmericanPie - 36
KB1862 - 22
Robbie - 22
George L - 6
Canadian - 4
Harry Buckley - 2

---

The next round is on Saturday, so expect the fixtures to appear on Wednesday. Thanks for playing and have a good week!

well done everyone, hope for some drama at the top end soon. it could be anyone from 1st to 8th realistically. we cant write those off who are lower.

manchester united was not quite the dominant force they had become in the 90s right? great result.

it probably played part in clubs tracking tommy johnson too.

Remember standing on the pop side for this match, United fans in every part of the ground. Not much segregation in those days.

Clayton Blackmore went on to play for us when Sam Allardyce was manager. Obviously the highlight of his career!

There’s something about him that I simply don’t find appealing. I recall watching him play for Walsall, where he was elbowing players everywhere. I was surprised that he progressed in his career because he seemed like a loose cannon. When he signed for Watford, I thought he had improved his attitude. It was encouraging to see him change. However, when you join a League Two team and get the opportunity to manage them, criticising the players in the way he did shows a level of immaturity. It’s naïve of him to think otherwise.

He's done an interview online, I saw a clip of it where he was laughing and talking about how he felt used. I don't know the full story, but he seems less clued in than someone should be if they want to be a manager.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/troy-deeney-offers-forest-green-31932641

"Troy Deeney says offers are already "rolling in" days after Forest Green sacking"   

Losing a rising star like Luke Williams is going to leave a mark. The guy’s got a way with words that makes most family dinners look like awkward silences. But sometimes, you’ve got to let go to move forward. Better things are on the horizon for Notts. Alexander and Christoffer Reedtz? Class acts. They get that football is about putting on a show for you folks.

Change can be a tough pill to swallow, but don’t let it throw you off your game. Grab it by the horns and embrace the thrill of rallying behind a new head coach. As for Williams, he’s one of those people you just enjoy being around. And I’ve got a hunch that Notts County will always hold a special place in his heart.

Here’s to the journey ahead, Notts fans. Buckle up.

It's always sad to see a good manager leave; it's the end of an era, but Luke Williams remarkably led us to promotion. It was one of the best seasons we have experienced in many years. He regrouped his squad and led them to the top half of League Two. It's great to see so many young fans experiencing promotion for the first time, and the best part is that it doesn't seem to be the end. I thank Luke Williams for all he's done and his efforts in connecting with our fans.

Really nice post @AmericanPie. Total agree with you. Luke got us back to the EFL and he will always be remembered for doing so.

Re @True Magpie As a guess, I think the compensation for IB may have been greater ..say 66.6% immediate payment with 33.4% deferred

I'm curious about the next release of the financial year, how life in League Two will be compared to the National League. It's good we have owners who are focused on making the club bigger, as the increased gate receipts will help, no doubt.

4 hours ago, AmericanPie said:

I'm curious about the next release of the financial year, how life in League Two will be compared to the National League. It's good we have owners who are focused on making the club bigger, as the increased gate receipts will help, no doubt.

The EFL central distribution monies help enormously. A £1m incoming, together with higher gate receipts