i think the head coach should have the final say and have the biggest input into player recruitment, i dont mind that the club have their own way of recruiting because it can give the manager more time to focus on tactics, upcoming games but i think when signings are made without a manager it does not really make much sense. people can clash, and when the head coach has the final say, at least they are agreeing to some level that they can work together.

the togetherness within the squads camp has been very good, so i dont think its much of an issue but i do think signings should be made when a manager is present.

Signings are fine when the player is in demand or of high quality. Some appointments can’t be gambled on, and the club needs a high level of input from the head coach. He’s the professional and must get the best out of the squad. A better understanding of the system could ease concerns from fans. At least the board isn’t signing a striker like Izale McLeod and using most of the budget or taking a gamble on higher wages with someone like Danny Haynes.

I don’t think it’s a massive issue anymore, especially if the recruitment team is really good a head coach won’t complain if they keep providing them with top quality players. And as long as the process is collaborative and the head coach does have some input (which I’m 99% sure happens with us) I think it’s a smart way of doing things. You take a load of the head coach as they don’t actively have to spend anytime scouting, it’s all done for them. They can focus solely on coaching the first-team.

A big positive is that in theory you'll never miss out on signing a good player. We signed Langstaff with no head coach, if we had to wait until Luke had become our head coach he could’ve been snapped up by some other club...

And it does stop managers just signing players who only they like, which sometimes doesn’t always benefit the team. We’ll never end up with players like Jude Stirling or Nicky Hunt who were basically signed because they give a good vibe to the place... I notice Kevin Nolan has signed Fitzsimmons again. If Northampton had a recruitment team I can’t imagine they would’ve signed him because he’s not a League 1 level player.

In a way, those stats from above are what I thought might have been his saving grace as our owners seemingly pay close attention to all the stats and data.

Maybe if we had been more exciting at the expense of conceding a few more goals he might have been ok. But far too often we were reliant on individuals just being better than the oppositions defence when it came to our attacking play. It’s probably why we did fine against the poor teams but more often than not got nothing against the good ones. We didn’t look like a well-coached attacking unit and in my opinion that’s probably what cost him his job.

Both Halifax and Gateshead are looking for a new managers, wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at either. 

Stuart Maynard's dismissal came as a surprise, but I think he was dealt a rough hand by not having his assistant properly replaced. The good and the bad is that he never looked like he was adapting well, and I believe the decision was the right call. His replacement seems to have taken just as long as Maynard would have to make a substitute, which suggests there might be some issues to work through.

I hope, for our sake, that it’s not too late and we can focus on the new season. It’s important that the team gets a fresh start and we can move forward positively.

The disappointment of the last week of the season can be traced back to the departure of Dan Crowley.....not replacing him with a similar player was almost criminal.....and still a replacement isn't in the building.....its hopefully being sorted ASAP.....plus a tough tackling robust midfielder as well....there's only 3 weeks to go until preseason is due to start!!!!!...hopefully this week we'll see quite a bit of transfer activity and a new Head Coach appointed....

It's a sad situation for Sheffield Wednesday. Their current plight is just another example regarding the state of English Football at the moment. Unfortunately, I don't see things getting any better for Clubs like Wednesday who are further down the Football pyramid.

We keep talking about financial caps on players wages, transfer fees & ensuring that potential owners are strictly vetted to ensure that Clubs are in safe hands, but financial problems at clubs continue to surface & there doesn't appear to be an end to it.

Whether a Football Regulator will make any difference remains to be seen, but it is becoming clear that drastic changes in football regulation are needed before it's too late.

i think it shows the importance of getting your finances right in football, but there is always the warning sign about over spending and the fans do need to take into consideration what realistically can be spent. i feel sorry for the owl fans, as they are a good club but are certainly amidst of some very serious trouble.

Most clubs struggle because of financial problems. It’s part of modern football, and quicker changes are needed to ensure clubs operate within their means. Financial Fair Play can only do so much, so hopefully Sheffield Wednesday can sort their situation out.

yes

Hard one based off one signing and no manager. Based on my confidence in the brothers from what they've pulled off previously, I'm optimistic. They saw we were fragile at the back after our first season back in L2 which was thoroughly addressed and have replaced players like Rodrigues and Langstaff with equally good talent. The issue is now, we've had quite a bit of talent go in the last 6 months and it not really been backfilled (Crowley etc). To map where we need to be, we need a creative and technically astute player to play behind the forward (possibly 2 given McGoldrick going).

I think the reason for the lack of comms is that they're trying to figure out how best to opmitise, given they've got a bit of a blank slate with a bit of cash to play about with it. Gagliardi has barely got his feet under the table and has already had to get his hands dirty. Will he look and say that the way we effectively and economically adapt is by changing formation? And these questions all link up to the manager and preferred style of play they bring to the club. Not to mention that we really need a experienced and vast support staff, because we're very much lacking in that department - we effectively fell off a cliff when the Saunders brothers left last season.

I'm waiting for their sort of analysis/season end statement they've mentioned before I start to **** myself.

Just seen JJ starting for Malta today!!!!...i thought their Manager had given up with JJ???...let's hope he doesn't get crocked....

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was a brilliant prospect and excellent talent, a player who was a real joy to watch. When he signed for Forest, I felt disappointed but he did well in spells for them. It's a shame his career never reached the heights it perhaps should have, and even more saddening to see him fall into a life of crime.

🎶"I just don't think, I'll go to the clink. Just because I took out the backseat."🎵

what a *it, i remember him being a game changer and highly rated when he played for our neighbours. he tended to be on the large looking side, but looked class. how do you go from playing professional football to this. he must be desperate or just into the life style having money brings.

2 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Who’s to say the new coach/manager isn’t already having a say in recruitment, Matthew Dennis came from Carlisle….. the ex Carlisle manager Mike Williamson is available, just saying. 

You might be onto something there. He's a coach. He's available. He is from the area, well Stoke, but that isn't a million miles from Nottingham. As for his record, he got MK Dons into the playoffs but Crawley smashed them. As for Carlisle, he probably doesn't want to discuss that.....

A very solid first signing for next season. From a Carlisle United fan: "Dennis is a 6ft1, agile, quick, strong, striker, who's technically good and gets into good positions... They aren't common." That’ll do for me!

he looks a good signing, i think it shows that the club thought morias either was not good enough or his height was a concern. i hope we give dennis plenty of chance to showcase what he can do, a natural finisher with pace should thrive in our squad.

Given that Cundy has left I think we'll add one more CB, assuming that we are going to continue with a back 3. I think that would be more than enough and I'm half hoping one of our academy defenders will potentially be in the future squad.

Personally I think right now Macari, Platt & Bedeau would be my choice. I'm hoping Ness can stay injury free for more of next season because I think he's more than good enough to play regularly too.

If we switched to a back four I think I'd still have the three from above but shift them along one and play Tsaroulla at left-back.

i really like lewis macari but sometimes i just think hes playing in the wrong position. he can be fantastic as a centre back but when hes not in great form he just looks out of place. rod mcdonald looks like a good rotational player, but he makes me nervous at times. matty platt and jacob bedeau are class, but sometimes i think we need someone to come in for bedeau. i think if we managed to sign another young centre back that can grown along side the 4 I have mentioned i think we would be stronger.

Did well at Wigan in 20/21 but then was quickly sacked the following year. Followed by 2 wins out of 24 at Rotherham which could explain why he has been out of work for a year.

Just hope the Brothers are true to form and it's somebody way off the radar!

It's an absolutely tiny market with relatively small bets causing big shifts. The presence of Priske and Alves in the top three tells you all you need to know. Priske is literally only there because he's Danish.

Apart from Maynard, every head coach the brothers have appointed has come out of left field. They are good at keeping things quiet and much prefer to appoint a relative unknown on the way up than somebody from the managerial merry-go-round.

Yes I have seen on social media that someone claiming to be in the know has suggested Leam Richardson could well be the next head coach.

I'm not too sure to be honest, he's got a league 1 title to his name so he's certainly got credentials but his style from what I can gather and remember wouldn't really fit with ours. Now, who knows, maybe we'll start to see a shift in that but I think it will be tweaked rather than changed completely.

It is very hard to find out even what stage the club is at, in previous years we had a reporter from the NEP that didn’t give names but knew the time-frame and when the interviews were taking place etc. I’m surprised there’s be nothing from BBCRNS, they probably have the best relationship with the club but they’ve either not got in touch or if they have the club have told them zilch…

The longer the search goes I would think it becomes more plausible the delay is due to a compensation fee needing to be agreed or a VISA needing to be approved for someone abroad... That said I am usually well off when I make predictions so cue Leam Richardson being announced later this evening!

Yeah, he's got potential, his last loan spell at Accrington was his most successful one. Ok, 5 goals in 17 isn't amazing, but in a team like Accrington it is more impressive. He's 22 now, I think his chance to get into the Burnley squad has passed, but he looks more capable of being successful in a League 2 side.

@menzinho i would say he fits the mould of our scouting system, with his age being 22 and how well he did at accrington. for a young striker, 5 goals in 17 games is not that bad. imagine what he could score within a more competitive squad, or the way we play.

At 22, I wouldn't be against us trying to sign him, but I don't think a loan would be suitable. At 22, he needs to settle in a first-team environment, and if Burnley were prepared to let him leave permanently, it could be a good coup for us. That said, it might trigger those wiki fans who believe the stats on the pages say more about the player than giving them a chance in real life.

We might be seeking more experience, mind you, what with the signing of Matthew Dennis.

Much preferred an away day to Southend on Sea!

I had hoped that Oldham Athletic would come up. I had been speaking with a council worker at Skegness who noticed my Notts shirt and during our conversation, he asked who I wanted to come up. I have a soft spot for them, ever since I collected the first Premier League sticker book and I really liked their old badge. It had slipped my mind, due to travelling back, but I bumped into @ARLukomski, which was a really nice surprise, and he told me he had been to watch the game.

When he told me Oldham had won, I was pleased because I think they are most certainly an EFL club and I hope they can survive next season.

Watched the highlights today (on the DAZN SPORT YouTube page if you are interested) a really impressive attendance for what is the 5th level. I think it was something like the 5th time in a row the National League Play-off Final has gone into extra-time. I'd have been happy to see either back, think Southend have had a tougher time with their ownership issues, but nonetheless welcome back Oldham!

EFL3 is the compromised answer to 3 Up and 3 down, with appropriate funding help from the PL

Lots of reasons why there should be an EFL 3.

The National League has a good standard & the top third Clubs of the NL can compare favourably with the bottom half of League 2.

Financial turnover is higher in the NL compared to the past. All NL clubs except just four in 24/25 were full time professional.

Unfortunately, not all NL clubs grounds are EFL ready. Many will have to upgrade their grounds to hold at least 4K & meet more stringent safety requirements to meet EFL standards.

Another issue would be how the extra league would affect the League & FA Cups. Would there need to be a preliminary round for EFL 3 clubs?

Yes there may be existing issues to be ironed out, but the prospect of a new EFL league 3 would be an exciting prospect for football fans across the Country.

Implementation of  three up three down promotion /relegation across those four Divisions of the EFL, (including EFL 3), would be a much fairer system

While York City have been unlucky this season, they've benefitted from the playoffs twice in recent years. They finished sixth when they were promotedfrom the NLN...

But in principle I agree that we need three up, three down between L2 and the Bananarama Conference. Maybe even four. Having fewer promoted teams is a hangover from the days when the FL was a closed shop and can be incredibly cruel for the team finishing second, as we nearly found out ourselves. 

@Pies79 I wouldn't say so, players are currently on holiday and managers will be having free time too. The only people currently talking are agents, who will conduct business in the absence of their client, to negotiate potential deals in their best interest. I write, "best interest", but I am not sure most agents are beneficial to the game.

Some of the deals we are seeing being confirmed probably happened before the season was over, just a case of waiting for the window and the player's licence to be passed over.

I wouldn't worry so much about not having a head coach in place, as we generally recruit players at board level and then they are coached. I have no idea how much say the head coach might have when it comes to signings, but I would imagine they would be more inclined to say "I need a pacey winger", or "A solid centre back, with height." And the club will have already compiled a document on these areas.

 There would have already been conversations at the Club about the type of players that the Club should be looking for. I'm sure those conversations would have included the coaching staff, (one has now left), along with the Head of Football & the board. 

My concern is that any players that are recruited now will not have had the blessing/input of the new Coaching staff, & I think that is an important point, & this fact could obstruct/affect the recruitment of an experienced & leading Head Coach that Notts need at this time.

I'm not surprised Morias has left, can't really say he was terrible because he didn't get much of an opportunity but at the same time it certainly wasn't money well spent by the club.

As for the current head coach vacancy being an issue, for all we know behind the scenes it could've already been decided, so any potential players could be told who their new gaffer will be next season. And he could've even already suggested some potential targets for the recruitment team to look into... I feel like the club will communicate something to us this week as it's been very quiet so far.

Nice to see a team winning the Champions League for the first time. Congratulations to PSG on a great performance on the night.

I believe the Champions League has been devalued with so many non Champions being allowed to qualify nowadays.

I would prefer that only the league winners of each Country's top league should qualify. At a stretch, only the runners up in those leagues should be allowed to join them.

Looking at his wiki he has had a long career in the lower leagues as a player & manager.

One of his career highlights was In October 1988, Belford joined Tamworth and set a club record of 712 minutes without conceding a goal in February and March 1989. He was part of the FA Vase winning team in 1989.

Strange that he never forged a successful career in the EFL. Sometimes it comes down to getting an opportunity & a lucky break.

Fans are mentioning Didzy's appearances. Didzy played 36 league games for Notts including 7 as substitute. He scored 17 goals from those 36 games.

When you compare his appearances with other players.

Appearances as substitute included.

Ness 7.

McDonald 19

Macari 33

Grant 34

Gordon 30

Austin 25

Robertson 8

Edwards 16

Jones 22

Tsaroulla 38

Didzy's appearances & fitness record this season compare very favourably with all those major players.

football changes but we have to remember that he might wanting to focus on his private life and injury, last season was a big one for us and i dont think we have to worry. we might not be able to replace him, but no player is impossible to find someone else able to become a fan favourite. i hope hes just retiring.

From IG

Are you trying to start a rumour @Piethagoram? 

Keep an eye on any new entrants to the Notts head coach betting @Fan of Big Tone

I would like to see Notts recruit some more strong physical players that don't mind getting stuck in to their opponents.

I think that the Notts team does need to be more physically strong & be capable of holding their own against the physical sides in League 2.

I still want Notts to be very strong on the footballing side, but a team doesn't necessarily have to reduce their effectiveness as a footballing side to become more physical.

Lots of opponents pitches aren't as good as the Meadow Lane pitch, & a big factor on the system of those pitches is when winter sets in.

A squad that includes half a dozen strong physical players could be a godsend when Notts meet these physical sides, play on the poor pitches, & experience the poor weather conditions.

I don't think it's a case of being more physical, but less bullied by teams who pull shirts, clatter attacking players and just use the dark arts. If we give up to much freedom to be physical, it will impact the stone of football the club currently in visions.

Fans always say we need to be more physical or aggressive, but the moment players pile up suspensions, or get red carded it causes negative meltdowns.

Liam Noble and Might Doyle are two prime cases, both were silly with how frequent they got red carded but it's further evidence it's not what we need. Personally, I think Notts must be braver on the ball and more focused on misleading the opposition as to who might receive the pass. Our movement isn't all that great, yes we can score so excellent team based goals but they are few and far between.

If players made more effort with trying to make space and constantly move, it would open play a lot more. Whereas physical football tends to lead to unnecessary suspension. Whilst there could be room for some more physicality, my suggestion would solely be on movement, creativity and better linkup play.

a little more physical would not harm, wimbledon seem to get away with it and doncaster turned themselves around but i do agree more creativity, and better forward play would bring more success on the pitch. i think scott robertson could become a general in midfield, hes already showed some signs of not being scared to challenge or go for 50/50s.

Honestly, the board would probably be advising the recruitment to focus on younger talent. We'd all love Macaulay Langstaff back, hopefully one day we will but it would be good to find someone who has pace, height, able to hold up the ball and can finish. Ideally 22-25, but strikers that are good are few and far between. Still, there's every chance we could develop or get the best out of the right talent.

Seriously though, I doubt it'll happen as he'll be out of our price range financially. We'd have stood a greater chance of getting him in on loan, but transfer listing him makes this less likely. 

maybe with david mcgoldrick not reversing, notts might try to land macaulay langstaff on loan? a good spell by returning to us, could make it easier for millwall to recoup some if their fee and hes not sitting on the bench doing nothing. i know it seems unlikely, but you can never say for sure what could happen in football.

It hasn't been a good day for the supporters of Notts. We've lost our talisman who held this team together during the last third of the season. 

Without Didzy Notts may have been in the bottom half of the table. We don't know all the circumstances why he didn't agree to an extension.

It may not have been just down to the money. Was Didzy unhappy about Maynard leaving or something else about the running of the club? We will never know the answer to that question.

Notts are a big club with brilliant support at this level, & they should be able to attract good experienced Head Coaches & players. I do hope we get some good news in the coming days to lift the gloom.

Good morning it’s a bright start to the day but the forecast is for it to be cooler.

As predicted I’m aching after yesterdays park run so I’ll take it easy today, probably have a gentle walk later. Right I’m off to do the word games now.

Have a great day everyone.

It's been a pleasant day here. Managed to get out into the garden to remove the dead spring flowers & prepare the ground for the summer ones.

It's been a good spring for the larger plants. Pride of place goes to our Hydrangea that is looking the best I've seen it for a while & it looks like we will get a good crop off our two apple trees this summer.

Of course it's essential to ensure that the plants get water during the dry spell. We've had a good amount of rain recently which has helped.

I recall name but not so much about him as a player, usually the people who have short stays tend to have interesting stories. It's a nice encounter, I'm glad you managed to chat with him @Dripsey3.

I vaguely remember him, he was a full back with the turning circle of an oil tanker. Nicknamed Dangerous Brian by some. Don't tell him that to his face though! Glad he's still in the game. 

@menzinho Platt made the most appearances for Notts this season with 47. He was featured in every poll in the matches he played. 

He was very consistent & he did get votes from the members, but there was always another player who's performance stood out on the day. 

18 hours ago, menzinho said:

Most shocking thing for me is that Platt never won once!? Have you accidently missed him off? He's been one of our best signings this season, that's quite surprising. 

And yet Jevani Brown has a win 😵‍💫😲 You can't trust us fans these days!

That game Jevani Brown won, he was incredible and by far his best performance for us. Unfortunately, it was against Alfreton Town if my memory serves me and when Matty Platt has been exceptional, he's completed against others. 😞

2 hours ago, Chris said:

That game Jevani Brown won, he was incredible and by far his best performance for us. Unfortunately, it was against Alfreton Town if my memory serves me and when Matty Platt has been exceptional, he's completed against others. 😞

It was against Alfreton. Jevani scored two goals & played superbly.

Of course it was against non league opposition, but he did show that evening what he was capable of.

I hate to say it, but it might be a blessing for Aston Villa. Leicester City winning the Premier League wasn't the best outcome in the long run for the club, wage increase demands and rushing natural development undid their efforts. Whilst Villa are unlucky, at least they can continue to keep building.

Teams are always in a rush for success, without thinking of the downsides which often outweigh the positives. Yes, the decision sucks but they are finally achieving and I personally would hope it continues without focusing away from the Premier League.

Interesting Podcast. 

One of the realities of modern football that was mentioned is that the Football pyramid is no longer a pyramid but a Skyscraper with the PL right at the top.

As they all agreed the gap between the PL and even the Championship is getting wider year by year.

They mentioned that a Sky commentator said that the Championship playoff final was a match between clubs that whoever won would be favourite to come straight down next season.

That reality is sadly very true now & some people wouldn't even place a bet on it now.

The results of the final matches today confirmed that 5 of the top seven richest clubs in the PL qualified for the Champions League, & the sixth, Spurs, qualified for the CL by winning the Europa league during the previous week. So nothing has really changed this season.

A football regulator with strong powers to regulate football is what's needed.

The podcast talked about having a fair game 

This is the website.

With success comes higher salaries, better players means gate prices increase and it's a natural progression. A skyscraper would be a good way to look at the Premier league, but not so much the Championship. Teams can flirt between the 3 lowest professional tiers without much changing. Establishing yourself as a Championship side, and modernising at that stage can he costly. Teams that buy new stadiums, don't always get the success they in vision and then there's your Blackpool's, Portsmouth's and even rarer Bournemouth's.

I wonder what Sol Campbell makes of this? Lee Grant was a good keeper, it's nice to him being given a shot at management but I often feel moves like this are setup for failure. He needs plenty of time and support, hope he does well.

@super_ram

An interesting appointment .I wish him wel.